Politics as blood-sport

Human beings are watchers. We have an innate need, even compulsion, to see what’s going on with others. We are always looking to get some satisfaction from what we see in, and about, the people in our lives, and especially those we don’t even know ourselves. In the most benign instance, it’s no more than “people watching.” The usually innocent observing passersby at the mall, a concert, in the park – wherever – and imagining who they are, what they’re up to, perhaps their conversations, motives, and realities. Yet we are not wired to be merely observers, onlookers, or voyeurs; deep in the human psyche we long to be engaged *spectators* - willing active participants from the sidelines, egging on the action, cheering and jeering the players in the episodes taking place in front of us. And this has been true forever.

Think about it: David takes on Goliath – before this story became a metaphor for the underdog, it is a brutish myth about the likely obliteration of a weakling by a gruesome and powerful strongman. Gladiators in the Roman Coliseum provided such entertainment, not merely as words on a page, whether fighting one another or attempting to subdue wild beasts. Medieval jousting contests pitted knight against knight in violent quests for blood and valor. In our own day, much of the same can be said of pro wrestling and the NFL, with their amped-up, testosterone-fueled exhibitions to demonstrate physical and emotional dominance over an opponent.

Fascinating that the human desire, delight in promoting and witnessing contestants do battle – even unto the death – has also always been found in the political arena (heck, even the common use of that phrase, “political arena,” goes toward this point). Lauded are the successes of a “political animal.” And of course Clausewitz declared “war is but the continuation of politics by other means” – equating political intrigue with waging combat.

It should be no surprise that the current election cycle – for so many reasons the most insidious, aggressive, insulting, heart-wrenching in history – has drawn so much attention from the masses. Especially due to the non-stop available barrage of media coverage, and the idea that one candidate or another or some other actor, is going to do something, say something, even more outrageous or outlandish every day – we cannot help but be riveted. Politics now calls on our basest instincts, like those who are compelled by a train wreck as if occurring in slow motion. Politics satisfies our primal blood-lust.

How do we return sportsmanship to the playing field of public life? 

Shelter against the storm

Tonight begins the fall harvest celebration of Sukkot, the biblical precursor to both Thanksgiving and Hanukkah. Since days of old, it has stood as the most significant time, referred to by the ancient rabbis as THE festival. For it, Jews build sukkot –reminiscent of the temporary booths in the wilderness or ancient harvest times. These structures are intentionally impermanent, reminding us of the precariousness of our lives. Jews are commanded to *dwell* in the sukkah for seven days; that is, to eat, sleep, and hang out. Just as the sukkah is deliberately delicate, in need of care and attention for its upkeep, so too are the lives of all those around us. To this point, the theme of the holiday is hachnasat orchim (Hebrew; literally “welcoming guests”). The Torah instructs no less than 36 times that we are to “love the stranger, for you know the heart of the stranger, having been strangers in the land of Egypt” (I’ve long believed that this is the earliest promotion of empathy in Western thought). Sukkot is the observance, par excellence, of this notion: by enacting hachnasat orchim, we are to welcome the stranger; embrace the *other*; recognize the vulnerability we each share. Therefore, Sukkot embodies everything that Donald Trump is not.

Trump and his campaign – supporters, surrogates, sycophants alike – have spent months offending, insulting and vilifying everyone imaginable. Muslims & Mexicans (immigrants of all types for that matter), veterans & people with disabilities, and every category of person that cannot defend itself, have all suffered from Trump’s hateful, hurtful speech. Now we’re seeing that he’s acted in offensive manner toward individuals as well – his unique brand of misogyny is nearly unbelievable. And yet, through it all, a small rigid group of devotees stand by him, not having the guts or brains to denounce him.

And so as Sukkot arrives, we are prompted once again to foster openness and compassion toward one another – and especially toward those who are most vulnerable in our midst – if we are to overcome the vile rhetoric that has been allowed to fester, and the violent overtones that are emerging from it. Or, as someone else has said, to remember that love trumps hate.

The powerful thing about Jewish tradition is that beyond its particular ritual aspects, the ethical guidelines it teaches are meant to be universal – that is that all people are created in the Divine Image (whatever that really means), worthy of the highest esteem and respect. When we recall the words, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” also note R. Joachim Prinz’s interpretation: Neighbor is not a geographic term. It is a moral concept. It means our collective responsibility for the preservation of man’s dignity and integrity. Perhaps this Sukkot, so close to Election Day, will inspire us to live up to the best in ourselves, in our society, and defeat Trumpism with a resounding blow. It will then truly be z’man simchateynu - the Time of our Rejoicing. 

To Boldly Go...

My older brother was 11 when Star Trek premiered on September 8, 1966. It was a perfect time, and it was the right age, for him to be swept up in the original series. As it debuted a few months before I arrived on the scene, you can say that I was born into a household already watching. Though it was already in syndication by the time I knew the difference, I too was enamored from an early point in its message: a positive, hopeful future for humanity exemplified by diversity in the crew, daring to address difficult social issues in a meaningful yet approachable way, and the idea that imagination, intelligence and compassion trump brute force, ignorance and bigotry every time. A righteous message from the turbulent ‘60s that rings even louder today.

On reaching its 50^th anniversary, others have also written about the impact that Star Trek has had on pop culture and technology – from Spock using the priestly benediction hand position from Jewish tradition as a gesture of greeting to the inspiration for flip phones & iPads. Two of my favorite legacies from the show (and its offspring series and big screen movies) are found in the narrative lore that has emerged. One is the *Prime Directive* by which the Federation cannot interfere in the internal affairs or history of another species or indigenous society it encounters. This honors self-determination – culturally, politically, socially. The other, which I recall I first found in one of the many ST novels I read between my teen years and college, is the Vulcan concept known as IDIC – Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations. This cornerstone concept of Vulcan philosophy “celebrates the vast array of variables in the universe.” Though this novel (The IDIC Epidemic) was published in 1988, it is based on ideals that helped found the entire Star Trek enterprise (no pun intended; well, maybe). From the outset, it has been a champion of progress and progressive values.

So today, and most days, I get to geek out in marking this momentous anniversary. And in the long run – take a group of compelling characters, add some interesting aliens, throw in some very exotic locales, plot twists, and challenges, mix well with an all-time great theme song – voila! Science fiction masterpiece. May Star Trek continue inspiring us to boldly go where no one has gone for generations to come. 

Trump's hateful rhetoric

Last night’s remarks by GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, which were promoted beforehand to be a “cogent presentation on immigration” left me feeling completely ill. I feel compelled to respond, as I shared immediately following he finished - if you are a decent human being with even a shred of common sense, you must join to defeat Trump, Trumpism & his riled-up insane supporters. We Americans know from our history that it is upon ALL of us to stand against such bullying and hate speech. His hateful and ignorant rhetoric has been unfortunately enabled by the ratings-hungry media; I truly feel that ANYONE in the press who suggests Trump's remarks were anything but an all-out hate speech should resign in shame. NOW.

The great 20^th century visionary and activist Abraham Joshua Heschel taught in great depth about the human condition and our responsibility toward one another. He said

Daily we should take account and ask: what have I done today to alleviate the anguish, to mitigate the evil, to prevent humiliation? Let there be a grain of profit in every human being! Our concern must be expressed not symbolically, but literally; not only publicly, but privately; not only occasionally, but regularly. What we need is the involvement of every one of us as individuals. What we need is restlessness, a constant awareness of the monstrosity of injustice.

Perhaps ironically it was only a few days ago that we commemorated the anniversary of the great March on Washington, at which MLK shared with us “I have a dream.” Here are the words of Rabbi Joachim Prinz, which introduced Dr. King. They are perhaps as profound at this moment as they were five decades ago. I urge you to consider them carefully

I speak to you as an American Jew.

As Americans we share the profound concern of millions of people about the shame and disgrace of inequality and injustice which make a mockery of the great American idea.

As Jews we bring to this great demonstration, in which thousands of us proudly participate, a two-fold experience -- one of the spirit and one of our history.

In the realm of the spirit, our fathers taught us thousands of years ago that when God created man, he created him as everybody's neighbor. Neighbor is not a geographic term. It is a moral concept. It means our collective responsibility for the preservation of man's dignity and integrity.

From our Jewish historic experience of three and a half thousand years we say:

Our ancient history began with slavery and the yearning for freedom. During the Middle Ages my people lived for a thousand years in the ghettos of Europe . Our modern history begins with a proclamation  of emancipation.

It is for these reasons that it is not merely sympathy and compassion for the black people of America that motivates us. It is above all and beyond all such sympathies and emotions a sense of complete identification and solidarity born of our own painful historic experience.

When I was the rabbi of the Jewish community in Berlin under the Hitler regime, I learned many things. The most important thing that I learned under those tragic circumstances was that bigotry and hatred are not '.the most urgent problem. The most urgent, the most disgraceful, the most shameful and the most tragic problem is silence.

A great people which had created a great civilization had become a nation of silent onlookers. They remained silent in the face of hate, in the face of brutality and in the face of mass murder.

America must not become a nation of onlookers. America must not remain silent. Not merely black America , but all of America . It must speak up and act,. from the President down to the humblest of us, and not for the sake of the Negro, not for the sake of the black community but for the sake of the image, the idea and the aspiration of America itself.

Our children, yours and mine in every school across the land, each morning pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States and to the republic for which it stands. They, the children, speak fervently and innocently of this land as the land of "liberty and justice for all."

The time, I believe, has come to work together - for it is not enough to hope together, and it is not enough to pray together, to work together that this children's oath, pronounced every morning from Maine to California, from North to South, may become. a glorious, unshakeable reality in a morally renewed and united America.

My own takeaway regarding the Republican candidate - to rephrase tradition: there is no room for anyone else with someone so completely full of himself. Trump must be stopped.

A spoonful of sugar

An older friend liked to teach, “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.” It was somewhat of a mantra for her, and it became one of the most profound jewels I’ve ever learned regarding playing nicely in the sandbox of human interaction. It’s somewhat of a more sophisticated version of Mary Poppins’ “spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” This simple, elegant remark has informed my thinking about how to deal with others, respond to challenges, and even express my most emotionally hijacked concerns.

For me, the greatest calamity to befall American politics in the last decades has been the decline, or utter collapse, of civility in public discourse. I’m not speaking here of the debate by some about “political correctness” or “saying what’s on my mind” or “spouting the ugly truth” – though these notions are certainly at play. Rather, what distresses me is that the willful (and often nasty) use of demeaning, demonizing language has replaced thoughtful, intelligent, articulate dialogue – beyond the political arena, this has become true of sports, communal life, and perhaps its most complicit provocateur, the media. Vilification (and the ultimate desensitizing to its effects) has become de riguer to the children of this generation. This is sad for us all.

Yes, I wish I were in the position to call for a return to civility, a collective elevated sense of how we are supposed to engage one another, particularly when we disagree. I am hopeful that we as a society have not “jumped the shark,” never able to repair this broken part of our culture’s day-to-day reality. And even witnessing the awful behavior of so many during the current political season, I think that there are an overwhelming number of us who would prefer, insist, that better standards should guide us.

Last week’s Republican National Convention was a farce at best. Third-rate “celebrity” speakers regurgitating hateful, ill-informed (and often outright false) accusations to help foster fear in an ignorant electorate; self-righteous, narrow-minded elected officials and hopefuls cheering their own spate of bigotry; poor planning and execution by the conference organizers; all enough to wish for the time prior to reality TV. I cannot guarantee what might happen during the DNC which begins today; I remain mystified by the ongoing blathering of so-called “Bernie-of-Bust” people – if they hadn’t rendered themselves irrelevant by their actions so far, Senator Sanders’ support for Hillary Clinton’s candidacy concluded that last week. Yet I do remain ever expectant that we will see something far more civilized, more refined over these days ahead: as I look at the scheduled speakers, the rollout of Tim Kaine as running mate, at the *positive* perspective that the Democratic party and campaign have tried to muster – there may yet be a way that we will be, according to Lincoln, touched by the better angels of our nature. 

Spark plugs & the mechanics of democracy

When I was about 15 years old, before I was allowed to start learning to drive, my dad insisted I learn certain fundamental mechanics of car maintenance and care. Prior to me ever sitting behind the wheel, he taught me to change a tire, change the oil, replace spark plugs, check/refill brake fluid, antifreeze & windshield washer, beyond simply knowing how to pump gas (this was true for my siblings as well). At first I thought, “why do I have to know how to do this stuff?” Over the weeks of practicing driving, and years on the road, it’s become always more apparent that if the driver doesn’t know how the parts work, and have an appreciation for the system as a whole, I’d never become the safe – or best – driver I should be.

*****

The same holds true, or should, in our political arena. From career politicians to idealistic hopefuls, from part-time dabblers to overzealous business moguls, too many of those who run for public office seem to have precious little grasp of American history, governmental process, and the basic mechanics of democracy.

It be powerful, and yes perhaps transformative, if before people register as a candidates for office, there was a demand that they have a working understanding of the system. I guarantee this would make for better suited contenders, elevated dialogue, and stronger, more effective governance. The following is a list of ten volumes that I suggest might be a good place to start, offered alphabetically by author.

 

Sara Bullard, Free at Last: A History of the Civil Rights Movement and Those Who Died in the Struggle

Joseph Ellis, Founding Brothers

Eric Foner, Reconstruction: America’s Unfinished Revolution

Doris K. Goodwin, Team of Rivals

Allen Guelzo, Gettysburg: the Last Invasion

Pauline Maier, American Scripture

Robert Putnam/David Campbell, American Grace

William Rehnquist, The Supreme Court

Gordon Wood, The Idea of America

Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States

Of course this doesn’t even begin to scrape the surface of the vast amount of important, inspiring, instructive material to be explored. These few truly came off the top of my head. Yet wouldn’t it be something if we knew that political aspirants had *some* general knowledge of what they were talking about, *before* they did so?

What items would you add to the list? This could be a very interesting conversation.

Eid Mubarak, for all

(I originally posted the following piece more than five and a half years ago, in a very different place, time, and period of my life. Yet its hopeful message about the world we live in, the world that might yet be, remains. Whatever your faith, conviction, religious background: Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Sikh, Bahá'í, None, or Whatever, we all deserve the blessing of EID MUBARAK.)

Yesterday, on Rosh HaShanah afternoon, a group of us from Temple made a visit to the local mosque. This year our holiday coincides with the last day of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month centered on fasting, prayer, repentance, and purification. A few weeks ago in a planning meeting, about five of us came up with the idea that we’d like to make outreach to the Muslim community. When I discovered the overlap between our two Holy Days, I also looked up if there are any special customs for the end of Ramadan. As I shared what I found about Iftar (the evening meal that breaks the daily fast during Ramadan) we immediately saw the similarity of eating sweets as a symbol of our hope for goodness in the year ahead. We brainstormed the idea of asking about the idea of Temple members bringing a basket of such goodies to the mosque – we hoped to demonstrate our desire to cultivate a relationship between our congregations.

With the encouragement of the others around the table, I sent a note to the Islamic Society of Michiana, posing our question about a possible visit. I concluded my message: As we look to enter the New Year on the Jewish calendar, with hopes for sweetness and peace, we wish you a season of goodness and blessing. Please accept our best wishes. May this holy season be meaningful. I didn’t really have any idea about what kind of response I’d receive. I got a warm and enthusiastic reply, which included the following: Thank you so much for reaching out to us with your kind wishes. We are very excited and looking forward to the visit of your Temple members. We also want to extend our warm wishes for your Rosh HaShanah. May the New Year be filled with health, happiness, sweet moments, and peace. Needless to say, I was delighted.

Perhaps more than our little discussion group would like to attend? We decided to announce our plans during our Holy Day worship services, opening up the invitation to anyone from Temple who’d like to join us. We arranged to meet at 5:30 in the afternoon to “assemble” our gift baskets, and then caravan to the mosque. I thought it would be great if ten of us came together. Nearly thirty of us made the outing – a source of genuine pride and satisfaction.

We were welcomed with gracious hospitality – as should always be the case in our human interactions. It was amazing to mix, mingle and share with our Muslim neighbors. And it came as no surprise as we live in a smaller, tight-knit city – that several of us, Jews and Muslims, already knew somebody else: from the neighborhood in which we live, or the local supermarket, seeing one another at the gym, or having sent our children to the same schools. This was a truly uplifting culmination to our celebration of the New Year. What began as a modest outreach effort became something much more. As we continue to strengthen the connection between our Jewish and Muslim communities, I think we have a real chance to create meaningful relationships among the members of both. I look forward to this ongoing opportunity, as we might just make a difference in the world.