EXODUS

     At the end of the week Jews begin celebrating their exodus from slavery in Egypt, as foretold in the Old Testament. They rejoiced in their delivery as they set out to become a nation of the world, free to live under their own rules and customs. They were on their way to receive the Torah, the book containing their history, their commandments, their orders and guides as to how to live their lives and then they were on their way to the Promised Land, a promise made by G-d to Abraham. Today, they are still fighting for their right to live as a nation among other nations of the world, and still trying to keep their homeland. Long time, but the determination remains. So does the anti Semitism, even as the Christians of the world celebrate the life of a Jew, Christ, even as many forget the fact that he was born, lived and died as a Jew. Some things never seem to change, do they?
     This holiday is a joyful one, albeit one wherein one suffers the problem that comes with eating too much matzoh! Seriously, though, it is always a joyful time when a nation's history and origin continue to remain in active observance through several millenia. One would think that through all this time the haters of the world would realize that their nefarious plans to rid the world of the Jewish people are doomed to failure, and yet - here they still are! A total mystery. An enigma.
     Sometimes there is an exodus that is not happy nor positive, albeit there is no matzoh! This is an exodus of the type that we have had in the Trump administration. Over 17 Cabinet level people have left. Countless others have been tossed out or resigned in disgust at the lack of morality and ethics in this administration. Has this exodus led to anything positive? Nope, certainly not, for what we now have is an administration driven by a demented senior citizen and a  vicious 33 year old who seems to never be able to have sufficient targets for his hatred and animosity. Separate families. Keep them in horrific situations. Never mind the needs of the poor and hungry, the homeless - even those with jobs but who simply cannot find an affordable living quarters. Slash health care; just let the sick die. Saves money, does it not?Supplement that situation with ignoramuses who state firmly that workers do not want minimum wages of liveable dimensions. Nope, they would rather struggle in order to 'earn' their insufficient salary. So says Ivanka.
     We are in trouble. Every time someone leaves or is thrown away, we get an even worse substitute. The situation keeps going from bad to worse. This is not the joyful Exodus, the miracle of generations, but rather an exodus of morals, of ethics, of American values, of hope for a future that is positive and beneficial.
     So which exodus should we affirm and which not? I think the choice is clear. I also think that one should recognize that under the Trump exodus we keep drawing closer to a land where the only rule will be to obey Trump and his minions, where there will be no free and honest press other than underground publications, where there will be a two tier society - the haves and the struggling hungry, maltreated remainder of the population.
     The world still remains in a situation which needs an exodus of giant proportions. It needs an exodus from the backwards and dangerous thinking that seems to have been revived, given new life, exuding hate and ugliness. It needs an exodus from the darkness into which it has wandered - or been directed - and instead, stride with strong and determined steps back into the enlightened world of humanity, of hope, of science, of fairness, of a brother-sister-hood of us all, no matter the color, creed, ethnicity, country of origin, orientation or whatever difference that has been stressed for the negative.
     Until that happens - and I grow more and more convinced it will not happen in my lifetime - commemorate the Exodus of the Bible, what it meant to generations of slaves as they realized there can be a delivery from slavery, and work towards an exodus of the world from the increasing and ever encroaching darkness of another type of slavery. That is the ony hope and goal we should have as we walk into the future. A future of exodus or slavery? Our choice. Make of it what we will. Our choice.