FROM ESTHER'S DESK

     Don't you love the title! Well, that is all the levity that will be found in this posting though my other posting this morning will be lighter than this one. The contents of this one kept me up all night. I know I cannot change the world, but dear Lord, if people who can do not start to do something, then one of the so many apocalyptic movies and TV shows will suddenly be more truth than fiction.
     Barry Goldwater had his famous statement about extremism in defense of liberty and I believe that what has remained of that is simply the idea of extremism that has swept the world, East and West. Everybody is so busy shouting at each other, shouting slogans in a mindless chant, instilling hatred of the Other, that they cannot and will not hear the voices of others over the ones in their own head magnified by the shouts around them.
     So we continue to repeat our mistakes only these repetitions become more deadly as arms proliferate and people who are still living in the twelfth century culturally, morally, materially, are suddenly 21st century with their armaments and are shooting off advanced rockets and inventing new means of explosive devices.
     And then, of course, we keep repeating our actions. Obama, the great military tactician, thought that we should interfere in Libya where we could not even guarantee the safety of our ambassador, but it was incumbent upon us to bomb one of the several "militant" groups involved in the fighting. How'd that work out for us! And now we are repeating the same tactic with the poor Yazidis, trapped on a mountain top in Iraq, by the forces of ISIS. These are the same forces which others spoke about, warned about, told that their Caliphate was no pipedream in their minds. So for that, those people ,including me, were called nuts, prejudiced, judgmental, etc. And yet, here we are, faced with a seemingly unstoppable army and an indescribable choice - get involved again or let them spread until we will be forced to face them.
     Yazidis and Hazaris, Shiites and Sunnis, Salafists and secularists - all Moslem and all hating each other, each claiming they know best, and they KNOW, what the correct way is to worship Mohammed and Allah or not, as the case may be. And these extremists are not alone. Every tribal war and conflict in Africa, every religion seems to have homegrown them from Judaism to Christianity to even Buddhism and Hindus and those last two really shocked me.  Everybody is so busy screaming about their rightness that they lose sight of what is real and that is FAITH.
    Faith gives one strength, gives one hope and courage. It allows for one to hear others and to indeed, finally hear the voice and wisdom of G-d. And perhaps even feel the wetness of His tears as He looks down and cries over the handiwork of His creations.
    Yes, there are times one has to fight to survive, as I believe Israel must do now for truly, look at a map from an aerial point of view and you will see that Israel is on its own "mountaintop" surrounded by its enemies who desire nothing more than to eliminate them, to recreate the genocide of the past, the genocide that Obama is concerned about for the Yazidis. But the world has something wrong with its vision, with its mind and thinking process, with its very heart. And until we all give up extremism or fight it in its every appearance by being strong, courageous, honest and honorable in our deeds and words, in our Faith,until that happens the world will remain in its pitiful and pitiable state and G-d will continue to cry - as will His creations.