#625 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Tuesday April 4)
Good morning,
QUOTATION OF THE DAY
“Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinion, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.” Oscar Wilde
PLAY BALL!
Happy first week of the baseball season. Here is an interesting baseball milestone provided by Andy Licht:
On April 23, 1999 in a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium, Cardinal third baseman Fernando Tatis hit two grand slam homers in the same inning! He is the only player to ever do that. And he hit them against the same pitcher (Chan Ho Park). To think the pitcher wasn’t taken out after running through so many batters is pretty amazing.
Of course, Tatis also set a record for most RBIs in one inning with eight. The Cardinals ended up winning that game by seven runs, 12–5.
THE PITCH CLOCK WORKS
The results are in from Spring Training. Use of the pitch clock successfully has reduced the length of the average nine-inning game by a half hour, down to 2 ½ hours. I can attest to the efficiency of imposing time restrictions on the time a pitcher can patrol the mound, a hitter can draw pictures in the dirt, and either can adjust their cup. In the Angels/A’s opening day I attended with Lauren last week, a strike was called on a batter who was unprepared within the allotted time. This will encourage the far more brisk, action-filled progress of the game. The play clock enhanced football; the shot clock prevented endless dribbling in basketball; this will change the way we think about and experience baseball games. Yahoo!
THE TEN PLAGUES OF THE 21ST CENTURY
This week, I will be sharing thoughts about concepts presented by the story of the Exodus.
There is a part of the seder in which we recite the ten plagues that allegedly were inflicted upon the Egyptians, in order to encourage them to release the Israelites. When recounting the plagues, however, it is not with joy but with the realization that pain came to other people. We symbolically acknowledge that any pain to anyone, regardless of culpability, is a loss to all of us. We do so by emptying a tiny bit of wine in a saucer, each drop to represent this collective loss. In the Sonnenberg Passover seder, we have incorporated a listing of more modern plagues. Here is the passage we read:
“The plagues are symbolic. Every era is presented with its version of the ten plagues. Today, we’re not nearly as concerned with locust, frogs, cattle disease, or boils. In the 14th century, the plague left 1/3 of Europe dead, with no vaccines, no therapeutics—only death. In the 20th century, devastating wars were fought against the twin curses of national socialism and the totalitarianism of the Soviet Union. In our time, we too have our plagues, just as challenging, just as complex. But today, we can confront our plagues with science, reason and the benefit of history. Whether we can conquer these plagues requires the resilience of people like those who wandered 40 years in the desert.
COVID, DISEASE AND RESISTANCE TO THE ERADICATION OF DISEASE
HOMELESSNESS
RACIAL INJUSTICE
POLITICAL EXTREMISM AND GUNS
STUPIDITY, SOCIAL MEDIA, LACK OF CRITICAL THINKING
CANCER, HEART DISEASE AND DEBILITATING ILLNESS
MASS INCARCERATION
SOCIAL MEDIA AND DISINFORMATION
LONELINESS, ISOLATION, AND MENTAL ILLNESS
CLIMATE CHANGE
There are other parallels in Jewish observance that resonate with the idea that, with every moment of joy there is reason to recall suffering and bad times as well. The breaking of a glass at a Jewish wedding reminds us that even in times of life’s greatest joys we remember the sadness of the destruction of the Temple. Some Jews leave a part of a newly built home unfinished to remember that even when building something new, we sense the times of tragedy and the fact that nothing in life is perfect or ‘complete.’
Throughout each year and throughout our lifetimes, we challenge ourselves to remember that even in times of strength, it is important to sense our vulnerability, rather than bask in our success. We all have memories of times in which bitter and sweet were mixed in our lives. We can celebrate and mourn all at the same time. And, somehow, everything will be ok.”
Have a good day,
Glenn
PS: Tomorrow and Thursday include more thoughts on freedom of body and mind…
From the archives: