Nadene Goldfoot
A lot of the news is about the minister of a very teeny congregation who burned the Koran which started a stampede of Muslims killing many Christians outside of the USA.
It brings to mind to this Jewish mother who is not a Rabbi, of our advice to do unto others as we would have done unto us. In other words, don't do something to other people that you would hate to have happen to you. No matter what. No matter how much you hate them. That's implied. It's the Golden Rule.
I don't want anyone drawing cartoons of my people, either. They used to do that about Jews. They drew hideous cariatures of Jews with big noses, etc, and had horrible comments about us. We didn't say anything about it. Of course Muslims don't appreciate cartoons of their Mohammed. Just because we are used to the freedom of doing so doesn't mean that it's a wise thing to do. The people being made fun of are explosive types. They react unwisely and highly emotionally. They rely on killing as the means to solve any problem.
I don't want anyone to burn our Torah and associated books, prayer books, etc, which the Nazis did. I don't appreciate and am shocked with things found in the Koran which I myself have seen and read with my own eyes. But I'm not about to burn the book. I have to hope that someday such viewpoints will change. Somehow. But I'm not going to make a martyr out of the Koran.
The people doing this killing are not thinking on our wave length. The gap between us is wider than the Grand Canyon. So since we are the great thinkers, we've got to think outside the box for a change. We have enjoyed freedom of speech and of newspapers for a long time and they haven't.
We shouldn't have to stop our freedoms just because Muslims now have communication skills and pick up on what we're doing and saying, but knowing this, it's time to think of that Golden Rule. I don't know if it will create a better environment for us but we'll feel better about ourselves for doing so. You wouldn't hurt your best friend just because they're of a different religion, would you? So include the Muslims in that circle of sensitivity. Just use the Golden Rule. We're not going to improve life by threatening Muslims by burning their Koran and drawing pictures making fun of them. We get the opposite reaction. Our being free doesn't give us the freedom to be cruel or mean.
Sometimes, but not always, people learn by how they are treated. Israel has tried to treat Palestinians with the Golden Rule, and they have been rebuffed and lied about. However, I think that the Palestinians citizens of Israel themselves might be realizing just how they have been treated differently than their fellows living in the surrounding Muslim countries. They get the same treatment as Jewish citizens. So maybe they realize that by them not trying to kill off the Jews of Israel has created a good living environment for them. Let's hope so. After all, the Golden Rule is golden. It couldn't hurt.
The citizens of Israel are not burning Korans. They even have minarets in their neighborhoods as well as mosques. After all, it's the Middle East.
On the other hand, I don't care to see what I am seeing: kowtowing to the Muslims and giving them more rights than the general public has. They haven't come to live here with a ticket to take over everything. They have to learn not to expect extra special treatment and this is what I am seeing happening. I don't want to see America turn into a Muslim country. There are still things that I would like to have as a Jew and have not received. For instance, we have a few holidays where we are expected to attend synagogue service and to not work. Every year as a teacher I would put in for a day off for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kipper, and I was in line with the hunters. Guess who got first choice. The hunters. I was just ignored in most years. This made me very angry with the system. My administrator was not practicing the Golden Rule. My request was not out of line. He was not sensitive to my religion. The Muslim teacher that wants almost a month off during the school year to go to Saudi Arabia is out of line. She chose to live in the States and should understand that "this is not kosher." She could make her trip in the summer. Or, she could teach in a Muslim school where this might be allowed. Sometimes we have to make hard choices. This is the problem that comes from living in another country. Jews have been wrestling with this for 2,000 years. Finally we have seen the day when it's become better, but there's still room for improvement.
The Golden Rule. Advice from about 4,000 years ago, and still people have not made it a part of their practice. There's room for improvement for all of us. It's the key to having a good life.
A lot of the news is about the minister of a very teeny congregation who burned the Koran which started a stampede of Muslims killing many Christians outside of the USA.
It brings to mind to this Jewish mother who is not a Rabbi, of our advice to do unto others as we would have done unto us. In other words, don't do something to other people that you would hate to have happen to you. No matter what. No matter how much you hate them. That's implied. It's the Golden Rule.
I don't want anyone drawing cartoons of my people, either. They used to do that about Jews. They drew hideous cariatures of Jews with big noses, etc, and had horrible comments about us. We didn't say anything about it. Of course Muslims don't appreciate cartoons of their Mohammed. Just because we are used to the freedom of doing so doesn't mean that it's a wise thing to do. The people being made fun of are explosive types. They react unwisely and highly emotionally. They rely on killing as the means to solve any problem.
I don't want anyone to burn our Torah and associated books, prayer books, etc, which the Nazis did. I don't appreciate and am shocked with things found in the Koran which I myself have seen and read with my own eyes. But I'm not about to burn the book. I have to hope that someday such viewpoints will change. Somehow. But I'm not going to make a martyr out of the Koran.
The people doing this killing are not thinking on our wave length. The gap between us is wider than the Grand Canyon. So since we are the great thinkers, we've got to think outside the box for a change. We have enjoyed freedom of speech and of newspapers for a long time and they haven't.
We shouldn't have to stop our freedoms just because Muslims now have communication skills and pick up on what we're doing and saying, but knowing this, it's time to think of that Golden Rule. I don't know if it will create a better environment for us but we'll feel better about ourselves for doing so. You wouldn't hurt your best friend just because they're of a different religion, would you? So include the Muslims in that circle of sensitivity. Just use the Golden Rule. We're not going to improve life by threatening Muslims by burning their Koran and drawing pictures making fun of them. We get the opposite reaction. Our being free doesn't give us the freedom to be cruel or mean.
Sometimes, but not always, people learn by how they are treated. Israel has tried to treat Palestinians with the Golden Rule, and they have been rebuffed and lied about. However, I think that the Palestinians citizens of Israel themselves might be realizing just how they have been treated differently than their fellows living in the surrounding Muslim countries. They get the same treatment as Jewish citizens. So maybe they realize that by them not trying to kill off the Jews of Israel has created a good living environment for them. Let's hope so. After all, the Golden Rule is golden. It couldn't hurt.
The citizens of Israel are not burning Korans. They even have minarets in their neighborhoods as well as mosques. After all, it's the Middle East.
On the other hand, I don't care to see what I am seeing: kowtowing to the Muslims and giving them more rights than the general public has. They haven't come to live here with a ticket to take over everything. They have to learn not to expect extra special treatment and this is what I am seeing happening. I don't want to see America turn into a Muslim country. There are still things that I would like to have as a Jew and have not received. For instance, we have a few holidays where we are expected to attend synagogue service and to not work. Every year as a teacher I would put in for a day off for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kipper, and I was in line with the hunters. Guess who got first choice. The hunters. I was just ignored in most years. This made me very angry with the system. My administrator was not practicing the Golden Rule. My request was not out of line. He was not sensitive to my religion. The Muslim teacher that wants almost a month off during the school year to go to Saudi Arabia is out of line. She chose to live in the States and should understand that "this is not kosher." She could make her trip in the summer. Or, she could teach in a Muslim school where this might be allowed. Sometimes we have to make hard choices. This is the problem that comes from living in another country. Jews have been wrestling with this for 2,000 years. Finally we have seen the day when it's become better, but there's still room for improvement.
The Golden Rule. Advice from about 4,000 years ago, and still people have not made it a part of their practice. There's room for improvement for all of us. It's the key to having a good life.
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