Did you say Inspiring?
Yes. I actually used that adjective — and more shockingly I’m applying it to
the philosopher’s words.
I know, I know. It is downright frightening that I
could be lulled into admiration for anything said by or about a proponent of
near-fascist ideals, but there it is. The report is an introduction to a new documentary
film that Lévy has recently made about the Russian colonization of Ukraine: Slava Ukraini (Glory to Ukraine).
The inspirational arguments I’m drawing from this report
— a combination of news, review, and analysis — come not from any of the millionaire
philosopher’s particular sociological views (such as the gratingly sexist and anti-environmentalist
arguments he’s expressed), but from his larger sense of “liberation,” “resistance,”
and “relevance.”
Specifically, I’m drawn to Lévy’s notion of “tikkun
olam,” the idea that Jews have a responsibility to “repair the world” through
good deeds.
The Hebrew term — “mipnei tikkun ha-olam” — is
derived from a Medieval mystical tradition that sought to separate the sinister
and the sacred in the world by bringing people together for the contemplative
performance of religious acts.
Lévy’s 1977 book Barbarism
With a Human Face is credited with the popularization of the idea of “tikkun
olam,” spreading it beyond the liberal Judaic community where it is at the
heart of progressive social action programs that strive to improve the world
through tzedakah (charitable giving)
and gemilut hasadim (acts of
kindness).
The ideals of “tikkun olam” appeal to me, especially
as I learn to struggle against my mind’s addiction to the wicked brew of
nihilistic cynicism and academic detachment.
The greatest inspiration I glean from this Times report of Lévy’s career is his
notion that words can be powerful weapons of resistance and liberation. And
while the philosopher endorses the power of words as expressed in philosophical
argument offered in the textual and audiovisual media, I see in this the idea
that Art has strengths that extend far beyond aesthetic and entertainment
values. Art can change the world, influencing human activity toward good or
evil.
The controversial philosopher claims his original muse
was his father, André Lévy, an Algerian refugee whose teenaged engagement as a
resistance fighter in Spain and France during the Second World War gave stimulus
to the young Bernard-Henri’s idea of going to wartime Sarajevo in the early
1990s to make a documentary film about the genocide of Bosniak Muslims. The
film Bosna! was released in 1994.
Lévy said his belief in the power of individuals to
wake up the world was cemented during the time he spent filming, observing, and
talking to people in Sarajevo. “Bosnia showed me that ideas matter, words can
make a difference, decision makers can be convinced and that individuals can be
a grain of sand that blocks the machinery.” (NYT)
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