CONNIKA

BACK TO BUBER

Back to I AND THOU, the little classic by Martin Buber.  I think I mentioned in a previous post about this book that Buber said that he wrote the book in a type of "creative ecstasy".  Because of its dense and poetic language, it can be quite difficult to understand.  I find myself reading, rereading and rereading again various passages and in the rereadings, receiving that bit more insight into what he was saying. 

This morning at breakfast, I went back to the Introduction to the book PRACTICING LIVING DIALOGUE by Kenneth Paul Kramer and wrote down some "notes" on genuine dialogue.

"Oh yes, I know what genuine dialogue is..."  Well do I?  I assumed the "dia" part of the word means 2 - so conversation between 2 people...  hauled out the dictionary...dialogue...1.  conversation - two actors had a dialogue in the centre of the stage. 2.  written out...the book had a lot of clever dialogue in it.  3.  airing of views, discussion. 

The definition of dialogue given by Kenneth Paul Kramer in PRACTICING LIVING DIALOGUE, "...happens in open, direct, mutual, present communication (spoken or silent) between persons who speak spontaneously without withholding or promoting an agenda."  

It's important to note that the "other" is THOU (not God), and when the other is THOU, this points to the quality of a genuine relationship... "in which partners are mutually unique and whole."  Mutually unique and whole?  The eyebrows came together "mmm I can understand unique but none of us is whole..."  And then, the light came on!  Of course, when we can see the other as unique and whole - accept them totally as they are, we are on our way to an I AND THOU relationship.  From a Christian perspective it's accepting and entering into the type of relationship God has with us.  Rereading this last sentence - I'm sitting with fingers on the keyboard trying to come up with other words - mere words - that can express more fully the magnitude of that sentence.  I'll move on...but it does amaze me every minute of the day.

In an I/THOU relationship, Buber says that the "quality" of that relationship is not something that can be instigated - it "happens" - and it happens by grace.  It doesn't happen in the I or in the THOU but BETWEEN them. 

For a relationship to be I AND THOU, it must first have moved from I/IT.  But that's for another day...

PRACTICING LIVING DIALOGUE

A while back, Garry at www.rivendellreflections.wordpress.com  recommended that I read a book called I AND THOU by Martin Buber.  Martin Buber 1878 - 1965 was a German Jewish religious and philosophical scholar in the years surrounding WW1 and WW2.  In Kenneth Kramer's introduction to I AND THOU (PRACTICING LIVING DIALOGUE), Buber is described as a man of encyclopedic knowledge...fluent in 9 languages and whose greatest contribution to the human community was 60 years of pointing to the hidden treasure he called "the life of dialogue".

Buber was awarded the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade for PRACTICING (my capitals), and recording just this kind of life.  He was also nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature and eulogized as one of the greatest human beings of the 20 century.

I started reading I AND THOU and PRACTICING LIVING DIALOGUE when I was away last month - on planes, boats and trains - well maybe not boats but you get the idea!   The pages I have read so far are covered with underlines, stars and notes!

I'm looking forward to sharing some of Kenneth Kramer's insights and some of my own over the next few weeks.