AMAZING CREATURES

 

If Gilda said so, it must be true.

"THE PROMISE" - CHAIM POTOK

Whoever recommended that I read The Promise by Chaim Potok, thank you. Once I began reading the novel, I could hardly put it down.   A major theme in the story is the age-old conflict between fundamentalists, who read the Talmud literally, and those who engage in critical reading of the sacred texts - a conflict which continues throughout the history of Judaism and Christianity until the present day.   The people who adhere strictly to a literal reading of the sacred texts, Jewish and Christian, do so in the face of contradictory passages that appear impossible to reconcile.   Other passages in the text don't really make sense unless one assumes the possibility of a mistake in copying a manuscript and explores different wording that make the passage understandable.

The story unfolds through the voice of the narrator, Reuven Malter, an Orthodox Jew, who is very much a part of the narrative.  The principal characters - Reuven's father, David, a well-known teacher in a Jewish school, Danny Saunders, Reuven's good friend, a Hasidic Jew who chooses to study psychology rather than follow in the footsteps of his father and become a rabbi, Michael Gordon, a troubled adolescent, and Reuven's nemisis, his Talmud teacher, Jacob Kalman, a survivor of the Nazi death camps - are well drawn and believable and come to life in the course of the novel.  The fine writing throughout drew me into the story made me care about what happens to the characters.

The book was written in 1969, and I wonder whether the Freudian-influenced extreme type of treatment of the very ill young Michael would be used today.  If the experiment suggested by Danny and undertaken with the approval and supervision of Michael's psychiatrist as a last resort, does not work, the two believe the young man will very likely be institutionalized for the rest of his life.  Of course, today many more drugs are available to treat mental illness than back then, so perhaps this sort of treatment would no longer be acceptable.

Religious fundamentalists seem to paint themselves into a corner without a way out, except by pretzel-like reasoning that makes no more sense to me than the original contradictions or mistakes.  I understand that the texts are sacred to them, as they are to me, but humans were created with the ability to reason, and why would God expect us not to use the gifts?  With certain Jews and Christians, it seems that to allow that passages in the Bible may not be literally true or that the Scriptures may contain mistakes in transcription would result in the collapse of their entire faith edifice.

Abraham Gordon, father of the mentally ill Michael, a Jewish scholar, who no longer believes in a personal God, but who continues to observe the rituals of the Orthodox tradition:

"Of course, that's the problem,"he said to me once.  "How can we teach others to regard the tradition critically and with love?  I grew up loving it, and then learned to look at it critically.  That's everyone's problem today.  How to love and respect what you are being taught to dissect." 

One great benefit from reading the book is that I came away with the reminder that no one is "other" and that no matter how deep and broad the disagreements, our opponents are human, like us, and deserving of respect because of our common humanity and, if we are people of faith, because we are all of us God's creation and beloved of God.  In that sense, the novel was life-giving in a way that was completely unexpected.  I heartily recommend the book.

BRAVE AND COURAGEOUS TEACHERS

In the tragedies in Newtown, Connecticut, and in Moore, Oklahoma, teachers with children in their care demonstrated great courage and bravery in protecting their students, at times with their own bodies.  Yet here in the richest country in the world, we are less than generous in the wages we pay teachers, despite the fact that educators in the US spend more hours teaching than those in many other countries. 

American teachers spend on average 1,080 hours teaching each year. Across the O.E.C.D., the average is 794 hours on primary education, 709 hours on lower secondary education, and 653 hours on upper secondary education general programs.
....

American teachers’ pay is more middling. The average public primary-school teacher who has worked 15 years and has received the minimum amount of training, for example, earns $43,633, compared to the O.E.C.D. average of $39,007.

Why?

See the charts at the link.

WEIGHING THE BABY

A blonde calls a pharmacy and asks if she can get an infant scale to weigh a baby.

The clerk explains that many women figure out an infant's weight by weighing themselves while holding the baby on an adult scale, then the mother weighs herself alone and subtracts the second amount from the first.

"Oh, that won't work," replies the blonde. "I'm not the mother -- I'm the aunt."


 Cheers,

Paul (A.)

WAXING GIBBOUS MOON

 

Waxing and gibbous 
Bright white moon plays in night sky
Flickering through leaves

JOYFUL REUNION IN THE MIDST OF THE DEVASTATION

PRAYERS FOR OKLAHOMA

 

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church, on the devastation in Oklahoma:

The prayers of Episcopalians are with the people of Oklahoma in the midst of this tragic event.  May the spirit of God hover over the broken, lost, and grieving, and may they meet the love of God in their neighbors’ responses.

Prayer after a tornado especially for those who were directly impacted by the storm.

Merciful God,
Hear our cry for mercy in the wake of wind and water.
Reveal your presence in the midst of their suffering.
Help them to trust in your promises of hope and life
so that desperation and grief will not overtake them.
Come quickly to their aid that they may know peace and joy again.
Strengthen them in this time of trial
with assurance of hope in the death and resurrection
of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

(Evangelical Lutheran Church in America)

How to donate to groups helping the people who were affected by the storm.

UPDATE: Also, donate online to Episcopal Relief and Development, or send checks labeled "Tornado relief" to:

Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma
924 N. Robinson
Oklahoma City, OK 73102. 

ETERNITY

"You must let go of all conception of what eternity is, which means letting go of who you are, in order to feel the truth of eternity and its meaning in your life - and in your death."

My Bright Abyss; Meditation of a Modern Believer by Christian Wiman.

A few days ago, the book arrived in my mailbox, but I have not yet read it.  I have thumbed through and found brief passages much to my liking, such as the words quoted above.
 
Mathew Sitman reviewed the book at The Daily Dish. 

The New York Times published a  Q&A  between John Williams and the author.

THE LONE BELLOW - "TEACH ME TO KNOW"

Intense. Nice harmony

IT'S NOT THE GUNS - PART 3

A Tullahoma man is accused of shooting his 13-month-old baby girl Sunday night while cleaning a handgun at the family's home.

Kevin Sayre, 26, faces a charge of aggravated assault after police said he was cleaning the 9mm gun at the East Gate Apartments when the weapon fired, striking the baby in the chest.
.....

The child is listed in critical but stable condition.

"We're always disappointed, astounded, surprised when we heard of someone who is handling a firearm recklessly, neglectfully," said Tullahoma Police Chief Paul Blackwell.

Why is the police chief astounded or surprised by stories of reckless handling or storage of loaded guns?  I decided to limit my series of reports of accidental shootings to infants and children, because I could not keep up with the weekly numbers if I included adults.  I don't even manage to keep up with all the reports of children who are victims of accidental shootings.

H/T to David Waldman at Daily Kos, who documents the shootings this week.   I did not know there were quite so many in just one week.