Buber’s groundbreaking philosophy of dialogue says that when two people relate to each other authentically and humanly, god is the electricity that surges between them.
He called this the melting of the between, the shared unity of being. The sacred space that can only be created through encounter, where the divine pervades and interpenetrates.
According to his theory, god is not some keeper of the black book of transgressions. Not some all powerful sky daddy who demands our devotion. But a word that describes the fundamental human sense that there is more.
God is name given to that which has depth and density.
This pulsing field of energy, this humming electrical current between people.
It’s no secret that this is what we all secretly want. Everything else is an intermediary. A placebo, a substitute, a surrogate for the real connection we so desire.
Now can you understand why somebody would wear a nametag every day? Now do you see why this social experiment is so meaningful to me?
It’s not a sticker, it’s a steeple. A portable temple where we people shed their layers of worldly distractions and ignite the electricity between each other. Even if only for a moment.
Listen, the deluding power of connection substitutes is extraordinary. The marketplace constantly overwhelms us with the urgency that we are one purchase, one bite, one drink away from happiness.
And so, let us be vigilant.
Instead of using habitual substitute satisfactions for our essential unmet needs, let us pick up the phone and actually call somebody when we’re lonely.
Instead of returning to the unhealthy places where we cut the threads of connection, let us involve others in the activities we’re doing.
Instead of throwing up our hands and letting the alienation win, let us find more and more ways to snap out of our little world to rejoin others in intimate exchange.
LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What happens in the space between you and the people you encounter?
* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.
It’s the world’s first, best and only product development and innovation gameshow!
Tune in and subscribe for a little execution in public.
Join our community of innovators, artists and entrepreneurs
Subscribe
Daily updates straight to your inbox.
Bio
