Posts Tagged ‘isolation’

Jews don’t go solo

December 8, 2011

The holidays are upon us…that weird time of year when you gather with family and friends, put up with uncle harry because after all family is worth it.  Humans are pack animals, and Jews wrote the book. But a funny thing happens on the way to togetherness: feeling like an outsider. There is always the longing for a time that never quite was…The greeks called it Kaimos, that anxious state of nostalgia….We never learn to be alone without being lonely…We never learn how to value solitude, mistaking it for isolation…

But next time you’re in a crowded store, see how connected you feel…go for a walk by yourself, and when you feel anxious, don’t do anything about it…You wont’ die.

 

happy holidays

solitude vs isolation

September 4, 2011

When’s the last time you saw a Jew praying alone? I understand from my more religious friends that you can’t even pray unless you’ve got 10 men together in one place (What’s with discounting the female?…If we listened to their prayers a little more, the world would be a much nicer place….unless it has to do with shoes.)

We are pack animals. You don’t find many Jews in caves contemplating their navels..We love groups, big dinners and family…
And no one loves those things more than me. But I wonder how much of our togetherness is running away from what Blase Pascal said.”All the evils of mankind can be traced back to our inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”

A friend mentioned that the “I” in front of our Pads, Pods, and Phones, stands for Isolation…We are so connected that we’re disconnected. Isolation is very different than solitude..Heard a great quote: “Teach your children to be alone, or they will be lonely all their lives.” Think about it


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