About 22% of Nobel laureates identify as Jewish, making this an immensely gifted intellectual group. Most of our greatest intellects shared several things, including atheism (or at least “Spinoza’s God) and compassion. Israel stumbles when it loses its compassion, as brutally difficult as that is at times to maintain. I think a challenge…
About 22% of Nobel laureates identify as Jewish, making this an immensely gifted intellectual group. Most of our greatest intellects shared several things, including atheism (or at least “Spinoza’s God) and compassion. Israel stumbles when it loses its compassion, as brutally difficult as that is at times to maintain. I think a challenge for me and perhaps others is that we have always looked to Israel as a model of compassionate intellectual brilliance. I fear the current government has wandered far from that ideal. Doing so simply gives Israel the same status as the rest of us nations, so perhaps it’s time for people like me to take them off the pedestal, rather than continue with this endless unreasonable disappointment.
I think too of the brilliant lyrics of Leonard Cohen’s song, Story of Isaac:
About 22% of Nobel laureates identify as Jewish, making this an immensely gifted intellectual group. Most of our greatest intellects shared several things, including atheism (or at least “Spinoza’s God) and compassion. Israel stumbles when it loses its compassion, as brutally difficult as that is at times to maintain. I think a challenge for me and perhaps others is that we have always looked to Israel as a model of compassionate intellectual brilliance. I fear the current government has wandered far from that ideal. Doing so simply gives Israel the same status as the rest of us nations, so perhaps it’s time for people like me to take them off the pedestal, rather than continue with this endless unreasonable disappointment.
I think too of the brilliant lyrics of Leonard Cohen’s song, Story of Isaac:
And if you call me brother now
Forgive me if I inquire
"Just according to whose plan?"
When it all comes down to dust
I will kill you if I must
I will help you if I can
When it all comes down to dust
I will help you if I must
I will kill you if I can
And mercy on our uniform
Man of peace or man of war
The peacock spreads his fan
This is the human condition, I guess.