Far Fetched

In creation, we see the mind of the Creator.

Who would not want to be a better version of self? This is a question that spurs many of us into action. Suppose there was nothing to live for and we solely depended on the waves of fate to sway us, rocking us back and forth? Sometimes I wonder how many versions there can be of the same ‘humanity’ we boast to belong to yet the fundamental conditions remain the same. Why is it that some of us act different from what is universally accepted way? Could it be the influence of different temperaments, character shaping or just a rogue spirit which rummage the good keepings of a person and brings out the brutal side of man?
My heart is drowned in worry. It is filled with concern as to where we are headed as a society. The unceasing loss of lives over petty issues and in ways that are inhumane has made me lose trust in humanity. As I was reflecting in my anguish the brutal killings which happen in the circles of love, I remembered the kinds of relationships spoken about by Martin Buber, a Jewish philosopher and I felt a need of giving it a personal touch.
Buber identifies two types of relationships, that is, I-THOU relationship. First of all, ‘I’ has got so much to write about since it will entail in defining you and me in entirety. It is not easy to define anything since the language will always limit us or the definition will always tend to pull us deeper and deeper into the abyss of endless possible and reasonable definitions. For instance, how would you define what ‘a cup’ is convincingly? Try and comment below at comment section. How well do I know about myself? Is there a coherence of what others say I am with who I really am? Am I an introvert or an extrovert? Do I have self-respect? Do I hold myself with esteem? Do I regard life with respect? Do I love myself with utmost honesty? If you can answer these questions then, your life is worth living. You will have dealt with the ‘I’ part of the I-THOU relationship.
However, this knowledge does not start with self and end with self. Nay, it calls for more. John Mbiti said that we cannot define who we are unless we acknowledge that we are dependent beings. He says that ‘I am because we are’. At one point in life, we largely depend on others and especially when we are most vulnerable or helpless. A newborn cannot be without the nature and nurture. That is an example of dire need of others. Plato, a Greek philosopher said in Phaedo that the dead cannot be benefactors of themselves. Interment should be done by others.
THOU part of it deals with God, the Supreme Being or Power which governs all that is. It is in the inadequacy of and in man that makes him to tend to go beyond that which is physical, that which is sensible, towards that which is far much beyond his comprehension. This inadequacy is illustrated well by St. Augustine of Hippo in his The Confessions when he acclaimed that man’s soul will always remain restless until the time it will rest in the Lord, its creator. He also identifies this inadequacy of man in the City of God. He says that man has that unfilled part in his life which can only be filled by love. It is here that he points out the gist of this article; that which made me have that irresistible urge to put something down.
Our society today is in a certain confusion which St. Augustine knew was bound to happen. At our disposal, we have the created things. These things are supposed to be used, give us the best possible life and create the best environment where our existence can be made amiable. These things include wealth, fame, any form of material and monetary gains and such stuff. Then, there is humanity. Human beings are supposed to be loved and treated with respect. The Buber’s ‘I’ and Mbiti’s ‘I am because we are’ are applied fully in this category. The golden rule which calls us to do unto other that which we would love done to us, invites us to act human just as we are. Then there is God who is to be adored. There is no explanation to this since doing so will water down the very explicit meaning of the word adoration.
That notwithstanding, it is sad to see how the roles are reversed. We love things, adore people and use God. The reversal brings about a scenario which St. Augustine calls disordered love. Nowadays, people kills for things, wealth and use others human beings for material gain. No wonder, killing in the name of love does not feel strange to the perpetrators of the heinous acts. Love has become a utopic concept, very abstract and distanced from the spheres of man. Today, relationships are built on what you have but not what you are. Marriages are becoming investments where those entering into the agreement can kill the other for the greed and desire for sole ownership.
The value placed in the human life, which has to be loved and protected, because of the reversed roles, can be terminated without any gnaw of conscience or scolding of guilt. God, who should be revered and adored, becomes a wishful thought out there, which is sought after only when the humans are in dire need of his intervention. That is the use which God is nowadays subjected to. When there is no God, anything is permissible. Morals and values are not adhered to; man creates his own god who he worships as he pleases. Nietzsche witnessed this when he said that man has killed God and set himself upon the throne of God. Man has decided to call the shots. Man has made himself invincible. Man is untouchable ball of fire, hotter than the sun. Man is describing himself as a ‘Phoenix Rising’.
What should we do? What is there for us human beings? Is there a solution? Practical and long lasting remedy?
That will be in the next article.

©James Kanogo Maina, 2019.