Sigh, I think about this all the time- the futility of it all. The systems built by money to profit from people, the lack of integrity struck right through the entire western society, the toxicity we cannot avoid.
I heartily agree with your last point. I was drawn to Hasidic Judaism in my 20s for its emphasis on the power of the individual to impact the world. I think we need a re-mystification of the world- not as a return to the past, but one that integrates what we now know with what we once believed in. The power of trust and goodness. Thank you for your essays!
Thank you for your comment, Chava! I am ignorant about Hasidic Judaism, but, years ago, I learned a little about Reform and Conservative Judaism when I worked for a magazine called Tikkun. I loved what little I learned about Judaism--such a rich oral and written tradition of seeking to illuminate what it means to be human, to do good, to engage in right action. I learned--again, just a little--about midrash and the Talmud. Even my little bit of exposure left me with a great deal of respect and love for Judaism.
I agree that we need to honor and pull forward those aspects of our past that serve and guide in order to inhabit well what it means to be human in the present.
Sigh, I think about this all the time- the futility of it all. The systems built by money to profit from people, the lack of integrity struck right through the entire western society, the toxicity we cannot avoid.
I heartily agree with your last point. I was drawn to Hasidic Judaism in my 20s for its emphasis on the power of the individual to impact the world. I think we need a re-mystification of the world- not as a return to the past, but one that integrates what we now know with what we once believed in. The power of trust and goodness. Thank you for your essays!
Thank you for your comment, Chava! I am ignorant about Hasidic Judaism, but, years ago, I learned a little about Reform and Conservative Judaism when I worked for a magazine called Tikkun. I loved what little I learned about Judaism--such a rich oral and written tradition of seeking to illuminate what it means to be human, to do good, to engage in right action. I learned--again, just a little--about midrash and the Talmud. Even my little bit of exposure left me with a great deal of respect and love for Judaism.
I agree that we need to honor and pull forward those aspects of our past that serve and guide in order to inhabit well what it means to be human in the present.