Statements of Encouragement: Changes.

 Hello and eku deede iwoyi o!

I was going to write about Change as the topic for the month then I remember that I have written a lot on the topic 2 years back way before the pandemic. Please go back and read again if you have the time because they are just as very useful now.

However, I will add that one of the most distinctive aspects of the traditional worldview that has always assisted Jews to cope with change is the view that humans aren’t ’ merely smart animals but are qualitatively distinct and unique beings. You may know the old childhood guessing game of “ animal, vegetable, or mineral. ” Well, the view is that there is a fourth category to add to that three — human. 

Minerals undergo almost no change through the ages. Marble, for example, is cut from a quarry in Italy and shipped to New York City where it will form the facade of a bank. The years go by, and the marble remains virtually the same as it was. Finally, the building may be demolished, but the marble is preserved to be reused in another building.

 Vegetables don’t last anywhere near as long as minerals. During the existence of, say, a radish, the vegetable changes more than a mineral does, but its changes are minor. It may grow larger, it may become redder, but it is still just a radish. There is only a small quantitative difference between a ripe radish and one that still needs a few more weeks in the ground.

 Animals change far more than vegetables. A newborn puppy dog can be almost irresistibly appealing; yet the same animal a few years later might be a mangy cur, the scourge of the neighborhood. A newborn calf must be nurtured by the farmer until it can take its useful place in the herd. That mature cow is very different from the calf it started out as, but once it is mature, it will change very little in appearance or even in milk production.

Humans are indeed unique. Not only does the appearance of a person continue to change throughout his or her life, but so do experience, character traits, and skills. Few people would like to be judged by the way they were 20 years ago. People change; and for the most part, they would like to think they change for the better.

The only way to prevent change like this pandemic from utterly dominating your life until you are driven to distraction by the absence of any fixed framework of reference is to make sure that your life does possess a fixed and unchangeable framework of reference. Your ability to embrace some changes and to profit from them depends on your ability to staunchly resist other changes too though.

We celebrate with you if you were born in November the only month with NO. We wish you no sickness, no accident, no failure in all areas and no weapon formed against you shall prosper.

Have a wonderful month everyone! Stay safe, get vaccinated, or get ready for the booster, stay strong, mask up, and stay healthy until we will be able to gather again possibly soon.

 Eric Thompson

 YAJ.