Year 5769 is coming to an end. Next week, this time, a new year will be here. Last year was challenging (laundered language for “sucked”). What will the coming year be like? Everyone’s guess of course.
Why was this year challenging? There are three levels. Personal, national, and global.
On a personal level, my family and I needed to make a huge adjustment. We lived in China for three years before, and moved to Israel a couple of months into the new year. Now China is no walk in the park. But living in Israel is more like climbing the Himalayas. In the dark, with no help or direction. I started an old, yet new job. I’m happy to say that on that arena, I couldn’t have hoped for more. The kids started school and pre-school. Those of you who read my posts may remember our really bad experience with the kindergarten teacher last year. We remodeled the house, bought a car, unloaded a shipload (literally) of all our belongings that came from Beijing. We had to get acquainted with my father who took a turn for the worse this year (but I’m happy to say is getting better now). I’m confident that some of you would read this last paragraph, nod their heads back and forth, and mutter something like: “what does this guy know about challenges”. Indeed, I agree, everything was manageable, and some I’m sure, had worse experiences. But these were mine, and one’s own experiences are usually more challenging than others. Forgive me.
On a national level, we experienced a war here. Even worse. We experienced an election campaign followed by a change of government. Exchanged a crook for a liar as prime minister, and small amount of pathetic losers as ministers for a larger amount of the same. We exchanged little hope for a better future with none whatsoever. Degrading education, health, personal safety, with complete and total anarchy. I was born and raised in Israel, but had the privilege to live outside of it for fourteen years total, in three separate time periods. I can tell, loud and clear, to people who would listen inside and out. Israel is disintegrating. I know it sounds terrible. But with the degrading sense of personal safety, security, education, medicine, employment, and yes indeed even security, Israel is at its worse situation ever.
On a global level, we started this year with a recession, some were talking about a depression. And we’re ending it with a recession, a depression, and even worse: a false feeling of recovery.
On the personal level: we will prevail. We are made of tough materials. Our grandparents participated in forced marches, and resided in concentration camps. They survived and so will we. We will bite our tongues, clench our teeth, and continue. We are determined.
On the national level, my hope is significantly lower. The political system in Israel had one major accomplishment over the years. It grew a rapist president, a few prime ministers and countless parliament members who were indicted for bribery, and other interesting activities. We’re at the point where few, too few of the Israeli population believe that the people sitting in the parliament are working for the Israelis. Most believe, myself included, that most if not all the members of the parliament are there to promote their own interests and business. Or at least do something that will encourage enough voters to put them in the parliament for one more term. Do I know what to do? Of course. Everyone does. Here it is: come to terms with the Palestinians, and our other neighbors. The settlement will not be easy to swallow, but it is necessary to our survival. The inflated defense budget keeps us from having a reasonable education, medicine, and personal safety. We must, with all pain involved, start to understand that territorially speaking, Israel will end up different than it is today, and that it’s in our best interest to finish this process soon. Otherwise, hear me out, ultimately, Israel will lose everything. One must know when its time to give up a limb in order to preserve life. It’s that time.
Globally, I believe that we are not closer to recovery from this financial holocaust we have experienced in 2009. If anything, we’re closer to total destruction. Here’s my reasoning. Up until 2008 we were doing great. Once every seven years, we experienced a mild recession, followed by a Wall Street Rally. In 2008, a realization came to many, that mood, demands and supplies, are not sufficient to keep the economy up. A huge amount of losers with good moods and credit cards, cannot support a huge economy such as the USs. Indeed, as it turned out, the losers in the US and Europe, were borrowing cheap money, so they can get the latest unnecessary merchandise made in China for nickels and dimes. When the bubble burst, American losers lost their homes, their jobs, their moods, and the demands. Chinese and other developing countries lost their jobs. Obama started printing. Money. Lots of it. In fact, Obama printed more money than any other president in the collective American history. Why was doing so? To get manufacturing up in the US? Education? Not at all. He was printing for mood. Simply so that people feel better about themselves, so they can drag their asses to the malls again and buy some crap they don’t need for money they don’t have (or can’t afford to spend). The reasoning is that when people spend more, and when cash is easier to get by, the economy gets better. In other words: Obama understood, that burst bubbles must be pumped again. Obama re-inflated the American economy with trillions of dollars. I am not seeing a recovery. I’m seeing destruction.
It’s that time of year, as the leaves are about to fall off the trees, the temperatures are cooling down (at least in our hemisphere), the days are getting shorter, and the nights and sleeves get longer. Fall is coming, and with it, the end of the year. The Jewish calendar year that is. And inevitably, right after that, the beginning of the new year. And as one year comes to an end, and a new one begins, it is only natural to assess, to evaluate, to reflect, to enjoy the accomplishments, learn from the failures, prepare for the future.
Last year looked promising, it carried the signs of growth, of success. In some ways it was. In others it wasn’t. It is up to every single one of us to do his own individual accounting with themselves and come to a conclusion: did I have a good year? Or did I not.
As I said, reflection is individual, personal, and confidential. But according to Judaism, some tasks are to be done out in the open. According to Jewish tradition, the High Holidays: Rosh Hashana – The Holiday of the New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, are days of reflection. They are also days of asking, receiving, and granting forgiveness. During those Holidays, people are to spend time in reflection and in prayer. But prayers, and fasting, and charity giving only cover the relationship between a person and his or her God. Forgiveness is asked, and given, by the Lord, for deeds who hurt nobody but the Lord himself. The Holidays do not cover wrongdoing done between people. To accomplish that, one must ask explicit forgiveness from the individuals they may have hurt. Knowingly or unknowingly. Intentionally or not. Forgiveness must be asked, and received.
I know I may have hurt some people last year. I know that it was never intentional, it was never malicious, it was never purposeful. Nonetheless, if in any way, shape or form, I have hurt your feelings, I sincerely apologize. While there’s no excuse for it, I never meant to. By the same token, I hereby grant forgiveness to anyone who hurt my feelings. My assumption is that it was never intentional or malicious. My assumption is that those who hurt me would like to be forgiven. Well, there you have it. No hard feelings. Moving on.
As fall comes, the leaves are falling off the trees, and the days gets shorter, one must remember, that new green leaves will grow again and the days will get longer in the spring. This year will be better than the last one. I wish you forget what the word “Doctor” means. I wish you greener leaves and longer days. Wider smiles and the spring. This year will be better than the last one. I wish you forget what the word “Doctor” means. I wish you greener leaves and longer days. Wider smiles and bigger hearts. I wish you tons of joy, and bunches of accomplishments. I wish you health, happiness and success.
I wish you a happy new year.
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