Starting Over

Hey All!  This week we celebrate the New Year of the Jewish Calendar.  Makes me realize a few things:

When I was younger, I was one of those kids who actually liked learning about my religion.  I took to it really well, made my relatives proud on my Bar Mitzvah day, and gained a very large understanding of topics not everyone thought about.

The only problem was the swelled head I got.  Even though what I was learning about would be considered positive and wholesome, I became arrogant.  I'd look at everyone else who wasn't as knowledgeable as I was and think that they were beneath me.  I'd get upset at people who didn't love the services as much as I did, and I had nothing kind to say to those who were not religious.  Bottom line, a large part of this religious awakening included a huge amount of anger towards those who did not believe or practice like me.

Fortunately for me, I had parents who were not afraid to hold me in check and refused to tolerate this kind of behavior.  Because of that, this anger eventually stopped.

Today, I am far less religious.  With all due respect to the traditions of my religion and ethnic group, I think I'm a lot better off.  I'm a lot more likely to not notice or care that others' religious beliefs or practices are different from mine, or non-existent.  Compared to how I was, that's a huge giant step.

Believe it or not, but we Betas are very likely to harbor just as much anger at "the rest of them," albeit for very different reasons.  But whether that anger is justified or not, if it can't be used for constructive and pro-active purposes, as opposed to cutting others down and slandering their names, it needs to be held in check.  If you don't have parents around to hold it in check for you, then start doing it yourself.  You'll also be better off in spades.

Nothing you do, perform, or believe is worth it if it makes you intolerant.  That's the alpholes' province, and not ours.  It'll burn you out from the inside.

"Ummmm, Daaaaaave?"  Yup, saw you coming.

The theme of this blog is to be vigilant towards the alpholes, and to inoculate ourselves against the disease of self-loathing that they spew.  It is not be intolerant towards them as people.  By all means, make yourselves Bold and Bulletproof when confronted with what they do, but don't hate them.  Understand that not everyone had our upbringing, as referenced above, and don't try to judge them by our yardstick.  Just keep walking your path, and don't be deterred by those who aren't.

I EXIST.  I MATTER.  I BELONG.  I DESERVE.

I AM BOLD.  I AM BULLETPROOF.  I AM ME.

The Old Ways?

Hey All!

A random thought has made its way through my mind in light of the deal our country recently made with Iran:  At what point are old traditions no longer needed?

No matter where you stand in the political theme, there is no doubt that a great enemy to the United States is radical Islam.  And I say radical Islam not only to pinpoint the problem, but to emphasize that the religion, as a whole, is not the enemy.  Those who commit unspeakable acts in the name of that religion, however, most certainly are.

Judaism and Christianity are based on scriptural texts dating back millenia.  Leviticus and Numbers point to several prohibited acts that were punishable by death while the Jews were still wandering in the desert, and were most likely enforced during the days of the Temple when the need arose.  The New Testament is full of rhetoric that casts negative light on all those who lacked faith or acceptance of what was revealed.   It cannot be denied that Both Halves Of The Book either direct, encourage, or enable force against unbelievers that today would be completely unnecessary and unacceptable.

However, from what I've seen in my short life span, most churches and synagogues are welcoming of anyone who walks through their doors.  No clergy has the authority to save or damn any soul in the congregation.  Nobody is turned away for not conforming.  And last but not least, nobody has a death sentence imposed for their nonbelief.

This is because organized religion has had the wisdom to be aware of the time and place in which it exists, and to shape its rhetoric accordingly.  This is because it has realized that creating divisions ad infinitum is simply unworkable, while creating places that are welcoming, acceptable, and friendly better meet the spiritual needs of modern times than those that crash and bash those outside their realms.  Otherwise, their congregants would simply become alienated and leave.

So why is it different with radical Islam?  Why do they cite to portions of the Koran and the Hadith for the justification of the horrible things they do?  Why have they not presented their adherents with mercy and mildness, or joy and rapture?  Why is violence so much more acceptable to them than it could ever be with us?

Apparently there are not very many Bold Betas where they are most needed.  :)

I have often declared that as Betas, we are not subject to the chapters and verses of the alphaganda.  We are not bound by the yoke of its commandments, we are not required to abandon our own idenities in the name of groupthink, and we are never to believe that we are unworthy merely because we do not conform to such ancient and unquestioned standards.

Forgive me for pointing, but it seems to me that Western organized religion had its own alphaganda at one point, and then realized that it was no longer valuable.  Nobody has ever suggested repealing or deleting these ancient texts, but it was clearly a wiser choice to simply not enforce, propagate, or emphasize those portions that would cause more harm than good.  Whether you belong to any one religion, or none at all, we can all agree that softening the approach was a good thing for organized religion in this country.

The question remains, who will challenge the radical alphaganda?  Who will question why such barbaric practices are used to murder and torture others?  Who will reject ISIS, and any government that supports it, and demand that such radical elements be eliminated?  Whether or not our country sends boots on the ground against these enemies once more, it seems to me that this is something that must be handled most effectively within the ranks of the adherents of that faith who are not radicalized, and reject terrorism in all forms.

Let us hope and pray that the radical elements will be neutralized and dismantled from within, as it was once was within our own ranks.

DISCLAIMER:  the above post is not meant to smear, besmirch, insult, or ridicule any organized religion.  Any offense perceived is the responsibility of the reader.

Thanks!

The Place I Became A Man

Hi All -- hope you had a good weekend!

Mine was pretty good -- I ran in the increasingly popular Brooklyn Half Marathon for the first time.  This race is so hot it sells out faster than Billy Joel!  Started out in beautiful Prospect Park, then took Ocean Parkway down through the next three neighborhoods, all the way to the Coney Island Boardwalk!  Stuck with my usual tactic of drinking fruit punch flavored Powerade, courtesy of my fuel belt, every two miles like clockwork.  Felt like I was pulling 8's, turned out to be a little bit faster than that, so I was pretty jazzed.  Several of us runners went over to a bar called Peggy O'Neill's, on the Surf Avenue side of MCU Ballpark (home of the minor league Brooklyn Cyclones), and had to be patient with our bartenders, who were clearly not used to a Saturday morning rush.  :)  Still got my Sammy.

Next week, I'm hoping for a similar experience -- going up to the farthest reaches of our state to run in the Buffalo Half Marathon.  It's become my annual Memorial Day trek, looking forward to running this new course that includes Delaware Park, and seeing some good friends of mine.

Yes, we always look forward to our old traditions, and sometimes start new ones.  But what about the ones that disappear?

My childhood synagogue is closing its doors.  The congregation is merging with another temple on the other side of town, but the building is for sale.  It seemed like the temple would be there forever, but all good things must end.

It brings back memories.  Learning the traditions of my ethnic group.  Preparing to lead services on my Bar Mitzvah day and beyond.  Feeling the comfortable, safe, and home-base feeling that I got within its walls.  

The Bar Mitzvah day stands out, of course.  The satisfaction of learning to recite sacred and ancient words in a language difficult to pronounce.  The rewards of preparing for a performance that your entire family and all of your friends appreciate.  The knowledge that, in some circles, you're recognized as a man, and no longer as a boy.

And, oh yeah . . . I got to give a speech, too.  :)  Now that I think about it, that was David's first blog post, before there were blogs!  Preparing for it helped me develop confidence, and performing it taught me to love having an audience.  :).  Oh yes, I did become a man in that sense -- I was no longer shy, looking for excuses not to speak.  Once I got over that hump, my years on stage in drama club and college theater were a breeze.

It was also the place I got close to G-D, appropriately enough.  I learned that there was something bigger than me, that handled all things in life beyond my control.  A source of justice truer than anything that could be handed down by any mortal authority figure.  And sometimes, when I didn't really expect it, it "saved" me from possible and unpleasant consequences.  Lesson really learned when that happened!

Ironically, my high school was just down the street.  The values one learned in that building were like night and day, in comparison from the values learned at temple.  Yet some people think that's the place a boy becomes a man.

I respectfully disagree.

Rather, for a true example of manhood, I look at the elders who organized our old temple, and their actions.  Giving of one's time.  Kindness towards children and the elderly.  Respect for tradition.  Greetings and friendliness towards all who entered.  Pride and values.  They had lives of their own, they could have chosen to let someone else "run things," but the leadership roles they took in synagogue life were rewarding in and of themselves.  

Yes, that temple is gone forever, but I still owe it a great deal.  It connected me with a tradition dating back millennia.  It gave me a chance to learn and express some good talents.  Most importantly, it taught me examples inspired by G-D, and those values made a man of me.
  

And so let it be with the rest of this beta tribe.  Gentlemen, don't recite or adopt the falsehoods of the alphaganda.  Don't be led astray by groupthink.  Don't bow down to false gods, and don't give them the power deserved only by Him.  You're better served to emulate the kind of righteousness those gentlemen showed.

So MUST a beta male believe in G-D?  Entirely up to you, friends.  I have no authority to save or damn any soul in my audience.  I can only vouch for my own, and nobody else's.  But I gotta admit, faith in a higher power and trust in all things beyond your control (provided you've handled everything within your control) is a far better way to go through life than to dread and malign one's own existence.

That's my sermon.  I've already discussed how my religion is disappearing.  Here's to finding a replacement once it does.

DISCLAIMER:  The above is not meant to besmirch, smear, undercut, or look down upon, those who belong to other faiths, or to no religion at all.  And trust me, I'm not saying that I'm perfect.  It's nothing more than memories of a treasured and uncorrupted part of my youth.  Please indulge me.  :)

You Just Can't Make Them.

Good Evening All, it's about that time.

Things are going quite well -- took a nice long run up and down the neighborhood and the park.  To shake things up, I used a new heart rate monitor given to me by a very supportive family member.  While it didn't show me distance or pace, it did indicate that I was very close to my maximum heart rate of 181, and burned 1127 calories in 1:14:20.  Good to know that I'm not overdoing it, and also good to know that my metabolism hasn't slowed down!

But on to tonight's topic.  A friend of mine recently noted that attendance in his/her house of worship was significantly less this week than it was during the recent major holidays.  He felt sad and frustrated that others did not seek out G-D faithfully, and questioned why those with only sporadic attendance and participation would even join a congregation to begin with.

His feelings are completely valid, and I'm sure many others who are active in church or temple feel the same frustration.  Most weekends, the sanctuary is populated by "the regulars," but on the red-letter days, it's standing room only.  Or better yet, on the red-letter days, some people only come to hear "the important part," and then leave with a substantial amount of the service remaining.  It's annoying and disrespectful, let's be honest!  It also serves to erode faith - apathy is sometimes contagious, and it takes strength and discipline to indoctrine oneself against it.

However, the frustration felt towards our apathetic counterparts must be contained, otherwise it morphs into arrogance and judgment.  Nobody can force adherents of any faith to be present at services, or to say all the right prayers, or to do anything that the ancient scriptures say ought to be done.  That's why we live in a country that respects freedom of religion (and atheism), and not one that imposes religion on its population.

Are they doing wrong?  Maybe.  Is it a diss to the house of worship and its leaders?  It sure feels like it.  Then again, there might also be completely valid reasons for skipping or cutting, such as children, health, or other commitments.  Or chances are, they wish they could attend, but some problem in their life is preventing them from doing so, and they may be somewhat embarrassed to explain what it is!  It also might not be our business.

And if they don't have valid reasons, then let them deal with G-D Himself.  We can't assume that we speak for Him when we don't, so let Him do the job.  If He sees fit to send a message, people are much more likely to take Him seriously than us!

For those of us who are faithful attendees, keep it up.  Don't be discouraged by those who aren't there with you, and don't question whether you're wasting your time because of their no-shows.  Just like they don't have to explain to you why they don't go, you don't have to feel self-conscious or self-doubting because you choose to attend.  You honor G-D the way you see fit, keep your faith strong, and don't let anyone -- not the latecomers, not the early-leavers, not the no-shows, and not the smart-ass agnostics who deride and belittle your beliefs -- make you feel like you shouldn't stick with it.

And besides, maybe it's better to be happy with those who do attend, than it is to be angry at those who don't.  By way of analogy, look at me and this blog -- sometimes it feels like I have a pseudo-congregation out here in the blog-osphere, but I can't make people read it.  In fact, there are a few people out there I would LOVE to read it, but I know for a fact that they won't.   If I sent emails of my blog entries to all of them, demanding that they read it, they'd just get annoyed and delete them.  So all I can do is write what I know best, check the stats, and be happy with the turnout that results.  It hasn't happened often, but I sometimes get negative feedback from my readers.  I can't force them to love every single word I write, but I can politely acknowledge their beef, and then choose to either accept it or reject it.  It's far better for me to keep this going, even with the video, than to feel slighted and stunted by those who feel like walking out on what I'm saying.

WHEW . . .  sometimes I don't know where it comes from, people.  Oh, one more thing:

DISCLAIMER -- the above post was not intended to offend, malign, besmirch, insult, or kick sand in the face of any adherent or nonadherent of any church, religion, creed, cult, faith, group or organization.  Any offense or sense of being miffed is entirely the responsibility of the reader of this blog.

That's all I got now -- have a restful Sunday night!

Heroism -- Not As Easy As It Looked!

Yes, People, today marks the end of what is known as Holy Week for some, and the transition from the festival days of Passover to the intermediate days of Passover -- I'll explain that concept another time.

MOSES.

This week we celebrate major festivals in two different faiths that both concern men who were called upon to be heroes for different reasons.  The Passover story recounts how Moses, an Egyptian nobleman, learned of his Hebrew lineage, aligned himself with his enslaved countrymen, and led their miraculous escape from slavery. He was, at best, a reluctant leader - the rabbinical commentaries said that he was so uncomfortable with public speaking that Aaron had to "interpret" for him when he demanded that Pharaoh "let my people go."  Not all studly and forceful like Charlton Heston played him, he never volunteered for this gig.  Rather, he was chosen to be the leader and to bring G-D's message of deliverance and freedom.

And this business of freedom proved to make him an unpopular leader.  Once the Jews made it across the Red Sea, the complaint department was open for business 24/7.  People thought that Moses had brought them out of Egypt to die, they questioned where this Promised Land actually was, and they started remarking that the Egyptians, brutal as they were, at least fed them (no kidding they fed you -- to paraphrase Boba Fett, unfed slaves were no good to the Egyptians!)

This lack of popularity eventually got under his skin, so that he lost his temper on two significant occasions:  First, when he came down from Sinai with the Tablets in his hand, what did he see?  His own people decided it would be a lot more fun to worship a golden idol and hold a bacchanalian shindig than to wait for him to deliver some high-handed laws.  So he chucked those sacred Tablets at them, went off on them royally, and declared them unworthy.  Eventually, the Tablets were replaced from on high, the golden calf was smelted down, and those responsible paid the price, but Big Moe showed the people that he had his limits.

On the second occasion, he got tired of the people asking for water from the rock, which could have been delivered merely by speaking to it.  But he was in such a foul mood that day that he struck it hard out of frustration, against the commandment to merely ask for the water from the rock.  This time, he paid a hefty price:  all those complaining Hebrews were going to cross the river into Canaan and build their own country, but he wouldn't be joining them.

These two isolated incidents smudged his otherwise legendary status.  Although it was he who brought G-D's word to Israel, he was all too human in his reactions to the complaints and capriciousness of a brand new nation.  Had he only learned that it's not possible to change the way people act or think, even if they are delivered with Commandments from G-D, his record could have been perfect.  The simple truth is, that some people will complain and judge and gossip even when faced with direct and irrefutable proof of a Higher Power.  The only One who can change them is G-D himself, not you.  Had he simply understood that (a) some people flocked to the calf because they were not ready for G-D, no matter what miracles they'd seen; and that (b) people will demand water even if it's there for the taking, he may have been able to enjoy the rewards of his hard work, and actually entered what is now Israel.  However, he would settle for the fact that he brought Israel, a great and mighty nation, out of misery and bondage to build its own kingdom and Temple, which was clearly enough of an accomplishment in and of itself.

JESUS.

The Easter story tells of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  A carpenter was called upon to fulfill his role as a Chosen Savior predicted by prophecy, and he went about it the best way he knew how.  He preached what he knew was true, and taught others how they could receive the Kingdom of Heaven.  In doing so, he risked great peril from many sources.  While those who agreed with him saw him as a leader, a prophet, and a source of comfort and faith, others called him a fraud and an enemy.  Had he been around today, there might have been a large amount of friends and advisers with good intentions who would have tried to limit what he said, where he said it, and to whom he said it, just to protect him.  If there were such advisers around him then, he apparently chose to take those risks instead of seeking safety.

Ultimately, his enemies brought an end to his earthly existence in spite of the good he did.  However, the Gospels state that he still triumphed over them when he rose from the grave.  His words would eventually be accepted by most of known world.  Nevertheless, the end to his life on earth was a painful and tragic one.

His example, not unlike Moses, was a reminder of perseverance in the face of adversity and unpopular sentiment.  Both men stuck to their convictions, no matter how hated or reviled their positions made them.   Both men have long since been venerated for what they accomplished -- one brought a nation of slaves to freedom and liberty, the other preached salvation and redemption to all people.  They both succeeded, but both their successes came at heavy costs.

So let's take the examples from both men:  (1) Are you angry at people who just don't get your message?  Let them not get it, because that's not your problem.  Staying angry at those who just don't feel like listening will only drag you down to their level.  (2) Are you brave enough to deliver your message even if it's unpopular and others may threaten you?  Don't be afraid of them.  However, if there's a personal safety, life-and-death issue, be careful.  Dying for a cause is noble, but living for your cause is even better.  As long as nobody's being put in danger, and your adversaries at least respect your right to live and speak your truth, don't hold back.

Hope you enjoyed your holidays, all, and have a happy Monday!

DISCLAIMER:  The above blog entry was not intended to malign, besmirch, impugn, or condemn any religious practices, creeds, or beliefs.  Any offense experienced by the reader of this message is entirely the responsibility of that reader, and not its author.