Over the years I think I have really confused a lot of people on what I believe and where I stand on many issues. I have gone from being a very conservative Christian to following the teachings of Judaism and I have hit many places in between. There was even a time where I totally dismissed G-D, as I had been taught about him, and started getting into some of the Pagan and Indian religions. To say that I have been around the block is an understatement.
On the political side there has been even a greater change in my my beliefs. Just as I was once very conservative in my religious views I was once very conservative in my political views . In fact I was a big fan of the various conservative talk shows and thought we were justified in our actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. I remember being on my way to Iraq, and all of us sitting around at night and talking about it, and while most of us didn't really see what kind of threat Iraq was to us, we had our orders and that was that. Amazing how time in a war can change your opinion on a great amount of things. That conservative view has changed dramatically for me over the last few years.
For some of you who have personally known me for many years, none of this will really surprise you,a few of you might even be thinking " well duh" but the truth of the matter is that I really can't subscribe to the conservative right point of view any more. I am not saying that I have become a far left Liberal either, but I have had to really come to terms with the fact that much of what I had once held to be true just isn't.
If I had to put a label on myself I would have to say that I am a cross between a Libertarian and what I fondly refer to as a "closet crunchy." My definition of a crunchy would have been a hippie when I was a whole lot younger and though I don't have the long hair (any hair on my head is an amazing sight) I have come to understand and appreciate the ideas of peace and social justice. You might find my belief in " social justice" to be a bit surprising because, as many of you know, I once believed that just about anything that started with the word "social" had to be communist in nature. I was told things to that nature in my conservative world and, as such, I took them to be true. I was wrong. How can it be " communist" to help your neighbor, or the elderly or poor? How can it be that when both Christianity and Judaism beliefs call for that very thing that in this quasi religious nation it can be considered to be a bad thing?
I am in effect a Crunchy Libertarian.
Here are some other things I believe and while I don't expect you to agree with everything, at least it might give you some pause for thought.
I believe in peace as I believe any sane person in this world would. I have no use for war or our continuous war efforts. I am for defending ourselves against anyone who attacks us, but none of the countries that we are currently at war with has attacked us.
I am for social justice. By social justice I mean the collective efforts of the people to take care of those that have needs and assistance for those who need a hand to get them selves back on their feet. Having said that I am not for the government playing a major role in that effort. To often where the government gets involved, there is no progress or real help for those in need and instead they tend to get stuck into the system and can't get out effectively. I grew up like that and wouldn't wish it on anyone.
I do not like the way our "two party" system works, or more correctly doesn't work. There are many reasons for this but the best being that there really isn't any real difference between the parties any more. There was a time that you could easily pick out a republican from a democrat simply based on what they stood for, but that's not true any more and with a two party system there is no real viable option for any real change to take place. Any one who is seen as a third party candidate is generally marginalized or ignored by the powers that be so we are left with a stalemate at best and no real changes . The only real difference between the parties now is simply how they spend your money and the inventive ways that they have found to blame it on the other party or some other entity.
I am for a small government and an ending to all our wars. We call ourselves a Judaic/ Christian society with a large population of Muslims and yet we are engaged in immoral and unnecessary wars. Where is the justification? Where is congressional approval? If OBL is dead why are we still there? Don't talk to me about the stability of the region, that region of the world has never been stable. We are interfering in places we have no business being nor are we wanted. Personally I think it all has to do with the oil and perhaps the heroin trade. If I am wrong , and it's for supposed humanitarian reasons, then why aren't we engaged all over Africa? Why aren't we involved anywhere that there is a need ? Then it would be consistent and might even be justified.
I believe that all the money that is being spent overseas, whether it be our wars or helping nations that hate us would be better spent here in our own country. How can it be that we spend billions of dollars on these wars and hateful nations when our own people sleep in cardboard boxes or live in the kind of squalor that you think only exists in third world countries? I have been to those "homes" I have seen how the people, American people, live. This is just plain wrong. Wouldn't the money be better spent helping our own people and then providing relief for those countries and people who truly need the help?
Our government has now fallen prey to not only those who would perpetuate war but also to those who would control the worlds food supply, big pharma, big everything. They have granted patents on modified food to big agri- companies such as Monsanto, while going after small family farms for having the nerve to sell raw milk to those who want it! They have regulated the food supply to the point that the average farmer is going broke and it won't be long before the only ones left is the big agri-farms. The quality of most of that modified food is so bad that we are not getting the right kind of nutrition for our bodies. If you think I'm wrong just ask yourself a question; Why do we need all the vitamin supplements if our food supply is doing as well as the government would have you believe? Why, if they are not in bed with the big agri-companies, do they go after small farms? The small farms ,especially the organic farms, have not been the ones that have been producing all the bad food, it has been the big agri- farms. What are they so afraid of ? If our food supply is so good why do we need so many drugs to cure us from things that were never heard of back when our grandparents had their own farms? As the saying goes;" follow the money honey" that will answer many of those questions.
Let us speak briefly about oil and alternates. I am all for finding other sources of energy, but until that time comes we need to get out heads out of our collective back sides and use the resources that we have available to us right here in our country. Instead of regulating them to death, let the companies do what they can to make us self sufficient and, at the same time, look for alternatives knowing that this is a limited supply at best. This is not difficult to do if you have people with the courage to do so. Also consider that our dependence on foreign oil has made a bunch of thugs vastly rich while they keep their own people in poverty.
Our personal freedoms have been under serious attack for the last 50 years and with the renewal of the Patriot act ,with the help of both parties, we can rest assured that more and more freedoms will be wiped away. Ask your self this, if we really have the freedoms that our forefathers had, then why are there so many regulations and taxes concerning everything? Try going hunting and fishing with out a license and see what happens. Try building on you own property without the proper permits and see how fast you get stopped. Why should Gay, or straight couples for that matter, have to involve the government at all just to get married, what gives the government the right to decide such a thing? Don't want the police in your home in violation of the 4th amendment? Tough. The supreme court has said that they can enter your home under nothing more then suspicion and your not allowed to resist. These are but a few examples. To write about the violations of many other rights as described in the bill of rights and the amendments would take way too long. The point is that we have nothing left but the illusion of freedom unless we are willing to go back to the constitution, and our G-D given rights.
Some of you may be thinking well these are dangerous times, I agree that they are, but what is the real danger? A questionable threat from a vague foreign opponent who may or may not have attacked us and who have been decimated by all accounts, or the one who puts fear into you and then slowly takes your liberties away all the while telling you it's for your safety?This is the real threat to our freedoms. If we allow our liberties to be removed then we simply don't deserve them.
It simply boils down to this; we have all been lied to and manipulated for the last decade or two. We are nothing to them because we have given them the power rather then the power staying with the people as it's supposed to be. It doesn't matter one bit what the party is any more they have all lost the high ground and they will be the death of this nation unless things change.
Some things I need to add to this, in the last few days as I have been writing this and re writing it,a couple of things happened that again show just how far down hill we have come, you'll need to either Google these or check alternate news sources, but one is a group of people being arrested at the Jefferson memorial for dancing led By a man by the Name of Adam Kodesh and then one,which I have posted from "seeds of truth" is a group in Orlando Florida being arrested for feeding the homeless in a public park.
This is the partial views of this Libertarian Crunchy.
Ignacio
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Blaming G-D
Has it occurred to any one that most of the problems in this world have nothing to do with G-D? Instead it has to do with mans warped view of G-D and what He wants?
I have been mulling over this thought for a while now, as I try to come to terms with many of the misconceptions concerning G-D that we have all been taught over the years. By mis conceptions I am talking about doctrines and beliefs that we have all been taught were true and never really took the time to question or to study for ourselves , just kind of assuming that our religious leaders were all ways telling us the truth and never taking the time to dig out the facts for ourselves.
This of course, has caused me a whole lot of problems as I have challenged just about everything that I have ever heard or been taught. Yet at the same time it has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done , because I find that I have a much better understanding of G-D and what He wants, while also being able to publicly say that there is so much that I don't know or understand! This my friends is probably the the source of the greatest relief that I have ever known; the simple idea that I don't have to know everything in order to enjoy a relationship with G-D. I don't have to go after others beliefs about G-D because G-D has never asked us to do that. He has two very simple requirements of all people, Love G-D and Love your fellow man, engage in serving Him through worship and by acts of kindness. As the Reform Jews put it We must engage in "Social Justice" and that ,in part, is a part of worshiping G-D.
Some of what has brought me comfort as well, is things like the Talmud and other writing that the Jewish sages of old have written, because it shows me that even these great learned men didn't know everything about G-D and while they certainly tried to clarify things in the law, they didn't always know or agree with each other, but at least they took the time to study it out for themselves and come to a general consensus, then as time has passed and other things came to light, more debate took place and things changed.
So how does this fit with my opening statement? I am becoming quite weary of all those who seem to think that they have a monopoly on G-D and His ways, when the truth to the matter is that G-D is G-D and we are mere mortals who are striving to learn His ways, but will never be able to fully comprehend Him. Just because we have a particular belief or pet doctrine, does not mean that we can fully understand His ways. Think about this, how many millions of people have been killed over the centuries because someone thought that they had the right ideas about G-D and everyone else was wrong? How many wars have and still are going on all over the world based on that same notion? Now consider this, what would happen if everyone came to the understanding that we can't possibly know everything that there is to know about G-D and came to acknowledge that we might just be wrong in spots? Most of the wars would end and quite possibly a massive amount of loving would result. Pipe dream? I think not.
Both Christian tradition and Jewish belief tells of a time at the end of all things when a universal knowledge of G-D and of peace will come about through Him and His anointed one, but that can't happen until a time comes when all of us acknowledge that we were wrong and we seek the truth, getting away from all the man made dogmas,bringing an end to all wars, eliminating poverty and greed and removing our biases and prejudice. When that day comes and we are all "singing the same song of freedom" blaming G-D for our own stupidity and mistakes will come to an end as He promises to place His ways on our hearts. This brings me joy and this is what brings me peace in a chaotic world, I don't have to know everything now, nor is it my job, or anyone else's for that matter, to force my belief upon you, instead we strive to learn and we rejoice in what we can know and we can wait patiently because that day will come when we will know the truth about G-D because G-D will put it in our hearts!
Shalom,
Ignacio
I have been mulling over this thought for a while now, as I try to come to terms with many of the misconceptions concerning G-D that we have all been taught over the years. By mis conceptions I am talking about doctrines and beliefs that we have all been taught were true and never really took the time to question or to study for ourselves , just kind of assuming that our religious leaders were all ways telling us the truth and never taking the time to dig out the facts for ourselves.
This of course, has caused me a whole lot of problems as I have challenged just about everything that I have ever heard or been taught. Yet at the same time it has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done , because I find that I have a much better understanding of G-D and what He wants, while also being able to publicly say that there is so much that I don't know or understand! This my friends is probably the the source of the greatest relief that I have ever known; the simple idea that I don't have to know everything in order to enjoy a relationship with G-D. I don't have to go after others beliefs about G-D because G-D has never asked us to do that. He has two very simple requirements of all people, Love G-D and Love your fellow man, engage in serving Him through worship and by acts of kindness. As the Reform Jews put it We must engage in "Social Justice" and that ,in part, is a part of worshiping G-D.
Some of what has brought me comfort as well, is things like the Talmud and other writing that the Jewish sages of old have written, because it shows me that even these great learned men didn't know everything about G-D and while they certainly tried to clarify things in the law, they didn't always know or agree with each other, but at least they took the time to study it out for themselves and come to a general consensus, then as time has passed and other things came to light, more debate took place and things changed.
So how does this fit with my opening statement? I am becoming quite weary of all those who seem to think that they have a monopoly on G-D and His ways, when the truth to the matter is that G-D is G-D and we are mere mortals who are striving to learn His ways, but will never be able to fully comprehend Him. Just because we have a particular belief or pet doctrine, does not mean that we can fully understand His ways. Think about this, how many millions of people have been killed over the centuries because someone thought that they had the right ideas about G-D and everyone else was wrong? How many wars have and still are going on all over the world based on that same notion? Now consider this, what would happen if everyone came to the understanding that we can't possibly know everything that there is to know about G-D and came to acknowledge that we might just be wrong in spots? Most of the wars would end and quite possibly a massive amount of loving would result. Pipe dream? I think not.
Both Christian tradition and Jewish belief tells of a time at the end of all things when a universal knowledge of G-D and of peace will come about through Him and His anointed one, but that can't happen until a time comes when all of us acknowledge that we were wrong and we seek the truth, getting away from all the man made dogmas,bringing an end to all wars, eliminating poverty and greed and removing our biases and prejudice. When that day comes and we are all "singing the same song of freedom" blaming G-D for our own stupidity and mistakes will come to an end as He promises to place His ways on our hearts. This brings me joy and this is what brings me peace in a chaotic world, I don't have to know everything now, nor is it my job, or anyone else's for that matter, to force my belief upon you, instead we strive to learn and we rejoice in what we can know and we can wait patiently because that day will come when we will know the truth about G-D because G-D will put it in our hearts!
Shalom,
Ignacio
Friday, May 27, 2011
Memorial Day Thought
The first official weekend of the summer season is about to start this weekend with the coming of Memorial Day weekend. Many of us will be enjoying the weekend with BBQ with parades and camping over all a very enjoyable weekend.
I remember ,as a child, how excited I used to get on Memorial . I would be going crazy eating breakfast as fast as I could so that I could get up to the corner where the parade was going to come by and stop at the town memorial. I remember more then once coming out the door and hearing the distant sounds of the drums as they got ready to start and straining to get the first glance of the parade in the distance.
Likely by New York or Boston standards this was small time indeed but it was huge to me. Seemed like every group and club was represented as well as the high school band, but my favorite part was the fire trucks! They would turn on their sirens making a lot of noise above and beyond what was already going on and they would have many players from the little league baseball riding on them as well.
Of course the most somber part of the whole parade was when they would lay a wreath at the memorial say a prayer and play taps while firing off the 21 gun salutes. I didn't understand all of it at that time. I understood there had been a big war, WW2 and that some place called Vietnam was coming to an end, but the whole idea of war and the loss of friends and comrades was something I didn't grasp then. I do now.
So this weekend, as you enjoy your weekend, keep in mind those that gave their lives so that you CAN enjoy your BBQ and the camping. Perhaps take a moment to lay a wreath at a memorial or quietly listen to the mournful sounds of taps as it is played for the fallen, but most of all never forget.
Ignacio
I remember ,as a child, how excited I used to get on Memorial . I would be going crazy eating breakfast as fast as I could so that I could get up to the corner where the parade was going to come by and stop at the town memorial. I remember more then once coming out the door and hearing the distant sounds of the drums as they got ready to start and straining to get the first glance of the parade in the distance.
Likely by New York or Boston standards this was small time indeed but it was huge to me. Seemed like every group and club was represented as well as the high school band, but my favorite part was the fire trucks! They would turn on their sirens making a lot of noise above and beyond what was already going on and they would have many players from the little league baseball riding on them as well.
Of course the most somber part of the whole parade was when they would lay a wreath at the memorial say a prayer and play taps while firing off the 21 gun salutes. I didn't understand all of it at that time. I understood there had been a big war, WW2 and that some place called Vietnam was coming to an end, but the whole idea of war and the loss of friends and comrades was something I didn't grasp then. I do now.
So this weekend, as you enjoy your weekend, keep in mind those that gave their lives so that you CAN enjoy your BBQ and the camping. Perhaps take a moment to lay a wreath at a memorial or quietly listen to the mournful sounds of taps as it is played for the fallen, but most of all never forget.
Ignacio
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Personal Responsibility
The man said " the woman that you ( G-D ) gave me" the woman said " the serpent told me...." the serpent said I was possessed...... " actually the snake said nothing but you get the point. Gen.3 Uncle Iggies version....
The argument usually goes something like this, "it wasn't my fault" it was my husband,wife, children or neighbors fault, the devil made me do it or , at least in one case , it was the snakes fault so why should I have to pay the price for my mistake, forgetting of course that you had to make a conscious decision to do something in the first place. It's never our faults for anything, it's society or our up bringing or our neighborhood or government. Sometimes ,admittedly, that's not far from the truth, however not everything can be blamed for our mistakes, at some point you have to take a hard look in the mirror and understand that you play a large role in this as well.
Of course passing the blame to others can become real easy to do when your world starts to collapse around you and things that you thought were fairly secure come apart at the seams. It becomes real easy to point the finger at anyone or anything other then yourself for the problems and the mistakes in our lives, much easier to have a talk show mentality and blame every thing on your mothers uncles second cousins brother in laws pet fish rather then taking the responsibility, after all this is generally what we in our great society teach.
Society says that it's not our fault for....pick your thing, instead it's the fault of our parents, our schools, our religion or even the a fore mentioned fish, but never is the blame affixed where it truly belongs; on ourselves. A Fine example; if I choose to smoke is it the tobaccos companies fault? Certainly they have done lots of advertising to get my attention but when it boils right down to it, I am the one who is responsible for putting the cigarette in my mouth and smoking it. They may have provided the material but I did the action. If I choose to live a promiscuous life style and sleep around who bears the responsibility of an unwanted STD or pregnancy? Is it society? Or should we again blame it on the parenting or the proverbial fish? Or is it my fault?
Our mainstream religions are at fault for this as well. We are taught the idea of "original sin" through Adam and Eve, and tell us that we can't help but be sinful because we are born with that tendency, leaving out the idea of freewill. So what that boils down to is that we are little more then robots with no real choices in life other then to do evil continuously. I reject that notion. While the Bible certainly speaks of the sin of Adam and Eve and all that has happened since then, it has never suggested that they are the ones responsible for our sinful and or foolish acts. In fact the Bible makes it quite clear that we don't die for someone else sins, we die for our own. Adam and Eve aren't the problem and neither are your parents or your neighborhood,or that fish, you are. And you are the one who has to decide how your going to handle things. You can continue to blame others for your life problems or you can suck it up, take responsibility for yourself and then do something about it.
Let me give you an example and I will use myself. I bought a van that has lead to us leaving Arkansas. Some things were good about that and other things were bad. Technically speaking I could put the blame elsewhere and some would argue that I would be justified in that, however even while blindly going into this thing, I made a choice and that choice had consequences, unseen and unknown at the time,but still there were consequences and the responsibility is mine to deal with, not someone else. It's not my mothers fault, nor the neighborhoods fault because it couldn't see what was coming and it's not the fishes fault either. The choice was made by me so therefore the responsibility of my actions also reside with me.
None of this is new, just look at Genesis and the proverbial fall of man, and you can see that everyone is passing the buck as to who is to blame, when the truth is is that they are both to blame for their own mistakes.
The point of this is that we need to get beyond this and start taking the responsibility for our own actions and teach our children the same. We need to stop blaming others for our problems based on nothing more then their religion, color or sexual orientation.We need to put an end to this blame others for everything mentality that has invaded our society and get back to personal responsibility. We should be responsible for ourselves and we should only ever have to hold ourselves accountable to G-D, because in a society where we accept our own responsibility for our mistakes , that is all that will be needed.
Shalom,
Ignacio
The argument usually goes something like this, "it wasn't my fault" it was my husband,wife, children or neighbors fault, the devil made me do it or , at least in one case , it was the snakes fault so why should I have to pay the price for my mistake, forgetting of course that you had to make a conscious decision to do something in the first place. It's never our faults for anything, it's society or our up bringing or our neighborhood or government. Sometimes ,admittedly, that's not far from the truth, however not everything can be blamed for our mistakes, at some point you have to take a hard look in the mirror and understand that you play a large role in this as well.
Of course passing the blame to others can become real easy to do when your world starts to collapse around you and things that you thought were fairly secure come apart at the seams. It becomes real easy to point the finger at anyone or anything other then yourself for the problems and the mistakes in our lives, much easier to have a talk show mentality and blame every thing on your mothers uncles second cousins brother in laws pet fish rather then taking the responsibility, after all this is generally what we in our great society teach.
Society says that it's not our fault for....pick your thing, instead it's the fault of our parents, our schools, our religion or even the a fore mentioned fish, but never is the blame affixed where it truly belongs; on ourselves. A Fine example; if I choose to smoke is it the tobaccos companies fault? Certainly they have done lots of advertising to get my attention but when it boils right down to it, I am the one who is responsible for putting the cigarette in my mouth and smoking it. They may have provided the material but I did the action. If I choose to live a promiscuous life style and sleep around who bears the responsibility of an unwanted STD or pregnancy? Is it society? Or should we again blame it on the parenting or the proverbial fish? Or is it my fault?
Our mainstream religions are at fault for this as well. We are taught the idea of "original sin" through Adam and Eve, and tell us that we can't help but be sinful because we are born with that tendency, leaving out the idea of freewill. So what that boils down to is that we are little more then robots with no real choices in life other then to do evil continuously. I reject that notion. While the Bible certainly speaks of the sin of Adam and Eve and all that has happened since then, it has never suggested that they are the ones responsible for our sinful and or foolish acts. In fact the Bible makes it quite clear that we don't die for someone else sins, we die for our own. Adam and Eve aren't the problem and neither are your parents or your neighborhood,or that fish, you are. And you are the one who has to decide how your going to handle things. You can continue to blame others for your life problems or you can suck it up, take responsibility for yourself and then do something about it.
Let me give you an example and I will use myself. I bought a van that has lead to us leaving Arkansas. Some things were good about that and other things were bad. Technically speaking I could put the blame elsewhere and some would argue that I would be justified in that, however even while blindly going into this thing, I made a choice and that choice had consequences, unseen and unknown at the time,but still there were consequences and the responsibility is mine to deal with, not someone else. It's not my mothers fault, nor the neighborhoods fault because it couldn't see what was coming and it's not the fishes fault either. The choice was made by me so therefore the responsibility of my actions also reside with me.
None of this is new, just look at Genesis and the proverbial fall of man, and you can see that everyone is passing the buck as to who is to blame, when the truth is is that they are both to blame for their own mistakes.
The point of this is that we need to get beyond this and start taking the responsibility for our own actions and teach our children the same. We need to stop blaming others for our problems based on nothing more then their religion, color or sexual orientation.We need to put an end to this blame others for everything mentality that has invaded our society and get back to personal responsibility. We should be responsible for ourselves and we should only ever have to hold ourselves accountable to G-D, because in a society where we accept our own responsibility for our mistakes , that is all that will be needed.
Shalom,
Ignacio
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Tolerance and Acceptance
Tolerance and acceptance, two words that I have never been terribly happy with. Their base meanings are good but in the last 20 years or so they seemed to have changed into something political which went something to this effect; I will tolerate what you believe to be true and accept you but you, on the other hand, don't have to accept or tolerate me if my views are not politically correct or doesn't meet with your accepted point of view.
In the past , and even still today, I could really care less if I am politically correct but I would like to think that I have become at least a bit more tolerant of opposing views and beliefs and have accepted many things that years ago I wouldn't even have dreamed of. The thing that is actually troubling to me are those who would claim that they are tolerant and accepting of people and opinions and yet what they say or do differs from reality. Let me give you an example.
My wife and I along with our children have recently moved back to New England after a rather troubling and intolerant time in the south west, living amongst people who would not accept us because we were Yankees and because we did not follow Christianity and I had publicly said so. Worse were those that had once called us friends, abandoning us even while claiming the love of their "god" for us.
Fast forward to our time here. Since our arrival here we have been reunited with many of our old friends including those who are of a Christian persuasion and I can tell you it has been wonderful. No one has been floored by our beliefs in Judaism and if any one has been critical it certainly hasn't been said to our faces and it has been a breath of fresh air.In fact even while discussing the things that we saw differently, we were doing it while eating burgers and our kids were playing together. There was no condemnation it was a simple matter of we see things differently and that's OK. This is what I call tolerance and acceptance.
While I have been very critical of Christianity and it's views, I have also come to discover that not all I have been told about Judaism is entirely accurate either.
Most of my contact with the Jewish community has been via the internet and usually with those of the Orthodox community, so imagine my surprise to find out that not all of what I have been told is entirely accurate. I had been told in the past that the only people who would ever be considered Jewish were either those born Jewish or who converted via an Orthodox conversion, that if you ever wanted to live in Israel that this was the only way that you would be accepted. I have puzzled over this for a long time, why would it be that they only way to be considered a real Jew was to convert to the Orthodox? There are Christians that are Israeli citizens as well as Arabs and Palestinians. There are those that are considered secular Jews as well as those from other Jewish communities,it made me quite confused and as a result my wife and I really wasn't sure just where we fit. It kind of reminded me of the Southern Baptists because unless you were one of them they really didn't consider you to be a christian and the only difference I could find between them and my baptist denomination was little more then wording. So while I was interested in conversion to Judaism we were concerned about what really seemed like an intolerant point of view.
Then this past Monday things changed.
Monday my wife and I met with Rabbi Robin at Temple Beth Jacob and it was a blessing. We walked in being nervous ( we have been blasted by Orthodox and Christians prior to this ) not really knowing what to expect and she immediately put us at ease.We were made to feel welcome and we had about an hour and a half of questions and answers. Turns out that they are a Reform Synagogue and that all the things that I had been told via the "friends" I had were from the ultra orthodox point of view and it was only their group who would not accept your conversion, if you so chose , and that many things were open for discussion that I had been told were not and that at least here in New England the various Jewish congregations all get along! Imagine my surprise. We left the meeting with Rabbi Robin feeling like we had finally found a place to be and to learn. Today we went to our first Torah study and again we were welcomed by all even though we are not Jewish as of yet,it was enough that we were there. Now that's tolerance and acceptance.
To all of our friends here in New England, no matter what it is that you believe, thank you for welcoming us back, and to Rabbi Robin thank you for welcoming us into the Synagogue, showing what true tolerance and acceptance is.
Shalom,
Ignacio
In the past , and even still today, I could really care less if I am politically correct but I would like to think that I have become at least a bit more tolerant of opposing views and beliefs and have accepted many things that years ago I wouldn't even have dreamed of. The thing that is actually troubling to me are those who would claim that they are tolerant and accepting of people and opinions and yet what they say or do differs from reality. Let me give you an example.
My wife and I along with our children have recently moved back to New England after a rather troubling and intolerant time in the south west, living amongst people who would not accept us because we were Yankees and because we did not follow Christianity and I had publicly said so. Worse were those that had once called us friends, abandoning us even while claiming the love of their "god" for us.
Fast forward to our time here. Since our arrival here we have been reunited with many of our old friends including those who are of a Christian persuasion and I can tell you it has been wonderful. No one has been floored by our beliefs in Judaism and if any one has been critical it certainly hasn't been said to our faces and it has been a breath of fresh air.In fact even while discussing the things that we saw differently, we were doing it while eating burgers and our kids were playing together. There was no condemnation it was a simple matter of we see things differently and that's OK. This is what I call tolerance and acceptance.
While I have been very critical of Christianity and it's views, I have also come to discover that not all I have been told about Judaism is entirely accurate either.
Most of my contact with the Jewish community has been via the internet and usually with those of the Orthodox community, so imagine my surprise to find out that not all of what I have been told is entirely accurate. I had been told in the past that the only people who would ever be considered Jewish were either those born Jewish or who converted via an Orthodox conversion, that if you ever wanted to live in Israel that this was the only way that you would be accepted. I have puzzled over this for a long time, why would it be that they only way to be considered a real Jew was to convert to the Orthodox? There are Christians that are Israeli citizens as well as Arabs and Palestinians. There are those that are considered secular Jews as well as those from other Jewish communities,it made me quite confused and as a result my wife and I really wasn't sure just where we fit. It kind of reminded me of the Southern Baptists because unless you were one of them they really didn't consider you to be a christian and the only difference I could find between them and my baptist denomination was little more then wording. So while I was interested in conversion to Judaism we were concerned about what really seemed like an intolerant point of view.
Then this past Monday things changed.
Monday my wife and I met with Rabbi Robin at Temple Beth Jacob and it was a blessing. We walked in being nervous ( we have been blasted by Orthodox and Christians prior to this ) not really knowing what to expect and she immediately put us at ease.We were made to feel welcome and we had about an hour and a half of questions and answers. Turns out that they are a Reform Synagogue and that all the things that I had been told via the "friends" I had were from the ultra orthodox point of view and it was only their group who would not accept your conversion, if you so chose , and that many things were open for discussion that I had been told were not and that at least here in New England the various Jewish congregations all get along! Imagine my surprise. We left the meeting with Rabbi Robin feeling like we had finally found a place to be and to learn. Today we went to our first Torah study and again we were welcomed by all even though we are not Jewish as of yet,it was enough that we were there. Now that's tolerance and acceptance.
To all of our friends here in New England, no matter what it is that you believe, thank you for welcoming us back, and to Rabbi Robin thank you for welcoming us into the Synagogue, showing what true tolerance and acceptance is.
Shalom,
Ignacio
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Surplus Population
I am not known for my "liberal"thinking. In fact most anybody who knows me would , perhaps, label me as conservative. That , Of course, is no more accurate then the liberal label, but still I think most would at least consider me to be somewhat to the right when it comes to politics and religion. I am a firm believer in the constitution and our G-D given rights as expressed by the founders and I am a firm believer in the Jewish bible and of G-D. I think however that this is just about where my conservative side ends.
Lately I have been listening to a growing sound coming out of a lot of prominent conservatives on both the radio and through various news sources and all of them seem to be blaming the woes of the economy on all the "entitlement programs" and those of us who are poor enough to, at times,have to use them, and I find this trend to be a bit troubling.
I agree that there are many people who take advantage of the situation and just leech off the state even though they are physically able to actually work,but I have also witnessed those who desperately needed the help get turned down because , at least in one case,they had $7 too much in the bank. I personally know of the struggles that come from living on such a low income. I receive nothing more then VA benefits and while the cost of everything has gone up, my pay has not in 3 years. This really isn't about me though, nor is it about those who receive various assistance programs, it's about those who make an incredible amount of money being critical of those who don't and, quite frankly, looking at the wrong place to put the blame.
Now let me state for the record, that I have no problem with people making decent money on their skills and talents. If you can make big bucks doing what you do, I am happy for you. If you can enjoy the finer things in life because of your skills ,great, but I would also say to you that you should take the time to get to know some of these people that you are so critical of.
Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol", is one of my all time favorite movies and I think that there are many parts of it that are very relevant for today. When the ghost of Marley arrives, in the course of the conversation, Scrooge tells Marley that he had always been a good man of business and Marley's reply is perhaps the most condemning of our world today," Business! Business?! Mankind should have been my business!" He goes on to explain to Scrooge that because he never did anything to help anyone in the world that he was now condemned to walk the earth for eternity and see all the misery and be able to do nothing about it. The Ghost of Christmas Past has ignorance and want hidden under his cloak in the form of children and tells Scrooge that these belong to all men and to be ware of them both because if things stay as they are they spell the doom of all of mankind. Bob Cratchet was a hard working man by all accounts, yet he had a very sick son and he would die if nothing changed.The point being that you should get to know who "the surplus population" is before you condemn them to conditions that you wouldn't willingly live in.
So who or what is really to blame for this mess? Is it the wealthy guys on the airwaves? Nope.Though I think they are looking in the wrong direction. Is it the military? Not really, at least not at the troop level. I do believe however that we could save a huge chunk of money by ending all of our wars and overseas bases and bringing everyone home but the average grunt is not the problem. How about the politicians? I would have to say at least partially, why only partially? Because the only power that they have comes from us, what we allow them to do, so that leads to my answer which is; you and me. Yes, we are the one's to blame.
Every two years "we the people" have an opportunity to vote out those who are corrupt and power hungry, those that refuse to do ,as we the people, tell them to but we don't. As a matter of fact if you ask the average American what is actually going on in politics and how it effects them they won't have an answer and yet when it comes time to vote they will vote simply on name recognition. Some politicians have become so powerful that no one even bothers to run against them. Is this the way that things are supposed to be in a Republic? No!What needs to happen is that everyone should educate them selves as to what is going on in their government and then vote them all out of office and then if that doesn't work , you recall them,which most states have the power to do, and fire them until you get people in office who are accountable to us and not to powerful lobbies.
Lest any of you think that I believe that government is the answer, let me end that in a hurry. We need a whole lot less government intruding in our lives and coming up with more and more insane laws and regulations and ways to spend our money. The paragraph before was simply to illustrate that if we do not fire the whole lot of them , and I do mean all from all parties, we will not get this monster under any kind of control. It will simply get worse.
The other half of this though is our own fault. We have become an instant gratification, social networking, isolationist types. By isolationist I mean that we don't really interact with people anymore. We "speak" to each other via various social networking sights and occasionally might run into someone we haven't seen in a long time at Wal-Mart but we really don't interact with each other the way that our parents and grandparents did.
I remember a day when you didn't have to lock your doors and your neighbors were practically your parents, because if they didn't whoop on your backside, they would make sure that your parents knew what you had done long before you got home and , at least on a few occasions getting it from all sides! The good part of all that though was that people knew each other and they knew who was poor and struggling and,as a community, whether it was a church or just a bunch of neighbors, they would gather up what ever was necessary to help. There was no need for all the government programs because people took care of each other as was intended by G-D.
Something has changed though over the years and now most people don't bother to even know their neighbors, never mind if they are hurting in any way, and because we are taught that we are supposed to be able to "keep up with the Jones" many of us hide the fact that we are struggling. The government, of course, not wanting to let a good opportunity for control go by, fills in the gap where the churches,synagogues and neighbors once stood. We have, as a society, essentially relinquished control of our lives to those who's joy of spending our money knows no end and shows no sign of stopping.
My solution to this is really simple and rather old fashioned. We need to get off the computer, put down our massively entertaining cell phones, shut off the TV and go out and get to know each other again as we once did. You want to see an end to ridiculous spending in DC? Help each other out and there will be little need for all the government programs, get back into your churches and synagogues and start programs to help the needy. Take food to the local food bank or shelters, almost anything that you can think of will help. The government won't ever give up it's programs but perhaps we can all share the burden and lessen the need for them. Help people get on their feet rather then leaving them dependent on anyone and you will have accomplished that which the government cannot.
End the wars and bring everyone home. You want to see a major savings? Just do that one thing and you will have accomplished your goal.
Of course the government itself could take a pay cut as well,seems to me that if there is so little money that seniors and veterans can't get a raise that they should have a major cut in pay until that issue is resolved.
So there you have it, just a few simple solutions that would make a world of difference, I realise that it's just a pipe dream, but when that's all you have left...dream away.
Shalom
Ignacio
Lately I have been listening to a growing sound coming out of a lot of prominent conservatives on both the radio and through various news sources and all of them seem to be blaming the woes of the economy on all the "entitlement programs" and those of us who are poor enough to, at times,have to use them, and I find this trend to be a bit troubling.
I agree that there are many people who take advantage of the situation and just leech off the state even though they are physically able to actually work,but I have also witnessed those who desperately needed the help get turned down because , at least in one case,they had $7 too much in the bank. I personally know of the struggles that come from living on such a low income. I receive nothing more then VA benefits and while the cost of everything has gone up, my pay has not in 3 years. This really isn't about me though, nor is it about those who receive various assistance programs, it's about those who make an incredible amount of money being critical of those who don't and, quite frankly, looking at the wrong place to put the blame.
Now let me state for the record, that I have no problem with people making decent money on their skills and talents. If you can make big bucks doing what you do, I am happy for you. If you can enjoy the finer things in life because of your skills ,great, but I would also say to you that you should take the time to get to know some of these people that you are so critical of.
Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol", is one of my all time favorite movies and I think that there are many parts of it that are very relevant for today. When the ghost of Marley arrives, in the course of the conversation, Scrooge tells Marley that he had always been a good man of business and Marley's reply is perhaps the most condemning of our world today," Business! Business?! Mankind should have been my business!" He goes on to explain to Scrooge that because he never did anything to help anyone in the world that he was now condemned to walk the earth for eternity and see all the misery and be able to do nothing about it. The Ghost of Christmas Past has ignorance and want hidden under his cloak in the form of children and tells Scrooge that these belong to all men and to be ware of them both because if things stay as they are they spell the doom of all of mankind. Bob Cratchet was a hard working man by all accounts, yet he had a very sick son and he would die if nothing changed.The point being that you should get to know who "the surplus population" is before you condemn them to conditions that you wouldn't willingly live in.
So who or what is really to blame for this mess? Is it the wealthy guys on the airwaves? Nope.Though I think they are looking in the wrong direction. Is it the military? Not really, at least not at the troop level. I do believe however that we could save a huge chunk of money by ending all of our wars and overseas bases and bringing everyone home but the average grunt is not the problem. How about the politicians? I would have to say at least partially, why only partially? Because the only power that they have comes from us, what we allow them to do, so that leads to my answer which is; you and me. Yes, we are the one's to blame.
Every two years "we the people" have an opportunity to vote out those who are corrupt and power hungry, those that refuse to do ,as we the people, tell them to but we don't. As a matter of fact if you ask the average American what is actually going on in politics and how it effects them they won't have an answer and yet when it comes time to vote they will vote simply on name recognition. Some politicians have become so powerful that no one even bothers to run against them. Is this the way that things are supposed to be in a Republic? No!What needs to happen is that everyone should educate them selves as to what is going on in their government and then vote them all out of office and then if that doesn't work , you recall them,which most states have the power to do, and fire them until you get people in office who are accountable to us and not to powerful lobbies.
Lest any of you think that I believe that government is the answer, let me end that in a hurry. We need a whole lot less government intruding in our lives and coming up with more and more insane laws and regulations and ways to spend our money. The paragraph before was simply to illustrate that if we do not fire the whole lot of them , and I do mean all from all parties, we will not get this monster under any kind of control. It will simply get worse.
The other half of this though is our own fault. We have become an instant gratification, social networking, isolationist types. By isolationist I mean that we don't really interact with people anymore. We "speak" to each other via various social networking sights and occasionally might run into someone we haven't seen in a long time at Wal-Mart but we really don't interact with each other the way that our parents and grandparents did.
I remember a day when you didn't have to lock your doors and your neighbors were practically your parents, because if they didn't whoop on your backside, they would make sure that your parents knew what you had done long before you got home and , at least on a few occasions getting it from all sides! The good part of all that though was that people knew each other and they knew who was poor and struggling and,as a community, whether it was a church or just a bunch of neighbors, they would gather up what ever was necessary to help. There was no need for all the government programs because people took care of each other as was intended by G-D.
Something has changed though over the years and now most people don't bother to even know their neighbors, never mind if they are hurting in any way, and because we are taught that we are supposed to be able to "keep up with the Jones" many of us hide the fact that we are struggling. The government, of course, not wanting to let a good opportunity for control go by, fills in the gap where the churches,synagogues and neighbors once stood. We have, as a society, essentially relinquished control of our lives to those who's joy of spending our money knows no end and shows no sign of stopping.
My solution to this is really simple and rather old fashioned. We need to get off the computer, put down our massively entertaining cell phones, shut off the TV and go out and get to know each other again as we once did. You want to see an end to ridiculous spending in DC? Help each other out and there will be little need for all the government programs, get back into your churches and synagogues and start programs to help the needy. Take food to the local food bank or shelters, almost anything that you can think of will help. The government won't ever give up it's programs but perhaps we can all share the burden and lessen the need for them. Help people get on their feet rather then leaving them dependent on anyone and you will have accomplished that which the government cannot.
End the wars and bring everyone home. You want to see a major savings? Just do that one thing and you will have accomplished your goal.
Of course the government itself could take a pay cut as well,seems to me that if there is so little money that seniors and veterans can't get a raise that they should have a major cut in pay until that issue is resolved.
So there you have it, just a few simple solutions that would make a world of difference, I realise that it's just a pipe dream, but when that's all you have left...dream away.
Shalom
Ignacio
Friday, May 6, 2011
OBL And Mother Teresa
What a week it has been. Sunday night we were informed that OBL had finally been killed in a rather nasty 40 min fire fight with Navy SEALS and that ultimately he was killed in the course of that fight. Americans who heard this, I was sleeping when the president told the nation, went out into the streets to celebrate the death of this man and to basically flag wave and rejoice.
Then the story started falling apart. In fact the only thing that seems to be true in this whole story is that he is dead and even then they won't show the evidence to prove it, so many don't believe it's true. Personally I think it's true that he's dead, I just believe that it happened long before now and that his death has been put on hold for political reasons. I also believe that I don't really care. If him and his cave dwelling buddies were really the ones responsible for 9/11 then great, he's dead, and can we now move on to more important things? Such as calling it a win and bringing the troops home?
OBL can serve as an object lesson though to all of us. Here was a man that was, by all accounts, a very wealthy man, from a very powerful family in Saudi Arabia. He likely had every toy and whistle that any man could want. He was working for the US government in Afghanistan and so was likely receiving a goodly chunk of change from us as well. Something changed though.
He went from being our man, fighting the Soviets, to public enemy #1 all in a matter of moments.
We can debate as to whether or not he was actually involved or just a convinient target to point a finger at and we can debate the how why and when of his death but the one thing that can't be denied was that he went from rich and powerful to being quite dead.
Mother Teresa was just the opposite. She had nothing. No money. No power, no wealth to command and yet she took what little she had and she did some real good for the poor of India. She fed those that she could, clothed whom she could and took care of the sick. Yet in the end, humbly and just as poor as when she started her mission, she died.
Sadly, most people will remember OBL long after Mother Teresa has been forgotten because of all the evil he allegedly did and yet Mother Teresa is the one who deserves the remeberance more. His life was filled with violence and death and hers with healing and hope.
OBL dead? Good, lets move on to really note worthy people now and let him fade away into the dust of obscurity where he belongs.
Shalom,
Ignacio
Then the story started falling apart. In fact the only thing that seems to be true in this whole story is that he is dead and even then they won't show the evidence to prove it, so many don't believe it's true. Personally I think it's true that he's dead, I just believe that it happened long before now and that his death has been put on hold for political reasons. I also believe that I don't really care. If him and his cave dwelling buddies were really the ones responsible for 9/11 then great, he's dead, and can we now move on to more important things? Such as calling it a win and bringing the troops home?
OBL can serve as an object lesson though to all of us. Here was a man that was, by all accounts, a very wealthy man, from a very powerful family in Saudi Arabia. He likely had every toy and whistle that any man could want. He was working for the US government in Afghanistan and so was likely receiving a goodly chunk of change from us as well. Something changed though.
He went from being our man, fighting the Soviets, to public enemy #1 all in a matter of moments.
We can debate as to whether or not he was actually involved or just a convinient target to point a finger at and we can debate the how why and when of his death but the one thing that can't be denied was that he went from rich and powerful to being quite dead.
Mother Teresa was just the opposite. She had nothing. No money. No power, no wealth to command and yet she took what little she had and she did some real good for the poor of India. She fed those that she could, clothed whom she could and took care of the sick. Yet in the end, humbly and just as poor as when she started her mission, she died.
Sadly, most people will remember OBL long after Mother Teresa has been forgotten because of all the evil he allegedly did and yet Mother Teresa is the one who deserves the remeberance more. His life was filled with violence and death and hers with healing and hope.
OBL dead? Good, lets move on to really note worthy people now and let him fade away into the dust of obscurity where he belongs.
Shalom,
Ignacio
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