Sherry Fishman
“’I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo. ‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.’” —J.R.R. Tolkein, Lord of the Rings trilogy.
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
― Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning
Imagery from fantasy novels/movies has been running through my head. The sulfurous orange glow of Sauron’s castle is a contrast of orange flame and a dark spew of blackness spreading out to envelope the land. The evil orcs marching to destroy everyone, an army of clay monsters, formed from the earth to conquer on behalf of Sauron.
Harry Potter’s London, enveloped in horrific darkness as reptilian cloud death- eaters swoop from the skies to suck the souls from everyone. The governing Bureau of Magic taken over by evil magicians in order to destroy all that is good and right.
These metaphoric images conjure the real ones: smoke emanating from the ovens of Auschwitz;he ash spewing far as “good” people looked away. This is where Viktor Frankl was imprisoned and lost his family, so while in the midst of losing all he loved, he searched for meaning. This was how he chose to go on.
So did Elie Weisel, and my Rabbi, Michael Cahana’s mother, Alice Cahana, who lost her sister during the death march after they both survived the camps. She had to leave her sister laying alone to die, else she herself would have been shot. They all lived in the times without a choice, except how to respond. And from that darkeness came the choices they made and gave light to the world. Frankl and Weisel, through writing, teaching, and leading; Alice through painting. One of her paintings hangs in the Vatican.
Today here, we see people having to leave their loved ones alone dying of Covid-19. We see systemic racism and brutal murders of people who are black; we see people hungry and houseless. We see the foundations of Democracy being attacked; we see families torn apart, rising facism both nationally and around the world.
So many of the people are striving via protests, donations, activism, and dedicating themselves to keeping our America one of ethics, equality and justice. My choice is to fight to make a more perfect union. I know I am not alone. I will proudly support the Democratic ticket, not because of partisanship, but because it is a party sharing the values of inclusiveness and dedication to our Constitution.
Joe Biden had unbearable losses and chose to serve his country while giving his love and devotion to his surviving children and to myriads of people he met and cared about.
Ady Barkan has ALS, is dying of it at 36. He will leave behind his young son and loving wife. He spoke last night, the second of the streamed Democratic Convention, about the need for affordable health care. Advocacy, activism, loving and living is what he’s chosen, while his functions and physical abilities continue to diminish.
We believe the choice of how to respond in the “worst of times” means in this moment. We are righteously appalled at the harm to others, the cruel policies, the trend towards facism, the darkness of ignorance, lies, cover-ups, corruption and greed. And we also understand we must strive to heal, not to harm.
That is our choice in the now. It was the choice in every country throughout history. Essentially we know that no time was without the horrors; and we know that is our only choice now.
There is a Talmudic saying by Rabbi Hillel: “If I am not for me, who will be. If I am not for others, what am I? If not now when?”
