This article explores Levinas's [1961/1969. "Totality and infinity." (A. Lingis, Trans.). Pittsburgh, PA: Duquesne University Press; 1981/1997. "Otherwise than being or beyond essence." (A. Lingis, Trans.). Pittsburgh, PA: Duquesne University Press] ideas on relational proximity in the face of the Other and, through meeting, the potential for intimate experiencing of being-with, on occasion seeming as if to transcend the co-sensed temporal "now". This potential is considered alongside Butler's [2004. Precarious life. In J. Butler (Ed.), "Precarious life: The powers of mourning and violence" (Chap. 5, pp. 128-151). New York, NY: Verso] reflections on Levinas's ethical relation in the context of "post 9-11" conflicts, where she offers perspectives on the act of killing "self" in suicide and living-with self in the act, and aftermath, of killing an "other"--the act of killing "other" would entail killing one's own human meaning, destroying "self" and the consequent capacity for empathy towards others. There is a paradoxical link between these notions of killing "other", living-with/killing self, and Levinas's notion of the sensed fear of annihilating "other" and/or annihilation of self when in ethical relational with the face of the intimate Other ("Autrui"). At its most spiritual this is described by Levinas (1961/1969) as if touching "totality" within and either side of now; in mutual intimacy through the "saying" in the ethical relation that is beyond self and Other, stretching towards timeless "infinity", the Universe and/or God who is (in) the Other.