Embracing the basic word “I-Thou (or You)

For our celebration last week, we reminded ourselves of one of the cores of Companions on the Way – embracing the basic word “I-Thou (or You)” instead of the basic word “I-It.”

These are terms that Martin Buber uses to describe two ways we can come into relationship with another – we either treat them as a true “You,” honoring them as a person of worth, or we treat them as an “It,” in which we deny (either intentionally or accidentally) their inherent value. We also reflected on a passage from Krasner and Joyce’s book: Truth, Trust and Relationships.

We see this as a central concept of the teachings of the Christ. We also see it as so big, that we can only really talk about it in parts. Our focus last week became looking at the “I” part of relationships. Who do I bring into relationship with others – all parts of me? We drew self-portraits (either literal, symbolic, or using words that describe us), and then shared the portraits with one another. Privately, we wrote a response on them to the question, “What am I so glad God knows about me, because it’s hard to share with anyone else?”