A person will speak falsely when he is afraid of other people.
(Rebbe Nachman of Breslov)
Tolstoy
Thursday, January 29, 2009
I read this past year the novel Anna Karenina by Lev Tolstoy. It is truly a brilliant literary work. Its description’s of love, anger and depression are timeless. Tolstoy’s insight into the psychology of human nature is exquisite. I extracted some profound lines, which I really felt touched some deep emotion.
“There was no solution, but that universal solution which life gives to all questions, even the most complex and insoluble. That answer is: one must live in the needs of the day—that is, forget oneself”
At times one is overwhelmed with life. He truly does not know how he will live another moment. He sees the future and is filled with despair. Will I love? Will I succeed? Will I achieve greatness? Will I be liked? It’s a weight on his shoulders and a thorn in the heart. Depression overcomes him; he sees no solution to the problems of life. Here Tolstoy describes how to deal with life, and all its currents. Take it one step at a time. Deal with what is ahead of you. Thinking too much is the issue here. Thinking that one has to conquer the world with one step, to achieve something monumental with one swift act is absurd. Live day by day.
“And those who only know the non-platonic love have no need to talk of tragedy. In such love there can be no sort of tragedy. ‘I’m much obliged for the gratification, my humble respects’—that’s all the tragedy. And in platonic love there can be no tragedy, because in that love all is clear and pure, because...”
At that instant Levin recollected his own sins and the inner conflict he had lived through. And he added unexpectedly:
“But perhaps you are right. Very likely...I don’t know, I don’t know.”
"Whom am I and what am I? A nobody, not wanted by any one, nor of use to anybody"
“There was no solution, but that universal solution which life gives to all questions, even the most complex and insoluble. That answer is: one must live in the needs of the day—that is, forget oneself”
At times one is overwhelmed with life. He truly does not know how he will live another moment. He sees the future and is filled with despair. Will I love? Will I succeed? Will I achieve greatness? Will I be liked? It’s a weight on his shoulders and a thorn in the heart. Depression overcomes him; he sees no solution to the problems of life. Here Tolstoy describes how to deal with life, and all its currents. Take it one step at a time. Deal with what is ahead of you. Thinking too much is the issue here. Thinking that one has to conquer the world with one step, to achieve something monumental with one swift act is absurd. Live day by day.
“And those who only know the non-platonic love have no need to talk of tragedy. In such love there can be no sort of tragedy. ‘I’m much obliged for the gratification, my humble respects’—that’s all the tragedy. And in platonic love there can be no tragedy, because in that love all is clear and pure, because...”
At that instant Levin recollected his own sins and the inner conflict he had lived through. And he added unexpectedly:
“But perhaps you are right. Very likely...I don’t know, I don’t know.”
"Whom am I and what am I? A nobody, not wanted by any one, nor of use to anybody"
Age old.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Since I am going to get opposition and counter-arguments for my view, I am going to use the immortal Nemo counter-arguments, since they are the obvious ones;
“Practically and definitively this is an impossibility.”
It is only impossible since we make it so. Just like the previous post about change. John Adams had to convince people that we should break off from England’s sovereignty. It took him a long time, and many hours convincing the Continental Congress that is was the right and just way to act. We needed change. People thought he was crazy, that we did not have the army or power to defeat the English. But he did it. And now he and his companions are in the history books as the greatest leaders in the history of man.
“Were it decided that he was replaceable, there certainly wouldn't be any agreement about who should take the position.”
They elders disagreed about the LR in the first place. It is funny how we forget history and decide a new leader does not exist. It would, if we searched for it. And it would if the youth gather together and choose that man to lead them. It has already started; look at Beis Shmuel. We don’t need a consensus. All we need is a group of people in the hundreds that get together and build on how he directs things to be. He will give advice, he well lead. It can and should be done. Just because some like to think that there is not anybody around to lead, and because no one can live up to the LR, does not make it right. We had a leader after Moshe. We had a leader after R’ Yehudah Hanassi. We have had leaders that have following monumental figures in Jewish history. We had kings after great king. We need a leader; so we take what we can get, enough of the idea that the new leader has to measure up to a romantic figure.
By the way; the Rebbe was not G-D, and not everyone keeled at his legs. Fisher scammed the Rebbe in his face. People used to fight for power in his face. The Rebbe demanded 770 renovated, but money went elsewhere. The Rebbe demanded tons of things that people just spat at, did not listen one bit. This romantic view of the Rebbe is simply wrong. We are rewriting history. Some will say the Rebbe avoided all confrontation because no one would have listened to him, so he just kept the status quo regarding many matters, enough of this BS.
“And on the definitional level, he said that Dor Hashvi'i is the first generation of Geulah.”” “made Lubavitch the global empire it is today. It is fundamentally irreconcilable with appointing a new Rebbe”
Well Moses told the Jews that they would go to Eretz Yisroel and he was wrong. The Alter Rebbe made a deadline for Moshiach, he was wrong. The Rambam made a deadline and he too was wrong. Many leaders said things to inspire the nation and they turned out to be wrong. If we did not face this we would never live. We move on. We always have and we always will until the true and final redemption.
Until then, you need to pay your mortgage and you need to save money for your kids wedding. You need to plan for the future in case that our sins get in the way. Same thing goes for a teacher, mentor, someone to unite the people and lead them. To teach a collective body how to act in the new and improved world. Face the challenges of today. Face the reality that the Rebbe was wrong. Maybe he was right at the time, and we screwed it up royally. I don’t know. But what I do know is that it’s coming up on two decades and our kids are not going to buy these foolish arguments. They won’t understand. They will be looking for guidance. Who are we going to choose for them?
Learn Jewish history. We overcame worse catastrophes, worse repressions. What did we do? We taught our youth and we bred leaders. We set up a good school system, we pushed our children and we squeezed our hearts to find greatness. It is time to push, fight, and search once again.
“Practically and definitively this is an impossibility.”
It is only impossible since we make it so. Just like the previous post about change. John Adams had to convince people that we should break off from England’s sovereignty. It took him a long time, and many hours convincing the Continental Congress that is was the right and just way to act. We needed change. People thought he was crazy, that we did not have the army or power to defeat the English. But he did it. And now he and his companions are in the history books as the greatest leaders in the history of man.
“Were it decided that he was replaceable, there certainly wouldn't be any agreement about who should take the position.”
They elders disagreed about the LR in the first place. It is funny how we forget history and decide a new leader does not exist. It would, if we searched for it. And it would if the youth gather together and choose that man to lead them. It has already started; look at Beis Shmuel. We don’t need a consensus. All we need is a group of people in the hundreds that get together and build on how he directs things to be. He will give advice, he well lead. It can and should be done. Just because some like to think that there is not anybody around to lead, and because no one can live up to the LR, does not make it right. We had a leader after Moshe. We had a leader after R’ Yehudah Hanassi. We have had leaders that have following monumental figures in Jewish history. We had kings after great king. We need a leader; so we take what we can get, enough of the idea that the new leader has to measure up to a romantic figure.
By the way; the Rebbe was not G-D, and not everyone keeled at his legs. Fisher scammed the Rebbe in his face. People used to fight for power in his face. The Rebbe demanded 770 renovated, but money went elsewhere. The Rebbe demanded tons of things that people just spat at, did not listen one bit. This romantic view of the Rebbe is simply wrong. We are rewriting history. Some will say the Rebbe avoided all confrontation because no one would have listened to him, so he just kept the status quo regarding many matters, enough of this BS.
“And on the definitional level, he said that Dor Hashvi'i is the first generation of Geulah.”” “made Lubavitch the global empire it is today. It is fundamentally irreconcilable with appointing a new Rebbe”
Well Moses told the Jews that they would go to Eretz Yisroel and he was wrong. The Alter Rebbe made a deadline for Moshiach, he was wrong. The Rambam made a deadline and he too was wrong. Many leaders said things to inspire the nation and they turned out to be wrong. If we did not face this we would never live. We move on. We always have and we always will until the true and final redemption.
Until then, you need to pay your mortgage and you need to save money for your kids wedding. You need to plan for the future in case that our sins get in the way. Same thing goes for a teacher, mentor, someone to unite the people and lead them. To teach a collective body how to act in the new and improved world. Face the challenges of today. Face the reality that the Rebbe was wrong. Maybe he was right at the time, and we screwed it up royally. I don’t know. But what I do know is that it’s coming up on two decades and our kids are not going to buy these foolish arguments. They won’t understand. They will be looking for guidance. Who are we going to choose for them?
Learn Jewish history. We overcame worse catastrophes, worse repressions. What did we do? We taught our youth and we bred leaders. We set up a good school system, we pushed our children and we squeezed our hearts to find greatness. It is time to push, fight, and search once again.
Trauma
There are five stages that humans go through when something traumatic occurs (G-D forbid) in their lives;
1) Denial - this can't be happening. Deferral is another reaction that may be confused with denial. With deferral the parent accepts the clinical findings but seems to ignore the implications.
2) Anger - why did this have to happen?
3) Bargaining - I promise I'll never ask for another thing if only you will …
4) Depression - a gloom that comes from having to adjust to so much so quickly.
5) Acceptance - This is when the anger, sadness and mourning have tapered off. The person simply accepts the reality of the loss.
(While there is a sense of shock in the beginning, I don’t know if that is part of the bereavement process or not)
Each of us moves toward acceptance at our own pace. Unfortunately that progress isn't a straight line. We often move back and forth between denial and depression for some time. While most of us by this time are well past denial, there may still be brief moments when we act as if or try to pretend something catastrophic never happened.
Effects on the Organization;
1) Reduced productivity.
2) Employees isolate themselves from others.
3) Higher absenteeism.
4) Reduced ability to work as a team.
5) More conflicts among co-workers.
(Taken loosely from; http://www.wright.edu/~scott.williams/LeaderLetter/trauma.htm)
I think when we go back on Gimmel Tammuz; when the Lubavitch Rebbe passed away, we can see all these phases and more. Besides the one step that really we have not reached and that is step 5.
There are many people in our community still holding by step 1. But I think most of us went on to the next step pretty quick relatively; give or take a few years.
Step 2 is often seen at fabrangens; where the Mashpia says how he is angry at Hashem (G-D almighty) for taking away such a great man. Some in CH feel personal anger at the whole situation. Some go so far as fighting and screaming. There are degrees but I think there still exist an underlying anger within all of us at what happened. Most of us have learned to deal with it, and for the most part have moved on to the next stage.
Bargaining; step 3. This is a tricky one because Judaism is basically based on bargaining with G-D. We all do it in our lives. Give me money and I will give charity. Give me such and such and I will try and be such and such. That is why we do half the things we do. And really who is to blame? G-D; He told us clearly; act good and you well get goodies. So this is a constant problem which is why I think most of us skip/skipped this step simply for the reason that we are always doing it. Not anything out of the norm.
So we move on to step 4; depression. I think this is such a vague step and like they said you really hop back and forth, go there Gimmel Tammuz-Yud Shvat, then back from depression around Simchas Torah time. So it really is not a perpetual state. And as said above; it goes hand in hand with the anger part, so fabrangens and events are ripe for these depression-anger-denial stages.
Step 5; here is the kernel. Here is the nub. Very few faced this head on. Very few have moved on. That is not say moving on means abandoning your reverence and resepct of the LR. This means coming to realize we need to move on. We need a new leader, a new teacher. It’s accepting this fact irrespective if you can/will find one. It’s the realization that you are lacking a mentor and that you should get one. It is the same thing with all issues; half the cure really is facing reality. People have gone to great lengths to avoid this acceptance. Great lengths to fight reality. It is sad, depressing that every gathering stories of the Rebbe are told over and over and over indefinitely, without discussing what is really important, without leading the youth to a better reality. They are always living in the past, what about the future? We need to move on. The Rebbe would want us to move on; find someone that can lead. Sure we are not going to find someone to fit the romanticized view of him, just like you won’t find the perfect girl. No one can live up to the perfection we put in our heads. But we need to try, we need to push. We need to get better. We need to perfect our trade and perfect our lives. We live in an anarchic/archaic state; everyone does what he thinks is right and he brings “proof” from our holy books, and regurgitate things they heard in a fabrangen like its the Ten Commandments. Like they say; one can bring proof that you are allowed to eat pig. One could say that our father's did not drive a car why should we? When will this end? When will we move on? When will we face the truth?
We need to realize that we are human, and the LR was human. There is a process of how humans have dealt with calamities throughout our history. This generation is no different. We are not a new species of Jews. We are not a new species of humans. There is a science to this; and we need to come to terms that what we are feeling are lies and untruths; simply because it is not objective, it comes from the grief within.
We need to change. We need to move on. We need to accept. Acceptance is all we have left.
Go back to the effect on organization. Has it not all happened to us?
1) Denial - this can't be happening. Deferral is another reaction that may be confused with denial. With deferral the parent accepts the clinical findings but seems to ignore the implications.
2) Anger - why did this have to happen?
3) Bargaining - I promise I'll never ask for another thing if only you will …
4) Depression - a gloom that comes from having to adjust to so much so quickly.
5) Acceptance - This is when the anger, sadness and mourning have tapered off. The person simply accepts the reality of the loss.
(While there is a sense of shock in the beginning, I don’t know if that is part of the bereavement process or not)
Each of us moves toward acceptance at our own pace. Unfortunately that progress isn't a straight line. We often move back and forth between denial and depression for some time. While most of us by this time are well past denial, there may still be brief moments when we act as if or try to pretend something catastrophic never happened.
Effects on the Organization;
1) Reduced productivity.
2) Employees isolate themselves from others.
3) Higher absenteeism.
4) Reduced ability to work as a team.
5) More conflicts among co-workers.
(Taken loosely from; http://www.wright.edu/~scott.williams/LeaderLetter/trauma.htm)
I think when we go back on Gimmel Tammuz; when the Lubavitch Rebbe passed away, we can see all these phases and more. Besides the one step that really we have not reached and that is step 5.
There are many people in our community still holding by step 1. But I think most of us went on to the next step pretty quick relatively; give or take a few years.
Step 2 is often seen at fabrangens; where the Mashpia says how he is angry at Hashem (G-D almighty) for taking away such a great man. Some in CH feel personal anger at the whole situation. Some go so far as fighting and screaming. There are degrees but I think there still exist an underlying anger within all of us at what happened. Most of us have learned to deal with it, and for the most part have moved on to the next stage.
Bargaining; step 3. This is a tricky one because Judaism is basically based on bargaining with G-D. We all do it in our lives. Give me money and I will give charity. Give me such and such and I will try and be such and such. That is why we do half the things we do. And really who is to blame? G-D; He told us clearly; act good and you well get goodies. So this is a constant problem which is why I think most of us skip/skipped this step simply for the reason that we are always doing it. Not anything out of the norm.
So we move on to step 4; depression. I think this is such a vague step and like they said you really hop back and forth, go there Gimmel Tammuz-Yud Shvat, then back from depression around Simchas Torah time. So it really is not a perpetual state. And as said above; it goes hand in hand with the anger part, so fabrangens and events are ripe for these depression-anger-denial stages.
Step 5; here is the kernel. Here is the nub. Very few faced this head on. Very few have moved on. That is not say moving on means abandoning your reverence and resepct of the LR. This means coming to realize we need to move on. We need a new leader, a new teacher. It’s accepting this fact irrespective if you can/will find one. It’s the realization that you are lacking a mentor and that you should get one. It is the same thing with all issues; half the cure really is facing reality. People have gone to great lengths to avoid this acceptance. Great lengths to fight reality. It is sad, depressing that every gathering stories of the Rebbe are told over and over and over indefinitely, without discussing what is really important, without leading the youth to a better reality. They are always living in the past, what about the future? We need to move on. The Rebbe would want us to move on; find someone that can lead. Sure we are not going to find someone to fit the romanticized view of him, just like you won’t find the perfect girl. No one can live up to the perfection we put in our heads. But we need to try, we need to push. We need to get better. We need to perfect our trade and perfect our lives. We live in an anarchic/archaic state; everyone does what he thinks is right and he brings “proof” from our holy books, and regurgitate things they heard in a fabrangen like its the Ten Commandments. Like they say; one can bring proof that you are allowed to eat pig. One could say that our father's did not drive a car why should we? When will this end? When will we move on? When will we face the truth?
We need to realize that we are human, and the LR was human. There is a process of how humans have dealt with calamities throughout our history. This generation is no different. We are not a new species of Jews. We are not a new species of humans. There is a science to this; and we need to come to terms that what we are feeling are lies and untruths; simply because it is not objective, it comes from the grief within.
We need to change. We need to move on. We need to accept. Acceptance is all we have left.
Go back to the effect on organization. Has it not all happened to us?
Change
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Another brick on the wall Pt2;
As I saw the president Obama stand up and give his speech to the world, shivers went up my leg. I am joking it didn't, but it did get me thinking;
This signifies an era.
This is not a onetime thing; this is how we have to think from now on.
This is how we evolved. We are done with authority telling us right from wrong without explanations. We are done with them ruling and judging without explanations. We are done with this partisan crap.
We need to realize that we can change. We can improve. We don’t have to stand stagnated in our old long held dogmas. We have the power within, to collectively take grab of what we think is right.
It is time for the younger generation to dictate policy in Chabad.
The old are out. They are done. We live in the internet world.
There is someone that can change Lubavitch. I guarantee you this; there will be a time when a young man and/or young lady will get on “Facebook” and the blogs collect all the people and make a revolution.
(if it is a woman replace all "he" with "she")
He will demand we change our schools. Demand that we change our councils. Make it transparent.He will demand that there be no more oligarchies, demand that our most eligible go on "shlichus" that we abolish the family territory garbage. We should take it away, revolt. There will be no more elite. There will be no more terror from the rich. There will be no more corruption in our midst. He will help fix the dating issues. He will clean up 770 by annihilating all inane political fight, and he will demand that we kick out idiots and extremist.He will say that we should and will make a real rabbinic program, where we can be proud of our kids, and proud of our leaders.
We have had enough of this 1930 Russian style of management. The transistor is 45nm.
The day will come. I just hope it is sooner rather than later.
Enough! Change. We can and we will.
As I saw the president Obama stand up and give his speech to the world, shivers went up my leg. I am joking it didn't, but it did get me thinking;
This signifies an era.
This is not a onetime thing; this is how we have to think from now on.
This is how we evolved. We are done with authority telling us right from wrong without explanations. We are done with them ruling and judging without explanations. We are done with this partisan crap.
We need to realize that we can change. We can improve. We don’t have to stand stagnated in our old long held dogmas. We have the power within, to collectively take grab of what we think is right.
It is time for the younger generation to dictate policy in Chabad.
The old are out. They are done. We live in the internet world.
There is someone that can change Lubavitch. I guarantee you this; there will be a time when a young man and/or young lady will get on “Facebook” and the blogs collect all the people and make a revolution.
(if it is a woman replace all "he" with "she")
He will demand we change our schools. Demand that we change our councils. Make it transparent.He will demand that there be no more oligarchies, demand that our most eligible go on "shlichus" that we abolish the family territory garbage. We should take it away, revolt. There will be no more elite. There will be no more terror from the rich. There will be no more corruption in our midst. He will help fix the dating issues. He will clean up 770 by annihilating all inane political fight, and he will demand that we kick out idiots and extremist.He will say that we should and will make a real rabbinic program, where we can be proud of our kids, and proud of our leaders.
We have had enough of this 1930 Russian style of management. The transistor is 45nm.
The day will come. I just hope it is sooner rather than later.
Enough! Change. We can and we will.
Meatloaf
Very rarely in life are people purely evil or purely good. We walk the line, we try our best and we try to keep the corruption that comes from within at a minimum. Some of us try to compensate by giving charity some by doing other good deeds and so on. No one is clean. The only time we are white is the Day of Atonement and even then it’s only because we are wearing a tablecloth.
That is the regular man, and then there is the business man;
You can’t succeed without screwing someone over; its basic economics. I have yet to meet an honest,holy business man. It does not exist. It gets even worse when you are OPEC-like in your distribution. Where you set the price and really no one can say anything.
When it comes to Rubashkin I have to say I see the above to be true and more.
He tried to get away with things. He tried to wheel and deal, illegal workers and all and he got caught. Is he evil? No!
He tried to scam the Frum community. Half the times the meat was not kosher. The other half he screwed Lubavitcher left and right. It was a scam (half of Judaism is perpetuated by people trying to scam us, $100 dollars for a fruit?)
Did he get caught? Yeah. Is it because he did not pay off someone?
Very probable.
Did he do charity? Yes!
Did he do good things for many people? Yes!
Does he deserve to sit in jail? No. From a moral perspective maybe, but we don’t live in theory we live in practice. We humans accept that there is a certain level of necessary corruption. It's what makes us democratic and not Marxist.
Should there be people acting like they are holier than thou? No. they are the biggest liars and cheaters; the ones who act like Rubashkin is a serial rapist, Common get over it. Did you read the news lately? About The CEO taking tax payer money and going on vacation? Selling his house for 100 dollars to his wife? Maddof? Where are all the cry babies?
Does not mean that Rubashkin is in the right. Does not mean that he does no right. Does not mean he is good nor does it mean that he is evil. He is life. And he should be given a second chance.
That is the regular man, and then there is the business man;
You can’t succeed without screwing someone over; its basic economics. I have yet to meet an honest,holy business man. It does not exist. It gets even worse when you are OPEC-like in your distribution. Where you set the price and really no one can say anything.
When it comes to Rubashkin I have to say I see the above to be true and more.
He tried to get away with things. He tried to wheel and deal, illegal workers and all and he got caught. Is he evil? No!
He tried to scam the Frum community. Half the times the meat was not kosher. The other half he screwed Lubavitcher left and right. It was a scam (half of Judaism is perpetuated by people trying to scam us, $100 dollars for a fruit?)
Did he get caught? Yeah. Is it because he did not pay off someone?
Very probable.
Did he do charity? Yes!
Did he do good things for many people? Yes!
Does he deserve to sit in jail? No. From a moral perspective maybe, but we don’t live in theory we live in practice. We humans accept that there is a certain level of necessary corruption. It's what makes us democratic and not Marxist.
Should there be people acting like they are holier than thou? No. they are the biggest liars and cheaters; the ones who act like Rubashkin is a serial rapist, Common get over it. Did you read the news lately? About The CEO taking tax payer money and going on vacation? Selling his house for 100 dollars to his wife? Maddof? Where are all the cry babies?
Does not mean that Rubashkin is in the right. Does not mean that he does no right. Does not mean he is good nor does it mean that he is evil. He is life. And he should be given a second chance.
Hat tip
"They also lack any kind of real skills, at least most of them do. Maybe that was the plan all along; teach them nothing, no language, no skills, that way if and when they leave they'll be so miserable that they'll eventually come running back! if that was the plan then they succeeded. On the other hand, maybe these kids have "issues," in which case we needn't worry about them........"
http://theantitzemach.blogspot.com/
Depressing, Tyrants.
http://theantitzemach.blogspot.com/
Depressing, Tyrants.
Love Me Tender
I have to write a post about my views, due to there being a misconception.
So here goes in real short;
I believe in G-D. I pray to him as best as I can.
I believe in being frum.
I believe in the separation of church and state. For that matter I believe in the wisdom of our American forefathers.
I believe in secular wisdom.
I accept the rationale of evolution.
I accept that the world is between 13 and 14 billion years old.
I think the Lubavitcher Rebbe was a great, rational and holy man.
I just don’t think I have to agree to everything he says. And I hope he does not want me to or I have to rethink the above.
The man in my picture is Rabbi Yosef Rozin-”Rogotchover goan”
I love to learn about everything.
I love to read classical works. Tolstoy is so far my favorite author; although it changes book by book.
I love to listen to classical music. I believe you can listen to Non- Jewish music.
I believe Lubavitcher education system is currently corrupt and immoral.
Basically I think I am modern orthodox. Although I think I am a hybrid of some sorts.
I don’t think all Muslims are pure evil.
I believe in torture.
I voted for Obama.
That’s it for now.
So here goes in real short;
I believe in G-D. I pray to him as best as I can.
I believe in being frum.
I believe in the separation of church and state. For that matter I believe in the wisdom of our American forefathers.
I believe in secular wisdom.
I accept the rationale of evolution.
I accept that the world is between 13 and 14 billion years old.
I think the Lubavitcher Rebbe was a great, rational and holy man.
I just don’t think I have to agree to everything he says. And I hope he does not want me to or I have to rethink the above.
The man in my picture is Rabbi Yosef Rozin-”Rogotchover goan”
I love to learn about everything.
I love to read classical works. Tolstoy is so far my favorite author; although it changes book by book.
I love to listen to classical music. I believe you can listen to Non- Jewish music.
I believe Lubavitcher education system is currently corrupt and immoral.
Basically I think I am modern orthodox. Although I think I am a hybrid of some sorts.
I don’t think all Muslims are pure evil.
I believe in torture.
I voted for Obama.
That’s it for now.
Blinded by the light
I am just figuring out this whole blog, widget thing and all the tools on how to make this site presentable and clean. Any advice is welcomed.
Growing up in the Lubavitchers system if I had to grade my education it would be an F. that is not to say there aren’t any bright and smart people but the education was bad. I’ll explain why; there are things that school must teach or must produce so to speak in order to be considered an education;
1) He should have proficient knowledge in 3-4 subjects.
2) Develop critical thinking skills
3) Develop speaking and writing skills proficiently
4) Creative thinking skills, problem solving and such.
5) Have grades where they are able to mark their progress.
6) Have peers to stimulate their learning.
7) Have a curriculum, so that you educators and the parents know you mastered the level before going up to the next level, marking your yearly progress.
Now these are basic, some are understatements some are overstatements but the general idea outlined here are very basic, elementary education if you will.
Now there are always going to be smart kids in school and not so smart kids. Some kids can learn quantum physics on their own; some cannot learn algebra or even elementary math on their own. So really to mark a school one has to look at the average child in his or her class and see whether they made progress or not.
Here is the thing. Most of my epistemological progress in life was that of my own. I have self learned almost everything I know. I have progressed amazing if I say so myself, but that is not a good education. I was never pushed by educators to go a level harder. Plainly speaking I was never taught. I pushed myself. When looking at the rest of my peers; the mediocre ones or maybe the ones that did not have the self control or ambition I had/have; they all failed, all of them. Most kids cannot write high school level in any language. They cannot speak high school level in any language. They don’t have basic critical thinking skills. They cannot write an essay. They fail in the most basic ways. Is that an education?
Comes along TRS and says you learn something new each time you learn a Mammor. Are you kidding me? Our kids don’t have fundamental thinking skills how are they going to progress? I don’t have any profound Idea’s in Chassidus; meaning I think it, I process it and it is stimulating but half the time I don’t know what I am talking about, sure I know all the “levels” but that is not rational thoughts, there is no independent thinking- critical thinking ,what I am going to disagree? I am going to say it does not make sense? And for your info I can tell you more about Chassidus than 99.9999 percent of Lubavitchers.
Anyway I have so much more on this topic; too much.
Growing up in the Lubavitchers system if I had to grade my education it would be an F. that is not to say there aren’t any bright and smart people but the education was bad. I’ll explain why; there are things that school must teach or must produce so to speak in order to be considered an education;
1) He should have proficient knowledge in 3-4 subjects.
2) Develop critical thinking skills
3) Develop speaking and writing skills proficiently
4) Creative thinking skills, problem solving and such.
5) Have grades where they are able to mark their progress.
6) Have peers to stimulate their learning.
7) Have a curriculum, so that you educators and the parents know you mastered the level before going up to the next level, marking your yearly progress.
Now these are basic, some are understatements some are overstatements but the general idea outlined here are very basic, elementary education if you will.
Now there are always going to be smart kids in school and not so smart kids. Some kids can learn quantum physics on their own; some cannot learn algebra or even elementary math on their own. So really to mark a school one has to look at the average child in his or her class and see whether they made progress or not.
Here is the thing. Most of my epistemological progress in life was that of my own. I have self learned almost everything I know. I have progressed amazing if I say so myself, but that is not a good education. I was never pushed by educators to go a level harder. Plainly speaking I was never taught. I pushed myself. When looking at the rest of my peers; the mediocre ones or maybe the ones that did not have the self control or ambition I had/have; they all failed, all of them. Most kids cannot write high school level in any language. They cannot speak high school level in any language. They don’t have basic critical thinking skills. They cannot write an essay. They fail in the most basic ways. Is that an education?
Comes along TRS and says you learn something new each time you learn a Mammor. Are you kidding me? Our kids don’t have fundamental thinking skills how are they going to progress? I don’t have any profound Idea’s in Chassidus; meaning I think it, I process it and it is stimulating but half the time I don’t know what I am talking about, sure I know all the “levels” but that is not rational thoughts, there is no independent thinking- critical thinking ,what I am going to disagree? I am going to say it does not make sense? And for your info I can tell you more about Chassidus than 99.9999 percent of Lubavitchers.
Anyway I have so much more on this topic; too much.
Anarchy
Monday, January 26, 2009
http://www.crownheights.info/index.php?itemid=15398
Disclaimer: I have no personal ill will towards the people in the pictures. This is just how I feel in general.
Pictures like this really anger me. I feel a sense of disturbed peace when I see “Shluchim” with world leaders. It use to be these guys knew how to learn, sure they knew next to nothing about secular studies, anthropology, political science, or even basic arithmetic but they made it up with a deep understanding in religious studies. They studied many hours, and dedicated their lives to Torah. They had an aura of respectability, a sense of purity. With those types of people I have a general problem with, but I deal with it on a personal level.
Then I see pictures like these; the type of guys who have not studied diligently a day in their lives, have not worked an honest day in their lives. They slept through life; they BS their way through school and now they get to talk to a U.S senator? These people who think they are born into some sort of right to be in such a position are wrong and it is an abhorrence to everything good in this world. Not only is the system overloaded with indolent folk but they are the ones who are the face of our most precious organizations. Besides being ignorant period, and hurting us by their ineffective presentation they are a symbol of what is wrong in the world. We are better than this. We should have our best and brightest meeting with world leaders. We should have some sort of merit system. Nowhere in the world is it like this; where you have ignorant, foolish, unkempt, uneducated people dining with a U.S senator. Imagine if we had bright, presentable, educated merit based system for this type of affair? Where we can talk politics and push for good agendas?
This is a corrupt, idiotic world; where we rather have social hierarchy’s and foolishness then self improvement. Is this the message we should send our youth? That it is okay to be ignorant? That it is okay to be lazy? Is it okay to tell it to ourselves?
When will our system become democratic? When will we revolt to help out community? When will the young that work hard, that admire school and education stand up and revolt the powers that are not just stubborn but are insane, ignorant and above all filled with ancient dogmas? When will this sense of creed that dominates rational thought be abolished? When will we grab hold of the destiny of our most precious assets; our children?
I am sad.
Mysterious
I think Debbie Schlussel's article on CH.info was an overreaction. True no one should be a bigot and say one race in pretty and another is not, besides it being such a subjective quality in the first place. Which goes to show; she is not the smartest cat in the room that Essman, and the whole view crew are all idiots (some are really pretty). But what I find interesting is; they still don’t know what a Frum Jew is. Thousands of years have passed, we have been around a long time, and the world still does not know who we are? “they are like Muslims”? They don’t know out basic way of life… We still marry the brother of a dead husband? What the hell?
Are we that hard to understand? Are we that complicated? Are we that irrational?
http://www.crownheights.info/index.php?itemid=15386
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/susie-essman-on-the-view-012109-5-of-5/1835848837/?icid=VIDURVENT07
Are we that hard to understand? Are we that complicated? Are we that irrational?
http://www.crownheights.info/index.php?itemid=15386
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/susie-essman-on-the-view-012109-5-of-5/1835848837/?icid=VIDURVENT07
Blogs
Sunday, January 25, 2009
People their whole life search for expression. They search for a medium to reveal their thoughts and emotions. Some go to psychologist. Some talk to themselves or close friends. Some don’t or can't do either and search their whole lives to be able to release the tightness in their chest and fog in their heads. So what stops people from just standing up in a room and shout at the world? Self-conscious people we are, being able to avoid that has not been solved. Sure some writers did it by writing the novel. Who is going to judge the author instead of the character? Did people truly think Dostoevsky would kill?
Man has searched wide and far for expression, to combine the elements of expression with elements of discretion. Man has found one tool; Blogs.
It seems we forgot this. We forgot to express. We forgot what the purpose is. Now we are news commentary. We are religious advocates. What happened?
Man has searched wide and far for expression, to combine the elements of expression with elements of discretion. Man has found one tool; Blogs.
It seems we forgot this. We forgot to express. We forgot what the purpose is. Now we are news commentary. We are religious advocates. What happened?
What do they Think About Gay Marriage?
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
http://www.bigthink.com/features/995
Let me just say this; i think Shmuley Boteach is a smart man, but he misses the point. They don't just want to come to synagogue; they want to be proud of it. They want to rub their ideology in your face. That is how humans are; we don't just believe in something, we want everyone to know what it is we believe in.
Let me just say this; i think Shmuley Boteach is a smart man, but he misses the point. They don't just want to come to synagogue; they want to be proud of it. They want to rub their ideology in your face. That is how humans are; we don't just believe in something, we want everyone to know what it is we believe in.
"Oops"
http://www.bigthink.com/features/993
Right, he just happened to look for his car one day, and "oops they think I'm Taliban". What a moment it must have been.
Right, he just happened to look for his car one day, and "oops they think I'm Taliban". What a moment it must have been.
Reason of it all.
“What is the Jew?...What kind of unique creature is this whom all the rulers of all the nations of the world have disgraced and crushed and expelled and destroyed; persecuted, burned and drowned, and who, despite their anger and their fury, continues to live and to flourish. What is this Jew whom they have never succeeded in enticing with all the enticements in the world, whose oppressors and persecutors only suggested that he deny (and disown) his religion and cast aside the faithfulness of his ancestors?!
The Jew - is the symbol of eternity. ... He is the one who for so long had guarded the prophetic message and transmitted it to all mankind. A people such as this can never disappear.
The Jew is eternal. He is the embodiment of eternity." - Leo Tolstoy
(What is the Jew? quoted in The Final Resolution, pg. 189, printed in Jewish World periodical, 1908)
http://fora.tv/2008/10/16/Anti-Semitism_A_History_of_an_Idea
We were chosen, and it all went downhill after that.
We were picked, only to be picked on.
Do you want to know why there is a war in Gaza? Arabs can’t handle reality. Humans become violent when they lose control. Jews are the symbol of their inferiority. They realize Jews can’t be destroyed. Christians faced this reality. When will the Arabs?
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