A Path From Me to You: From Objectification to Relation

Abstract

At the root of oppression and violence is the reduction of fellow human beings into mere objects. Broken modalities of human engagement continue to rupture our world. Through the lens of the Anthony Ray Hinton story, this paper imagines a path from dehumanization to a humanizing encounter, even with the most unlikely “other.” Drawing from the philosophies of Martin Buber and Simone Weil, I examine what lies at the center of broken modalities of relation and survey the lifegiving possibilities that open up to us when we see the other as truly sacred, free from control or ownership. Challenging presumptions of advancement, this paper argues that we cannot transcend human objectification by means of societal progress. Rather, genuine human relationship asks us to be still, content with having nothing but a reverent distance that neither dominates nor abandons but instead stands in loving proximity. With the growing gaps in spectrum identities and the divisions we see in our world, is there a way from the “I” to the “Thou”? This essay surveys a story and dances with voices that illuminate a path from me to you.