2021 Opening Statement

 We live in this time when Presidents refuse to act presidential and are excused by their constituents because some of the things they do prove beneficial for the masses.   Yet, can good acts coverup corrupt deeds and comments that fuel hate and division?  

This past week, we saw a President gone wild.   During his four years in office, this President vilified those who held different viewpoints from his own, engaged in blatant acts that furthered the divide between diverse groups of Americans, belittled countless people, and engaged in acts that are proving to be detrimental to our environment.  Yet, people were willing to storm our Capitol in Washington to support his claim that the vote had been stolen.  They were willing to steal what they said was stolen from them.  To destroy property, make threats, spread vile hate theories, and find fault with all that do not hold their viewpoints.  All of this while the death toll from COVID soars over 4,000 people per day, and here in Israel, we are forced back into a very restrictive lockdown.  

The challenge with all of this is how to teach our students that they need to be honest, forthright, and brave.  They need to discuss all sides of an issue and recognize that to some degree, others may be more right than they are and that their point of view is flawed.  Or, they need to recognize that several variables may exist and that, like in many cases, they will come upon in life, there is more than one way to achieve a given goal.  They also need to put into practice that those who have a different viewpoint from their own should not be denigrated in any manner, for this only serves to further inflame the "conversation" and that once that fire is started, each side will become more resolute in the manner in which they cling to their beliefs.  

So I will make this personal because this is my blog, and nobody reads it, so what do I have to lose?   This has been a tough time for me, and in some respects, it has been a good time.  It has been tough because I have not been able to travel out of Israel and go back to New England to see mom, who is ensnarled in dementia and the confusion and paranoia that brings.  I have not been to my home in Vermont (though Connecticut will always be my true home) and walked the great woodlands with my socks tucked into my pants and long sleeves to keep myself from getting Lyme Disease.   I have learned much about the Golan during this time and have even learned how to better navigate and utilize the application AllTrials, which is truly amazing and helpful.   Eva and I have learned to better appreciate each other, which bodes well as I turn 64 next month and will only work one more year as an educator.  

Yet, I can't distance myself from the sadness that finds me staying up far too many nights.  This is a lifelong malady and certainly nothing new.  I worry.  I worry about myself, those around me, the polar bear, friends who battle illness, countries that deal with tyrants.   My greatest peace is found in nature, though, in some ways, that has been taken from me.  Even the city's view, which I loved so much, is being taken away as the distant cranes now surround me, and large apartments are not only blocking my view, but the amount of light we have coming into our apartment is slowly diminishing.   

We live in a time when Presidents refuse to be Presidental.  When corporate news programs dual it out with vocal sabers and those on each side wave banners of their own or wrap themselves tightly in these both figuratively and literally.   As smart as it is to have a strong value system, and it is important, you have to realize (well, I have to realize) that entrenched beliefs can also be dangerous.   That there is no conversation to be had with a person who believes that anyone who differs from him or her is stupid or blind.   Once you start pointing your finger, the conversation has stopped.   Once you storm the Capitol, the conversation has stopped.  Once you become so progressive that others can't progress, then the conversation has stopped.  

I am not convinced that our differences can be worked out or what divides so many in our world can be ameliorated.   We are too hopeful in our belief system, for we tend to associate with people who have similar views as our own.   We are frightened and repulsed by those with strongly dissimilar opinions, which is hardwired into our brains.   Although it is magnificent that we have such diversity in our genetic pool, it has proven detrimental to our species.   

Jamie-January 10, 2021