| Chapter Intro: | Introduction |
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In 1952 at Carnegie Hall in New York, Martin Buber delivered his inspired essay, “Hope for This Hour.” In this historic essay, Buber asked the question, “What does man need, every man, in order to live as a man? For if the globe is not to burst asunder, every man must be given what he needs for a really human life” (Buber, 1957, p. 228). For Buber, the answer is communicatively constituted in dialogue. In the essay, “Hope for This Hour,” Buber described the historical moment as one of the “heaviest affliction,” a time in which the abysses between human and human threaten to become unbridgeable and each person is ruled by the demonic power of existential mistrust.
According to Buber (1957), the result of this existential mistrust is that each person suffers from the inability to enter into genuine dialogue with the other. Buber explained the problem:
The concern articulated by Buber, that we can no longer enter into genuine relations with the other, also forms the core of our work with the anticipation that the invitation of dialogue into the caring relationship can offer hope in this hour: In dialogue, one turns to the other, begins to see clearly, and learns. In dialogue, one learns the importance of confirmation both to oneself and to the other. In dialogue, one overcomes the basic mistrust that plagues the contemporary historical moment. By emphasizing the connection between dialogue and care, it is hoped that we can overcome the circumstances that inhibit our ability to constitute communicatively the caring relationship.
The Invitation of Dialogue Brings Hope to the Caring Relationship
According to Martin Buber, prior to proposing solutions for a particular historical moment, it is necessary first to explore the common need perceptible within that moment. Buber sought a textured understanding of