Community

I'm in the midst of prepping yet another college course - this time Interpersonal Processes. It is a fancy title that basically refers to how we communicate within relationships with other people. At first I was a bit nervous with teaching the course as in the past it was taught from more a counselor-type perspective. I soon began to realize though that I could take a different approach - more of a facilitator approach that suits my abilities in experiential initiatives & exercises.

I have always been curious as to how people respond in situation involving a problem to be solved, a conflict, or even a crisis. How do you communicate with others when there is a fire, you are a witness to a robbery, you are involved in an accident? How do you communicate with your spouse when you don't disagree with a decision he or she has made? How would we cope with not being able to communicate with someone?

Over the summer, I like to challenge myself with difficult 'reads' - books that I have to reread and digest before I can come to a conclusion about. Books by thought-provoking authors like Kierkegaard, Thoreau, Pascal, Commenius, etc. One of the books I am still in the process of reading is entitled 'I & Thou' and is written by a Hasidic Jew by the name of Martin Buber. His basic premise is that humankind was created to interact with each other in community. I-It relationships are not what God intended - in other words treating people like objects simply goes against his eternal design. I-You draws near to Buber's ideal of mutuality & equality within relationship but the ideal is I-Thou. I-Thou is the highest form of human communication because each person affirms the other as of great value and unique. It goes even further in acknowledging the need for relationship with God.

Who are we? We are designed to be involved with each other. We are designed for relationship & community. We are designed to communicate with Creation & the Creator. We are the human race - fallen but ready to take flight in community.

G