Volume 40, Issue 1/4, 2024
Signs of Rebirth and Renewal
Farouk Y. Seif, Norman W. Hipps
Pages 99-125
https://doi.org/10.5840/ajs2024401/43
Contemplative Reflections on Signs of Rebirth and Renewal
This is a dyadic conversation between Norman W. Hipps and Farouk Y. Seif, as they engage in contemplative reflections on the theme of the 2023 SSA Conference: Signs of Rebirth and Renewal. It is not a coincidence that such an inspirational theme is exemplified in a fraternal dialogue and takes place at the University of the Incarnate Word, which is a genuine representation of God¡¯s incarnation in a human form. These contemplative reflections shed light on maintaining a serene disposition despite life¡¯s unpredictable vicissitudes. Such a disposition is congruent with the notions of Aristotelian eudaimonia, Benedictine spirituality, and Peircean Agapism, which not only are stable and persistent but also persevere through traversing the threshold of life¡¯s ups and downs. By way of recalling milestone events in their life-experiences and through engaging in dialogical relation, Hipps and Seif evoke a glimpse of the palingenetic (rebirthing) and synechistic (continuous) process of the lifeworld, where the possibilities for regeneration and revitalization are inexhaustible.