SHIVA

     No, the title is neither a mispelling of a feminine Scottish name nor that of an Indian goddess. It is a number, seven, in the Hebrew language. However, that number stands for more than a count. It is an abbreviation, in a sense, that carries much meaning within it. It stands for the period of mourning that takes place within a Jewish household after a close relative dies.
     It is a period of time during which one mourns the loss, cries, laughs at memories, and takes stock of one's own life. It is a time during which the world is shut out, the only thing of importance being shiva, that period of time during which we try to regain a perspective that will allow us to go forward in a hard time, go forward in a productive manner, go forward in a more postive and contributing manner than before.
     Well, folks, we, the world, and in particular right now, we, the American people, need a national shiva. We need a time during which we are allowed to mourn our slaughtered, a period of time during which we think, we ponder, how and why did this happen and how do we go forward in a new manner so that such things do not happen again, certainly not so quickly that before we know the name El Paso and get a grip on that, we are pounded with Dayton and then, last nite, Chicago, upon which I immediately called to check on my daughter living there. I am no stranger to calling to check on family as we have had and still have family members living in Israel and life there often demands checkup calls. But not here, in the USA! But evidently that is passe now.
     What do we think on during this national shiva? We wonder how we got here. We wonder why and then how do we stop this so we are not sitting again, soon,and often, that we do not continue this national anomie, fall so deeply into this pit, this abyss, that we are in a continual state of shiva.
     We are beginning to hear the echoes and not deny them either. What echoes? The echoes of the voice of hate that rings around the nation, that contaminates the social media, that persists in dehumanizing all that or whom are different, who displease him. Who? Why the Demented One, the Hater in Chief of this country, the one who has pushed us with his mouth, with his poison, into okaying hatred, a violent hatred that does not stop with words, but is acted upon with violence.
     And yet, where are the clarion calls? Where are the calls that demand a shut down of this viral hatred, of this viral murder. Where are the clarion calls to remove these assault weapons, any weapons, from people who will misuse them, will murder in rampages that tear apart families, ruin hopes and dreams, and rend the heart of the nation? Where are they? Nowhere, not even in Ohio, where the governor is afraid to speak in outright clear terms as he still panders to the gun nuts, the NRA and the haters.
      And the leader of the band, well, he does nothing either. No, that is wrong. He simply persists in raising the temperature of those whose hate needs no boosts. I have read that there is something callled acceleration, a term used within the white supremacist perverted world. It means "an imperative to sow chaos and societal disruption in order to bring about a race war, apocalyptic end times, and an eventual societal resurrection and rebirth. " 
It is based on hatreds that permeate the very souls of these people, and includes demographic changes that they say are going to destroy the world, their world, hence the time has come to act out, to act up, and they celebrate these events, are fired up by them, as they feel the end is near and their moment of triumph is nigh. G-d help us all.
       Trump says that hate has no place here, well, go look in the mirror, and that goes for all of you who follow his mouthings, who make excuses for him and worse, for those of you who have begun to internalize his hateful words, allowed them to become part of you, and when reading the list of victims, count the "Mexicans" or "Hispanics" over the other victims. What the hell! As I said yesterday and repeat today - What the Hell!!
     The Dayton murderer was taken down in less than thirty seconds, 30 seconds too long for those killed, wounded and for those who indirectly are victims nevertheless as their dreams with these people are also shattered, no chance of reclaiming them.
     We need to rid our administration, our governments at all levels, of those who see no need for gun control. We need to institute huge, mongo, programs wherein there will be taught another philosophy, one of brotherhood, one of recognition that we are all the same under the outer disguises of color,of religion, of whatever one thinks makes the most difference. True, cultures are different, but we must build upon the similarities and no excuses, cultures that highlight violence, that encourage this active destruction of others must be tamed.
     We need to stop glorifying murderers. We need to not sing Kumbaya, but internalize its meaning, the mood it represents and act with realism. Humanity will never be perfect. We will always need armies and defensive weapons because of imperfections, but that does not mean we should play the dangerous game of numbers and MAD - mutual assured destruction. And no, we do not have to love all, hang hippie beads around our necks, and stand on corners singing hare krishna. But we do need to stop the violence, stop the flow of violent words, those that encourage physical violence and that begins with elimination of it and its concurrent philosophies right from the top. 
     During this national shiva, if we are even allowed a week of peace with no tragedies, we need to take stock of ourselves. We need to think and evaluate as to how we got here and why we have allowed this state of being. If we do not, if we do not act upon these horrific warnings of deeds, then we will remain in shiva for the rest of time and one day, one day, who knows, we might serve as a bitter reminder not of Camelot, butof what might have been and the children of the remnants of our world, or perhaps some of those aliens purportedly populating some other planets out there will learn the same lessons.
     Dear G-d, but I hope we finally learn something and by the way, Trump and Republicans, these are your people. These are Americans, those who died and those who shot. Say something. Say something that actually means something. Do something. No more empty promises and empty words. Shiva gives us the time to think, to mourn and to plan to better the world as it is, should be and will be - we hope. Let us take advantage of this. Please.