Being Free and Interdependent

"Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains," said Jean-Jacques Rousseau in his time. Who puts the chains on us that deny us freedom? That is the question. Is it the environment or ourselves? Or is it just the nature of life? The answer depends on the depth of our contemplation. ?

Eventually, each one of us will discover that personal freedom can only be achieved by building a new kind of relationship between us: good, unlimited reciprocal relations. Evolution is moving us, the human race, forward toward such an integral connection, and within this connection that we will discover a completely new kind of life for ourselves.?

From infancy, people are obliged to do all kinds of things. Babies are born, fed, and nurtured along certain paths as part of their development. Even if they do not want to receive medicine, for example, it is given to them. Then they are sent to kindergarten, to school. They have to get up early, get organized in a hurry, follow a rigid schedule all day, listen to things that do not necessarily interest them, and do homework. As we raise our children and prepare them for life, they have no freedom of choice.?

Because a habit becomes second nature, we do not feel like we are handcuffed. We have become accustomed to the boundaries and conditions that have been set, and we feel free within those boundaries. We unconsciously just let life drive us: studies, career, family, status, successes.?

There are those for whom the question of freedom and independence does arise. What am I actually living for? What is the essence and meaning of my life? Just buying a house, a car, going on vacation once in a while cannot be all there is to life. Even if there were to be a new discovery of how to prolong life in good health, would that give me a sense of freedom and make me happier? These are the ultimate big questions that each of us will eventually face.?

Misery, at its core, stems from the realization that our life is limited and lacking, without a big and clear goal that we can achieve. Exactly this is the feeling of slavery, literally. If in the past people still managed to turn off the internal questioning by burying themselves in all kinds of mysticisms and religions, today this works less and less. It is no longer purposeful.?

There are those who believe that being free means being independent and without any reliance on others. Is such a thing even possible? Because whether I am an employee or self-employed, an entrepreneur, a junior employee, or an executive, I am still dependent on many factors that limit me.?

And if I could escape from all the limitations and dependencies on others to a desert island, sitting on a beach that belongs only to me, all alone, would I be defined as free? After all, at every moment new desires would arise in me forcing me to pursue and fulfill them at all costs. ?

So as we delve deeper into the question of freedom, we discover how vague the notion is. Life, however, has its own dynamic and we evolve from year to year. Sooner or later, even if all our material needs were already fulfilled and there was abundance of everything in the world, the question, "what are we living for?" would come to hound us.?

Eventually, each one of us will discover that personal freedom can only be achieved by building a new kind of relationship between us: good, unlimited reciprocal relations. Evolution is moving us, the human race, forward toward such an integral connection, and within this connection that we will discover a completely new kind of life for ourselves.?

Like children who run around the house in joyful abandon next to their mother who they know will take care of them and prepare everything that is good for them, a sense of freedom will grow within us as we develop love and closeness in the relationships between us. An assurance will grow that I will not have to defend myself against you and you against me; my heart will be open to you and yours to me. ?

The genuine human connection of mutual care and consideration will free us from worrying about ourselves and rid us of stress, problems, and struggles. The power of love and giving will fill all of creation, and this is the integral force that connects all parts of nature into a wonderful seamless fabric for an ultimately fulfilling existence.

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Israel Is Only the Beginning

A few days ago, Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Israel’s prime minister, Naftali Bennett, and the de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, held a confidential meeting in Egypt. The three met to discuss possible repercussions of the new nuclear pact with Iran. I think there is good reason for concern. While the Iranian people are not inherently hostile to Israel, the extremist regime of the Ayatollahs seeks world domination, and wiping Israel off the map is part of their plan to rule the world.

The war in Ukraine and the looming nuclear pact signal to all of us that we must make a thorough revision of everything. We need to carefully examine what we want with ourselves, what we expect from life, from humanity, what future we are preparing for our children, if any, and what future we would like to build for them.

A nuclear agreement will not prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. On the contrary, it will lift sanctions, release seized funds, and enable the fanatic regime to develop whatever it wants. This should be of great concern not only for Israel, but for every country in the world, and first and foremost for the countries in the region. This is why the leaders of countries that are threatened by the nuclear ambitions of Iran’s leadership met, and the unlikely alliance should send a warning signal for everyone.

The war in Ukraine and the looming nuclear pact signal to all of us that we must make a thorough revision of everything. We need to carefully examine what we want with ourselves, what we expect from life, from humanity, what future we are preparing for our children, if any, and what future we would like to build for them.

At the current levels of belligerence around the world, there is only one direction where the world can go: destruction. As Russia’s foreign minister has warned, if we end up in another world war, it will be a nuclear one. At the end of the war, we will still have to rethink everything, just as I am suggesting now, so why not do it while we are still here, instead of leaving it to the tormented few who will survive a global nuclear extinction?

I think we should all realize that from here on, things will only deteriorate until everything collapses. If we understand this, we will be able to agree to sit down and contemplate how we can prevent the impending catastrophe. We will succeed only if everyone agrees and cooperates. Since today, every country can set off a world war, all the countries must convene and jointly resolve to reform their connections.

There will be no affinity among the countries, no warmth or sympathy. However, it will buy us time to start building a new spirit.

Then, when we understand that no one succeeds unless we all succeed, we will be able to build a common world society where nations are not inherently hostile to each other, and even respect each other's contribution to the world society. In such a state, we will be able to resolve differences without violence.

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AIPAC’s Super Pac Marks Its Course

According to a story that went up on JTA, the AIPAC Political Action Committee (PAC) is what we would expect from a lobbying group whose stated mission is “to encourage and persuade the U.S. government to enact specific policies that create a strong, enduring and mutually beneficial relationship with our ally Israel.” However, “The ‘super PAC’ that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee launched in December … is more opaque: It’s called the United Democracy Project. Its brief mission statement does not mention Israel nor the powerhouse pro-Israel lobby behind its founding. Instead, it emphasizes the promotion of democracy.” When AIPAC spokesman Marshall Wittmann had to explain why the super PAC does not state that it supports Israel, he avoided the question and “did not directly answer.”

The omission of Israel from the new PAC’s mission statement highlights the course that American Jewry has been on for years: away from the State of Israel. Other than orthodox organizations, there is no connection between American Jewry and the State of Israel, and the new PAC simply spells it out.

The omission of Israel from the new PAC’s mission statement highlights the course that American Jewry has been on for years: away from the State of Israel. Other than orthodox organizations, there is no connection between American Jewry and the State of Israel, and the new PAC simply spells it out.

It is not because of the policy of this or that Israeli government; it is much deeper than that. American Jewry is divesting from Israel as part of a process of divesting from Judaism altogether. Some people may resent the uncouth statement, but I always choose truth over manners.

I have no doubt that politicians will continue to make pilgrimages to AIPAC conventions and say all the right words, but the rift will continue to widen. Eventually, no one will be able to deny it.

If Israel had any inner strength, it would tell AIPAC, and all the other organizations that pretend to support it, that since they are not true to their words, they will have no prerogatives in Israel. They may come and visit like any other tourist, but nothing more than that.

The problem is that Israel will never do that because it is powerless. Our only source of strength is our unity. Since we have none of it, we have no strength at all. We grovel before anyone who smiles at us, and kowtow to bureaucrats and peddlers who promise us the world, but never deliver. We are so insecure because of our division that we cannot see that the State of Israel no longer needs outside help. We have developed to the point where the country is independent with or without external funds. Regrettably, we will not see it as long as we are weak within—divided to the core.

AIPAC’s New PAC is an opportunity for us to wake up, grow up, and realize that we are on our own. We have no one but each other. It is time for Israel to become the nation it is meant to be.

We can stand up to the bigotry and hatred of the United Nations only if we stand as a united nation. We ourselves are a miniature United Nations. Our ancestors did not come from one place or one tribe; they came from all over the Fertile Crescent and formed a nation through their sole desire to unite above their differences. We were a startup nation from the get go.

Our “algorithm” is unique: Stay different, yet stay together. When we abide by it, we are the strongest in the world and the world admires us. When we abandon it, we are the world’s laughing stock.

For Jews, education for unity is the single most important goal. “Love your neighbor as yourself” was our first “export,” and the most valuable ever. Regrettably, we have stopped producing it, so the world thinks it is a hoax. After all, who would buy a product denounced by its own manufacturer?

If we return to our roots, we will not need any lobbyists pretending to support us. Our unity will be our best promotion and the only one we will ever need.