Do unto others....

Afraid of the fray... Always... but....

Peace is an important goal. The process or the path or means to peace is also important. SO what instruction may we find in our traditions? I am thinking about the wisdom of our Sages. I am thinking about Rabbi Hillel. Below is one of the wonderful little stories of our People:

"Love of man was considered by Hillel as the kernel of the entire Jewish teaching. When a gentile who wished to become a Jew asked him for a summary of the Jewish religion in the most concise terms ("while standing on one foot"), Hillel said: "What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow: this is the whole Law; the rest is the explanation; go and learn" (Shab. 31a). With these words Hillel recognized as the fundamental principle of the Jewish moral law the Biblical precept of brotherly love (Lev. xix. 18)." (from wikipedia.com since it was easy to find and copy it into this email.)

This is a most important point, I think and believe. I have long thought that Hillel's restatement of the Torah assertion:

"You must love your neighbor as [you love] yourself. I am God. "

was a wise way of looking at what seems to be the same thing.

The Torah's POSITIVE stating of how to treat your neighbor has a certain poetic attraction. However, love is a very challenging emotion and set of actions. Love not reciprocated can lead to severe and terrible consequences. It can lead to behaviors which are harmful (such as obssessing or becoming overbearing or controlling, etc.) On the other hand --- what harm can happen if we behave without hate? We can know what we do not like and what is therefore hateful to ourselves. Hillel tells us to behave so as to not do such hateful things to others. Hillel is showing us how not to harm anyone. Where there is no hate than there can be love. A prerequisite to love is the absence of hate. A prerequisite to peace is the absence of hate, too. Hillel is sure that there is a lot more to us and our Torah and our Jewishness than simply acting with care and consideration so as to do no harm.... BUT first do no harm and then do the significant work to learn about ourselves and other people and what is hateful and loveable and what is needed and wanted. Study more Torah.

To all this I end with a long and hearfelt SIGH - knowing that some people say that there is nothing better than a heartfelt sigh.

AAAaaaaahhhhhh........

now IS

Now is good. Isn't it? Isn't it always? IF we really, really, really get to NOW. By that I am thinking of being mindful of the moment. Of achieving what is often called Mindfulness. Of being in the PRESENT... and not being influenced by the past or the future. When we thing about what will be and know that the future is always somewhat in doubt OR if we consider the past and its good times and bad times THEN the present is colored by those feelings and while they may be good feelings they may not be AND they certainly are not NOW. On this other hand of "mindfulness" the NOW is focused and limited as I see it. It is a POINT in TIME and for that pointed moment we can be neutral in feelings and notice that for this specific moment all is well. IF there is pain we can seek the moment in between the pain. IF there is joy - we can seek the moment in between the joy. We can get to NOW and the neutrality of NOW which allows us to BE and to be anything or nothing. BE FREE.

black and white and brown all over

Brown? as in shit.... well... anyway:

The orthodox and the fanatic and and the extremist and the intolerant and ??? --- all have something in common and that is they see issues in terms of black and white. Nuances and grays and colors are just ignored as the True Believer goes forth and seeks his/her own way -- for all.

Why are people like this?
Answers:
fear
fear
fear......

What are people, in general, afraid of? People are afraid to be wrong. It is said that people are afraid of the unknown --- and that is a variation on being afraid of being wrong. People are afraid of "the other" and that is a variation on possibly being wrong. People are afraid of being hurt and that can be a variation on being wrong.

Knowledge is power... Information is power... REALLY??? ONLY IF WHAT YOU HAVE IS RIGHT!!!!!

And - what is right? RIGHT IS WHAT IS ACKNOWLEDGED AS RIGHT... At least that seems to be the answer in this late 20th Century/early 21st Century post-modern period. Mostly we see "probabilties". And that is difficult on the psyche of most people.

She probably loves me; my finances will probably work out for my retirement; this road is probably going to get me to where I am going; the prescribed medicine may work; there probably is a G-d; the President probably knows what is best; etc.... etc.... And all these probabilities are simultaneously areas of doubts and confusion and instability. And the more doubts and the more instability then the more things may be this or may be that....

SO --- lets BE SURE. Let us be certain... CERTAINTY is certainly clear! People want clarity. People want to know. People want the power that comes from being right. Those who are wrong ought to be weak. Those who are wrong ought to lose... the war, their children, their jobs, their mates, etc... If someone is wrong and they are successful - well then G-d will finally judge and damn them. But --- basically it is better to be right! Right now. Right later... Not left, liberal, gray.... but right and white and precise.

Shiiiiiitttttt!!!!!!

And remember - in school if you mixed all the colors together you got brown.... and that is, was, and will be shitty.