The Value of Being Yourself

Accept my sincerest apologies if this post will have the sort of terminology which is quite unfamiliar and technical. Nevertheless, words are words! This is a reflection I wrote while in college based on the philosophical ideas of the Danish Philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard.  It is about individuality not individualism. It is about subjectivity not subjectivism and relativism. It is about being yourself and the faith that is demanded to do so. Kierkegaard calls it a leap of faith!

The journey to actualizing the potential for self-hood is possible only if the existing individual rises above the values, goals and altitudes of the common herd and strives to realize his identity as a unique particular:

“A crowd... (any crowd) in its very concept is the untruth, by reason of the fact that it renders the individual completely impertinent and irresponsible or at least weakens his sense of responsibility by reducing it to a fraction.”[1]

His aversion for objectivity and universality is vivid in these texts. With regard to our thesis, it becomes clear that Kierkegaard spares not his pen in battle against the totalizing force of the universal. “Subjectivity is the truth” is the maxim which guides the existential dialectic of Kierkegaard and liberates the individual from suffocating in a world of values that are meaningless to the subject. He rather advocates the freedom of the subject, the individual in making the existential choice for those truths which have subjective value.

The crowd-mentality assists all human kind to cheat by copying results and answers , subjective thinking on the other hand invests everything in the process of becoming , as every human being who has not let himself be tricked into being objective. As a matter of fact, it is absolutely easy to be like the others ,to become a copy, an imitation and a counterfeit, a mere number. In the crowd mentality, Kierkegaard affirms that;“The real crime, the one people regard as the worst of all and punish cruelly, is to be not like the others.”

Subjectivity exists truly only in the leap of faith, in the blind leap into a zone of objective uncertainty, into the unknown. Life is not about objectivity, it’s not about universality, it’s not about unchanging principles. It’s not about being like everyone else. It’s not about being like the rest of the crowd. “the crowd is untruth” Rather, it’s about relating with the singular individual in the most fluid way, in the most unscripted way.

 The good life is not legitimized by any political, moral, religious or metaphysical system. indeed, it’s the very opposite of systems. Morality is about directly responding to the human being who stands before me; beyond ideology, beyond dogma, beyond creed. It is about relating beyond and above any categorical system beyond conceptualizing. It is about looking and seeing. It is beyond theory, beyond abstraction. This is the fundamental thesis in Kierkegaard’s works.

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[1] Kiekergaard, The Point of View,(Lowrie W (trans), London, p39

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The Art Of Making a Choice And Existential Guilt

CHOICES

     I intend to write about the gift of making a choice. Indeed,  it takes some time and often a lot of courage, and wisdom and freedom - to come to know what one really wants. The choice is made difficult not by the fact that one of the options is an evil or less in perfection but by the beauty and perfection of both. In other words, choice is an art.

“Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same.” 

Anonymous

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Does God Limit My freedom?

BREATHING FREELY UNDER WATER

It can generally be agreed upon that the extent and immensity of human knowledge has surpassed and exceeded the wildest of our expectations. 

In Greek mythology, such a state of affairs never went unnoticed and unpunished by the gods. The fate of Pandora, Arachne and Prometheus are clear examples of the deities’ propensity to limit human creativity and knowledge within ‘safe’ boundaries. Indeed, all mythology is loaded with allegory. One mortal who underwent punishment for her intelligence and creativity is Arachne. Arachne, a weaver who challenged the goddess of wisdom and crafts, Athena to a weaving contest. Arachne’s work was far more beautiful. 

Athena out of fury and frustration ripped Arachne's work into pieces, and hit her

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A Loving God in an Imperfect World

THE PROBLEM OF EVIL

     The human and anthropological problem of suffering and agony is the most unpalatable of the existential challenges that man must face and contend with. The question of the death of young and innocent children, the incurable and painful disease of cancer, termination of pregnancies, uncontrollable volcanic eruptions, tsunamis and the sudden death of a close friend or a beloved family member. 

    In situations like these, human beings do nothing but ask “why”? In fact, the question ends up in a theological sphere of deep emotion or rational speculation. The question inevitably ends up being a question that puts God on trial; Why would an all-loving, all powerful and all-knowing God permit or even enable this to take place.

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How to develop a Courageous Character

Courage 

In order to live happily and be successful, one must learn which values and traits to hold and how to achieve them. This also demands developing a consistent personality and character. Courage is the ability to conquer the chronic desire to limit options and to live life within safe bounds.

After 24 years of experience as a human being and three years of studying philosophy, one thing I have noted is the essential and fundamental need for

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FUEL YOUR PASSION FOR LIFE

         THE PASSIONATE DREAMER

        I have been privileged in the last 4 years to have had opportunities to visit a number of African countries; Zimbabwe, Namibia, Kenya and Tanzania (where I have been for almost three years now). In all these countries I have met and interacted with multitudes of young people. The spectacle which has captivated my attention more than any thing else is the passionate and enthusiastic youth; one who is ready to conquer the world! Fortunately, or unfortunately, I have also met the dreary ones. Henceforth, this blog will strive to set ablaze a spark in each heart. It is my hope that the passionless and the dreamless will dream again!

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Demythologising The African Moral Consciousness

RESHAPING AFRICAN MORALITIES

The project of demythologizing is an imperative now more than ever. In the history of thought, demythologizing takes on a particularly special impetus with the philosophers. As a matter of fact, most of us dwell in an age in which an entire world-view (religion included) is undergoing systematic demythologization. It is likewise a matter of fact that most traditional African ethical values are grounded and built upon a world-view that most of us today no longer hold or at least ascribe to. Most contemporary Africans do not believe any more in ancestral spirits, vengeful forces of the dead, taboos and tribal linkages. Such notions are understood as mythological or even mere illusion and legendary.

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Reshaping Africa's Identity

 THE ILLUSIONS OF TRIBE

 (A Quest for a Border-less Culture)

   Africa has in ages past been a passive continent that could not define or rather ascertain its own identity in a systematic and methodological manner. Consequently, eminent Philosophers such as Kant, Hegel and Lucien Levy Bruhl took it upon themselves to state in crude and sarcastic terms the essence of African Culture and Identity. Hegel stated that, “... African life is not a manifestation of the dialectical reason but of a succession of contingent happenings and surprises.” In other words, there is no purpose and there is no legitimate state whose development could be tracked.[1]

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Vulnerability - A Key to Loving Well

OPENNESS TO LOVE

Every deep human experience of love, of trust, of friendship, of sexuality and even of faith demands vulnerability. However, this is seriously risky business; it opens the road to the best possibilities and joys of life but also to the prospect of being hurt and of being wounded. Indeed, every adventure into love requires that one open up to the possibility of a horrible descent or an angelic ascension; into bliss or anguish. Consequently, it may be asserted that vulnerability is an obligation for fulfilling love.Otherwise, one might be too sensible to love, too careful to trust, too critical to dare.

A fully blossomed and authentic life demands that one allows (them)self to be “seen deeply and to see deeply.” Otherwise life is lived but only for the sake of clean and tidied-up appearances before others. A rich life is messy! It is unplanned, not pre-documented. It demands that one let go of the grip with which life is controlled. A gorgeous life is unrehearsed. it is spontaneous.

But why does a delightful life ask for vulnerability? First, vulnerability is defined as “capability of being physically or emotionally wounded, open to attack or damage ,exposed to criticism, liable to increased penalties but entitled to increased bonuses after winning” It’s clear. It's a pre-requisite for authenticity, genuineness, truth and legitimacy. Without which one lives in shadows and “stage plays” even to oneself with the sole consequence of entertaining the audience of the “character shows” at the expense of deep joy and personal fulfilment.

The path of spontaneity (not merely rush acts) but the deeds of the (wo)man who has understood the essentials and fundamentals of life. Who acts from their nature. This path offers possibilities i.e. for pain or for pleasure; for acceptance or for rejection, for bonding and trust or even for betrayal. Yet, Man is torn and dragged between an option for happiness and an option for acceptance and praise. Man is torn between an option for security and an option for a risk that leads to love. 

Man is torn between the possibility for love and for betrayal. Which is safer? What to choose?  This is the question that haunts every man. However, this question is not merely about happiness or approval. it is a question of the quality of life. No wonder St. Augustine could acclaim, “Show me a lover and he feels what I am saying.”

These possibilities for love or for rejection, for pain or for pleasure demand that one must have entered the dramatic pattern of life.Here lies my point, every human experience that is deep demands that one let go of certainty. Faith for instance demands that one let go of any guarantees, ‘to hope against hope, to be convinced of what one has not seen.’ No matter how beautiful the prospect of encountering God may be, there is always room for hurt, woundedness and for disappointment. 

This is vulnerability. “Better to have loved and lost, than to have never loved at all.” St. Augustine. To avoid vulnerability is to reject life in its depth, beauty and transcendence. Dare to risk!

Every moment in which love is proposed or announced is a risk for acceptance or for rejection. This is vulnerability. To reject vulnerability is to reject the possibility of finding love. Every moment of initiating friendship is to risk for an openness about myself that is cherished or that my openness is scorned and derided. This too is vulnerability. It demands that there be no certainties! Timothy Radcliffe expresses this point ironically, “Self-gift is immensely risky. To give yourself to another is dangerous. To be naked in their sight is to risk rejection or mockery. You may also be betrayed, denied or deserted.” (Radcliffe, 2014).

Whenever we dare to launch into the unknown, into vulnerability we place ourselves on a ‘queue’ for the possibility of being happy , loved and loving. Maybe this is why many marriages and relationships break-up, because we don’t dare to be vulnerable enough. ‘contemporary Love’ is filled with domination, with violence, with control and with invulnerability! Every experience of love carries with it the possibility for joy and for pain. (Amir, 2001)

 Nonetheless, the ultimate vulnerability that brings the ultimate happiness is the vulnerability before the Ultimate Other(God). As Benedict XVI (2005) expressed it, “I say to you dear young people… are we not afraid that He(God) might take something away from us? Are we not perhaps afraid to give up something significant, something unique, something that makes life so beautiful? Do we not then risk ending up diminished and deprived. When we give ourselves to him (when we are vulnerable), we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ and you will find true life.”

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Towards A Symphonic Existence With Nature

ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS

Butterflies

The most conventional definition of the term “ecology” is “the interdisciplinary scientific study of the living conditions of entities in interaction with each other and with the surroundings, animate as well as inanimate” (Naess, 1989, p.36). Yet, a non-ecological viewpoint is mostly associated with an atheistic religious affiliation; as such, believers may feel they are acquitted from this cosmic judicial proceeding. I beg to differ!

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