Tikkun Daily Blog Archive (https://www.tikkun.org/tikkundaily/category/culture/page/78/)
Posts about culture, the arts, the media, book reviews, movies etc.
I believe that one of the best kept secrets about the rewards of choosing interdependence is the wisdom and the richer freedom that are often unleashed through entering dialogue with others as a path to making decisions: together, in complete autonomy, honoring everyone affected.
I dream of a world run on a gift economy basis. I see, vividly, the possibility of people self-governing, sharing resources locally and globally, attending to everyone’s needs in a collaborative way. The image of a flow of generosity replacing the world of exchange is a precious vision for me.
I had never told our young children about the terrorist attack that nearly took their mother’s life before they were born. Whenever they asked about her barely-visible scars, my answers were always vague, using the words accident and explosion to explain their existence.
They didn’t know this “accident” occurred in Israel. They didn’t know it was associated with a war, with a conflict.
However, with the publishing of my book – What Do You Buy the Children of the Terrorist Who Tried to Kill Your Wife? – I knew it was time to tell them. Better to hear from me, I thought, than from someone at school.
As Yom Kippur approaches, we invite you to reflect on two of Mark Kirschbaum’s pieces. One dealing with the relationship between time and teshuva and the other addressing why we read the Jonah story on this day.
Perhaps the biggest challenge for activists to overcome is to remain truly hopeful, but that is not to say it is impossible. Sam Daley-Harris shares the stories of those who have faced their fears and transformed their lives in order to better the world, and shows why a little grassroots empowerment can help create movements that will change the world.
Gandhi was once given a seemingly impossible scenario: what would he do if a plane were flying over his ashram to bomb him? He gave an equally challenging answer: he would pray for the pilot. Gandhi’s call to prayer was consistent with his vision of nonviolent strategy, and we have much to learn from his teaching as we seek to address the potential U.S. bombing of Syria.
Two passions of mine combine in wanting to take apart the meaning of “Can I?”: my love of language, which includes the belief that words are never simply words; and my burning interest in transforming paradigms of power.
Why do Republicans win so many elections? For years, this question has puzzled me. At a rational level, their policies clearly favor a wealthy minority and penalize the middle and lower classes; i.e., the vast majority of voters. Nevertheless, Republicans have won 7 of the last 12 national elections. They have these wins not because they’re smarter or richer, but because in contrast to more progressive politicians, Republicans wholeheartedly embrace and promote compete and win, dominate and control–they activate people’s fight/flight response.
A year after a deportation reprieve became available to undocumented youth, analysts are noticing a trend: Very few Chinese immigrants are applying for it.
“So what do the rich do every day that the poor don’t do?” I read this in an article posted to a Facebook business group. I was deeply disturbed by this article because it failed to mention the socially constructed systems that perpetuate economic inequality. I didn’t want to rock the boat in this business group because it’s part of my professional network. But a louder voice spoke (before I could even reel her in!), reminding me of my morning prayer.