I don't know about you but I find I want to resist Buber here. Because personally I am pretty attached to my own feelings {and the complex, fascinating personality they imply}. But even if I can't accept Buber totally here, I do find him a useful correction to some of my worse instincts. Looking at my life through a Buber lens, for example, I see that it is quite possible that my feelings, as strong as they may be, may disclose no more of reality to me than is afforded by the outline of my own self-image. This is useful knowledge. Every day I am confronted by situations in which I must judge the reality or otherwise of a situation by way of my feelings about it {this is especially acute in marital arguments}. But just because I feel something very strongly, does this make it true? Isn't it possible that in may cases where my feelings are strong I may indeed be to all those delusional girls in the Bieber signing queue, who have so many feelings for him, after all, so very many sincere, deep, excruciating feelings, which are, of course, what define their identity, what makes of each of them ...
( Zadie Smith )
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