I have been a lot calmer since Monday. I've asked myself why. I think there are 4 reasons. 1. Friends reached out. That helped. 2. I was able to focus on work. That helps me feel I am doing something. 3. Obama tweeted that Israel should "dismantle" Hamas. That's a major change and means Israel will have diplomatic cover to win the war. 4. I went to a gym class on Monday, despite not wanting to, and felt better.
Here's my advice. You can't escape the news about the war, or the arguments; and some of us actually need to be engaged. But there is a way to do it without sacrificing your mental or physical health, and while managing daily life in a way that doesn't make you feel crazy.
1. Focus on the everyday. Don't drop your regular routines, even if they have to change a bit to make time for some wartime stuff.
2. Don't get bogged down in arguments about what happened; focus on what needs to happen -- i.e. getting rid of Hamas, forever.
3. Consume news skeptically. This includes, especially, news that "helps" your side. View it all skeptically. The basic facts don't change.
4. Do fun things. Take a walk. Go for a swim. Make love. Don't feel guilty about any of it. Try to avoid substances. Take care of yourself.
5. Be patient with angry or upset people. That includes yourself. It's ok to be angry. Walk away from social media for a while, if so.
6. Reach out to people on the other side of this, if you know any. Don't discuss. Don't argue. Just say "Hi, hope you're ok."
7. Remember this: Palestinians would have a state if they made peace, and built one. Peace is a choice. It's also still a possibility.
This week’s portion launches the great story of Abraham, who is told to leave everything of his life behind — except his immediate family — and to leave for “the Land that I shall show you.”
There’s something interesting in the fact that Abraham is told to leave his father’s house, as if breaking away from his father’s life — but his father, in fact, began the journey, moving from Ur to Haran (in last week’s portion). His father set a positive example — why should Abraham leave him?
Some obvious answers suggest themselves — adulthood, needing to make one’s own choices, his father not going far enough, etc.
But I think there is another answer. Abraham (known for the moment as Abram) needs to establish his own household. This is not just about making one’s own choice, but really about choosing one’s own starting point. It’s starting over.
Sometimes we start over in fundamental ways even if much that surrounds us remains the same. Sometimes the journey we have to ...
The story of Noah is familiar; the details, less so.
Noah is often seen as an ambivalent figure. He was righteous -- but only for his generation. What was his deficiency?
One answer suggests itself: knowing that the world was about to be flooded, he built an Ark for the animals and for his own family -- but did not try to save anyone else or to convince them to repent and change their ways (the prophet Jonah, later, would share that reluctance).
Abraham, later, would set himself apart by arguing with God -- with the Lord Himself! -- against the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, saying that they should be saved if there were enough righteous people to be found (there were not).
Still, Noah was good enough -- and sometimes, that really is sufficient to save the world. We don't need heroes every time -- just ordinary decency.
Hi all -- as I noted last month, I'm going to be closing down my Locals page, at least for tips and subscriptions -- I may keep the page up and the posts as well, but I'm no longer going to be accepting any kind of payment.
Look for cancelation in the very near future. Thank you for your support!
