Ghosting God, Ghosting Self
Day 39
The news is the news, the grift is the grift, the camaraderie between dictators and autocrats is purely situational and transactional, the ‘war’ with Iran is ongoing and devastating so many lives, Ukraine is still fighting for its independence against a ‘stronger’ Russia and Putin. While many are feeling hopeless and many are feeling buoyed by some of the primary results and hopes for the midterms, I am hearing the words of Hosea: “there is no truth, no kindness” reverberating and echoing in my ears, my mind, my soul, in my veins and arteries! All of the rest of what is going on here, in Israel, in the war in Ukraine, the ‘takeover’ of Venezuela, is based on “no truth, no kindness”, the very foundations of Judaism, Christianity, Islam!! So, as I am wont to say WHAT THE FUCK?! One of the issues of the present that is different from my youth is there does not seem to be a Martin Luther King Jr., an Joachim Prinz, an Abraham Joshua Heschel, etc to “lead us out of Egypt and into the Promised Land”! I believe these people exist, I believe they are trying so valiantly and so hard to be heard, and like the prophets of old, they are ignored, there is indifference to their calls to action, to their cries of help, to their warnings of the cancer that racism, anti-semitism, islamaphobia cause. It is so infuriating and, as I am writing, I think that golden age of America was in the late 50’s, 60’s, early 70’s when the voices of our “modern-day prophets” like Rabbis Prinz, Heschel, Rev. King, were heard, were responded to, and their demands were met by We the People with fervor, passion, purpose and energy!
There was a passion for Truth that was ignited by these men, by the women like Rosa Parks, by the ugliness of Bull Connor, George Wallace, the Klan, et al. There was a lack of kindness and love in the bombings of Churches, Temples, the Cross Burnings, the Lynchings which brought about the song that Billie Holiday was tortured by the Government for singing; Strange Fruit. This was the war then as it is now: Truth versus mendacity; Racism, hatred, lynchings of innocent Black people versus Kindness- all done in the name of Christ? All done by those ‘fine christian southern folks’ who go to church each week and hear their pastors and ministers urge them to continue their evil ways calling it “the lord’s work”, ie lying to fit their prejudices, feeding the cancer of the souls of the people engaged in these evils with strength and courage. It was’t so much better in the North, either-just a little subdued and when the Black men who were working at a business that my father had just bought had their wages raised to that of the white men there for the same work-the white men QUIT! We are 20 days away from the 62 Yahrzeit of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner who were killed brutally in Mississippi on June 24, 1964 by those ‘fine white christian, god-fearing’ Ku Klux Klansmen who were cheered on and supported by those ‘fine white christian god-fearing’ women who were their wives, daughters, sisters, etc and here we are again-disenfranchising Black voters in the South, arresting anyone who looks Hispanic whether they are citizens, here legally, etc and treating them like garbage instead of showing kindness, humanity, and love which the New Testament calls for!
This moment is DEMANDING a RETURN TO TRUTH, A RETURN TO KINDNESS that is preached by Moses, by Jesus, that is preached by the prophets, that is called for by Dr. King when we hear his “I have a Dream” speech, that is called for by Rabbi Heschel when we read any of his writings, especially the Race and Religion speech where he tells us that “prejudice is an eye disease”, that “the more current, the most disgraceful, the most shameful, and the most tragic problem is silence” that Rabbi Prinz a Rabbi who was thrown out of Berlin in 1937 and had been urging his congregants to leave Germany. It is not for a lack of the wisdom, a lack of leadership, a lack of a Moses, Jesus, prophet in our moment, we are in this situation because We the People have chosen to be small, to be we the people and NOT STAND up to the mendacity, the cruelty being spewed by Trump, Netanyahu and their gangs of THUGS. That Jews and Blacks could support these heinous crimes against humanity and God, that Jews and Blacks can go along with these assaults on Truth, on Kindness is beyond me! Both of our cultures KNOW where this leads to and we can’t get over our petty differences, acknowledging our errors, cleaning our side of the street to make America, America again? GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK!
ACTION STEPS:
Write down the ways you subtly and overtly support, participate in the assault on Truth and Kindness happening in this moment
Make a commitment to find the “prophet” who speaks to you in a way you can understand to make Truth, Kindness, Love, the path to follow
Support and spread the word of your “prophet” and join in the war to Save America!
Honor the memories of all the people mentioned here by STANDING UP AGAINST PREJUDICE AND HATRED!
GOD BLESS, STOP GHOSTING GOD, GHOSTING SELF, rabbi mark