IST DAS WORKLICH SO?

     Ist das worklich so? Is this really so? Is this the reality of it all? Such is the phrase or question that Albert Einstein is rumored to have whispered when he solidified his E=mc2. Never mind that most people in the world still do not understand it (me included). It is reality and think what came of it. Think of how the world and its path was changed - for good and bad, for there are generally two sides to any issue which must be weighed carefully. But sometimes things just happen, have their own momentum and then the question is how does one stop this momentum if it is bad or destructive or evil? The answer? You begin with yourself, whether it be comfortable or not, popular or not. The truth is the truth, humanity is humanity, and principles are principles.
     There were and still are many times during the history of the world when the voices of the many are silent.  Elie Wiesel wrote in the opening of Night, his autobiography, the following: "Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget the flames which consumed my faith forever. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children....Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my G-d and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as G-d Himself. Never."
     That was a time when no one stood up for the Jews and other millions worked and tortured and beaten and starved and experimented on unto death. The world was silent then and the question now is - will the world continue to be silent in the face of all that is taking place, all the evil that is being perpetuated around the globe? Faith can be restored in G-d, but can faith be restored in humanity and if not - then we are doomed.
     The problem is that we do not hear what is being said by people. We tend to gloss over things, ignoring, playing deaf or tsk tsking and then we go on with our lives. There is an interesting story from the Talmud about hearing things. It states that a famous rabbi of the times never taught anything he had not heard, yet in another place it was stated that this same teacher taught things no other ear had ever heard. How to reconcile the contradiction?
    A famous modern day rabbi and leader during the time of the founding of the State of Israel, explained. In fact, this rabbi did only teach what he heard from his teacher, but, a big but, he listened so carefully that he heard things no one else had heard. Lesson? We need to listen very carefully and intently. Hear the truth of what someone speaks and do not look away or deafen one's ears to it.
     So when next we are driven to distraction by the world, when next we despair, we need to ask the question "ist das worklich so?' and then answer that with another question - if it is a bad reality then why must it be so? The other day I read a columnist's column, one that I follow on a weekly basis (that is when the US Post Office remembers to deliver it to my home) and he stated that at times now he feels that the world is spinning off its axis and I was vindicated, validated. I do not wish for this to be true but others are feeling the same way I am and I am  not alone - not alone in this feeling and not alone in the belief that one must speak up, speak out, demand the truth and heed this warning, also by Elie Wiesel. For those of you who do not know who he was, he was a survivor and a teacher and a writer and a husband and a father and a son and a Jew who spoke for the world, the voice of the conscience of the world. He said:
     "The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.
     The opposite of beauty is not ugliness, it's indifference.
     The opposite of sacred is not profane, it's indifference. 
      The opposite of life is not death, it's indifference."
    Elie Wiesel refused to be indifferent as he lived his life and we must follow the same path. Be the evil in whatever locale, world, nation, state or locality - we must speak up and if it sometimes sounds harsh, well sometimes the warnings and the wake up calls must be harsh to catch the attention of the audience. The prophets of the Old Testament were not out to make friends with soft and cooing words; they spoke the truth, but always with a word of hope at the end of the message. If we do the right thing there will be a better time. Do you not think that now is the time to strive for that end goal, to speak out against evil and injustice wherever we see it, to speak out about hate that masquerades as something else, to see the truth whatever and wherever it can be found? I do, I most definitely do.