Buber, Martin. I and Thou. Comp. Gary E. Kessler. Philosophy of Religion: toward a Global Perspective. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub., 1999. 171-76. Print.
“Every particular Thou is a glimpse through to the eternal Thou; by means of every particular Thou, the primary word addresses the eternal Thou” (173).
If everyone participated in I-Thou relationships and related through encounters and not just experiences, I think the entire system of living as we know it would change. First, the obvious, there would be no wars, because you cannot kill someone you relate to on that deep level. That could easily extend downwards in scale far enough to mean that there would be no abuse.
On a more complicated level, I think it would change the entire system of education that exists here in the United States, because I think that glimpsing “the eternal Thou” in each encounter with a child would make it hard to judge them as “below average.” Instead, there would be interpersonal dialogue to teach what the child is missing while respecting their strengths.
Each religion could stay basically the same with the key obvious difference that they would have a much more humanist view of this world through glimpsing god in every person. Alternatively, this viewpoint could make religions much more connected.
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