The discussion last Tuesday reminded me of a song in the musical Wicked, the title is “For Good”. It started with:
I’m limited
Just look at me
I'm limited
This is one of the main points in our discussion, as Levinas stated, we, as humans and as someone who will just understand self-love,are limited. It also goes to say that being is not enough with just being.
However, as the song continues on
“I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
This basically attests to the fact that through relationships and through opening ourselves to genuine love, we reveal more things about ourselves and we grow more. It also foretells how we need to go out of ourselves and have relationships with other people.
The chorus and the last line go like this:
Who can say if I've been
Changed for the better?
I do believe I have been
Changed for the better
And because I knew you...
Because I knew you...
Because I knew you...
I have been changed for good...
This part is important in the song and as a link in our discussion because it translates to how relationships can really change lives and how being for the other can help us become someone better, which is what Levinas mean when he stated that we need to let ourselves go out of self love.
I’m pretty sure most of us can relate to this song. We, as human beings, are limited, but then because of our relationships, we become someone better, we become someone with infinite possibilities. For one, just like how group works are, you can’t do everything alone. You might be able to do something or finish it, but having your group-mates, your friends, would be a lot easier and would result in something better, something “good” as stated by the song. Reciprocity, being calculative, shouldn’t be the thing that pushes us to do something;We need to be for the other just because and in turn our relationships will produce good.
That was a nice analysis of the song.
ReplyDeleteI would like to relate it to the first part of the same musical, when they sang the song "what is this feeling.". This song captures how easily a person can objectify the other. Here, Glinda will say a lot about Elphaba's external appearance, while Elphaba will capture Glinda in one stereotype: blonde. But despite the bad start between them, they eventually gave each other a chance. So eventually, they began to see each other as an infinite being not to be taken in context. In the end, they became friends. Clearly they have shaped each other's life. Their actions have made impacts on each other, and they made each other who they came to be. And all it took was an opportunity to reach out to each other.
Well, coming fresh from lots of groupworks this semester, I agree that one cannot do everything alone and the Other is there to bring out the best in oneself. We should not see others as competitors or crabs pulling us down, instead, we should let others draw out from within us something greater than ourselves. Yes, we do not act by reciprocity but under inspiration. Through encounters with others, we should be inspired that there is always something more. -Nicole Nuguid, Phi 102 C
ReplyDeleteWow, this is a really great insight! I love this song & I never thought about it that way!
ReplyDeleteMakes me think now on Levinas' point about seeing the Other as face or seeing the other as completely the other in relation to the play Wicked. Throughout the entire time, Elphaba was judged, even mistreated, and so on just because of her outer appearance wherein the people have barely had an encounter with her.
Who would have thought that Wicked could be related or connected to Levinas' point. :) Just comes to show that we have all somehow been aware already of the things we have learned in Philo class, Levinas just helped us articulate them & really find sense into them. Just like what Doc G said, something like teaching philosophy is teaching the obvious. :D
Finina Muñoz
Section C
Wow! This is actually one of my favorite songs and it really embodies what Levinas is trying to remind us about the Other. We meet all sorts of people from different walks of life everyday and as much as we try to ignore them, there will always be someone who will ignite something in us. Whether we find a friend for life or an enemy, life is all about opening ourselves up to things that will make us feel. It's only when we are moved that we can start to change our life for the better.
ReplyDelete-Genica Lim (C)
I absolutely love this song! There's also a part in the song that says:
ReplyDeleteSo much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend
And adding to your analysis, I think that each encounter we make leaves a mark, and changes us as well. Our encounters that "leave a handprint in our hearts" serve as these traumatisms that shake us and push us out of ourselves now being other centered and no longer the "I".
Yza Siy
A
I agree that, " We, as human beings, are limited, but then because of our relationships, we become someone better, we become someone with infinite possibilities." Relationships give us room to change our perspectives, our minds, and our hearts. It's what helps us grow and develop into the person we were supposed to be. It's not enough to live by oneself, we need other people in our lives to show us that there is more to life and in life that we can either hold on to or accomplish.
ReplyDeleteJan Weslee Lim
PH 102 C
I think is similar to Scott Peck's article called Love. But relating it to casual human relationships, one should be around for the growth and development of the other towards independence from the other, but with a lingering preference to be in contact with the other. Its like relationships that do not promote parasitism.
ReplyDeleteWe encounter several others non-stop and the possibilities within every encounter is limitless.
That was a very nice insight! This reminds me of what we discussed in class, how texts open us up to possibilities of being. Wicked served as a text that showed us experiences that we can really relate to, in a way that we can understand. For me, that's the beauty of texts. It's so applicable to real life and our learnings from these show us how to be more other-centered and loving.
ReplyDeleteMiguel Co
PH102 A