Thursday, June 29, 2006
Love, The Unexpected and Union
In reading letters, analysing them, and then somehow trying to give advice, one might ask how we can actually be able to give advice to cases that are seemingly different from our own context. Yet we are able to put ourselves into the shoes of another.
The Unexpected
According to Aristotle, the unexpected reveals the true person. In the letters that we have read, we realise that when confornted with such surprising events—whether it be Kirina's response Carl's smile, the fight of Marco's parents, Melissa's dilemma—these events reveal one aspect of a human being: he seeks for the other. A human being is relational.
Fr. James Keenan, S.J. cites the September 11 WTC attacks to further illustrate this point. When the terrorists were busy manning the cockpit of the attacking plane, the passengers contacted their loved ones via mobile phone. The passengers updated their relatives about the situation but for the most part, the passengers took the opportunity to say "I love you." (Read more about these stories)
The September 11 calls clearly illustrate the unexpected: in the direst of circumstances, people were unembarassed to say "I love you."
Defning Love
St. Thomas Aquinas defines charity. Fr. Keenan adds that charity is none other than union, and union is what we feel when we love. How can we understand this further?
We have heard the story of Jomari Fajardo in class. Jomari may have been afraid of the operation, he may have found it difficult to bear the pain without general anesthesia but the mere presence of his mom was able to assuage him. This is love as union.
Keenan continues and notes that this call to union is both instinctive and existential. I cited the example of watching horror movies with friends people: that in being together, we feel safer. Likewise, when we hold hands when we are anticipating something: turbulence in a plane, the announcement of winners—we see how the call to union is truly part of being human. ¶ 11:36 pm
The Unexpected
According to Aristotle, the unexpected reveals the true person. In the letters that we have read, we realise that when confornted with such surprising events—whether it be Kirina's response Carl's smile, the fight of Marco's parents, Melissa's dilemma—these events reveal one aspect of a human being: he seeks for the other. A human being is relational.
Fr. James Keenan, S.J. cites the September 11 WTC attacks to further illustrate this point. When the terrorists were busy manning the cockpit of the attacking plane, the passengers contacted their loved ones via mobile phone. The passengers updated their relatives about the situation but for the most part, the passengers took the opportunity to say "I love you." (Read more about these stories)
The September 11 calls clearly illustrate the unexpected: in the direst of circumstances, people were unembarassed to say "I love you."
Defning Love
St. Thomas Aquinas defines charity. Fr. Keenan adds that charity is none other than union, and union is what we feel when we love. How can we understand this further?
We have heard the story of Jomari Fajardo in class. Jomari may have been afraid of the operation, he may have found it difficult to bear the pain without general anesthesia but the mere presence of his mom was able to assuage him. This is love as union.
Keenan continues and notes that this call to union is both instinctive and existential. I cited the example of watching horror movies with friends people: that in being together, we feel safer. Likewise, when we hold hands when we are anticipating something: turbulence in a plane, the announcement of winners—we see how the call to union is truly part of being human. ¶ 11:36 pm
