I’m sure most of you have already watched the Disney animated film Frozen, It was a story of two princesses who learned the meaning of true love, and I guess, in a sense, it was also a story of two sisters learning “me here for you”.
First off, princess Elsa, who has fear running through her veins that she failed to acknowledge that life is a lot more than herself. She secluded herself into thinking that solitude is the best path, because she feared her power. Then there’s princess Anna who sees people merely in face value.
These princesses had encounters that opened themselves up and helped them delve deeper within themselves. Anna found Kristoff and it made her see that first impressions may not really be the lasting one. Then, there’s Elsa who had Anna to remind her of the fun that they had building Olaf, the snowman, while helping her see the beauty that is her power.
However, Elsa didn’t have an easy path in finding herself. It took her sister’s sacrifice for her to realize that she is infinite, that acknowledging that she is infinite and urging her feelings out would help her control her powers and become a better queen.
It was just like what Levinas teaches us when we have this certain experience with the other that makes us delve deeper into ourselves; disturbing us and making us realize that there is this infinite within us.
Elsa wanted a relationship with Anna, but she restricted herself for Anna's sake. Anna did not know why. She kept on reaching out to her, not knowing when she would respond. Anna eventually gave up.
ReplyDeleteMy point is that humans are naturally relational beings. Even if it seemed that a person is not interested in a relationship, that is usually otherwise. There are reasons behind the refusal that we would never fully understand. However, being there for others is not merely being available to them. "Me here for you" is reaching out to the people who feel to vulnerable to reach out first. It is a strive to share life and love to those in need- everyone including me and you.
KateBonamy, ph102A
I think Olaf also deserves some credit, he also showed his me here for you when he was willing to sacrifice himself for Anna.
ReplyDelete"Some people are worth melting for"
but in truth, it isn't just those close to us. even people we do not know, a random act of kindness.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this! It's a wonderful philosophical analysis+movie review. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's true though, sometimes it takes encounters with other people for us to realize our own 'power'. That we are infinite in as much as the Other is infinite.' That we are capable of doing and being so much if we just allow ourselves to be open to people and experiences.
Whenever we hear success stories of other people, one of these two things happen: Either we make excuses like, they were really good and talented and they had better circumstances than us; OR we get inspired by them and somehow feel a rekindling deep inside us that reminds us of our desire to pursue the dreams we've once made but had forgotten in the busy-ness of everyday life.
PH 102
Section A
I really liked how you related our lesson with the movie and it is actually from movies or "texts" such as Frozen where we can see how important our relationships with others are. As you said, it is through Anna that Elsa was able to find her true self and the same could be said for all of us since through our interactions with people, we are called to reflect on our selves and do something greater not only for ourselves but for others as well.
ReplyDeleteRobert Go
Ph102 A
I find it a good relationship that you've done to the movie with our topic! It is somehow this relationship we have with others, even strangers, that allow us to discover who we truly are. These interactions, traumatisms and acts that we do onto others allows us to open ourselves up and realize our true potentials and our true selves. Knowing that we are there for some else gives us hope that we aren't here alone. That the other and the I will work together in developing and realizing who one is and who one can be.
ReplyDeleteLuis Tanjuatco
Ph 102 A
And that is the power of encounter!
ReplyDeleteAnna really did also contribute to Elsa's epiphany regarding her infinity. What's nice here is that Anna really did utilize the power of encounter. She did not give up on her sister, and she used every chance she would get to understand Elsa.
Moreover, I liked that Anna really encapsulated the responsibility of the Other. She really experienced the Face and did not at all put her sister into a box, thematizing and putting her sister into a context (as some of the other characters did).
Truly, a call for responsibility means leaving our own comfort zones and truly letting things go- as they are and should be.
Denise Tan
PH 102A
I agree with your opinion that the other is the one that makes us delve deeper into ourselves. We need the other in order to be open to new experiences. They are the one's who try to bring us out of our bubble and confront us with the fact that we cannot always be in the familiar, we need the unfamiliar to bring sense into our life. What would a life of knowing everything be anyway?
ReplyDeleteStephen Vera Cruz (A)
I loved how you were able to incorporate a modern film into our discussion. It reminds us of the power of Texts and how it can help us forget about ourselves for a little while and place ourselves in the perspective of another person. I think that the perfect example of "Me here for you" was when Princess Anna decided to put the life of her sister before hers as the ultimate sign of true love. This is definitely different from the usual true love's kiss that Disney has shown for the past years. I believe that this plot twist is one the reasons why this film became so successful. It definitely gives its viewers on what love is really about. Real love isn't the picture perfect fairy tale that we've been so accustomed to, it's about taking responsibility for the Other.
ReplyDelete- Genica Lim (C)
Anna has brought out the infinite within Elsa through her love that made her sacrifice herself. True giving is like being prepared to die for the other instead of the other dying for you. This is the responsibility that Levinas wants us to live. A responsibility that selfless and no expectations just love.
ReplyDeleteJoel Magturo
PH 102 A
Also, I would just like to add how in the movie they mentioned that the greatest act of love is self-sacrifice. I completely agree with this as if we are able to sacrifice ourselves for the Other we are able to move out of ourselves, we are able to decenter ourselves and focus on the needs of the Other, attending to their call and able to respond to this. Ultimately, the greatest act of love is sacrifice because you stop thinking about yourself for once and put others first. I think this precisely illustrates the concept of "After-you" and "Me here for you".
ReplyDeleteFrenchi Baluyot A