A DICHROIC SOCIETY

 Recently I have begun to dabble in creating with glass and porcelain pieces, random cuts, random colors. It is both frustrating and exciting, with a rather steep learning curve, so very different than working with wood or painting with acrylics of various types on varying surfaces. While dabbling I came across a term - dichroic - and had only a dim idea as to its meaning, di meaning two, at times indicational of separation as in divisive. So, I did as my parents used to tell me - "Look it up." So I did. Quite interesting.

Dichroic is an adjective, as "(of a crystal) showing different colors when viewed from different directions, or (more generally) having different absorption coefficients for light polarized in different directions."

In other words, the visible light is split up into distinct colors on different wavelengths. And the brain went hmmmmm, involuntarily, as these tense unsettling times too often are on the wavelength of worry re society, re freedom, re the sanity of people, re the fate of America. A wavelength which often focuses on the darker side of light, reflecting the concern over life today as well as life of the future, in so many dichroic possibilities. Some of which are quite unsettling - and more than that.

Too many of our eyes have been closed to light rays of hope and optimism, battered by wild, even evil, gale force winds of the day, winds that hinder the through passage of wavelengths we need. Soothing light color wavelengths are blanked out, overcome by the darker colors as their wavelengths grow in size, power, and frequency. The bright colors of optimism, grow dimmer, less frequent, much to our detriment. Doom and gloom colors surface rapidly.

Are our eyes blind, damaged for all eternity? No, not the physical nor the "mind's eye". Both need to learn to be more discerning, to check the wavelengths of their lives, to use the gift and beauty of dichroic ability to open doorways and windows, keep them open, rather than enclose oneself in a cloak of ever-growing darkness.    

Unfortunately, it is a whole lot easier to simply go along to get along, or at least be able to lead a life seemingly empty of confrontation. The colors might be dim, growing dimmer with each passing day, but something has to give, right?  Wrong, as life intrudes, whether we like it or not, for we do not dwell in hermetically sealed bubbles, much as wish to at times. As long as one is alive, one is buffeted by the winds of the time, by the wavelengths which get through to our eyes, damaged and limited as they are, as we have allowed them to be.

I wonder, not happily, as I observe the wavelengths of oppression and repression, our current go to colors, our dichroic capabilities ever weaker, limited, via our own explicit and implicit compliance with the wavelengths of others. We look upon fellow citizens, fellow inhabitants of the   country, of globe, and discount their humanity. We fight within more limited circles of humans with further limitation of diversity, of wavelengths of light capable of lifting us free of the ever darker, ever danker and more fetid swamp of dark wavelengths in which we have immured ourselves, our eyes, brains, hearts and souls, our very humanity. 

We hate each other. There is an oldie, "We are Everyday People', which sings of the chain of hatred from the pink people to purple people to green people, to tall people, ad infinitum, ad nauseum! Meaningless, false, all, yet ever so divisive, ever so harmful to vision of clarity. We have forgotten that we all have to live together. We hate so many, for so long, we forget the 'reasons' and forge onwards -or backwards, with growth limited to inclusion of more to hate, even to ourselves as we run out of 'enemies'. 

I watch in shame, in fear and confusion, in total dismay, as we Jews rip ourselves asunder. As if there were not enough people out there who already feast on their hatred of Jews, whose vile antisemitism captures more and more even as they deny it. Worse is the disgraceful and dangerous attacks of Jews upon other Jews, willing to desert fellow Jews for their own gain and advantage, to air dirty linen in public, opening up our already battered bodies to yet more beatings, and worse. Why have we not yet learned the damage of turning on our brothers. The "amcha' of the Holocaust has degenerated to 'not amcha' as we deny each other.

We threaten our own continuing life in our homeland, denied for three millennia, fought for, died for, always treasured, always in thoughts, minds, and prayers, yet today, we fight each other, weakening the structure of the nation, exposing  weak points to enemies wanting, watching, every day, every hour, every second to destroy us, to reanimate a Holocaust, this time in the Middle East. Where would it end; who says it would.      

In our stupidity and denial of proper views and wavelengths we have even introduced politics, vile partisanship, into the Holocaust memories, into Yad Vashem, and shame on us. If we can do this to ourselves then why are we so frightened when nature takes its course and dozens of neo-Nazis, in black and red uniforms, shout antisemitic chants, throw heils and salutes around, as they add,
"We are here." And to do what? Kill us again? As the world stood by again, in silence, in cheers, in acquiescence, or in absolute uncaring state.    

Think not that this other country of ours, the hope of the world if it returns to its senses, America, is immune to the destructive powers of a divided, weakened dichroic ability of eyes to see, able to distinguish and choose wisely and well.

Dichroic ability can be beautiful, seeing the true colors G-d has granted us, is a gift. Of late we have chosen to spurn that gift, to limit it to negative colors, those which darken the soul and dim the lights of the world.

Time to change the path. Time to do this - now.

Time to work together, to rejoin fellow humans and set aside the fragments of evil dichroic particles, fill in the blanks with those that work properly, function as they should, as they spread light, good and proper wavelengths throughout - as we accept that - together. A good and proper dichroic society,

Together.

 We can not move forward if we do not do so together. Freedom of stride, but unity of goals.

Together. Only and always together.

Together, always together.

Together, united for good.

Together.

Together.

We can heal the nation.

HEAL THE WORLD.

HEAL YITZY!

Yitzchak Elimelech ben Chana Sarah

May he be granted refuah shelaymah bimheyrah beyameinu.

AMEN. AMEN