#217 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Thursday December 9)
Good morning,
“Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.”
-- Albert Einstein, Letter to Jost Winteler (1901), quoted in The Private Lives of Albert Einstein by Roger Highfield and Paul Carter (1993), p. 79 (thanks, Adam Torson, for digging this one up)
GOOD OR EVIL—INSIDE ALL OF US?
I have had a running discussion with friends over the years about whether people are inherently good or inherently evil. My sense remains that people want to be good. They don’t often see themselves as doing evil. In fact, even when committing bad acts, people convince themselves that they remain essentially good. Regardless of the desire to be perceived by ourselves and others as “good,” rather than evil, self-interest steers people toward doing things that could be harmful to others. There is a constant pulling in both directions—the desire to do something in one’s own interest, without regard for the consequences—versus the desire to do good, even when it may not be the optimal decision for oneself. It’s a lot like Pinocchio, who fails to listen to Jiminy Cricket when, perhaps, he should.
There is a great parable forwarded to me the other day, illustrating the battle inside all of us:
An elderly Cherokee Native American was teaching his grandchildren about life. He said to them, “A fight is going on inside me, it is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One wolf is evil — he is fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, competition, superiority, and ego. The other is good — he is joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
“This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too.”
They thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
LOVE THY NEIGHBOR
Last month I attended a beautiful wedding where Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback quoted the teachings of the Rambam. The Rambam was Moses Maimonides, the 12th century scholar, philosopher and physician. Maimonides asked the question “what is the meaning of the biblical injunction, “‘love thy neighbor as thyself’?”
This “golden rule,” so basic to the Judeo-Christian tradition, appears many times in the bible. But how can we ever love a stranger—perhaps someone we don’t even know—as much as ourselves and our families?
The answer is that it means that we should wish for our neighbors that which we wish for ourselves. A beautiful idea and one we should extend to all of our interactions—in our communities, in engaging with other communities and in trying to solve the myriad challenges faced in the modern world.
LOGOS AND COFFEE MUGS
Has anyone else noted the oddity that most coffee mugs containing clever sayings, names of schools, political points of view or pictures have the message positioned so that the message is viewed only by the drinker (if right handed) and not by their friends? It would seem to me that the user of the mug need not constantly be reminded of their school allegiance, cleverness, political position or humor. Rather, it should be visible to the person with whom the drinker is sitting. For all those lefties who think the world is laid out in a manner discriminatory to them, rejoice in knowing that your views are boldly stated outward to the rest of the world when downing your morning cup of joe!
Have a great day,
Glenn
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