Heavy Things on the Brain

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(I added to this post)

Its hard to blog and radiate positivity when so much heavy things are on my mind.

Baby is at his most clingy stage at the moment.

My friends were heading for the Kotel /Western Wall/ Wailing Wall a few days ago. A man told them the regular route was closed and that they had to go a different way. Turns out it was an ambush. Many young Arab men came throwing stones at their car. Their windows got smashed, they said the "final prayer" thinking it was all over. Thank God, with some fast manoeuvering, they escaped.

This has gotten me thing about survival...

Some people take the soft glove approach to all the terrorism going on in the world. No! Don't associate it with Islam! Nevermind everything, only pay attention to what the most famous of talking heads are saying!

Others are taking a very hard line approach. Its all coming from Islam, they say. Get rid of Islam and the idea of terrorism will go.

Which is right?

I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

There are alot of things that are very similar with Judaism and Islam that people don't want to talk about. Such as in Judaism, it is taught that there are 613 good deeds/commandments to be done in this world. Each part corresponds to different parts of the body. Interestingly, the deed/commandment of not falling for idolatry is at the back bone-y & ligament area at the back of the neck. That ligament there is associated with idol worship or serving God. If someone falls for idol worship, then they got problems with that part in the neck. That area is what keeps the head and the body together.

In Islam, they want to behead those they claim to be idol worshippers. (i.e. punish that part that was suppose to be for serving God, since the person is an infidel and is not serving God)

In Judaism there is a big push against promoting fear. Even as I grew up on scary movies since I was a kid, I really try not to spook my kids with stories of monsters and whatnots under the bed. Not even kids stories with suspense. The drive is more of joy. With joy there comes prophecy, with joy, there comes good health, with joy comes blessings.

Terrorism preys on people by giving them terror -and really clamps down on the fearful. I imagine this -the power of fear and terror- can be learned from Islam (or Judaism).

In Judaism, women are expected to cover themselves out of modesty. They keep their hair covered after marriage. Legs and torso are covered. Why? It is believed that tempting men with thoughts of sex can lead to a spilling of "seed". These seeds don't just die. They create children. All seeds create whether its with a physical body or not. These particular spilled seeds create bodiless beings. (you know, those things that start with a d and rhymes with semon. hehehe). Modesty does not end with clothing. How one talks, comports themselves, etc all have a modesty aspect.

In Islam, via sharia law, women who are immodest are ....hurt pretty badly.

In Judaism, there is no separation of "church" and state. Judaism is a way of life. Something many people -especially Americans can't understand. We can live in a state and follow its laws. But come Passover, even though the civil law does not state this, chances are there will probably not be any bread, flour, yeasty food in any religious Jewish home -because of Torah. There will probably not be any stores open on Friday evening, even though civil law of whatever country permits it. etc.

In Islam, also its pretty impossible to separate "church" and state. Again, this is something people can not see.

Basically what I am saying is there is an element in Islam that will cause people to be violent, mean, hurtful terrorists. And truth be told, alot of the terrorism that's happening in the world today are committed by Muslims. China, India, America (for those who are ready to understand this), and Israel, etc.

But alot of these same factors or "teachings" are embedded in various degrees in other religions and ways of life. So what gives?

A little story:

There was once a man who loved a woman. But that woman spurned him. Every chance she got, she spurned him. She ran off and danced with other men. She even offered herself for marriage to a few of them. And though they had a good time with her, in the end she was always left hurt.

Finally, she stopped fooling around and really wanted love. She looked around to see who really loved her. Who was faithful to her all along. It was the man from the beginning. So she returns to her true love and lived happily ever after.

Meanwhile there was another woman who was doing the same thing. She spurned the man who loved her and ran off after other men. But this man was able to do something about it. One by one he killed the suitors off. Finally everyone was afraid to have dealings with the woman. Left with no choice, she resigns and submits to the man.

Man1 which is the other major religions seem to not have any way of enforcing and getting what they want; whereas Man2 has a means of enforcing and thus achieving their goals faster. In the first incidence at least the woman (the goal, the mission) begins to seek out the man and is content. In the second case, the way things are going now, the woman (goal, mission) submits but is her heart in it?

Ramblings: Tired of the BS

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This is actually good news. A blessing even. I'm throwing in the towel. I'm tired of the BS in my life. My goal originally was to post about interracial dating and marriage. There was just too much vitriol to deal with. Too much anger and hatred vomited out from bloggers and commenters against each other. What drama, who needs it? Finally, I abandoned that goal.

Then I just wanted to post about BW topics and give it my own Jewish twist to events and inspire. Well, I don't know if I've inspired. Anybody. I am not a very patient person. Perhaps I am, but I don't feel it.

There are so many things that I just don't agree with but say nothing. I don't want that anymore. I want to live my life more freely.

There are many "self help" BW blogs out there, but I am afraid they are not for me. I am not knocking it, its just not for me. My 'self help' is found within me. I can't borrow someone else's decision or path to "free" themselves of any or all previously known concepts in the name of self empowerment because my decisions are my own. I know many would not be able to hang with who I am and what I am. Many can't even conceive that black can have any value. Many can't even conceive that Jewishness can be anything good. Some can't even understand that there is more to life, more to me than just these. Catch words have bound us. Zionist has its connotations. There is even a book, I believed called, "Is Gay the new Black?" As if to say, is being gay the new negative, bad, discriminated, etc. Would anyone think that the title of this book meant that gays could be the "new" artistic, musical, spiritual anything positive?

Anyway, I can't be doing self helps. I went through that already. I am where I want to be! I know where I want to go.

Any attempt to go backwards and I'll have to fight the same battles I've fought long ago. Also I can't deal with the let's-mourn-our-bad-decisions-and-reflect business. Everything we did, everyone one we met has led us to become who we are today. God Loves Us! And yes, we have free will. So here we are. In the here and now. And we are who we are in the here and now. Now what? That is the question.

Now, we arise, like a phoenix on to the next level. That's what.
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Well, I went onto a blog recently and found folks talking about how they want "peace". Peace against all the hateful CIA who conspire and rouses countries like India and Pakistan and others to fight each other and peace against the "warhawk Zionists". Well, I guess we've decided who the enemies are. LOL.

Its so much easier to say that any other government leaders are "puppets" and pawns, and the CIA is the only one in the world with a BRAIN. But it makes the problems too simplistic. But the truth of the matter is that nobody really cares anyway. Its just a question of how will this effect ME?! That is why the biggest threat seems to be the CIA. The other countries may have corrupt governments and may even hate Americans, but they are not the immediate threat.

Now Israel is not a big threat, I don't think, to America. But yet folks almost lovingly choose to hate them too. Why? Is it the lobbyists in Washington? Aren't there many lobbyists in Washington? Are they too successful? Has it turned into a white vs black situation? Palestinians being the "new black" so to speak?

I remember long ago, I took a trip to a caribbean island. It was beautiful. The coconut trees, the smell of the air, the colorful dresses....The people there did not have much. No tvs, nothing to expose them too much to what they are missing had they lived in America. They tried to get bread on the table everyday, went to local soccer games, kicked it with friends, carried baskets on their heads, and had a ready smile for whoever needed. After that trip, I closed my ears whenever I heard MSM (mainstream media) discuss how poor that country was and how blah, how negative. They had no good news to say about that place. I learned to screen them out.

However, I believed what MSM had to say bout everything else.

Then I became religious and came to Israel. I saw first hand Arabs, Jews, Christians living here. Then I became wary of MSM's portrayal of Israel. and that was it.

Finally, it clicked. What else are they just slandering for the sake of entertaining news and maintenance of stereotypes?

This was the final blow for me on MSM. But I fear many, so many others are still under their spell. Humans are not meant to be negative for prolong periods of time.

This is why they post constantly these various studies of how bad things are in the African American community and various other groups -because without the continuity of these bad reports, we'd get out of our funk and do better. But we only look at what interest us and not the wide picture. So we don't see the games they play. We're too stuck trying to rectify our image, our self esteem, our whatever else that just got slandered. People are buying it. Blogs after blogs, I find BF wondering how to find a self esteem, where to go for love, even wondering CAN people actually love them! The studies are working. Folks get so lost in their own search for value, no time is taken to wonder perhaps others are getting a bad rap.

But truth is needed. It needs to be loud.

In a lunge to grasp self esteem, many fling themselves to whatever institution that could maybe help.

Many run to Islam.

I respect Islam and wish I knew more about sufis and how life was/ is like for them and what they believe. I also like that in Islam, they don't have a middle man between themselves and God and there's no ambiguity.

But I seriously wonder, is it truths about Islam that attracts many African Americans? Or is it the color? Is the presumption that since most Muslims are seen as 'not white' and so therefore there is acceptance there? I know that there are some who are truly serious and seek this out because they understand and believe truly.

Our color has a significant purpose and value. But its not a ticket or a pass.

Okay, maybe on the human level. But I mean it doesn't DEFINE us.

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Who wants world peace? I mean really.

For this to happen we need unity and harmony. HASSADIM and GEVUROT. Unity in that we understand each other and work towards a common goal. Harmony in that we don't have to lose our individual identity and /or beliefs in order to accomplish the unity.

Imagine, in an orchestra the violinists are angry at the flutists because they are using such 'foreign' instruments. They should burn!!! eh? We should all be violinists? But imagine the harmony that comes when the orchestra plays with various instruments?

There is a place in the world for everything and everyone. A bad character trait (anger, jealousy, etc) is simply a misplaced character. Yes, there are times to be angry. Times and reasons to be jealous. Just don't misplace it. lol.

Who wants world peace? Where is your Ayin tov /your good eye?

Its so easy to look at things with an Ayin Ra /an evil eye. An eye that sees the bad, the wrong, the criticizing eye. The eye of hatred. Wash those eyes out. Look with both of them and you'll see the truth of the matter.

Who wants world peace? Seek it out.

You'll find it in the scriptures. In the Torah. In the Koran. In science. Inside of yourself. Seek truth and good. It permeates the world and is ready to be drawn in once we really want it.

Okay, I am starting to sound preachy so I'll stop my ramblings.