SEARCHING FOR MEANING AND HAPPINESS:
2. WHO ARE YOU FOR ME
AFTER answering our first question, Who Am I, we try to answer the second: Who Are You for Me.
As a human person, I am an individual and a social being, a member of a family, a citizen of a nation and of the world. The other can be for me an “it,” a “nobody,” a “he/she,” or a “thou” – a “you! If I consider the other as an “it,” or an object, then I depersonalize, disrespect him/her: I consider him or her a “means”. “Do not consider the other person as a means but always as an end” (Kant).
If I consider the other as a “nobody,” then I am indifferent to him/her, and this is inhuman. If I take him/her as he/she, then I respect them in justice as equal, but I do not love them. If the other becomes a “thou”, then I understand him/her as an equal and as a member of the human family. And I love them.
In religious perspective, particularly in Christian perspective, the other is not just an equal but a brother or a sister in Christ. As a person, as a social being, the purpose of my life is to live with others in justice and love: to live with and for others. Only true justice, and compassionate and forgiving love lead to integral peace.
As a Christian, I am not alone. As the first Christians said, “Solus Christianus, nullus Christianus”- a solitary Christian is not a Christian. The Christian is a member of the Church, that is, of the community of faith, hope and love. The Church is the People of God composed of the Pope, bishops, priests, religious women and men and lay faithful. All the members are equal in dignity, for there is one Lord, one Spirit, one baptism for all.
I live with others, but what for? What is my responsibility facing the life of others? My fundamental responsibility is to respect and defend the right to life of every human being from the moment of conception to natural death. Therefore, and based on my humanity, I defend human life against procured abortion, direct euthanasia, direct homicide and the death penalty.
My responsibility for the other’s life is to defend it and promote it: not only his/her physical life but also a dignified life in the world. I have to be just and promote justice, to be in solidarity with all, particularly the needy and weak. With others, I am obliged to work for the freedom of all and for peace in the world. I have to work for the truth in love. I am not free to lie because authentic freedom is grounded on truth: it is freedom in the truth not freedom from the truth (St. John Paul II). The God of Jesus Christ is, our Go is Truth and Love.
The responsibility for my life and the life of others is based on human dignity, which is expressed in human rights. Human dignity is equal in all human beings. Likewise human rights, the rights that belong to every human person by the fact that he or she belongs to the human species. These rights include the right to education, to basic health, to freedom, including freedom of conscience and religious freedom -and conscientious objection.
As a human being I am asked by our humanity to promote the human dignity and the rights of all, in particular of those who live – or merely survive – as if they had no rights!
What is the meaning of my life with others? What makes us truly happy? It makes us happy, it gives meaning to our life this: to become more what we are, that is, to become flourishing human beings living with others and for others. To be and become more what we are may be considered the two poles of human existence. Life is trying constantly – and often failing – to become what we are as human beings and as Christians, and this entails being moral and ethical in our personal and social life. I am totally convinced in my mind and in my heart that only doing goo -loving always- gives us some happiness and leads us to more happiness. On the contrary, doing evil -hatred, pride, envy - makes us unhappy and disposes us to more unhappiness.
In October 2011, Steve Jobs, Apple creator, passed away. Jay Elliot, ex-vice president of Apple said: “Steve was the most ethical and moral person I have known. This added to his passion for his projects was a combination that I had never seen before (…) He never did anything which was not proper to the most noble among human beings” (From ABC Newspaper, October. 9, 2011).
Also in October 2011, the Forbes Magazine published the results of a survey conducted by the University of Chicago. The main question the researchers asked was: “Who is the happiest person?” The most common answers were: The happiest is the priest or pastor. Second, the fire-fighter; third, the physiotherapist, and thereafter: the professor of special education, the teacher, artist (sculptor and painters), psychologist, etc. The conclusion stating that priests are the happiest among other calls and professions confirms the results of many other researches on the same problem. Priests and pastors are the happiest, above all, by reason of their relationship with God and others, and their usual inner peace. (See Stephen J. Rossetti, “A Happy Priest and the New Evangelization,” The Priest, Vol. 68, No. 3, March 2012, pp. 19, 21, 22, 51) For me, the saints or the poor in spirit are - after Jesus- the happiest human beings. As someone says, the greatest of their gifts is their smile!
What is then the purpose, the meaning of life? It is love: loving others gives meaning to our life and increases our happiness. Indeed, as the great R. Tagore writes, “life is given to us, and we deserve it by giving it back” – to others, most of all, to our family and friends, and the needy.
Who are you for me? I am a human person who cannot live a fulfilling human life without you, who are my equals in dignity and rights, my brothers/sisters on the journey of life. I am called by God through Christ to be united to him and to live a life of universal love. Yes, “to be a human being is to be a fellow human being.”
THE GREATEST value of human life is love. This is why many Christians and other human beings give their life, out of love, for others. What really count in my life should not be: “I” but “You,” and “You,” and “You.” It is not the “I” what is truly important but the “We” formed by you and me. - and all We are members of a family, a community, a nation, the world. As Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, OP says well, the true community “helps each one of us to say “I” because I have learned to say “We”, and the other way around.” Indeed, “I am because we are.” # (FGB)
SEARCHING FOR MEANING AND HAPPINESS:
2. WHO ARE YOU FOR ME
AFTER answering our first question, Who Am I, we try to answer the second: Who Are You for Me.
As a human person, I am an individual and a social being, a member of a family, a citizen of a nation and of the world. The other can be for me an “it,” a “nobody,” a “he/she,” or a “thou” – a “you! If I consider the other as an “it,” or an object, then I depersonalize, disrespect him/her: I consider him or her a “means”. “Do not consider the other person as a means but always as an end” (Kant).
If I consider the other as a “nobody,” then I am indifferent to him/her, and this is inhuman. If I take him/her as he/she, then I respect them in justice as equal, but I do not love them. If the other becomes a “thou”, then I understand him/her as an equal and as a member of the human family. And I love them.
In religious perspective, particularly in Christian perspective, the other is not just an equal but a brother or a sister in Christ. As a person, as a social being, the purpose of my life is to live with others in justice and love: to live with and for others. Only true justice, and compassionate and forgiving love lead to integral peace.
As a Christian, I am not alone. As the first Christians said, “Solus Christianus, nullus Christianus”- a solitary Christian is not a Christian. The Christian is a member of the Church, that is, of the community of faith, hope and love. The Church is the People of God composed of the Pope, bishops, priests, religious women and men and lay faithful. All the members are equal in dignity, for there is one Lord, one Spirit, one baptism for all.
I live with others, but what for? What is my responsibility facing the life of others? My fundamental responsibility is to respect and defend the right to life of every human being from the moment of conception to natural death. Therefore, and based on my humanity, I defend human life against procured abortion, direct euthanasia, direct homicide and the death penalty.
My responsibility for the other’s life is to defend it and promote it: not only his/her physical life but also a dignified life in the world. I have to be just and promote justice, to be in solidarity with all, particularly the needy and weak. With others, I am obliged to work for the freedom of all and for peace in the world. I have to work for the truth in love. I am not free to lie because authentic freedom is grounded on truth: it is freedom in the truth not freedom from the truth (St. John Paul II). The God of Jesus Christ is, our Go is Truth and Love.
The responsibility for my life and the life of others is based on human dignity, which is expressed in human rights. Human dignity is equal in all human beings. Likewise human rights, the rights that belong to every human person by the fact that he or she belongs to the human species. These rights include the right to education, to basic health, to freedom, including freedom of conscience and religious freedom -and conscientious objection.
As a human being I am asked by our humanity to promote the human dignity and the rights of all, in particular of those who live – or merely survive – as if they had no rights!
What is the meaning of my life with others? What makes us truly happy? It makes us happy, it gives meaning to our life this: to become more what we are, that is, to become flourishing human beings living with others and for others. To be and become more what we are may be considered the two poles of human existence. Life is trying constantly – and often failing – to become what we are as human beings and as Christians, and this entails being moral and ethical in our personal and social life. I am totally convinced in my mind and in my heart that only doing goo -loving always- gives us some happiness and leads us to more happiness. On the contrary, doing evil -hatred, pride, envy - makes us unhappy and disposes us to more unhappiness.
In October 2011, Steve Jobs, Apple creator, passed away. Jay Elliot, ex-vice president of Apple said: “Steve was the most ethical and moral person I have known. This added to his passion for his projects was a combination that I had never seen before (…) He never did anything which was not proper to the most noble among human beings” (From ABC Newspaper, October. 9, 2011).
Also in October 2011, the Forbes Magazine published the results of a survey conducted by the University of Chicago. The main question the researchers asked was: “Who is the happiest person?” The most common answers were: The happiest is the priest or pastor. Second, the fire-fighter; third, the physiotherapist, and thereafter: the professor of special education, the teacher, artist (sculptor and painters), psychologist, etc. The conclusion stating that priests are the happiest among other calls and professions confirms the results of many other researches on the same problem. Priests and pastors are the happiest, above all, by reason of their relationship with God and others, and their usual inner peace. (See Stephen J. Rossetti, “A Happy Priest and the New Evangelization,” The Priest, Vol. 68, No. 3, March 2012, pp. 19, 21, 22, 51) For me, the saints or the poor in spirit are - after Jesus- the happiest human beings. As someone says, the greatest of their gifts is their smile!
What is then the purpose, the meaning of life? It is love: loving others gives meaning to our life and increases our happiness. Indeed, as the great R. Tagore writes, “life is given to us, and we deserve it by giving it back” – to others, most of all, to our family and friends, and the needy.
Who are you for me? I am a human person who cannot live a fulfilling human life without you, who are my equals in dignity and rights, my brothers/sisters on the journey of life. I am called by God through Christ to be united to him and to live a life of universal love. Yes, “to be a human being is to be a fellow human being.”
THE GREATEST value of human life is love. This is why many Christians and other human beings give their life, out of love, for others. What really count in my life should not be: “I” but “You,” and “You,” and “You.” It is not the “I” what is truly important but the “We” formed by you and me. - and all We are members of a family, a community, a nation, the world. As Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, OP says well, the true community “helps each one of us to say “I” because I have learned to say “We”, and the other way around.” Indeed, “I am because we are.” # (FGB)