Early in the 20th century, troubled by trends of modern life, Martin Buber wrote an odd little book of philosophy with an enduring impact that continues today. It is called in German “Ich und Du” later translated into English as “I and Thou”. In it Buber described two ways of engaging people and things of the world: I-it and I-thou (or I-you). With I-it you are looking at a thing or person as something to be utilized, analyzed, dissected, exploited, etc. I-thou is a way of authentically relating to a person or thing, here and now, person to person/thing, recognizing their whole being, ’embracing them’ so to speak.
While both ways are needed, Buber saw that civilization was increasingly relying solely on the I-it mode, and less and less on the I-thou mode. This results in an increasing alienation from our world and its inhabitants. It also makes it far easier to abuse and ignore them.
Join us to listen to what others think and to share what you think. The Religious Exploration Salon is a group that meets 3rd Sundays to discuss various topics in the format called Bohm Dialogue which emphasizes respectful listening and balanced, synergistic sharing. For more details about how Dialogue works, please see this intro.
Everyone is welcome. You are welcome to think about the topic beforehand but no preparation is required or expected — come as you are with whatever thoughts/intuitions you have, ready to listen, learn and contribute. We next meet Sunday January 21st at 7pm in the Brackett Room.
Contact Paul Reising, Tom Yelton or Jan Hardenbergh for more information.