What happened to idealism?
For those of us of a certain age, college used to be a place where we were able to test out new ideas, try on different ways of thinking, and in the process become (what we thought) better than our parents. Some of us chanted for world peace, environmental responsibility, equal pay, and freedom for the oppressed. The goal was to make the world a better place, accomplished by civil protests. Yes, sometimes they got violent, but for the most part, themes of love and peace was the foundational legacy.
Love for each other and the planet was the ultimate goal. No wonder why the advertising world fed on this idealism through dreamy marketing like “I’d like to teach the world to sing (in perfect harmony) ”, “Be the best you can be” and “like a good neighbor….”. “Flower power” was not meant to be threatening.
Our society has devolved, and it seems like it’s on a deathly road to the abyss. I know this may not be news to anyone, certainly not if you’re reading this in the first place. But I just can’t wrap my brain around what’s going on now. I don’t want to. So indulge me since I feel compelled to write and am grateful that there is a place for me to unburden myself.
Pro-Palestinian protestors spew hate, with threats of annihilation and destruction of a people. This seems so backward. If they are accusing Israel of genocide, shouldn’t their own message be less violent, less hateful, less poisonous?
They are masked, some with their eyes peering through slits in the fabric, or their faces are painted beyond recognition in flag colors. They destroy property, deface flags, bully police, providing a vision of people at their worst.
No one could possibly see any love for humanity in those throngs of people. And I guess that’s what disturbs me so much. No matter the politics, no matter how egregious the actions are that they are protesting, the human ideal needs to rise above that.
They’ve encapsulated into a growing fervor their dystopian view of the future which allows no room for anyone but themselves and those who agree with them. And I don’t see a way back from this, just like it’s hard for me to imagine that a 5 year old Palestinian boy, indoctrinated with hate, who has been taught to kill Jews and trained to hold and shoot a deadly weapon, can be ‘untaught’ those horrid things.
I’m at a loss. The hatred is feeding on its own spin. So as a Jew, all I have is hope. Our tradition is one of optimism. We are commanded to put in our utmost effort, our hishtadlut, not to be silent, to right the wrongs, and stand up for justice1. This is what we need to do. Without question, we have to be in this to win this. But in the end, it is God who will decide.
So, thank you for reading what I needed to write about. Really, thank you.
My podcast (Inner Judaism) episode “Stand Up, Rise Up” on Apple, Spotify, and Amazon speaks to this ideal.