by Denise Tan
Death--- such a powerful, confronting yet commanding word.
“The fear for the death of the other is certainly at the basis of the responsibility for him.”
We recently hit a touchpoint of Levinas’ philosophy regarding one’s responsibility for the Other. And I think this is the anchor of his whole philosophy, realizing the realness of death itself and how this significantly correlates to our calling of being ultimately responsible for the Other.
Death here may not be used in its literal sense, although in some cases, it can be. It generally just depends on how you perceive it. But for me, what stood out the most is the fact that there is a call for us to respond to responsibility—as soon as we can. The discussion last time imparted in me a sense of urgency in answering the call. In my own freedom, in my own thinking, in my own will, I realized that there is really so much that can be done. With that, no time should be wasted and the call to act starts now.
Every second, every minute, and every hour wasted on the self is already a sign of passing, a sign of ignorance, a sign of the Other’s death. It is more of an unjustified reality that everyone is to face, but if we are to apply ethics and utilize it to purposely make the other’s life speak of its worth, then I think we can give as much comfort and kindness to one’s natural passing.
Death for me signifies more of a deprivation. We deprive Others of experiencing their worth, their infinity. But most importantly, we deprive them of ethics. Ethics for me is a continues, influential act. It is an unbroken chain of connection. If one falters to act on his/her responsibility, the continuous act of compassion/kindess will dwindle. The power of influence, inspiration, innate goodness of humanity will be derpived. The expansion of possibly sharing this philosohpy then decreases. There will be a contraction in the sharing of this philosophy.
We ourselves are responsible in influencing the human race to the direction of ethics and responsibility. And if we are to waste time on ourselves and miss the ultimate point of the urgency of the other’s death, then we are not living up to our life’s worth.
i love how you expounded on what Levinas meant by our responsibility to the death of the Other. It reminds me to be more conscious of my actions because you never know how it's going to affect other people. The way we choose to live our life may contribute to the growth or downfall of the Other. This inspires me to live more intensely since I have a greater purpose now.
ReplyDelete- Genica Lim (C)
I do believe that to be human is to be responsible. To be human to answer the call of the Other and to respond to their needs. This is ultimately what Levinas points out to us, to be ethical, to practice ethics. I like how you pointed out that death signifies deprivation that the more we waste time on ourselves, the more that we contribute to the death of the Other. Like we said in class, sometimes this is already a lifestyle, it is how people live. However, there is more to life than the self maintenance. What is the worth of our lives if we only live it for own selves? I guess this is precisely why our world is broken. We become gated individuals because sometimes we only care for ourselves and fail to show compassion and concern for the Other thus, contributing to their death in a way. We need to take on our responsibility as human beings, we need to be a "man for others". If we are able to do so, I guess this way, we can be bridge the gap between who we are and who we actually want to be.
ReplyDeleteFrenchi Baluyot A
I like how you mentioned "every second, every minute, and every hour wasted on the self..." contributes to the death of the other. There should really be this sense of urgency when it comes to fulfilling our responsibility for the other because in truth, it doesn't really take much at all in order to do so. A simple "hello" or a simple raising of the eyebrows in order to acknowledge the existence of the other can definitely go a long way.
ReplyDeleteLeo Lorenzo (A)
I don't think death signifies a deprivation of experiencing one's self worth at least not all the time. There are special circumstances where in one goes down in history because of their ultimate show of self-sacrifice. Sometimes the act of dying for the sake of the other is remembered by future generation because of its uselfish act. I think that it's only in death that one's self-worth is ultimately measured by the people whom one has inspired and influenced in one's lifetime. Furthermore, it's the only time that the accumulation of our acts for others is truly appreciated and remembered.
ReplyDeleteI agree on your point when you said "...no time should be wasted and the call to act starts now." Indeed man is called to act responsibly in experiencing the other. Immediately this is related with our discussion on the face wherein the other would impart on you the message "Do not kill/harm me" and the presence of the other thus asks us to do something, urging us to go out of ourselves and act. Upon one's awareness of the other, we see as well that we are connected with them and because of this we see Levinas' "approach" as we have the inclination to act even before we are conscious.
ReplyDeleteJohann Pe
Ph 102 Section A
I think rather than looking at the bad side of us being responsible for the death of the other, we should also learn to look at the positive side of things. Aside from being the fault of death, we should recognize that human beings area also reasons for the existence of the other. The fact that the other still lives and continues to be is because of us. As beings, humans become reason for living through love.
ReplyDeleteMar Tan - PH 102 A
I don't know but the first line that came to me after reading this blog is Ninoy's, "The Filipinos are worth dying for," but with a little twist: "The Other is worth dying for." I guess everytime we die to ourselves, that is, when we start giving up our own indulgences, guilty pleasures and selfish desires and start reaching out to the Other, we give life to the Other -- that the Other is there in front of me, alive, commanding me to take responsibility. Everytime we kill ourselves with a little sacrifice, we let the Other "experience their worth." -Nicole Nuguid, Ph 102 C
ReplyDeleteLiving for someone is often better to hear than dying for someone. In the same manner, instead of focusing on preventing other's death, maybe we can also try to contribute to their living (like by making their lives more meaningful through our time and service or by giving them a more quality life or something). :)
ReplyDeleteKate Bonamy
Ph102 A
Your view of death as a sign of deprivation is very interesting. Usually, people see death as the ultimate escape, the freedom from earthly desires and the entrance to the eternal life. Seeing it as a state of deprivation gives more sense or meaning to our role to other people. I agree with Kate that living for someone is better than dying for someone. Thus, in order to be responsible for someone, we must learn to live for them in an ethical way. The way I see it, death ends everything; all the chances we could have taken, all the things we could have expressed, will be said and done in vain when death comes. That’s why I also agree with what you said that it is better live now, have that sense of urgency, and be responsible for the other rather than waste everything.
ReplyDeleteHazel Alino
Ph102 A
Time is ticking not because we are dying but because we are living to a reality where we ignore the other. We should stop and realize that they need us and you need them. A worthy life is knowing that you did something for the other.
ReplyDeleteJoel Magturo
Ph 102 A
I like what you said about us being responsible for the other in the direction of ethics and responsibility. I guess, when we become ignorant of the things around us, this would also cause "deaths" of the other, and as such, as you said, "...the call to act starts now"
ReplyDeleteTrixia Tan
Ph102 C
What I was thinking about while reading your post is that where there is death, there is also life. We are not just called to act in response to the Other's death, but the Other's life as well. Over time the Other and countless others also come into being, and we are being called to be there for them, to help them grow.
ReplyDeleteMiguel Co
PH102 A