Many battles sadly become an end in themselves, and drag on with no true winner. This can be due to a conflict losing sight of its initial objectives, or never having healthy objectives in the first place. Consider certain ugly litigation or divorce proceedings. At some point, these fights become trapped and entangled in emotional extremes with the only obvious winners being the high paid attorneys…
It may not be the first time, but the 2020 presidential election seem particularly nasty and distasteful. Just listen to the comments of representatives of both parties, and of pundits on dueling media platforms. It’s like two different universes. You would think that life is all black or white, good or evil, you’re either totally right or totally wrong — with absolutely no room for nuances, subtleties and the grey areas that define true life. Is it even possible that each side has some legitimate argument? When following current events — hyped up by biased media on all ends — many of us feel defiled and frankly, even violated. It’s tempting to ask: If others want to fight “bloody” battles like wrestling gladiators, why do we need to be part of this spectacle? What true difference will the outcome have on our personal lives? What long-term collateral damage will all this acrimony create?
Please join Rabbi Jacobson in this refreshing discussion and discover ways to rise above the fray and ensure that no matter who wins the election, you and your family and friends come out as winners.
Saludos desde Tampico, México.
Gracias Rabii
Amein!!!! I am in!!! I’m here, I am the whole enchilada! I am ADam, Eve, Steve, I am the Villian, whom I wholeheartly condemn, and bottom line, I am created in the Image of the @lmighty Redeemer, Blessed 4 ever, and we, together, are as numerous as the stars! We can never lose ourselves. Rock on!!! Never fear, cuz I am here!!!!! Small, and mostly despised, but evolving.🌿🌎✨🎇 GD is love, and love is Life. I win. You win. Together at last. I see. Therefore I thank. I thank Everyone. The winners circle.
Rabbi,
With all due respect, I feel you have missed the mark on this lecture. The discrepancies between the players here have a very direct impact on all of us.
When life and death are on the ‘ballot’, when one side trusts and advocates compassion for all such that a small sacrifice can save countless lives, and the other view states that our individual freedom is more valuable than our collective health, one side will definitely win. When tens of thousands believe that hundreds of thousands of deaths are a ‘hoax’, and poo poos the statements of hundreds of medical professionals that something so innocuous as wearing a mask can save countless lives, and states that is a diminution of our freedom, then there will surely be a winner.
The great thinker of the 18 century, Tocqueville, saw this problem in our democracy- the tyranny of the majority. Unfortunately, this may cost untold numbers of lives.
There is a right and wrong here and it appears Hashem is on the sidelines letting us figure it out for ourselves.
May the pandemic end, may no more lives be lost unnecessarily, and may this rift in our country heal.
I too lived thru the turmoil of the Viet Nam era, but this time we know how to mitigate the death and carnage…