During my seminary studies I had several credits missing from commencing seminary late my first year. I was required to finish my first doctorate before leaving the Royal Canadian Navy to begin seminary. So make up the credits I worked on two courses of philosophy with professors as “études libres”. One of these courses was to study “The Other” in work of Ricoeur. So of course this would include a study of the self: « Soi et l’autre ».

Our relationship to others is crucial to out life in the world. We are social beings. We are interconnected through family and friends. Often this is taken for granted. But we are also connected to “other” the people around us we do not know. This other is the one we may a family member, or could simply be an ephemeral other.

If we live so as to be conscious of this other, we may better serve God and man. We are here for service and praise of the One True God. We often forget the fragility of life but we should never forget the people brought into our lives who in fact make us the people we are, even if that relationship is fleeting.