No Categories

by Den Banaag

6 December 2012
Discussed Text: Levinas, "The Solitude of Being," Ethics and Infinity


In previous lectures, Sir has talked about Levinas and how he holds a view that we should respond to the call of the other; to have a responsibility for others. More recently, he talked about one’s relation with the other. Human beings are unique, but we are reminded that there can still be relations among them.

This calls us to view other people simply as human beings, that is, to look at people with no categories being imposed on them. This is, of course, much harder to do than it sounds. In a few seconds, as we look at other people, our mind takes in everything from the shape of one’s nose to how the person is dressed and we form judgments about him or her. I know that this can happen even though I try to control it.

However, I remembered during times like Ondoy or the arrival of the nameless monsoon that it was entirely possible for all of us to, even for a while, forget about all these labels and these categories - to realize that yes, we all have our differences, but that, as Levinas said, we are all equal through them. How, even through Twitter, I saw people who I knew were never close ask if the other was safe.

I remembered how, when I was watching a Pacquiao fight in a movie theatre, I felt as if I were friends with everyone in attendance – how we all shouted, clapped and laughed with the one beside us. The moment when Pacquiao’s foe was knocked down, we all stood up and cheered, smiles on our faces. For a couple of seconds, my father briefly conversed about his thoughts and feelings on the match with the usher standing near us. It was not a conversation between a customer and an employee – just from one human being to another. As a former athlete, the thought just reinforced my love for sports and how events like these bring about that sense of relation with others.

How could it be so easy to forget categorizing people in these circumstances? It made me quite sad to think these brief moments of getting out of one’s comfort zone would only happen under certain situations or circumstances. To be honest, carrying that same attitude past a sporting event or a national disaster is difficult to maintain on a day-to-day basis. To put yourself in a relationship with a stranger wherein you are ready to respond to the other’s call, or have a certain responsibility for the other sounds like a burden. However, I am reminded of these moments wherein I am able to forget myself – what Levinas describes as the “I” escaping from being – and that light, happy-inducing environment that can be created if others are willing to do the same.

Sir Garcia often mentioned in the past about how things were different back then with the long hair and flared pants. I am sure everyone knows how influential The Beatles were and how their songs were able to bring people together despite their differences. This video, though quite old, still manages to make me hopeful. Though it is an advertisement, I believe its message is quite clear. Despite differences in race, age and social class, they were with one another as equals, even for one song. No categories – just simply singing along with your fellow human being.