The Most Vital and Significant Moments

I have been pondering the nature of presence and encounter since first reading Martin Buber’s I and Thou as a university student. His assertion that “All real living is meeting” struck a deeply resonant chord in me. I recognized even then—and now know with much more certainty—that the most vital and significant moments in life are moments of encounter.

Whether it is encounter with others, the Wholly Other, or myself, these are moments when I know that life is its own meaning. Presence makes encounter possible. It also makes life meaningful. The search for meaning is really a search…