Wings of Gratitude

The wings of gratitude carry me to the present moment and allow me to enjoy it.

D-Day

http://www.army.mil/d-day/

“The U.S. Army remembers June 6, 1944: D-Day in Normandy, France. Video, audio, photos, posters, and maps tell the story.” A great moment.

Patience Takes me by the Hand

Patience takes me by the hand up to the summit of the mountain to view life’s panorama.

Love Your Neighbor

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” “Yourself” is not your I, but your divine spark, the authentic you. (Lev 19:18)

Integration

Integration: Making sense of opposites; living in diverse realms; finding a way to enjoy eating chocolate, garlic, sushi together: ONE

End of Oxford One-Word Exam

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/28/world/europe/28oxford.html

The end of the one-word exam at Oxford.

The Flotilla Incident and My Frustration with Israel

Israel clearly has the right to defend itself by maintaining the blockade against a country whose government is committed to annihilating it, and Israeli soldiers were confronted with a violent response on at least one of the ships.

I still find this situation demoralizing and depressing.  How come Israel was not better prepared to handle the flotilla?  Israel is supposed to have the best military and the most sophisticated counter-insurgency techniques.  It sure did not look like that here.  When the commandos descended on to the Turkish ship, they looked like sitting ducks for a an angry mob.  How could the Israeli military have so badly misjudged this situation, putting their own soldiers at risk and giving the anti-Israel crowd an enormous PR victory?  The flotilla organizers were not about giving aid to Gaza.  They want to break the Israeli blockade and move public opinion against Israel.  They may not have broken the Gaza blockade (yet), but they succeeded in turning world opinion against Israel, its supporters, and the global Jewish community once again.  Israel looks like a bull in a china closet and is finding itself increasingly isolated.  From a PR point of view, the flotilla was a great victory for those who want to destroy Israel.

No matter what the legitimate justifications for Israel’s actions, they don’t matter in the end.  What matters is public perception as filtered through the media and the internet.  Pro-Palestinian activists understand this.  The Israelis and their supporters seem clueless.  While Israel takes a reactive posture, focusing on tactics in individual incidents (and the tactics were a failure here, a screw-up by the military), the pro-Palestinian activists take a longer, strategic view of turning the world against Israel (and Jews).

When will Israel and its supporters learn to use the media and the internet to their advantage?  When will Israel act pro-actively and cultivate a strategy that looks at their long-term interests?  If events keep piling up in this form, Israel will find itself in an untenable position.  For its sake and our sake, I hope somebody gets the message.

Anxiety

Anxiety: millennial residue; protection, also subversion; when transformed, a gateway to self-discovery, community renewal.

Calm

Calm: Long-sought after, so difficult to attain, yet right in front of us.

Opening Our Eyes

Opening our eyes is often difficult, but worth it.

High-Five Etiquette

http://www.tvkim.com/watch/205/kims-picks-high-five-etiquette

“It may be the friendliest greeting ever invented. The high five is less professional than a handshake. But it’s more personal than a simple wave. It’s reserved for the closest of friends. But what’s the right way to do it? What if you mess one up? Don’t worry. Learn proper high five technique in thi…”

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