What is the human being? (2)

The ouverture of these blogposts was the question: What is the human being? At first I reflected on the thoughts of evolution, on the physical revelation of the human being. Now I want to ask the question again, but more in an inner way. Martin Buber (1878 - 1965, Jewish Austrian Philosopher of religion) had wonderful thoughts about this question, culminating in his book The dialogical principle, with in it the part 'Ich und Du', I and Thou. He describes the encounter of I and Thou there, in words or silent, as a wonderful, mystic process of true love, where all egoism is overcome. A quote:

'The You encounters me by grace--it cannot be found by seeking. But that I speak the basic word to it is a deed of my whole being, is my essential deed.

The You encounters me. But I enter into a direct relationship to it. Thus the relationship is election and electing, passive and active at once: An action of the whole being must approach passivity, for it does away with all partial actions and thus with any sense of action, which always depends on limited exertions.

The basic word I-You can be spoken only with one's whole being. The concentration and fusion into a whole being can never be accomplished by me, can never be accomplished without me. I require a You to become; becoming I, I say You.'

All actual life is encounter.

In German culture there are morewonderful examples of the possibility of real brotherhood, between people who are not family, not even countrymen, they are  just fellow men. A famous example of this faith in coming brotherhood, based on true joy is the poem 'Hymn to Joy' of Friedrich Schiller. Ludwig von Beethoven used the poem for the chorus in his ninth Symphony.

A small sample from this poem:

Joy, thou spark from Heav'n immortal,
Daughter of Elysium!
Drunk with fire, toward Heaven advancing
Goddess, to thy shrine we come.
Thy sweet magic brings together
What stern Custom spreads afar;
All men become brothers
Where thy happy wing-beats are.
He, that noble prize possessing—
He that boasts a friend that's true,
He whom woman's love is blessing,
Let him join the chorus too!
Be embraced, ye millions!
This kiss is for the whole world!
Brothers, above the arch of stars
A loving Father surely dwells.
Welcome, all ye myriad creatures!
Brethren, take the kiss of love
Bow before him, all creation!
Mortals, own the God of love!
Seek him high the stars above,—
Yonder is his habitation!

The question is now: Are this all dreams of something that can never  come true, because a human being is only a brained animal, who just lives for himself and only for himself? Or are these realistic ideals, that actually can come true if man wants them to come true and works in himself to achieve this on the long term? If it were all mere phantasy, where would the ideas come from? The wonderful words that reach the heart? Why should they touch the human heart so deeply and make it long for a world in which the I and Thou could be a daily event?

What is a human being?
 

'To save all, we must risk all...' Friedrich Schiller (1759 - 1805)

Once again I repeat the link to the Spanish Ode to Joy. What is it that people feel while joining this?

What is the human being? (2) by Mieke Mosmuller