by Avery Wong
22 November 2012
Discussed Text: Levinas, "There Is," Ethics and Infinity
I woke up this morning feeling extra lazy to go school. I was tempted to cut Philo today just because it is my only class. I could’ve spent my morning sleeping like a baby sloth comfortable in my own little bed, but no, I had to wake up early to attend Dr. Garcia’s class. If I had slept like that baby sloth though, I would have probably miss out on “Il y a” and enjoy the morning with the satisfaction of waking up late but later suffer at night just staring at an empty word file, “Il y a”-ing and blaming myself for not going to today’s lecture.
The first thing that came to my head when I heard “Il y a” was: “il-what?”.Levinas sounded like an African-American-Swedish rapper trying to compliment another man’s rap. “Your rap is ill,ya?” Jokes aside, to be honest, I’m not exactly sure what the “There Is” means. Levinas said that “Il y a” is not something nor is it nothing. So what is it then? After hearing all the examples in class, I’m lead to think that this tricky word, is closely related to, correct me if I’m wrong, a state/situation/position. It is not something nor is it nothingness.
It’s hard to explain it. All I can do with my limited understanding is to help give more examples to point towards “There Is”.
“There Is”is when there’s a restlessness to become more, but at the same time the dread to be a definite being. It is that middle ground, where you haven’t gone out, but another part of you wants to.Maybe most of you have this feeling of wanting to know someone but somehow you don’t want to.Maybe it’s a crush. Maybe more than 1. Or it could be that wanting to know someone just because you see that person every day. You know that feeling of seeing a person you know by face but don’t know very well, look right back feeling the same thing? Yup, “Il y a”. At that moment, you don’t know exactly what to do. A part of you wants to step out and know them or at least say “hi”, but another part of you will pull you back. That same thing happens to the other person and both of you just look away. Wondering what happened and the next moment shrug it off as if nothing did.
It could also be that moment when you have this vague image of a better self, a more creative self, but when opportunities arise, a part of you just pulls you back and you miss that opportunity. I had a lot of those Il y a moments, when I was (and still am) in a dread to perform for people, but deep inside I have this eagerness, this wanting to affect them in some way with my music.
It could also be that we try to be all but end up mastering nothing at all.That dread of not wanting to be because you might close other doors.Or even that dread of wanting to be. Half of you wants to be while the other half holds you down and reminds you that becoming entails the responsibilities that go with it. Take for example a friend asking his buddy: “Kayo na ba?..Not yet official, bakit?” when in fact that buddy of his is actually doing things not even traditional couples do that early in the relationship. You know what I mean.
All these things could be “Il y a”. Maybe some might simplify it as a “fear of”. It could be a fear of embarrassment, a fear of rejection, a fear of failure, or maybe a fear of commitment. But I think “Il y a” is more than fear or anxiety. Insomnia, according to Levinas, is an example of the “There Is” where no fear or anxiety is involved. One wants to sleep but cannot sleep. It is not the person’s own doing that he can’t sleep, nor is it not entirely his doing.There is something (but it is not really a thing nor is it nothing) that affects or is affected.
I stopped and thought to myself: “Would there even be a consideration of not wanting to be if there was no consideration of the reaction of the other?” One would most probably recite in class or talk to the teacher as if he/she is the only one in that class without others judging his answers if there were considerations of the other students. He/she would definitely BE reciting in class. So in short, I’m telling myself to not mind other people, but still, it’s hard not minding them.
The next thing to ask, I guess, is how to stand out and Exist and, not be a baby sloth (even if they’re so fuzzy and cute).So here are some of my thoughts, hope they helped or entertained you in some way.
First thing I wanna say....that picture is so cute!!!! Okay, serious mode. I like how you were somehow able to put what that "there is" is into words. Yeah, I guess it's easy to simply call it fear of something because often times, we are in that state of il y a because of it. But there are times when it really is something more. It can be quite similar to metaphysical unease, actually. At least that's how I see it. Like metaphysical unease, this state of il y a bothers us and may push us to do something.
ReplyDeleteLica Lee
PH102 A
" It is that middle ground, where you haven’t gone out, but another part of you wants to." - this is exactly how I understood 'Il y a' when Doc G was discussing it in class. Like you, I was considering to cut class (it being my only class) but then if I did, I would not have been comforted with the fact that I was not the only one 'il y a'-ing in life.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I was struck when Doc G started discussing holding back. Why do we hold ourselves back? When in fact, if we never try...we will never know. There are some adjustments that need to be done within ourselves, but I still need to gather up the courage to actually step up.
Bea Antonio
PH102 A
Thanks for this blog! It really enlightened me as to what "il y a" is. And it's really interesting to note, as well, that other than all of us being one in expressing the theme and dynamic act of Being, I think we're all probably united in expressing "il y a" also. Before each of us emerges into Being, we are all asked to overcome such a middle ground, a position of uncertainty and uneasiness in life. And it is the truly remarkable people who are able to harness the will power, the sense of initiative and the determination to take on the responsibilities and duties they are asked of in life, and hopefully all of us will eventually reach that point in life.
ReplyDeleteThomas Manalac
Ph102-A
From today's class, thanks to Sir Earl, I got a better understanding of what "il y a" is. It is a state of existence that one is continuously challenged with. A moment of possibility, but we have not realized it to be as such. It is not yet being, but also not nothing. It is not emptiness but full of nothingness.
ReplyDeleteThis whole definition of what "il y a" is makes me think of a sandwich. We are the "palaman" within the bread, which represents "being". Sir Earl said that we are cannot get over "il y a" but rather we constantly challenge it. We affirm our existence in the world by not being there for ourselves but for Others. This sounds like a lot of work and believe it or not, it is very true.
Instead of staying within our comfort zone, why don't we see what we can do for Others? By doing this, we affirm our place in this being in the world for Others. :)
Hokulea Cabrera
PH102-A
Clarification, though: we can get over il y a. It's just that, as Levinas said in the last part, it would always go back; however, we are continuously called to escape it, to continuously affirm our being.
DeleteAt first, it was hard for me to explain what "il y a" means as well, let alone understand what it means. But then, when more examples came, the more I understood about it and the more it became evident in my life. Even in the smallest things such as trying to wake up in the morning, trying to listen to the teacher, experiencing insomnia and such, it is seen that all of us experience this "il y a". What matters is that we are able to escape from it and enjoy life for what it truly is. For me it's the same with an experience. Before I experience something, there is this dread that I might regret having done it. But at the back of my mind, there's this something that always pushes me, what if I didn't do it? Will I ever get the chance to do it the next time? There's this confusion in me to try or not to try. In the end, I always do it for the sake of experience. Sometimes, I regret; other times, I don't. But, what I can say is that at least I did it, and I learned in the process.
ReplyDelete-M. Cua, Ph 102 A