Who are we? Who do we wish to be? Who am I? Who are you? These are existential questions of self-definition, or of hopefulness. Knowing where we are, where we now stand and where we wish to be, or better yet, where we should be, is of critical importance. How can we extend understanding, comfort, sympathy, an open hand. to others if we do not have that innate sense of knowing or accepting what they need. It might be similar to your own needs at similar times, or it might very well be different. Sympathy is wonderful, but not enough. What is more comforting for those caught in a suffocating blanket of need is empathy, the very difficult ability to know another while standing in your own shoes, rather than putting yourself in their shoes, which might be a misfit for you.
How do we accomplish that enormously difficult state of mind? By practice, by doing the same at other times of need, in daily moments through our lives. In the words of the heroic Rachel Goldberg-Polin, so many are living in "an excess and surplus of suffering" ...(in) "aches of agony", and what is needed is: "This most complicated of disciplines requires looking at the person in front of us and saying to ourselves, “What does this person need?” not “What do I imagine I would need in this person’s situation?”
Most of us can only strive to reach that height of empathy, but we must try. For if we do not, we will have ceded much that raises us above mere animal instinct. It demands a reaching out and a touching of the soul of others as they are and as they need, even as we do not excuse the evil and the harm they might have perpetrated upon others, and does not negate the principle of equity. Sympathy and empathy, ameliorating situations, " coloring out of line” must be judged as needed. Always, though, with the knowledge that egregious and grievous deeds must have consequences, and those consequences must be in place and real.
When disaster strikes, whatever form it takes, we of necessity must make a choice. We must choose between the eagle and the vulture. Will we be the brave and the bold, defending and fighting for the best of us or will we be the vultures feasting on the remains of a country, a culture? Those questions of who are we and who am I ring loud and clear, and answers are demanded. Knowing, the knowledge deep within the very marrow of your bones that justice and valiant courageous behavior too long denied often means forever denied.
The acts of the many are often based built upon the acts of the individual(s). A spark is necessary to light the fires of justice and compassion, of Right over Wrong, of Good over Evil. Before that spark can be lit and emit light for the difficult trek ahead an intense and honest assessment of that spark's soul must be undertaken. And so must we all do, for we live in tumultuous times and always must be prepared as needs be.
I am not that spark nor am I one of the leading well-lit sparks to join in. I am one of the crowd, doing my best, to be honest and forthright, to think out my thoughts and beliefs as they must be, an ever-ongoing difficult task, for life is not static, nor must our tenets be thus. I am in the midst of a probably late assessment hoping that it would not be necessary, reluctant to undertake such a labor, certainly not necessary if all went as I hoped and prayed it would. Sadly, it did not; hence, here I be. In fact, here we all should be.
I have always operated within the belief that this world is in a permanent state of siege of Good by Evil, that humans must choose between the two. This idea has been validated. throughout the ages via fiction and nonfiction sources, via literature and philosophy. It is a belief coming through louder and clearer in modern writings. One is strengthened in this belief by the increasingly more common statements stressing that constant battle and its importance in our rather tempestuous world of ours.
I recently read a novel, one of a series, which on the surface is an entertaining story complete with returning characters with whom we become invested. Looking deeper into the prose, a must reading between the lines, there is far more to it. The reader's first choice is whether to stick with the surface story or delve within. Much easier to do the former than the latter. There was a segment running through a number of pages wherein the protagonists are faced with the challenge: to enter a dark place, a place known to fulfill one's darkest, deepest wishes or to remain safely outside. They observe from the outside but must enter into its dark place of Evil if they are to combat the Evil within, that which increases the rotting core of society. The author writes of a workshop, a dense darkness within, with only two doors in and out. Good and Evil. Will they enter this workshop? Can they? Will they find the right door of exit and emerge unchanged? Will they have undergone a voyage of the soul without damage, perhaps even with some benefit? One “made herself shake off the distracting thought... tonight was about catching a cold-blooded killer, to make the world a better place for those who could not fight for themselves."
Noble brave, dangerous and rewarding, perhaps not in the ways of the world, of amassing more wealth and power, for their reward was more intrinsic, a knowing that one did what was right, what was far more difficult. This society which they defended does not necessarily extend a thank you to them. That society, too often, rejects principles of the Good in favor of the advantages of Evil. Even as our protagonists travel on the right path overcoming the obstacles in their way, the rest of the society. remains lost.
It seems to be that humanity has lost, broken, or discarded properly functioning compasses and directional devices. The maps being used have been altered, much to the detriment of a beneficial survival for Mankind. Temptations and lures of attractive icon of evil drag us off course. Mankind must then navigate through a land of dangerous geography, always fending off other calls to stray further, to follow the wrong leaders, and Evil raises flags of triumph, Good defeated and weakened yet again.
I write all this in the midst of doing a Spring cleaning of my inner heart, soul, conscience and mind because none of us live in a vacuum. We are affected like it or not, in ways known or unknown by the world around us. Too often, things become relative. Good and Evil - absolute, or relative? That question remains eternal. And so all this must be taken into account. Friday, yesterday were days of reading. I read lots of challenging material. Words of wisdom by others. And I am trying to digest them and find their relevance to me. This journey is ongoing. And actually, it feels good.
What will be the final result? I have no clue. I don't even know that there will be a final result. As I said. we live in times of change of constant flux. and adjustments must always be made lest we find ourselves lost in another new challenging world. Let us hope in that new challenging world in which we find ourselves enmeshed that finally, finally maybe hopefully we can get our remaining hostages returned to us alive to be with their families, to be whole again and our fallen, murdered slaughtered by Hamas return to honorable burial. Finally, let Peace, Shalom, Salaam reign in Israel and in the surrounding countries. In fact, let the Good conquer the Evil that encompasses so much of our world as we know it. Perhaps we can make it better or at least give it a try. Better us and better world.
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