Albert John Lenn Q.

Caser Deconstruction
MA-PHILO Lyceum of Aparri

A reflection on Deconstruction of Jacques Derrida in understanding

the word Goodbye.

The sources of meaning are the challenges that arise in man’s life. We experience,

we understand, we are challenged at every moment of our life. We know for the fact

that challenges arise from nature such as the problem for food, pressure in work,

control over bad personal attraction, intellectual activities in school, politics, and

business but aside from such is the most painful—unfaithful--guilty full part of our life

is when someone ends up saying Goodbye. All if not the most we find ourselves

struggling but all of these different situations we are forced to be brave, prudent,

patient and generous. It may seem that most of the time—man’s life—is spent in an

attempt for shaking unpleasant things off and to win against others. Despite of the fact,

challenges are part of human life we can also find it exciting and meaningful.

In this paper I want to reflect on the nature of the word goodbye. However, in

order for my reflection to be realized, there is a necessity to expose Derrida’s

philosophy of deconstruction and to insert some of my comments. By this, I can

contextualize my reflection.

Jacques Derrida was a 20th century French literary theorist. He is a pioneer of

philosophy known as deconstructionism. Deconstructionists were part of a larger

movement, known as the “post-modern” movement. They also take him to have given
us a method-the deconstructive method-of reading texts: a method which helps us see

what these texts are really about, what is really going on in them.1

Derrida insists that deconstruction is not negative; it is not a process of

demolition which does not automatically entail that deconstruction is positive.2 This

type of theory seeks to find out the holistic meaning of a piece of work by first

examining its smaller parts. Its purpose is not to find truth; in fact, some theorist

suggests that there is no real truth, only ever-changing paradigms. Deconstruction

means “to undo” to develop an understanding of the work as a whole it needs to be

sharply distinguished from analysis, which presupposes a reduction of entities to their

simple or essential elements, elements which themselves would stand in need of

deconstruction.3 Deconstruction is not a means to use it for breaking down a general

idea into much smaller pieces of information. It is not a method or way that can be

followed in the activity of interpretation. This is also to say that deconstruction cannot

be reduced to being a methodology—amongst competing methodologies—in the

human or natural sciences, or becoming a technical procedure assailable by academics

and taught in educational institutions.4 Commentary is always already interpretation

and Derrida does not believe in the possibility of a pure and simple repetition of a text

as an opposition to Gadamers hermeneutics—what takes place in deconstruction is

double reading that is a form of reading that obeys the double injunction for both

repetition and altered that arises within that repetition. 5

1
Derrida, Laclau & Rorty; Deconstruction and Pragmatism, (Routledge London,1996),.p13.
2
Kearney Richard; Twentieth-Century Continental Philosophy, (Routledge London,1994),.p390.
3
,.p390.
4
,.p391.
5
Kearney Richard, Twentieth-Century Continental Philosophy, (Routledge London,1994),.p447.
 Let us now examine the nature of the word goodbye. There are many ways to

say farewell, so long, later skater for amongst them goodbye is the most common.

Going back to history, it has been used since sixteenth century which comes from the

word godbwye where in it is originally constructed from the phrase “God be with ye” 6

It is understood as a recognition that God had to be a part of the going. 7 If we

deconstruct it apart from its original meaning it can be understood as go with God.

Meaning, God is part of the journey of our life, a good friend who stays with us in our

struggles and emptiness and we are part of his plan. It can be read in Isaiah 25:4 “This

God is a refuge for the needy in distress, a shelter form the storm, a shade from the

heat”.

There are many goodbyes in our lives—a loss of something—whether loss of

something very precious, loss of a job, the end of a friendship, a loss of home and the

death of a love one. To be filled, we must first be empty. As time goes by, we live in a

cycle a circular horizon of hellos and goodbyes, connecting and disconnecting, letting

someone in and letting someone go. There are goodbyes that make us feel pain and give

pain to others. Sometimes we choose to use it for getting reed of something that is

displeasing example having a break with your girlfriend. On the other hand, sometimes

goodbyes pick us example losing people who are dear us. One of the songs I like so

much that can depict this situation is a song sung by Celine Dion entitled “Goodbye’s

the saddest word”. Goodbyes in other word are times where we can no longer find

meaning and value and times that give us feeling of pain deep inside.

6
www.dictionary.com
7
http://livingontheedge.org
 The question now arises, is saying goodbye displeasing? Are we going to be sad

when somebody told us goodbye? I think not, saying goodbye is not a bad idea. When

you feel pain it means you are revealed. The pain of goodbye will reveal something new

in you. Saying such is thanking someone for the unforgettable moments. The thing here

is, if you are selfish person you it will be very difficult to absorb this idea. Saying

goodbye helps us to experience the depth of our human condition it leads us to a much

deeper understanding of what it means to live world. 8 In other words, letting go of our

attachment to things and to embrace something new it is a way of liberating the self. We

all need to learn to say goodbye and to acknowledge the pain that is there so that we

can eventually move on to a new life and discovering new dreams in life. Moving on

must be an essential part of our journey toward whole understanding of the self.

Letting someone go will never be easy but we must take note that letting go is

part of moving on and growth. Letting go has a corresponding hopes—what ifs—

Maybes—that can hinder us in becoming completely moved on. Maybe I lack

something that is why she left me. Maybe my friend was never really as good as I

wanted her to be. We cannot go away with the fact that when we let go expectations

within ourselves will arise. Such hopes open up a new idea that we still cares. Hence, to

let go does not mean that we stop caring rather it means that we choose to use our

energies in another way that eventually lead ourselves to a another direction,

something worthwhile that awaits us. But we must keep in mind that past happenings

can never be changed anymore.

8
Rupp Joyce: Praying our Goodbyes, (Ave Maria press,1988), .p77.
 Saying goodbye—letting go—moving on means to surrender. To surrender

everything to God whatever things that keep us down and weary. Thus, Goodbye is a

blessing of love from God because in our journey of life God never leaves us behind.

God is always there and he has a big role in our life. I always remember the bible verse

“leave everything behind and come follow me”. Goodbye is never a bad idea rather it

was meant for something great but still yet unknown.