In “Strangers,” Morrison writes that he “denied [the woman]
her personhood, the specific individuality we insist upon for ourselves.” I think
the main responsibility we have to each other is to appreciate that we’re all
different from each other. Our similarities to each other (hobbies, similar
upbringings, etc.) might be what bring us together initially, but it’s our
differences that actually make us closer. I think Morrison might’ve been
suggesting that it’s a bad thing that we see ourselves in other people. I don’t
necessarily agree with that. I don’t think a lot of us can really see where a
person is coming from until we walk a mile in their shoes, at least not at
first, but I think once we’re able to understand who they are (and why they are)
without having to put ourselves in their place, we’ve achieved a much stronger
bond that’s more intimate and meaningful. I think a lot of the times that we start
to feel tension in our relationships – because of faults in each others'
personalities, clashing opinions, etc. --we tend to shut each other out. MLK
mentions in his letter that he “is not afraid of the word ‘tension.’…there is a
type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth.” I
think our main responsibility to each other is to face the tensions we feel
with each other head-on; Make an effort to grow from the tension instead of
dismiss it and run in the opposite direction. Once we’ve managed to achieve
that, I think we become much closer to coming to terms with the fact that we’re
all different from one another – and that our differences are not something to
be afraid of. I know that my strongest relationships are the ones that have had
some ups and downs. I’ve learned something from those people and that’s what
brought us closer together. If I didn’t allow myself to face the tension, those
strong relationships and meaningful friendships would’ve been reduced to “kind
of okay, not that deep, not irreplaceable” acquaintances. Closing ourselves off
from truly understanding the experiences of others prevents us from bettering
ourselves (and vice-versa.)
In regards to the question, "What responsibility do we have to one another?" I believe Toni Morrison and Martin Luther King Jr. would have a similar answer. Morrison writes in "Strangers," "To understand that I was longing for and missing some aspect of myself, and that there are no strangers." Since she feels we are all the same, but ordered differently we should help each other. She also adds that "the stranger is not foreign," but "random." My interpretation of her writing is that all people are essentially the same, but that we choose to express ourselves differently and if we would get to know others we would realize how much we have in common. In "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Martin Luther King Jr. writes "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere," this sums up his view that he further explains in his letter that we are obligated to help one another.
ReplyDelete