It saddens me to live in this world. Perhaps the world was always in a state of turmoil. Perhaps fear and suspicion always coupled with insecurity and greed. Today, the plasma screen projects images of suffering, and the surround sound burns anguish into our souls.
Perhaps I should grow a thick skin to withstand the torment? Or seek the comfort of a psychologically induced safety zone - a distancing, a veil of other-worldliness, maintaining the illusion that this is not really my world. I am, after all, intact and comfortable in my bedroom. The war is "out there" - on another continent, or on the more suspicious side of town - not here in my room.
I believe that for all the impressionistic impact of the media we are actually hiding deeper under our covers, pretending the hurt is not ours. And therein lies the danger. Beneath our living surface, we are frozen like Lot's wife, looking backwards, seeing the fire raining down on other human beings, but without feeling their pain.
English: Mount Sodom, Israel, showing the so-calle...
English: I took this photo of a heavily burned-in ...
Label for 7.2 extended surround sound. created on ...Perhaps that was Mrs. Lot's crime - seeing, but not feeling. Perhaps that same price will be taken from us.
I say "perhaps" because I do not profess to see the future. The truth is I am a person of faith. I believe that within each one of us is a part of our essence, pledged to choose life. This core of human goodness will ultimately prove more powerful than the scheming of the headline makers who seek corporate profit and political dominance.
But how can I, one person on a continent near the South Pole, possibly make the smallest indent in the steely surface of indifference? The answers can be drawn from the ancient wisdoms. The Kabbalah describes phenomena that expand our character beyond the limitations...