“In the relational viewpoint you begin life as an effect produced by the many others in the world of your immediate past. But you are not simply a function of these relations. You are an emergent from your relationships; and in the process of your emergence you also create yourself. Your life as a living individual consists of synthesizing into some degree of subjective unity the various relational causes or influences which have initiated your process of becoming something definite. Your concrete life is constituted by a process of deciding what you will make out of what you have received. This is your emergent selfhood. What you make out of what you have received is who you are. This is also your emergent freedom because you are your decisions. Your subjective life is your process of deciding who you are.”

The above passage is a paraphrase quote of from Bernard Loomer. I came across it watching Bob Mesle’s recent presentation at Claremont School of Theology. Mesle was elaborating on the three dimensions of relational power and referenced the quote above when discussing the second dimension, self-creativity.

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Photo credit: Christopher Baxter (iPhoneographer)

Tags:bernard loomerBob Meslepowerprocess philosophyprocess theologyrelational power