http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/thoughts about what matters to this old manen-EUMokoFeed10http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/http://data5.blog.de/design/preview/6f/2f15b32e8114ac224d4d6f1ae1cd93_160x200.jpghttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/08/17/end-of-a-chapter-14562016/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-08-17:/2012/08/17/end-of-a-chapter-14562016/Fri, 17 Aug 2012 14:28:41 +0200 <p>There is nothing new to say about the problems we have been encountering on this blog platform. For me, the difficulties have made it more and more difficult for me to browse among the blogs of other bloggers here, and make comments. But even though I’ve decided to stop writing here, I want to thank the owners of BCUK, and especially the previous owners, for giving us all the opportunity to meet one another and to publish our thoughts and experiences. I learned about blogging here, and enjoyed meeting many different friends, and I am grateful for that opportunity. I also intend to check out how things are going, as time passes, and hope to stay in touch with some of you.</p> <p>It is now possible to follow my blog at this address:<br> <a href="http://thehumanpicture.wordpress.com">http://thehumanpicture.wordpress.com</a></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/08/17/end-of-a-chapter-14562016/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> thanksfriendslifemoving-onhttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/08/17/end-of-a-chapter-14562016/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/08/10/self-esteem-14443122/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-08-10:/2012/08/10/self-esteem-14443122/Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:39:43 +0200 <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7752311212/" title="D1984_42 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7248/7752311212_fe5cedc618.jpg" width="500" height="406" alt="D1984_42"></a><br> two kids walking their dog</p> <p>~</p> <p>Got together with Kika and Rivka this week, and it was an opportunity to discuss an issue that I’ve only recently discovered, as a result of my post, a couple of weeks ago on education. </p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7752312238/" title="D1986_92 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8442/7752312238_e8e1dcf634.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1986_92"></a><br> Kika and Rivka visiting me</p> <p>I’ve heard people describe happiness received from their offspring, when they see their children or grandchildren following in their footsteps. In my case, I can say that my children bring me great happiness, not because they followed in my footsteps, but because they continued from where I’ve gotten, and continue quite a bit further. Rivka is a good example. I had a lot of criticism about the way I was raised, and studied a bit about education when I grew up, so as not to make the same mistakes that my parents had made with me. This was not for the purpose of entering into the profession of education. I just wanted to understand this area of activity. As I learned, I developed certain attitudes and principles which helped guide me in the raising of my own children… and discovered along the way, that even with the best intentions, we all make mistakes.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7752311802/" title="D1986_58 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8304/7752311802_7a695c1357.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1986_58"></a><br> shadow of a tree</p> <p>My daughter Rivka, having gained success in another profession, returned to this subject herself, after having children, and observing the methods of different schools. She realized that she wasn’t really satisfied with the standard schooling, and began studying the Montessori method of education. After finishing her studies, she opened a Montessori kindergarten, and went on to study numerous methods of communication, which she now teaches to different age groups. She has continued to study, and to teach in a number of different frameworks. Her best friend, Kika, also a married woman with children, has joined her in the quest for better education and communication. They are partners in the management of the kindergarten, and encourage study seminars with employees, and the parents of those children who attend their kindergarten.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7752311648/" title="D1986_27 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7123/7752311648_4f66b20dd1.jpg" width="500" height="394" alt="D1986_27"></a><br> we all have to stop and think sometimes</p> <p>When I first heard of some of their theories on education, I was quite skeptical. It sounded to me as if they were too optimistic about what children could do on their own; that it was too idealistic. But then, I had the pleasure of visiting their kindergarten, and getting to know some of the children and teachers, and my impressions were very positive. The kindergarten has been working now for about ten years, and has had great successes. When I’m thinking about education, I often consult with them. I find I have learned a lot from their opinions and experiences. Having said all of that, I think that if I had young children again, I would not choose to send them to Montessori schools, but would prefer a traditional Jewish education. Still, I respect their work and methods.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7752312098/" title="D1986_83 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8436/7752312098_3c8098c0a2.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1986_83"></a><br> Jinji comes for a visit</p> <p>When speaking to them about the subject of self-esteem, they did not recognize the concept. Of course, we were talking Hebrew. And we looked for some parallel in our language, to see if this idea had penetrated our culture. The closest we were able to get, was the concept of ‘recognizing one’s own worth’. I learned that this was considered a valuable ingredient in the education of the young, according to ‘modern education’ in our country. I prefer this name to the term self-esteem, because it is more modest, and more realistic. But listening to these two educators, I soon realized that though the term was different, many of their ideas on what a child needed in order to become a good student and a healthy person were quite similar to the principles espoused by the ‘self-esteem’ proponents in the US. Since this school of thought is so popular in the west, I see no need to explain it further. But let me say, that thanks to my two friends, and examples that they described to me, showing how negative feelings about one’s self could discourage a person from studying, I felt that I was able to understand the issue better than I had understood it at first.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7752311496/" title="D1985_03 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8308/7752311496_9a6b8691c7.jpg" width="394" height="500" alt="D1985_03"></a><br> Jinji and Nechama greeting each other (as cats do)</p> <p>Esteem is described in the dictionary as ‘a high regard’, admiration, and even reverence. Self-esteem first became popular as a psychological term. It comes from a Greek word meaning ‘a reverence to self’. However, in reading psychological articles on the subject, it seems that the healthy objective is accepting one’s self for whom we are. Unfortunately, the whole push for self esteem is seen as a remedy for an inferiority complex, which is without doubt, a personality aberration. But is self-admiration better than an inferiority complex? I think not. I would consider that, an aberration no less damaging than the first complaint. Narcissism makes a person less sensitive to others, less aware of one’s potential and possibilities. And it distracts a person from work and accomplishment. My friends described ‘ideal’ learning situations in which there was no failure, and no frustration. But what is the true learning experience? For that matter, what is the creative experience all about?</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7752311958/" title="D1986_69 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8441/7752311958_8666696c7e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1986_69"></a><br> where I sit in an outdoor café, writing</p> <p>It is about pushing yourself; holding yourself steady, aimed at the objective, as a pilots steers his ship through a stormy sea. It is work and struggle. It includes countless failures. And what is learned along the way, is that one has to take risks, and be willing to take a dive or a fall… and then must pick himself up, and continue the work despite the humiliation, the bruises and the scratches… and even broken bones on the way to the destination. The artist is a tightrope walker, who usually has a lot more scars than victories and successes. And where is that student, that hasn’t picked himself up after failure, and another failure, and another… sometimes more than he can count. Where do you climb a mountain without getting bruised and banged. I’ll tell you where. At Disneyland. Or watching a movie. Real life isn’t like that at all. And in real life, so often, the strong help the weak, as they climb together, or as they learn together. The students themselves, have compassion for their weaker members. They encourage them to overcome difficulties, and help them to reach the almost inaccessible ledge.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7752311348/" title="D1984_56 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8302/7752311348_093cc2ba20.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1984_56"></a><br> waiting for the bus</p> <p>A good student has humility. He knows his limits, and still tries to surpass what he’s already done. He knows that many of his advantages are not to his own credit, but that he was born with a little more intellect… or maybe had a slightly better background, growing up. He is aware of how many know more than he does. And all of this tempers the feeling of exultation when he does succeed. And a poor student should aspire to emulate the behavior of those better than him. And yes, some are better than others. And there is no need for shame over this. Some are taller than others, and some throw a ball faster and more accurately than others, and some learn easier than others… but as long as you’re working at it, you may taste the ecstasy of learning. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/08/10/self-esteem-14443122/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> photoseducationlifefailurescatslearningcomplexityhttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/08/10/self-esteem-14443122/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/08/03/what-lasts-14372931/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-08-03:/2012/08/03/what-lasts-14372931/Fri, 03 Aug 2012 13:43:22 +0200 <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/3637635511/" title="D1413_39 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3313/3637635511_f058ea1817.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1413_39"></a></p> <p>This week I had reason to think about the nature of being part of a group, peer pressures versus individuality, and so on. And today is love day here in Israel, which is quite different from Valentine’s day in America or in England. I was thinking of the great need we have for companionship, and that we really are herd animals, living in groups, sometimes larger and sometimes smaller, but we are happiest with the human interchange, and have reached the greatest accomplishments in history when working as groups. We take it for granted. So much so, that sometimes, when we’re complaining about the noise and the crowding of the city, or about our neighbors, who occasionally invade our privacy, we forget that the alternative, loneliness, can be very difficult to bear.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/3637630867/" title="D1367_31 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3344/3637630867_30dd60cff3.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1367_31"></a><br> a walk through the park</p> <p>And yet, strangely enough, the ever increasing concentration of the human population in big cities, has not provided a sense of belonging, or being part of the human family. On the contrary, it has given rise to feelings of alienation. I remember reading in one of the books by the fine writer, zoologist and anthropologist, Desmond Morris, that someone had researched a great number of address books in England, and come to the conclusion that most people have fairly regular contact and interchanges with about 300 people, among them, the butcher, the baker, and the auto repairman, etc. His thesis was that we live in a village… maybe a virtual village, even when we think we’re living in the big city. Which also means we’re living in very close circumstances with a lot of people we don’t relate to.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/3637627473/" title="D1366_49 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2452/3637627473_e5c84be636.jpg" width="500" height="342" alt="D1366_49"></a><br> the old neighborhood of Sanhedria</p> <p>It occurs to me that there are any number of ‘virtual’ experiences or bonds that give people the feeling that they are a part of some greater whole, a part of a movement of some sort, and that this, in a way, serves as an antidote to the loneliness and the alienation that threatens many. My first acquaintance with this phenomenon was in the mid sixties. Until that time, I had been the odd fellow who appreciated poetry and literature, had no great interest in material possessions, nor in competition sports. I found a few friends who had similar interests, but there were always great areas of interest in which the incompatibilities were more striking than the similarities. And then, all of a sudden, there was a new wave of consciousness. The young people of the time, rejected the popular values of the day. Across the west, middle aged people were aspiring to reach the security of a home and a car and a television set… most of all, stability, after having had a taste of hell in WWII. And the first generation after that world war, didn’t want to just go through the motions, and adopt the life style of their parents. They saw a lot of hypocrisy in their parents’ generation, and they wanted to live more meaningful lives.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/3638442650/" title="D1366_50 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3312/3638442650_07a0a0534a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1366_50"></a><br> the wash hanging from the balcony</p> <p>The Beat poets of the 50s had thrown out the challenge, and in the 60s, the thoughts and literature that had questioned the values of the establishment became very popular, amplified by the music of the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and a wide array of folk singers who had been inspired by Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, who themselves were inspired by literature, philosophy and history. The Beat generation had only attracted a very small minority, but in the 60s, the movement against the war in Vietnam, plus a new found enthusiasm for a ‘widening of the consciousness’, which included the use of psychedelic drugs… all of it together, with a few more ingredients, gave birth to a new tribe… perhaps even an international nation… the hippies, who reached the peak of their expression and joy in that great Woodstock Festival.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/3637628205/" title="D1366_53 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3542/3637628205_b5749b7af5.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1366_53"></a><br> just the way I remember things 50 years ago</p> <p>For a while there, even I, the oddball; the guy stuck in a corner reading a book, started believing that I was a part of a new generation that would throw out the hypocrisies of the past, and build a new world that was fairer, and more considerate of the poor and the downtrodden. The articles I was writing at the time, published by newspapers and journals in order to demonstrate their loyalty to the concept of free speech, became quite successful, and this too had me thinking for a while, that I was right there, where it was happening; that I had found my peers… That the differences were insignificant, and that what mattered were those shared ideals. Unable to cheer till my throat was hoarse at a football game, I found that I did have a sense of solidarity with the new longhaired rebels. </p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/3638450302/" title="D1413_35 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2465/3638450302_6f1c794d23.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1413_35"></a><br> there are still public phones</p> <p>But that came and passed. And though not with the same intensity, I witnessed other waves of social harmony that included many very different peoples, but feeling at the same time, a kinship. Like those who wore the yellow wristband of Lance Armstrong, in order to fight cancer, or those who worked together to ship food to a starving Biafra, or insulted smokers to bring clean air to the public streets and the cafes, or worked to repair the hole in the ozone in the atmosphere over Australia. The causes always brought people together.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/3638442852/" title="D1366_52 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2457/3638442852_de7fa28528.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1366_52"></a><br> a fruit market on the street</p> <p>And just as some cause was getting boring, there would be a new cause. And towards the end of the 90s, the technological age of computers and internet brought about a sense of community unlike anything before. If right before the turn of the millennium, we were a bit afraid that all the advantages of this technology might evaporate, the fear itself was soon forgotten, and we found our community in facebook and tweeter, and became ever more attached to our telephones, which had meantime become our computer and best friend… as well as a whole lot of other things for those who have the curiosity to read all of the handbook.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/3638445580/" title="D1367_25 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2464/3638445580_ee1e21f5e8.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1367_25"></a><br> young man reads to an old man</p> <p>And so it is with a sense of deep respect, that I walk in the orthodox neighborhood of Sanhedria, located in northern Jerusalem. Despite all the changes that have occurred here in the last fifty years, this neighborhood follows customs that have survived thousands of years. The Sanhedrian Park is located here with its burial caves from the time of the Second Temple. And the neighborhood which was evacuated after the 1929 Hebron massacre began to prosper again in 1948. Walking through this neighborhood, I see much fewer cell phones, and people still talking to one another. For an hour or two, I can forget the modern life style, and be reminded of age old customs. Young and old have their place. And I may be wrong, but it seems like it will last forever. All the pictures in this post have been taken from that neighborhood.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/08/03/what-lasts-14372931/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> lifecommunityalienationpassing-fashionjerusalemphotoshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/08/03/what-lasts-14372931/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/07/27/thoughts-on-education-14255266/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-07-27:/2012/07/27/thoughts-on-education-14255266/Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:13:47 +0200 <p>I went to meet a student of mine, yesterday. It was a hot day, but quite pleasurable, sitting at an outside table at the café, in the shade of a wide umbrella. A gentle breeze wafted through the space. As is my habit, I came about a half an hour before the meeting, so as not to be late… and the time was well spent. With my little laptop at hand, I was able to continue my studies. And from time to time, I would lift my head, and watch the other patrons who’d chosen to sit outside.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7655974338/" title="D1983_03 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7249/7655974338_2d1dac4cbc.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1983_03"></a><br> afternoon in the café </p> <p>Those in groups, chatted freely, and those who came by themselves enjoyed all kinds of private pleasures as they drank their ice coffees, beers, or ate ice cream. There were telephone conversations, and people who listened to music through ear phones, as well as a number of people who had computers with them, or phones that hooked up to the internet. Wifi was available free of charge.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7655974478/" title="D1983_14 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7134/7655974478_f632e8a37c.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1983_14"></a><br> children in the park</p> <p>I was reading theories on education in the west. A strange read for someone like myself, who’s been a student all his life and a teacher as well. The emphasis seemed to be on the sympathy of the teacher towards the student; on the necessity to make the student feel loved and respected. It seems to me that this might be necessary for an incapacitated student… one who suffered from despair, or extreme psychological problems. But the students I have known did not search out teachers who would pet them, hug them, and make them feel good. </p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7655974090/" title="D1932_11 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7117/7655974090_deb63b8eb7.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1932_11"></a><br> the life of students as a celebration</p> <p>I believe, that in study, the student does the most of the work. At the very first stage, of course, he has to learn the basic tools; reading, writing, and arithmetic; the proper use of language, and the ability to research in the library. After that, the teacher provides direction, criticism, and checks to see that the student understands well that which he has learned. The teacher may also answer the occasional question. But since ancient times, it is well known that the question is more important than the answer. Learning is the work of the student, and a good student doesn’t wait for the entire class to move on, as do the sheep grazing in the field. Nor does he wait to be spoon fed. Enthusiastically, he devours the text, and checks out the bibliography at the back to find other points of view regarding that which he has now learned. He welcomes the exercises, because they challenge his ability to think, and to express himself in a clear crisp manner. And in his discussions with other students, he widens his understanding of the subject matter, and learns of other ways by which to reach similar results.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7655974234/" title="D1943_58 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8166/7655974234_2ebd86e0d3.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1943_58"></a><br> the sheep grazing in the field</p> <p>In our culture, teachers are revered. But every student has a study partner, with whom he studies constantly… getting feedback as they compare notes and exercises. The business of study is not an emotional experience, but an intellectual accomplishment. I wonder, if athletics and sports are taught in the west according to the same ideals held as an example for intellectual studies. Are the football and baseball players given sympathy and compassion, as their teachers worry to insure the students’ confidence and emotional stability?</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7655974622/" title="D1983_22 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7255/7655974622_1df9c036c0.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1983_22"></a><br> at the far end of the park</p> <p>After enjoying a coffee together, and discussing the advantages of modern digital compact cameras, we took a walk through a nearby park. The children, free of the demands and obligations of school, were having a fine time on the grass. Young mothers with babies in their arms were enjoying the calm of the late afternoon. It was a beautiful summer day.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/07/27/thoughts-on-education-14255266/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> culturelifestudentssummer-pleasuresphotoseducationhttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/07/27/thoughts-on-education-14255266/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/07/20/a-hot-week-14157010/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-07-20:/2012/07/20/a-hot-week-14157010/Fri, 20 Jul 2012 15:57:39 +0200 <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7609386764/" title="D1979_11 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8158/7609386764_dbd28e6bbe.jpg" width="500" height="316" alt="D1979_11"></a><br> looking out from our backyard, Nechama</p> <p>This has been a very full week for me. We’ve been having a heat wave, and saw temperatures as high as 39º in Jerusalem. That is unusually hot for us. And aside from that, there have been some very shocking things in the news. Of course, everything is relative, and what may be shocking and earth shaking to me, might not seem worthy of much interest somewhere else. In our country, we usually call this time, the cucumber season, and it is well known that sometimes the journalists have to scrounge around for a human interest story to fill the pages of the newspaper. Because of that, it came as even more of a surprise that every day brought screaming headlines, and mind boggling stories from our neighbors and fellow citizens.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7609386602/" title="D1960_04 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7108/7609386602_909e63bb2f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1960_04"></a><br> some cats take the side road</p> <p>And since these things are occupying my mind right now, it is hard for me to write about the subjects that I usually choose to share with my friends on this blog. Yet, at the same time, I find it hard to believe that my readers would have any interest in those things that have occupied my thoughts and feelings for the last week. In fact, I was tempted not to write anything at all. Perhaps, just to share a picture or two, and let it go at that. But I am a creature of habit, and it is my habit to have a little talk with you, at least once a week. So I’ll try to share with you one of these stories… a story that meant a lot to me.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7609387116/" title="D1980_32 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8294/7609387116_5fd47aed80.jpg" width="500" height="413" alt="D1980_32"></a><br> a modest cat</p> <p>We had a rabbi in our town that was thought of as one of the greatest students of his generation. He dedicated himself to study, and from the time he was a teenager, he used to study all the time. Day and night. His name is Rabbi Elyahiv. You’ve probably never heard of him. Because though he was thought of, as an extraordinary wise man, and a great scholar, he was very modest and never cared much for the spotlight. He married the daughter of one of our favorite Rabbis here, the man we used to call ‘the convicts’ rabbi’ because he was always going to the jail to try to encourage and give solace to those behind bars. Mrs. Elyashiv, used to try and take care of all the work in the house, and all of his routine obligations too. She worked all the time, yet also managed to raise twelve children who all turned out well. They lived a very modest existence. Their home was a small apartment with minimal furniture, and they didn’t change it with the passing of the years. Occasionally, politicians and people of state would visit the man, and they would speak of his very minimalistic apartment; the simple chairs and table. One minister who visited him, mentioned that he was astounded that anyone in the country still lived so simply.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7609386934/" title="D1980_21 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7246/7609386934_d268c52d20.jpg" width="491" height="500" alt="D1980_21"></a><br> Nechama checks to see who’s coming to join us</p> <p>Rabbi Elyashiv was made a rabbi, and afterwards was appointed a judge in the highest religious court of the land. In the 1980s, he disagreed with a majority ruling, and quit. Since that time, he has continued as a rabbi, but has sought no other office, nor has he argued publicly with those who held office, or condemned the decisions of others, or spoken in derision of those he did not agree with. He wrote a number of books, but they were published under the names of his students; books of a religious or scholarly nature. As the years went by, more and more of the people in the religious community would seek his opinion on religious question. His authority became great. But only because he was wise and learned, and not because he held any special office. This week he died, after a difficult case of pneumonia, complicated by chronic heart disease. He had asked of his students, that no one make any speeches at his funeral. He just wanted to be buried like a regular guy. But there was someone in his family that just couldn’t withstand the temptation, and gave a speech anyway. You see, the moment people can, they do whatever they want to do. It’s hard to trust anyone.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7609387234/" title="הרב אלישיב by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8019/7609387234_ed5994cd63.jpg" width="250" height="190" alt="הרב אלישיב"></a><br> the rabbi</p> <p>He was buried the night after he died, as is the custom in Jerusalem. We usually bury someone on the same day he died. 250,000 people came to the funeral. There were people ~ not family… but those who saw him as a father to the entire community, who tore their clothes in mourning. Many of the streets of our city were completely blocked. He was buried, and then everyone went home. He died at the age of 102.</p> <p>I’m looking forward to a quiet Sabbath.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/07/20/a-hot-week-14157010/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> studymodestyphotossummerlifenewshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/07/20/a-hot-week-14157010/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/07/13/buried-in-the-past-14097918/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-07-13:/2012/07/13/buried-in-the-past-14097918/Fri, 13 Jul 2012 15:01:11 +0200 <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7561637230/" title="D1221_03 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7129/7561637230_c93035cde2.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1221_03"></a><br> mother looking at old pictures</p> <p>Very real, I suppose, like dreams can be real…<br> a dear old friend appeared to me last night<br> unraveled from my back pages by an experience yesterday<br> that pushed all the rules and proportions aside<br> for how long… I have no idea…<br> talking to my hundred and one year old mother<br> and this was real life; no dream …<br> realizing, as we spoke<br> that she was absolutely certain,<br> that I was her husband, my father…<br> dead these past years<br> don’t think it matters<br> that I look like him now, that I’ve grown old<br> in my youth I looked very much like her<br> there are these surprises along the way<br> that we never could have guessed<br> not that it makes much difference, it seems to me,<br> just how I look… though it could have helped convince her<br> the way in which we talked…<br> it was probably a lot like she talked to him…<br> and of course, she wanted to believe…<br> it was easiest on that hot afternoon<br> with her memory gone, and life very tenuous…<br> but then… in the night<br> talking to Zelig… he’s dead too… gone<br> there’s no bringing him back<br> but in the dream, he was smiling as he talked…<br> we were comparing the sensual experience<br> and the rational expectation of the experience itself<br> and when he smiled, I touched his hand for a minute…<br> just to assure myself that he was really there<br> because I think that even in the dream,<br> I feared that he was dead<br> he looked me in the eye… thinking that my touch<br> was an illustration of the sensual experience<br> and went on to say<br> that for the true experience of faith<br> one had to relinquish all support from the rational</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/2999259408/" title="H007_123a by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3199/2999259408_db2a79434e.jpg" width="497" height="500" alt="H007_123a"></a><br> many years ago, Zelig</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7561637382/" title="D554_023 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7246/7561637382_619a4f5106.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D554_023"></a><br> myself</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/07/13/buried-in-the-past-14097918/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> agingpoetrylifeheartachepastdreamsmotherhttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/07/13/buried-in-the-past-14097918/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/07/06/dangling-legs-14057370/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-07-06:/2012/07/06/dangling-legs-14057370/Fri, 06 Jul 2012 08:08:00 +0200 <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7512629248/" title="D1847_37 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7262/7512629248_f1a46ee882.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1847_37"></a><br> Nechama looking out the window, as Noga works on the computer</p> <p>a study of work and rest</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/07/06/dangling-legs-14057370/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> catsrestphotolifeworkwomanhttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/07/06/dangling-legs-14057370/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/07/03/happiness-spirituality-14034937/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-07-03:/2012/07/03/happiness-spirituality-14034937/Tue, 03 Jul 2012 10:55:20 +0200 <p>To continue on the subject that I started writing about last Friday, I mentioned that there were two different blog posts that I had wanted to relate to. The first, was posted by Genie on the subject of happiness, and I felt it important to relate to that subject, because I myself started out in this world, a very unhappy person. My childhood was so unhappy, that after all these years, I still can not bear to talk about it. Nor can I read a book in which the main characters are children, or watch a movie that could possibly remind me of my own childhood. Learning to be happy was a lot of work, and I studied the subject. I studied what laughter was. Fortunately, I survived and went on with my life. I lived a happy life. I would say that my life has had more happiness than unhappiness, and that looking back, now that I’m an old man, I am quite satisfied.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/4966422575/" title="B226_15 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4086/4966422575_c3ae2cfed8.jpg" width="353" height="500" alt="B226_15"></a><br> happy</p> <p>The second post that stimulated quite a bit of thought on my part, was a post by N. She, like myself, had a very bad childhood, and has worked on herself for years and years, trying to get past all the side effects that stayed with her after childhood. She is an intelligent woman, and a fine student, and relates to this world in a very serious way. Though she comes from a completely different culture than my own, and her horrors were different from mine, I often find myself identifying with her. And lately, she described her mixed feelings regarding faith, and her disappointments with religion. She asks, ‘how does one get to know god?’ Now, I know that this is a very sensitive subject, and the mere mention of it, is enough to turn a lot of people off. Some people have a hatred for organized religions, and look at all such institutions as a great fraud. And to make things worse, most of my readers come from Christian cultures, and I myself am a Jew. But I ask you to look at this post as a letter from me to N, and consider that I’m sharing it with my readers as well.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7493000646/" title="D1968_02 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7126/7493000646_c91c1eaf30.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1968_02"></a><br> my little prayer book</p> <p>Many years ago, I was working on fixing an airplane. I knew the work in theory, and my partner in this job was an experienced mechanic who knew everything there was to know about mechanics. As we were working, he suddenly said to me, “Give me a 6 allen wrench” I was familiar with allen wrenches, and went to the tool box, and saw quite a few. But none of them had numbers on them. I said to him, where’s the number written? And he said, ‘I don’t know. I’m talking about a 6mm wrench’. His hands were full, so I got out my caliper, and measured a couple of wrenches till I found the right one. Later on, I noticed that when he took a wrench himself, he didn’t have to look. He could just feel which was the right one. And after working on this project for a while, I too could feel if I was holding a 6mm or 4mm wrench between my finger and thumb. This experience remained with me, through the years, as a reminder of how difficult it is to really know something, even if you’re seeing it right in front of you, if you’re not familiar with the object.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7493008450/" title="allen wrench by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8144/7493008450_89848bdbbd.jpg" width="258" height="195" alt="allen wrench"></a></p> <p>I’ve heard people talk about intuition, as if it was something mystical… unexplainable, to a rational logical mind. As we get educated, we learn a lot of facts, and logic. We learn how to apply the things we know in a logical way, finding answers to our questions, to satisfy our needs. It is a rational process, and the human being is a very rational animal. So much so, that sometimes we’ll accept an incorrect answer because it makes sense to us, rather than tell ourselves that we just don’t know. Intuition works differently. It is based on an awareness of how things come together and how they work. But the individual facts are not kept in orderly partitioned drawers in the mind. These facts, which could also be related to, one by one, are part of an image in the mind of the whole, what works, what is right. And a person with a strong intuition can tell you, ‘it’ll work this way’ without being able to explain his feeling in a rational manner. Some people have such a strong intuition, that they can provide answers to problems, that even experts are baffled by. Others, rely on studying the facts, and using logic to resolve their needs. And a few are blessed with both of these abilities.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/27517067/" title="light at the end of the tunnel by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/21/27517067_cf962d33e6.jpg" width="414" height="480" alt="light at the end of the tunnel"></a><br> light at the end of the tunnel</p> <p>One of the things I learned early on as a student, was that the more you learn, the more you are aware of what you don’t know. Children ask ‘why’ a lot. Sometimes they get the right answers, and sometimes they have to search out the answers themselves. Eventually, they have a picture in their mind, of how the world works. It is often enough for a person to know where the light switch is in a room, without knowing what electricity is, or how an incandescent bulb can radiate light in the dark. If my friend is pleased that he can read easily, now that he’s gotten glasses, I don’t feel the need to explain to him how a lens works. But for myself, I have a lot of curiosity. And I like to know how the world around me works. Even so, I am forever learning about more things that are beyond my knowledge or understanding.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/27517065/" title="aching for life by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/21/27517065_f06083c0ac.jpg" width="500" height="301" alt="aching for life"></a><br> aching for life</p> <p>You and I might agree that it would be better for all of the people of this world to speak one language, instead of 150 or more. But if we tried to devise that language, we would not be able in our life times to devise something as intricate and rich as the English language, with all of its many subtleties and its rich literature. My own language is Hebrew, and though I have studied English well, and translated from one language to another, there is something about the mood and flavor, and sense of reality in Hebrew that I am unable to convey to an English text. For many of us, there is a sense of a wholeness about the world, as if it has one personality… despite the fact that a tree is nothing like a human being… at all. For such people, coming to terms with that wholeness, is in fact, an introduction to god. Some of us, when looking at a butterfly, or the face of someone we love, or a stormy sky, have a very strong belief that all of this world was made by one being, and that we can know that being by studying his work. But even those who do not believe that the world was created, might believe that it is one… that all the different phenomena of the world, is part of a one whole thing. We could call that thing nature, or the universe… but if we feel that it is one, this give us a sense of a consistent relationship to all of the world around us.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/226965454/" title="D1011_32a by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/77/226965454_af0b85d214.jpg" width="500" height="410" alt="D1011_32a"></a><br> close to one another ~ generations or cell phones?</p> <p>Among every people, and in every culture, there has been the development of a sensitivity to the awareness that there are things beyond us, that act in a way that affects us. It is often called religion or spirituality. For some peoples, there have been a number of gods. Others, believe in monotheism, and that means that god is one. But either way, the relationship of man to these forces that are beyond us, is an intuitive process. We have a sense of what works; a relationship to some sort of image that represents the many aspects of this world that is greater than us. But this faith is even greater than our own personal intuition. Because it has been added to from generation to generation, the most sensitive and holy people of our own antecedents have contributed a little of their consciousness and intuition to the big soup that is our religious (spiritual) awareness. In the same way I spoke of culture being represented in language, no matter how hard we tried to ‘create’ a new religion, it would be very difficult to incorporate all the subtleties and the depth of a religion that has been living for generations.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/50219971/" title="D575_140 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/33/50219971_1364750ad8.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D575_140"></a></p> <p>But unfortunately, the keepers of our religions; the janitors who kept the floor clean… were human beings too. Sometimes they had terrible faults, and these faults allowed for some unholy things to creep into our sense of the universe. There are many ways to go astray. There are things out there that can cause an allergy. As I write this post, I am reminded of a lot of concepts that are part of religion and faith… and I dare not go on and on… knowing that even a blog post has to remain within a framework that is palatable. I could do a whole post on the ‘all knowing god’, as I have discovered him. I have been asked many times about this ‘all knowing’ characteristic. But as I said about relating to people in my previous post, I would say the same about approaching god, that it is best to start out looking for the good in god, and not trying to challenge him. Though there have been some very holy people who reached a point where they could even challenge god, and argued with him.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/07/03/happiness-spirituality-14034937/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> learningfaithphotosspiritualityreligionlifehappinesshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/07/03/happiness-spirituality-14034937/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/06/29/happiness-and-spirituality-13995890/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-06-29:/2012/06/29/happiness-and-spirituality-13995890/Fri, 29 Jun 2012 15:00:05 +0200 <p>Probably, like a lot of other people, I have been meeting a much wider variety of human beings since I started reading blogs on the internet. And I have always been quite open to the possibilities of meeting people who were different than myself. I used to talk to people I met on the street. And I would pick up hitch hikers. And would meet people in my travels, and people in taverns. My home away from home, when I was young, was in libraries. But you don’t meet that many people in libraries, because silence is strictly enforced. Not to speak of the fact that people are usually very involved with the books they are reading or studying. But as I say, I used to get around, and I would meet a lot of people.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7466348962/" title="Arc357_099 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8026/7466348962_37a2b2968f.jpg" width="500" height="426" alt="Arc357_099"></a><br> this stamp celebrates love</p> <p>Most of them were not anything like me. And I found that quite interesting. I learned from so many people I met. Sometimes it seemed to me, that every person I’d meet, would open up a new aspect of this world for me. Very often, I would meet people who believed in different things that I didn’t believe in. I would meet people who were cruel to animals, or who had little respect for cleanliness or who were racists or misogynists. Now, I could have kept my distance from people who had different values than mine, or who did things I did not approve of. But I started out young, trying to understand what this world was about, and I decided to be very open minded; to listen to what others had to say, and then to decide for myself. What worked for me, was to look for the good in people, and not to spend too much time on those things that didn’t attract me. I was too young and too inexperienced to be a teacher to others. I figured that what mattered, was the good that I could find.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7466348874/" title="Arc357_097 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8014/7466348874_f342e78476.jpg" width="500" height="482" alt="Arc357_097"></a><br> a butterfly on a stamp</p> <p>It’s the same as when you go looking for new food that you don’t know. Why pick up a nut, and break your teeth on the shell, or struggle with it, trying to eat it like a peach? Best to watch how others eat it; discard the shell, and enjoy the meat inside. If someone offers you fish, why waste your time checking how sharp or stiff the bones are? Discard the bones, and eat the fish. So, I applied this attitude to getting to know people too.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7466332526/" title="Arc357_096 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8021/7466332526_a259c58015.jpg" width="432" height="500" alt="Arc357_096"></a><br> the flag of Israel in honor of independence day</p> <p>This week, I read two blogs that interested me especially. They are not blogs I read for fun. When I’m just looking to enjoy myself, I like a good story… or amusement. I like to smile as I read. I’m always interested in seeing an interesting image. But it’s wearying for me to see one peak image after another. I know some bloggers who’ll knock you off your feet with what they’ve photographed. But after being knocked over twice or three times… I get kind of achy. My behind hurts… or my knees. And it’s hard getting up off the floor a lot… especially at my age. You can get tired that way, and just want to sit on the couch, and drink a cup of tea. So even when it comes to images, I like a good story.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7466332452/" title="Arc357_095 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8141/7466332452_20dd38bc2b.jpg" width="373" height="500" alt="Arc357_095"></a><br> another butterfly</p> <p>But these two blogs that I read… they are the blogs of two women who have gone through some difficulties in life. One of them has described the hell she’s seen. And the other doesn’t talk about it. But you know, I get the feeling… One of them, Genie is her name, wrote about happiness. What I liked about her post, is that she didn’t tell others how to attain happiness. She wasn’t telling me what to do. She was just describing what makes her happy. And I can tell you, that when you read a lot of blogs, you run into a lot more people telling you what makes them unhappy, than you do a blogger telling you what makes him or her happy. So that is the sort of post I find interesting. She had a list of 15 paths to happiness. Number one was: “Do random acts of kindness”. Now this is not for me. I will confess to you, that just doing part of the acts of kindness that I feel called upon to do in my life is a challenge that I haven’t met with great success. Usually, by the end of my day, I feel that I haven’t managed to do even a fourth of what I planned to do… and occasionally, I don’t even get to one part in twenty. So I’m not going to go looking for random acts of anything. And the list goes on to mention other things that would not bring me much happiness. I’m sure. But it did have three suggestions that I could completely agree with, and I want to share them with you.</p> <p>12. Respect everyone even those folks you do not understand.<br> I would agree with this, and I think this is the proper way to live. Giving respect to others is not a sacrifice on our part. We lose nothing by doing this. And the advantages are great. Foremost, the other person will be more willing to find a bridge between the two of you, and to cooperate with you. </p> <p>13. Get plenty of sleep<br> Now everyone needs a different amount of sleep. There are those who need very little sleep per day, and others who feel completely rested only if they sleep ten hours a day. I slept five hours a day most of my life. But my father slept ten hours. And he had no fewer accomplishments than I have. What’s important, is that you get enough. I don’t use an alarm clock. And I’ve found that when you’re well rested, you won’t want to be lying around in bed. You’ll want to get up and start doing things… happily!</p> <p>15. Know that happiness comes from within – no one or no material good can make you happy<br> This was the last thing on the list. And I thought it was the most important. We often fixate on some goal, or some material possession that we think will make us happy. This is partially due to all the propaganda we listen to by commercial interests. The truth is what Genie suggests, that happiness has to come from within ourselves, when we are whole with ourselves, and in harmony with the world.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7466332338/" title="Arc357_094 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8013/7466332338_d4f5a0de8e.jpg" width="346" height="500" alt="Arc357_094"></a><br> a picture of Martin Buber, found on a small package of sugar in a coffee house. He was a writer and a philosopher, with a great interest in Jewish mysticism</p> <p>I think I’ve written enough here. I’m including some stamps I’ve noticed lately, and a little parcel of sugar I found in a coffee house. I will post the second part on this subject soon. And then I’ll tell you of my reaction to the question, how can we find spirituality… or god? We’ll discuss that in a few days… and meantime, let’s see how happy we can be.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/06/29/happiness-and-spirituality-13995890/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> sugarlifestampstolerancephotosyouthnutsfishhttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/06/29/happiness-and-spirituality-13995890/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/06/22/missed-the-signs-13921187/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-06-22:/2012/06/22/missed-the-signs-13921187/Fri, 22 Jun 2012 15:34:47 +0200 <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7419728962/" title="D1968_07 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5441/7419728962_291e910491.jpg" width="500" height="409" alt="D1968_07"></a></p> <p>like a fool, I missed the signs<br> enveloped by music, that carried my heart and soul astray,<br> I missed the sounds of life<br> in my hypnotic trance, heralding another brand new day<br> I was stoned and I missed it; but watched it all blow away.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7419728820/" title="D1936_02 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7419728820_26ee0db283.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1936_02"></a></p> <p>she was there by my side<br> and we danced to the sounds of the very same tune<br> like a waterfall; like a tsunami… this too was nature<br> and it was as clear as a man on earth, gazing at the moon<br> but I missed her in the wonder of rapture<br> we never made contact, don’t you see<br> I was out to lunch… and it was noon.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7419729058/" title="D1968_30 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7128/7419729058_dec17ba165.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1968_30"></a></p> <p>were there other friends by evening<br> did the day grow shorter as it passed us by…<br> burning the incense of thanksgiving… still unqualified…<br> and remembering her, while staring into the sky<br> as the sun slowly set, noticed that she was no longer by my side</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/06/22/missed-the-signs-13921187/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> photoslifepoetryappleshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/06/22/missed-the-signs-13921187/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/06/15/inside-or-outside-13877828/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-06-15:/2012/06/15/inside-or-outside-13877828/Fri, 15 Jun 2012 08:17:49 +0200 <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/4313759524/" title="D1176_3051 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2686/4313759524_99cf2bfbe3.jpg" width="500" height="246" alt="D1176_3051"></a><br> Nechama looks in</p> <p>inside or outside, hard to tell.<br> for I'm outside, looking in, this moment,<br> but limited by the structure that supports me,<br> to a symbolic space of outside,<br> an addendum, as it were,<br> to the nobility of the inside space. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/06/15/inside-or-outside-13877828/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> catspoetrynechamainsidephotohttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/06/15/inside-or-outside-13877828/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/06/12/on-blackbird-s-return-13851065/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-06-12:/2012/06/12/on-blackbird-s-return-13851065/Tue, 12 Jun 2012 07:20:33 +0200 <p>(response to shadows)</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/4798497721/" title="D1637_134 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4079/4798497721_d6650e1833.jpg" width="500" height="421" alt="D1637_134"></a></p> <p>You see,<br> what could I add at the bottom of such verse…<br> to let you know I’d been here<br> and appreciated your words…<br> to let you know I sat beside you,<br> as the fire dwindled…<br> listening to those embers,<br> in the quiet space…<br> all the more quiet,<br> after you’d finished your words.<br> Even saying I liked it,<br> would have been an anti-climax.<br> The dog didn’t wag his tail.<br> And you didn’t notice<br> that I nodded my head in the dark.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/06/12/on-blackbird-s-return-13851065/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> friendshipphotolifedogpoetryhttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/06/12/on-blackbird-s-return-13851065/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/06/08/noses-13828605/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-06-08:/2012/06/08/noses-13828605/Fri, 08 Jun 2012 12:57:32 +0200 <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7351020018/" title="D1847_11 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8018/7351020018_931b0bd135.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1847_11"></a></p> <p>You’d think it was otherwise<br> the way their nose sticks out on the humans<br> as if to indicate, that this organ was truly important…<br> like my ears that point straight up<br> at the sun and the stars above<br> if you were religious… you might say ‘at god’…<br> though we cats don’t take part in organized religion</p> <p>we don’t get together in groups<br> on the holy Sabbath, or any other day<br> to sing to the almighty…<br> in praise and collective awe<br> no… we save our best songs<br> for courtship and sex<br> that’s the way we are,<br> simple creatures, we cats</p> <p>but our ears hear everything<br> the song of the morning<br> and the song of midnight<br> what whispers in the nearby leaves<br> or in the distance far off…<br> we hear it all,<br> the rejoicing and he who grieves</p> <p>and with our noses<br> we analyze and learn…<br> the age and the history of everything<br> the personality and purpose of things<br> inanimate objects<br> and bodies living or dead<br> items almost living…<br> and subjects almost dead<br> what may be food…<br> and that which cries out dread.</p> <p>but those monkeys, you know…<br> always so needy…<br> and constantly greedy<br> in their endless pride<br> and their never ending show<br> don’t worry so much<br> about where things might go…</p> <p>they don’t have that long and careful gaze<br> they don’t smell the path, along the way<br> they don’t watch the way the breezes blow<br> before they pounce upon their prey</p> <p>and so I’ve said it to them, again and again<br> a message told to monkeys and men:<br> god didn’t give us noses<br> just to smell the roses</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7165807347/" title="D1847_17 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7224/7165807347_3c1a4026e9.jpg" width="500" height="451" alt="D1847_17"></a></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/06/08/noses-13828605/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> lifepeoplepoetryphotosreligioncatshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/06/08/noses-13828605/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/06/06/rolling-around-13813299/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-06-06:/2012/06/06/rolling-around-13813299/Wed, 06 Jun 2012 07:52:40 +0200 <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7158677759/" title="D1847_30 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7101/7158677759_29ce29b112.jpg" width="500" height="431" alt="D1847_30"></a></p> <p>I live with a man, you know.<br> It’s not perfect, but the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.<br> He’s fairly intelligent, but sometimes…<br> he looks so stupid… when he doesn’t understand.<br> He likes order.<br> I don’t have to mention…<br> everyone knows… I’m a very clean person.<br> But he mixes up cleanliness with order.<br> and doesn’t realize… that order, is HIS order.<br> we squabble sometimes.<br> he has a Persian rug.<br> it’s perfect for stretching my legs…<br> for holding on by my fingernails…<br> and giving myself a goooood stretch<br> but he wants that rug to last forever.<br> always telling me, don’t scratch the rug<br> you would think the rug was more important<br> than me? than him?<br> than the bird I brought him as a spring offering…?<br> That’s why, sometimes…<br> I just have to leave the house<br> and roll around in the dirt<br> He never joins me, you know…<br> he’s too stiff</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7158677679/" title="D1847_02 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8159/7158677679_0c46eaaef4.jpg" width="500" height="416" alt="D1847_02"></a></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/06/06/rolling-around-13813299/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> photoslifepeoplecatshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/06/06/rolling-around-13813299/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/06/03/looking-up-the-path-13797006/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-06-03:/2012/06/03/looking-up-the-path-13797006/Sun, 03 Jun 2012 11:30:03 +0200 <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7325310274/" title="D1847_12 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7245/7325310274_17523632b1.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1847_12"></a></p> <p>they say that such paths lead to the big monkeys… they call themselves humans… but you have to be careful, my son. There’re all kinds. Some are delightful… and some you’d rather not know…</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/06/03/looking-up-the-path-13797006/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> peoplephotoscatshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/06/03/looking-up-the-path-13797006/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/06/01/early-summer-13787911/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-06-01:/2012/06/01/early-summer-13787911/Fri, 01 Jun 2012 10:13:55 +0200 <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7313105978/" title="D1963_27 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8023/7313105978_f51e00ed9e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1963_27"></a></p> <p>For a few days now, I’ve been making the acquaintance of a rock badger. In a park near my home, as I take my morning walk. I don’t know what they eat, really, so I haven’t tried to buy his friendship with food. I suppose they eat the fruit or the leaves of the local greenery. In any case, these animals are known for their shyness. They will run immediately, when coming into contact with humans or large animals, and so it was unexpected to find one in a public park. I’ve come across them in the forest, and not so long ago I photographed one in the forest, that approached me as I was sitting quietly on a boulder. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in a park before. The first time I saw him, I immediately sat down, and he watched me for a while, before going away. </p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7313105796/" title="D1963_08 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/7313105796_e125293b98.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="D1963_08"></a></p> <p>But then it happened again and again in the same place, and I realized that he liked the place. Maybe, had even taken up residence there. There are some high bushes in the vicinity, and this gives him a place to hide if need be. Each time, he came closer to me. And on the third meeting, he came very close. But unfortunately, when I raised my camera to take his picture, he ran for cover. But as soon as he got to a relatively protected place, under a fence, with high bushes behind him, he sat down and started looking at me again. And that is when I took this picture.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7313105902/" title="D1963_15a by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7098/7313105902_eb366d6be3.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="D1963_15a"></a><br> the rock badger</p> <p>Usually, I enjoy walking through my own neighborhood, and other neighborhoods of Jerusalem. I like looking at the homes, the little additions people make to their houses, and the little gardens around them. Changes occur very slowly. The biggest changes are brought by the seasons. Even so, I enjoy walking in the familiar territory. Very often, I get carried away by my own thoughts, and pay less attention to the cityscape. It happens, that I don’t take a single picture on my walk, because it is all so familiar. But still, I carry a camera with me each time. From experience, I know, that if I were to take my walk without the camera, I’d be sure to see something that I’d want to photograph… and then I’d regret not having taken it with me.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7313105726/" title="D1963_05 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7101/7313105726_da4de4483b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1963_05"></a><br> a crow about to lift off from a trash bin</p> <p>But on these days of early summer, it is a special pleasure to take a walk in the park. Aside from my neighbors who walk their dogs, or study, or read for enjoyment… there is also a lot of animal activity. And it seems that the living creatures feel quite secure in this environment. There are a lot of crows. They are the predominant birds there, sitting high on trees, on fences, lamp posts, and the backs of benches… and sometimes searching… for what, I do not know, in the mowed grass. And then there are a wide variety of smaller birds, the most attractive of which, are the sparrows, that I follow with interest.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7313106078/" title="D1963_32 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8011/7313106078_0ee6e05acb.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1963_32"></a></p> <p>From time to time, I see waves of birds, in groups, according to species, rising gently into the air, moving to high places as a human being with leashed dog walks by. And then, after the interruption… slowly they all return to continue what they were doing. From time to time, a big truck goes down the street next to the park… and all the little creatures react… some by freezing, and others by running further into the park, and then the noise passes, and we continue enjoying the beautiful summer day; peace on earth, and good will towards all.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/06/01/early-summer-13787911/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> photoswalklittle-creatureslifehttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/06/01/early-summer-13787911/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/05/25/holiday-of-weeks-13739948/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-05-25:/2012/05/25/holiday-of-weeks-13739948/Fri, 25 May 2012 14:10:54 +0200 <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7267118026/" title="D1939_17 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7240/7267118026_d6d3303814.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1939_17"></a><br> my cat, Nechama, looking back</p> <p>In the early spring, when the first flowers are blooming, and the cold of winter begins its retreat, we remember our exodus from slavery. We ask ourselves what freedom is. We study the process of leaving slavery, and becoming free men and women. We sit like kings around the banquet table, and give presents to our young, and invite the homeless to sit and eat with us. We lean back on pillows. We go off on vacation. We spend a week in travels and luxury, and spend time with our families. We eat unleavened bread, to remind ourselves, that when you’re starting off as a people, there’s no culture. Bread is just flour and water… and made in 18 minutes… and then you’re off.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7267118100/" title="D1942_459 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7239/7267118100_ec90c0088b.jpg" width="500" height="350" alt="D1942_459"></a><br> and then you’re off ~ (this is a sign that marks a bicycle lane in Jerusalem. The lion of Judah is our symbol of Jerusalem… and I like seeing him ride a bike)</p> <p>And now seven weeks have passed, and we’ve arrived at the holiday of Pentecost. That time, when we remember the giving of the law. This is the giving of the law, and not the acceptance of the law. Because it was given, and now it’s up to each of us to accept it or not accept it. And each in his own time. Each when he is ready. Some don’t want it, and will never get it.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7267117948/" title="D1938_014 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7223/7267117948_04e58a1a64.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="D1938_014"></a></p> <p>It wasn’t decided in assemblies or in parliament. It’s not democratic. And it’s not ours to add to it, or to detract from it, though that has happened in very rare and isolated cases through the years. We are not promised heaven. We are not promised peace. We’re not even promised reason. It starts with the ten commandments, and then it goes on and on. 613 rules of life. The intricacies of our life are determined by these laws, and by the way our rabbis and our teachers understand them. It applies only to us, and not necessarily to others.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7267118186/" title="D1943_061 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7088/7267118186_f8bb6e46a9.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1943_061"></a><br> sheep and goats grazing on the field</p> <p>At night, we sit up all night and study the law. The festivities are not so great. We don’t usually eat meat. We know there are many rules to the eating of meat… and we’re not ready yet, We eat bread and vegetables and fruit, and fish, if we want. It is customary to eat a lot of milk products. Usually we eat cheese cake. The men haven’t been cutting the hair of their heads and beards for the last seven weeks. Now is the time to cut it. Now is the time to bring order to our lives. The holiday is only one day. In the diaspora it’s two. This is not a time for big vacations. This is not a time for great celebrations. But we drink wine to begin the holiday, and we sanctify the day with a blessing over the wine. Now is the time of the conclusion of the grain harvest. It is also a time of bringing forth the first fruits.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7267118288/" title="D1956_54 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7234/7267118288_74b7d87cbf.jpg" width="500" height="381" alt="D1956_54"></a></p> <p>It is on this holiday, that we read the book of Ruth. It is the story of a non Jewish woman, who converted to Judaism, and accepted the law that we live by. She eventually became the grandmother of King David, our most beloved king. And her life story is seen as an allegory of our own experience.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7267118360/" title="D1958_14 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8010/7267118360_20e0b8a8de.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1958_14"></a></p> <p>The spring seems short, and now we are moving towards the summer. Freedom itself is very intoxicating. But now we will study the rules and values we have accepted, to give life taste, and harmony, and to help us live meaningful lives.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/05/25/holiday-of-weeks-13739948/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> photoslifereligionlawholidayhttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/05/25/holiday-of-weeks-13739948/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/05/18/the-mood-of-the-desert-13701067/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-05-18:/2012/05/18/the-mood-of-the-desert-13701067/Fri, 18 May 2012 12:09:09 +0200 <p>Some days past, I visited a dear friend who lives in a beautiful, small village, in the desert. We have a number of deserts here in Israel, but the most famous, and that which I love the most, is the Negev in the southern part of the country. </p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7220536532/" title="D1954_003 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5347/7220536532_d5ce071922.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="D1954_003"></a><br> an oasis in the desert</p> <p>One could get the impression, from watching films, and looking at the photography of deserts, that a desert is devoid of life… sand dunes as far as the eye can see. There are some deserts like that, and I have visited a few. But even in the most barren deserts, there are signs of life to a patient and observant visitor. Most deserts have quite a bit of life in them. They are just on a different level of activity, and so, when first observed, especially if coming from a lush place, where water is plentiful, and there is greenery all around, or from the mountains, where trees grow in thick forests, the desert seems barren by comparison.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7220536616/" title="D1954_005 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7231/7220536616_7a768cff0a.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="D1954_005"></a><br> a park in the desert</p> <p>Spending time in the desert inspires a different state of mind. There are more wide open spaces. There’s more quiet. There’s more modesty. In the jungle you see bright startling colors, and hear fascinating, mysterious sounds, as all species compete for a little living space. In the desert it is just the opposite. Everything is low key. Living creatures are often camouflaged, and can’t be seen unless you’re familiar with them, or very close to them. And since your attention is not being appealed to, constantly, there is a tendency to let thoughts linger. One reaches unexpected depths. In fact, the experience of spending a length of time in the desert is something like a long trip on the seas. Those vast distances… looking out at the horizon so far away… is similar in both places. </p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7220536726/" title="D1954_047 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7244/7220536726_24e0f3e0a5.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="D1954_047"></a><br> a desert village</p> <p>As a photographer, though, I’ve had my share of disappointments when traveling in the desert. Aside from the storms that can be as upsetting as a storm on the sea, there are also many conditions that can affect visibility. How many times, I’ve been in a beautiful spot, and been fascinated by the nature around me… but then, as I try to compose a picture to represent my experience, I find the visibility too low to satisfy me. Haze and dust are common. The scenery is sharpest and most attractive immediately after a rain. But rain is a rare occurance. A very close friend of mine worked on me for years, teaching me to appreciate a foggy or hazy day. And I’ve improved. I can sometimes see the beauty of haze… and making out the lines of scenery, obscured for the most part, by a dust storm. But the truth is, that I am most excited and enthusiastic on those crystal clear days… when you can see all the way to China.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7220536816/" title="D1954_052 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7076/7220536816_4c9df0a352.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="D1954_052"></a><br> the hotel in the village</p> <p>The difference between an internal scene and the external reality is much greater in the desert too. The sunlight is so intensive, that I we’re often sun-blinded when looking through a window at the scenery outdoors, and many people like subdued light when living in the desert. The shade, and proper ventilation can keep the air very pleasant inside. And this makes the movement from inside to out or from outside in all the more dramatic. </p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7220536874/" title="D1954_069 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7104/7220536874_ecbac25213.jpg" width="500" height="363" alt="D1954_069"></a><br> looking out at the bright day</p> <p>I haven’t yet learned to appreciate air conditioning. But luckily enough, I do like heat. Especially when it is dry heat. In the dry heat of the desert you don’t sweat all that much… and I feel a certain purity, spending time in such conditions. The pictures included in this post, were taken when the visibility wasn’t all that good, and trees seen in a distance have a slightly blurred look to them. I will soon post some desert pictures taken in better conditions. But I have to mention that because of the scarcity, water and greenery are specially appreciated in this environment. And there is water there too. There are underground pools of water, and springs… known to the local residents, both animal and human. You can go through distances of harsh landscape… rocks and dirt with little signs of vegetation, and then come across an oasis and be overcome by the rich conditions.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7220536970/" title="D1954_095 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5320/7220536970_4a44b3e2a0.jpg" width="500" height="443" alt="D1954_095"></a><br> playing a small clay flute</p> <p>And I will never forget the wonder of observing colored shimmerings on what would seem like barren dirt hills. Later I found that there were tiny flowers that were able to stay alive on those harsh hills, and when seen from a certain distance, they lent their colors to the scenery.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7220537066/" title="D1954_098 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7078/7220537066_3f80d331c1.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="D1954_098"></a><br> a celebration</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/05/18/the-mood-of-the-desert-13701067/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> weatherdesertphotoslifehttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/05/18/the-mood-of-the-desert-13701067/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/05/11/dill-13662127/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-05-11:/2012/05/11/dill-13662127/Fri, 11 May 2012 09:27:41 +0200 <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7175200574/" title="D1957_561 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5455/7175200574_5a1d27897e.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="D1957_561"></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7175200638/" title="D1957_562 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5330/7175200638_44bfef53e9.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="D1957_562"></a></p> <p>dill plants in my mother’s front yard</p> <p>dill or fennel?<br> I have always liked dill very much, as a spice. I like to include it in the marinade of pickled cucumbers… and with rice, and other foods. But have not been a special fan of Fennel wheich is very popular here, and included in salads, and sometimes pickled itself. After posting these pictures, I got some mails as well as comments, which raised the possibility that maybe what I had photographed was fennel, and not dill. I wasn’t sure, and started searching for information on the two plants. My daughter, Rivka, who has been a chef in an earlier incarnation of her professional life, suggested that the plant was fennel, and I give a lot of credit to her opinion. </p> <p>But reading botanical texts, I found it difficult to be sure which plant this was. I saw pictures of both, and they look very much the same, though they come from different families of plants. And strangely enough, they have very similar names in hebrew. The dill is ‘shamir’ and the fennel is ‘shumar’. The leaves of the dill are supposed to be a little more delicate than that of the fennel, and the seeds are a bit thinner. Eventually, I found a reference to the possibility of confusion between the two plants. The solution, I read, was to eat leaves from the two plants. The leaves of fennel have a liquorice taste. I went back to visit my mother again, and snipped two leaves from the plant… washed them and tasted them. They had a slightly spicy taste… but not that of liquorice. I believe that what I have photographed here is in fact, dill. But I’m still not 100% sure, if just because some people have questioned its identity.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/05/11/dill-13662127/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> photosnatureflowersspicehttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/05/11/dill-13662127/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/05/04/affinity-13626593/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-05-04:/2012/05/04/affinity-13626593/Fri, 04 May 2012 15:58:43 +0200 <p>Occasionally a friend will tell us about a wonderful piece of music he has heard. And then we listen to it, and it does nothing for us. Or about a beautiful woman. And then we meet her. And she is nice. But not so beautiful. It happens all the time. And that’s what they mean when they say, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. When it comes to art, the same is true. If we see something we really like, it means that what we’re looking at or listening to, answers some question within us, or supports a point of view we already have. There is a link between us and the art. But what moves us, what inspires us, what calms our soul, won’t do the same for everybody. Its subjective. It’s a matter of taste.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7141923091/" title="B413_08 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7241/7141923091_44d24c1e71.jpg" width="499" height="500" alt="B413_08"></a></p> <p>There are so many reasons to become involved in art. Some wish to give expression to their thoughts, their ideas, their sense of beauty. Others want to find a way to connect to people. They find the words don’t come to them readily in social conversation. Maybe they are frustrated by conventional manners, or social expectations. In the creation of art, they are able to overcome certain difficulties or inhibitions that limit their ability to communicate.</p> <p>Some people have been in a low down place, devoid of hope, tortured by the difficulties of life… and found courage, and sanity… sometimes even joy… in the work of an artist. And they wanted to pass it on; to help others as they have been helped. They want to be an artist like that artist that enlightened them. Some are lonely, or have little sense of self-worth, and are desperate for acknowledgement as a human being, or approval, or friendship, or respect.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/6995836672/" title="B413_07 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7064/6995836672_f6864ca995.jpg" width="496" height="500" alt="B413_07"></a></p> <p>Some artists find the pleasure in the act itself. They don’t have to be appreciated by others. It is enough for them to be satisfied with what they themselves have done. It is enough for them to feel good about their work. They can put it in a drawer, and not show it to anyone. Especially, if they’ve already had the experience of running around to gallery owners, or agents, or publishers, and being refused again and again.</p> <p>By the look on facebook, or on some blog platforms, for some people, it is very important to be liked. The more likes the better. They will spend the better part of the morning, or the evening, handing out likes to others, if only to obtain a lot of likes on their own page. What are all those likes about? How many likes does one need in order to be satisfied. My guess is, that it is a chase after something that can never truly satisfy. And most of all, because not all of those likes are sincere. What we really need in this world, is a few people we can truly relate to. And relating to someone, takes quite a bit of work. A person with a thousand best friends might be suffering from a delusion.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7141922931/" title="B413_05 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8027/7141922931_d4be3db7de.jpg" width="496" height="500" alt="B413_05"></a></p> <p>But there are a select few, who can tell the story of a sunset, or the call of a wild animal, in such a way, that many others… even those who don’t know him or her, will feel a twinge in their own hearts and guts. When I was lonely, I used to find people like that, hidden within the covers of books in the local library. I would feel they were my friends though some of them had been dead for quite some time. I would follow them, trying to read all they had written… or to see all of their images, even though they were not flattered by my attention. And if they were alive, they didn’t even get a piece of cake out of it, because I’d discovered the book in the library and not paid to read it.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7141923193/" title="B413_12 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7269/7141923193_84aee45cbd.jpg" width="496" height="500" alt="B413_12"></a></p> <p>And then there’s art for arts sake. I always looked at that, as I would at a prayer. Something that transcends my own particular position or circumstances… something for which I don’t expect to get a reward… not necessarily meant for my friends’ ears. When I look or listen, or read art like that, I feel an affinity to the message in the art, and not that much to the artist. It doesn’t matter if he’s a drunk, selfish or anti-social. What gives pleasure is the art itself.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/05/04/affinity-13626593/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> intentionsphilosophyartphotohttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/05/04/affinity-13626593/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/04/27/the-little-pleasures-13585237/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-04-27:/2012/04/27/the-little-pleasures-13585237/Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:20:04 +0200 <p>The older we get, the faster the time rushes by. It’s simple mathematics, really… a week becomes a smaller fraction of our lives, the longer we’ve lived, and that’s what changes our perception of time going by. If you remember waiting impatiently for an important date to arrive when a child… for the end of school and summer vacation, or for a trip or a birthday… it always seemed like it took a long time to get there. And in contrast, as we grow older, we barely turn around, and the week is done… and it’s another weekend.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/6972006178/" title="D1947_13 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8157/6972006178_0b676557d0.jpg" width="500" height="454" alt="D1947_13"></a><br> cats don’t smile, Tomasino</p> <p>This week was like that, with memorial day, and another holiday… can it be that we are approaching another Sabbath? What happened to the week? The other day, a friend mentioned something about making plans for retirement. And I shared my experience with her, that my plans came to naught. I had developed such work habits by the time I retired, that instead of finding myself with nothing to do… as I had thought would happen… my life is still full of the same things that were always part of it; work, anxiety, the joy of accomplishments, and even the last minute rush, as certain events approach.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/6972006120/" title="D1947_10 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8152/6972006120_f775fbd7d9.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1947_10"></a><br> these pics from behind my home</p> <p>There’s great beauty in every season. And this winter, I enjoyed some really beautiful photography of mist and fog… conditions that once were reason enough for me not to take my camera on a walk. I keep learning. But the beauties of this spring, are just intoxicating. The grass behind the house is as tall as bushes, and there are flowers everywhere I look. I walk along the path with a smile, and Nechama rolls around on the grass and on the earth… cats don’t smile, you know.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7118083895/" title="D1947_34 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7238/7118083895_3822741c8b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1947_34"></a></p> <p>I remember regretting that my father wasn’t a farmer, or a blacksmith, so I could watch him work. I thought that if it had been that way, I might have learned the secrets of work. But my father worked with his head, and that is the sort of work you can’t follow from the outside. I thought that I’d missed out on something rather important.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7118083771/" title="D1947_01 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/7118083771_e911e3a908.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1947_01"></a><br> the beauty of a thorn</p> <p>But later in life, I realized that I had gotten some pretty good examples of proper work habits… even for those who do intellectual work. It came to me, as I started to examine my own behavior, when overwhelmed by work, and finding it hard to keep up with all my commitments. I realized that that there was an illusory easiness about working with the mind. One thinks that there are as many hours available, as there are hours in the day. And then I remembered my father saying, I’ve got a problem… and he’d go off for a walk. Sometimes he’d stop everything, and listen to music for an hour. At the time, it seemed strange behavior. </p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7118084001/" title="D1947_37 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/7118084001_126e091582.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1947_37"></a></p> <p>Now I know that those simple pleasures are necessary to keep the mind relaxed, to absorb the things that we learn, and to let the ideas flow, so that we can come up with solutions to what seems unsolvable at first. I’ve learned that free time is often the most important part of the day. That is when I have my most productive moments. Not when I’m wracking my mind to find a solution to a problem, but when I’m taking a walk, with nothing to do but look at the flowers, and the little oddities of the streets.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/6972006282/" title="D1947_35 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8161/6972006282_f6047ce545.jpg" width="500" height="393" alt="D1947_35"></a></p> <p>How much better it is to maintain a sense of balance through the day, than to work at maximum pace all the time, so as to afford a great vacation, or a night on the town, when we really need it, because we’re so worn out with constant work! It is those little pleasures that accompany us through life, that constantly renew our strength, and allow us to take pleasure in our work. Today with multi tasking, and absorbing music or a lecture through earphones, while we are doing something else… it is easy to lose touch with quiet… to find ourselves limited by routine thinking, and uninspired moves. This goes along with my previous post on moderation. </p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7118084057/" title="D1947_48 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7091/7118084057_aca4bf2189.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1947_48"></a></p> <p>We do need some great moments in life, and to experience thrills that remain in our memories as landmarks. But it’s a mistake to want every moment to be a peak experience. We wouldn’t want to miss out on the simple pleasures of life.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/04/27/the-little-pleasures-13585237/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> photospeacequietpleasuremoderationhttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/04/27/the-little-pleasures-13585237/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/04/25/the-hill-top-boys-13576127/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-04-25:/2012/04/25/the-hill-top-boys-13576127/Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:26:18 +0200 <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/28061831/" title="F19_036 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/21/28061831_181bb2324c.jpg" width="500" height="376" alt="F19_036"></a></p> <p>What I love about her<br> isn’t what most see, when she walks by<br> that’s the pleasure of our intimacy<br> both the passion, and the way she makes me cry</p> <p>she’s crass and she’s rude<br> and she’s pushy when she’s in a rush<br> she can be mean too, when in a bad mood<br> But she’s a sucker… and lost in a crush</p> <p>I’ll celebrate her birthday all the same<br> we’ll eat steaks, grilled on charcoal embers<br> I’ll lift up my glass, and call her name<br> it meant something different once, I remember</p> <p>but together we’ve gone, through good times and bad<br> I see my faults in her reflection<br> and when I see them, I get real mad<br> yet still, I feel that old affection</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/04/25/the-hill-top-boys-13576127/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> photopoetrycelebrationhttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/04/25/the-hill-top-boys-13576127/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/04/20/moderation-13550315/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-04-20:/2012/04/20/moderation-13550315/Fri, 20 Apr 2012 15:43:32 +0200 <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/6950049208/" title="D1948_49 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7044/6950049208_0faf2e9ab6.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="D1948_49"></a><br> a crow taking advantage of technological progress</p> <p>It’s spring, and the land is filled with wildflowers, and all manner of living creatures, all intent on continuing the life cycle, trying to spread their seed… trying to succeed. I walk along the paths, and look out at the fields, and find myself thinking of human nature and behavior, in comparison with nature. And reading blogs, reading newspapers, and listening to the radio, I’m impressed by a desperation on the part of my fellow human, searching for recognition… begging or demanding to be heard. Too often, the use of superlatives… the sounds of extremity. </p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/6950048822/" title="D1945_036 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7067/6950048822_d15ee0aa54.jpg" width="500" height="361" alt="D1945_036"></a><br> Janne’s cat, Charlie</p> <p>Perhaps, I think, if I lived in a jungle, it would seem more natural. There the colors are more extreme, the competition is more deadly… Moreover, human society has been pictured as a jungle, since the beginning of the movement from rural lifestyle to urban, city life. Maybe it’s characteristic of human kind to start jumping up and down, and screaming when in concentrated masses. I don’t know much about it, because I usually avoid that type of situation. Don’t go to rock concerts… or football games.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/6950048954/" title="D1945_058 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7119/6950048954_cf7f73d765.jpg" width="417" height="500" alt="D1945_058"></a><br> one of my favorite wildflowers, the pink cistus</p> <p>It might be interesting to an anthropology Phd candidate out there, to write a thesis on the comparative behavior patterns of fans, during soccer and golf games.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7096119761/" title="D1945_055 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7202/7096119761_43451aa3b9.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1945_055"></a><br> the white cistus</p> <p>The big question is whether cyberspace, or more specifically, blogland, is going to resemble a library or a supermarket. Perhaps, there is a better example that I haven’t thought of yet. What is clear, is that reading and writing have come back, despite the pessimistic forecasts of some intellectuals after the invention of the television set. But there are some words and concepts that have lost all significance lately. I cry for the word awe. I cringe when I hear ‘awesome’. Is this part of the anti-religious backlash? Or is it just another link in the chain since CocaCola referred to themselves as ‘great’, more than half a century ago?</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/6950049050/" title="D1945_068 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5341/6950049050_0d25682c6d.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1945_068"></a><br> red buttercups in a patch of sun</p> <p>Human communication is such a delicate thing. Between grunts and prepared sound bites, and the hype of commercial rantings meant to encourage us to buy such things as we don’t really need, there is a world of subtlety, deep thoughts and human emotions which have already been shared and contemplated in the past, by way of words.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7096119921/" title="D1945_077 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7214/7096119921_0f78e302a5.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1945_077"></a><br> two women and a dog</p> <p>I am reminded of Norman Mailer’s weekly column in the Village Voice, some years back, in which he purposely wrote for the ‘slow reader’. He writes about it in his excellent book, ‘Advertisements for Myself’. The objective of the exercise, was not to make reading more easily accessible to low IQ readers, but to force intellectuals to stop skimming across conceptual texts.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/6950049170/" title="D1946_117 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7176/6950049170_5aa8e3023e.jpg" width="500" height="272" alt="D1946_117"></a><br> Ethiopian sex toy</p> <p>And to conclude, I would like to share with you a view of a marvelous sex toy that my dear friend Janne introduced me to, when visiting with her in the latter part of the last holiday. Seemingly, this object is used by Ethiopians Jews. It is a box which includes the images of a man and woman in embrace, and is kept by the bed. When one of the couple desires to have sex, the cover of the box is removed, thus indicating to the other member an invitation. I found it enchanting. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/04/20/moderation-13550315/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> naturewordssex-toyphotosblogginghttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/04/20/moderation-13550315/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/04/12/grandchildren-13494306/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-04-12:/2012/04/12/grandchildren-13494306/Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:38:01 +0200 <p>It has always been my feeling, that children come to this world, as if from another world… new souls in little helpless bodies, unable to provide for themselves, full of curiosity; not knowing our language; not knowing our ways. But eager to take part in this world, and to be accepted like everyone else. </p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/6924559218/" title="D1942_463 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5465/6924559218_61d663e153.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="D1942_463"></a></p> <p>I do not believe that they belong to us. I believe that they are entirely independent creatures; that have just been parceled out to those already living here, for us to help them adjust, and care for them, until they’ll be able to care for themselves. Sometimes, they’re very similar to us… and this is a blessing, because we can imagine ourselves as little children, starting over in life. But this is just imagination… for they are never identical to us.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7070637761/" title="D1942_475 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7210/7070637761_1f256ac01a.jpg" width="498" height="500" alt="D1942_475"></a></p> <p>And sometimes they are very different from us, and we have to be extremely careful, not to give them advice or guidance that would be right for us, perhaps, but wrong for them. We have to take care, in any case, not to insult them, not to belittle them, not to be insensitive, not to think of them as objects, or toys, or possessions.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7070637815/" title="D1942_481 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7084/7070637815_eaedb4d213.jpg" width="500" height="386" alt="D1942_481"></a></p> <p>I have friends, who don’t like to hear me say that life is a series of tests. But that’s the way I see it. And I believe, that when raising children, the scores we get are connected to the independence of the children we’ve raised; whether they are self sufficient, whether they are happy in life, whether they’re able to deal with the difficulties and the hard times.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/6924559410/" title="D1943_098 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7222/6924559410_5dedfb2b50.jpg" width="500" height="399" alt="D1943_098"></a></p> <p>Of course, it’s not so simple. Because each of us has free choice. We can make mistakes. We can be tempted down a path that is dangerous or destructive. These poor choices, are not the fault of the parent. And some of us, come to this world with disadvantages. One is born a hunchback, and another a cripple. One with a hair-lip, and another with very little intelligence, or blind, or deaf. We are not all born equal. We are all born different. I’ve heard that even exceptional beauty can be a disadvantage, or exceptional talent or strength. And when a parent is given a child that is disadvantaged in some very difficult way, parenting becomes a much harder job. Often, it changes the life of the parent completely.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7070637941/" title="D1944_137 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5338/7070637941_9ef5d0e13d.jpg" width="500" height="495" alt="D1944_137"></a></p> <p>Years ago, I was studying the story of the beginning, in the bible. How man was created in the garden of eden, where he was not obligated to do anything but enjoy life. And then he eats the fruit of the tree of knowledge, and is tempted by the snake… and eventually finds himself thrown out of the garden, and having to work to provide for himself, and his woman bears children in pain. It occurred to me that this is a parable on childhood, and the exit from our parents’ home. How wonderful it is to be taken care of and provided for. But we have that innate curiosity. The desire to understand the world around us. And that is the tree of knowledge. Sometimes, our parents try to protect us from some difficult subjects, turning them into pleasant fairy tales… bending the truth a bit.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7070638003/" title="D1944_145 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5200/7070638003_f56118049b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1944_145"></a></p> <p>And then, as we grow older, passion awakes in us. We have sexual desires. The snake stands up, and tempts the woman… not so much with the pleasure of his company, but with the fruit… the fruit of knowledge, the fruit of her union with her man. But then life moves on to the next phase. No longer children… no longer free to run around naked enjoying all the wonders of the garden of eden. Now we have to work for a living, and suffer the pain of bringing children into this world.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/6924559588/" title="D1944_152a by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5080/6924559588_a4461680e6.jpg" width="433" height="500" alt="D1944_152a"></a></p> <p>This week, I spent time with friends, and with children and grandchildren. This holiday lasts a week. And this evening, we will begin the last day of the holiday, which like the first day, is similar to a Sabbath. Not exactly the same, but it is a day given to more spiritual focus. Perhaps one day, I will go into the subtle differences of holiness and holy days… but for now, my blessing to all my readers and friends, may we all find strength and renewal in these spring days, and happiness and productivity.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/04/12/grandchildren-13494306/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> holidaychildrenphotoslifeunderstandinghttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/04/12/grandchildren-13494306/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/04/11/people-around-the-table-13487042/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-04-11:/2012/04/11/people-around-the-table-13487042/Wed, 11 Apr 2012 12:00:09 +0200 <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/6921117390/" title="D1941_111 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7081/6921117390_6afb17b609.jpg" width="444" height="500" alt="D1941_111"></a><br> the window as seen through a glass of wine</p> <p>sorry there’s not much time for cyberspace these days…<br> the time rattles by, as if in an old jalopy on a rutted dirt road in the woods<br> we hold on to our seats, hoping that the inertia will get us past<br> the potholes on the way…<br> more pictures than the little notes I shove into my shirt pocket<br> so I’ll remember… and then forget what they were meant<br> to remind me anyway…<br> more pictures than can be shoved into a blog…<br> but part of the impression, anyway,<br> as our old jalopy bounces our behinds<br> right out of our seats…<br> just this passing moment, to yell hi through the window<br> I’m thinking of you, aint I,<br> or wouldn’t have sent you this note<br> though if you were here, you could have taken part<br> in the wine and cheese<br> your comments will be answered later</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7067197223/" title="D1941_113 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7048/7067197223_2f5fe4c73b.jpg" width="466" height="500" alt="D1941_113"></a><br> he works on the computer, he’s intelligent, has a good sense of humor, and tries to view the world rationally…</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7067197125/" title="D1940_033 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7042/7067197125_84e02122da.jpg" width="500" height="409" alt="D1940_033"></a><br> she’s an artist… a student of life… she’s learning Chinese astrology right now</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7067197073/" title="D1940_023 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7041/7067197073_a935ce7e84.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1940_023"></a><br> she draws more precisely than a camera can take a picture… a source of wisdom to her friends…</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/04/11/people-around-the-table-13487042/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> friendsfreedomholidayphotoshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/04/11/people-around-the-table-13487042/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/04/10/holiday-meeting-old-friends-13484043/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-04-10:/2012/04/10/holiday-meeting-old-friends-13484043/Tue, 10 Apr 2012 22:23:57 +0200 <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/6917524554/" title="D1940_009 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5332/6917524554_92b3c718f8.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="D1940_009"></a></p> <p>Friends very dear,<br> but not part of the day to day routine…<br> forgotten at times unintentionally<br> and remembered on the holiday.<br> what a great excuse to get together<br> I think, we need more holidays…<br> for the meeting brings back<br> what was lost<br> best to celebrate any holiday<br> we can get our hands on…<br> I say to my friends…<br> Christmas is good.<br> Maybe we could even work in<br> Martin Luther King day…</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7063604337/" title="D1940_084 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7266/7063604337_a946d44b93.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1940_084"></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7063604261/" title="D1940_085 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7253/7063604261_fd1b875e7a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1940_085"></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/6917524644/" title="D1940_075 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7124/6917524644_fb52f82717.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1940_075"></a></p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/04/10/holiday-meeting-old-friends-13484043/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> foodfriendsholidaywinephotospoetryhttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/04/10/holiday-meeting-old-friends-13484043/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/04/06/spring-days-13420496/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-04-06:/2012/04/06/spring-days-13420496/Fri, 06 Apr 2012 08:07:48 +0200 <p>”there is nothing much to argue about<br> when it comes to taste and smell”<br> - - - old Hebrew proverb</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7048760719/" title="D1938_49 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7246/7048760719_d030d6e3d1.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1938_49"></a><br> Nechama surveys the rich vegetation</p> <p>As the sun starts to set this evening, we in Israel will usher in the holiday of Passover, commemorating our exodus from slavery, and the establishment of our state something over 3000 years ago. There have been a lot of preparations for the banquet, which will be celebrated tonight, during which we will tell our children (and in my case, grandchildren), of the many things we learned on our way from slavery to freedom… and what happens when you’re not ready for freedom… and how to relate to an enemy, and how to relate to an enemy after victory. There are many things that are discussed. There is as much discussion as there is food, and there is a lot of fine food. There are also four obligatory glasses of wine. But for those who cannot drink wine for one reason or other, there are also bottles of pure grape juice, which may be drunk instead.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/6902669694/" title="D1938_20 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7038/6902669694_1fe3622dab.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1938_20"></a><br> this friendly neighbor offers to join us in our walk</p> <p>As I’ve already spoken about Passover, and even though there is a lot more to tell about this unique and very special holiday, I will direct my attention to two aspects that I haven’t written about in the past, celebrating the spring, and emphasizing values. </p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7048760463/" title="D1938_25 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5319/7048760463_b2e5b2b53e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1938_25"></a><br> another friend, enjoying the sun</p> <p>Spring has arrived in Jerusalem, and we are conscious of the warming up, the great increase in vegetation, the birds singing from the tree tops, and it won’t be long before some of the less desirable visitors will show up, checking out what’s available in human domiciles. I am speaking of the ants and the cockroaches, the flies and the mosquitoes. We have our ways of making them feel unwelcome. But it’s a long standing contest, even if we’re confident of winning.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/6902669840/" title="D1938_45 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5235/6902669840_bb3a01ccd0.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="D1938_45"></a><br> this one is called ‘the cows tongue’ because of its leaves</p> <p>But now, at the beginning of spring, we celebrate the renewal… all the beautiful wild flowers. Nechama accompanies me on my daily walk, and she steps off the beaten path to enjoy walking between plants and flowers, and letting the new leaves of succulent vegetation comb her fur. She doesn’t mind absorbing a little dust, and having some thorns and seeds caught in her fur. She enjoys rolling around on the ground, and rubbing her back on the hard earth while I stand guard, so that no one will take advantage of the fact that her feet are in the air, and her soft stomach is exposed. You know cats. They love a little mischief… and if I wasn’t standing there by her side, one of her friends would jump right on her soft stomach, yelling surprise! Or Happy Birthday!</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7048760825/" title="D1938_60 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7255/7048760825_8c6bd5cec2.jpg" width="500" height="488" alt="D1938_60"></a><br> after a roll on the hard earth, Nechama looks around</p> <p>Of course, a lot of the holiday discussion is about how we were slaves, and that the nobility of freedom can’t be taken for granted. And at the very beginning of the banquet, we tell our children that we are descendents of pagans, who worshipped many gods. Because it’s important to remember that there is always choice. And that we shouldn’t be too proud about where we are today, because culture is a process that is developed over generations.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7048760919/" title="D1938_65 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5116/7048760919_d024be35a1.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1938_65"></a><br> these are mustard. I put them in my sandwich</p> <p>And as we discuss values, we consider that values are not only the big rules… that we shouldn’t steal or murder; or be jealous of what our neighbor has. But that we should enjoy the pleasures of life with a sense of proportion. Today, extreme sports are popular, and in fact, we are often tempted and encouraged to go to extremes. There is something wonderful about climbing a mountain, for instance. You usually start at a point where the ground is still pretty level, and then as you begin the climb, there are places where you have to descend in order to reach that other place where you will again ascend. Little by little, the air gets thinner, and the vegetation changes according to the altitude, and you meet different animals who know how to take advantage of the many different variations in the environment. Looking up, there are the birds overhead, who can reach the isolated crags and peaks that are so hard for us to attain.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7048761081/" title="D1938_70 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7275/7048761081_e22d7a8109.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1938_70"></a></p> <p>Now it may seem to some, that it is even more exciting and pleasurable to go up into the sky inside a plane, and then jump out of the plane at a great altitude, and feel the adrenalin come rushing through the body as the wind rushes by on the outside. I have not experienced this adventure myself. But even so, I believe that it is a mistake to always search out the extremes, and that there is much more to be enjoyed when including the many subtleties and minor pleasures that are a part of a conventional adventure. This type of choice, is also a part of studying values. Just as it is not in our interest to eat only sugar, no matter how sweet, or peppers, no matter how exciting… so in our pleasures we should try to enjoy a variety of shades and colors.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/6902670228/" title="D1938_67 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7275/6902670228_d1f261131b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1938_67"></a><br> all the flowers here are wild…</p> <p>My best wishes to all, at the start of spring, and to my friend Peter, and others who are reading me in the southern hemisphere, as they begin to enjoy the fall and approach the winter. May we all find reasons to rejoice, and enjoy the changes of the seasons, and our meetings with the younger generation that has come after us… and bring strength and friendship to the older generations who went before us.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7048760621/" title="D1938_48 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7259/7048760621_ce99de89ef.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1938_48"></a><br> and our best wishes to all the cats out there!</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/04/06/spring-days-13420496/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> photosvaluesvegetationhistorycatscelebrationhttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/04/06/spring-days-13420496/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/03/30/the-future-of-mankind-13342749/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-03-30:/2012/03/30/the-future-of-mankind-13342749/Fri, 30 Mar 2012 11:53:46 +0200 <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/28065383/" title="9_F14_0026 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/22/28065383_0d4e34b03f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="9_F14_0026"></a><br> lonely in Sodom</p> <p>Today, when I awoke, I checked my watch on the table near my bed… and I had awoken at my regular time. My cat was curled up between my legs, with her head resting behind one of my knees, as she likes to do when the sun first comes up, trying to tempt me to stay in bed just a little longer… It was only later, when I turned on the computer, and noticed that it was an hour later than I thought it was, that I remembered that the clock had been turned forward in the middle of the night. Ah… the computer is so in touch… knows more than I do, most of the time… and the shock of it, that the computer knew what time it was while I still hadn’t reset my clocks and watches, made me think of where we’re going in this world as human beings.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/52295365/" title="D876_19 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/32/52295365_05d58894c7.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D876_19"></a><br> a virtual pond</p> <p>As you know, my friends, man knows everything. And if he doesn’t know, he’s quite willing to guess. And once he’s guessed, he’s ready to put his money on it. He’s ready to fight for his opinions… he’s more than ready to knock the shit out of anyone who thinks differently. That’s just the way we are… and as the Americans put it so aptly, love it or leave it. As everyone knows, there are two widely accepted theories of how we got here in the first place. </p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/28065092/" title="4_F17_032 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/21/28065092_1885dc2a2d.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="4_F17_032"></a><br> outdoor café in the mall</p> <p>One is called ‘the creation theory’. This is the religious point of view, and tells us that the king of kings, who is omnipotent, and greater than we could possibly imagine… having some spare time one day, created the universe. The second theory is scientific. It is accepted by a lot of people and taught in public schools, as if there was no question about it. It says there was this little bit of dust (no explanation of how that dust got there), and it just sort of sat around for a long, long time, and then evolved itself into earth, moon, and stars, rivers, seas and mountains, junipers and mosquitoes. And once we had the monkey… it was one small step to mankind. There are so many really great people on both sides of this debate, that I don’t believe it would be right for me to take a side. I’ll just speculate about where man is going…</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/52295214/" title="D876_05 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/29/52295214_3580bcf76f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D876_05"></a><br> modern urban landscape</p> <p>And when it comes to understanding man, it doesn’t really matter which side you take in the great debate between religion and science. If you’re religious, you know that it didn’t take long after man arrived, for him to start eating from the forbidden fruit, and killing his brother… and once we got the population growing, we killed great numbers of people… and often for the right reasons. If you’re on the scientific side, then you know that man started killing animals so he could eat, and used their pelts to make jeans, and raped women because their instinct told them to. They were so successful in overcoming all other life forms on this earth, that by the time Malthus started theorizing, it seemed like we would reproduce till there’d no longer be food to feed upon. And that would be terrible, don’t you know. He published his theory in 1798, and for most of the 19th century, academicians and thinking folks were really depressed about the future of man.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/28065381/" title="7_G018_058 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/21/28065381_4170be08ff.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="7_G018_058"></a><br> riding a dragon</p> <p>But by the end of the 19th century, man’s knowledge and inventive powers were leap-frogging, and it seemed that there was no end to the ability of man to influence his environment. And this optimism continued to grow during the 20th century, only mildly discouraged by two world wars, and numerous crimes against humanity, both big and small.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/2347584398/" title="D1209_49 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3014/2347584398_7396b29754.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1209_49"></a><br> children playing in the mall</p> <p>Now here we are in the 21st century, and evolution is really hot and jumping. And if you’re on the religious side of the barricades, you’re not really surprised by the way things are going either. It is clear that man has not been taking the path of godliness. However, if you want to look at human progress from an innocent point of view, you could say that mankind is continuously trying to leave his animal existence behind him, and is aspiring to a more spiritual state of being. We’ve left hunting and rape, and sitting around the bonfire behind us (at least I hope we have), and now, as our bodies atrophy, and our waist lines expand (as does the universe), we’ve put the accent on mental activity, as realized by the computer, that fascinating tool which can do almost anything for us, with minimal physical work on our part.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/52295348/" title="D876_18 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/33/52295348_30e28d9468.jpg" width="360" height="480" alt="D876_18"></a><br> the sky is always blue</p> <p> The most striking allegory of our spiritual direction, these days, is the mall. It is there that we become oblivious to the time of day or the weather, as we shop under a never ending synthetic blue sky, and choose between infinite varieties of synthetic clothes and playthings, never knowing how they were made or how they work… but so, so happy to buy them, two for the price of one, if we’re lucky… and in the worst case, at 25% off. And they said that the garden of Eden was fun!</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/4559210802/" title="D1584_032 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3069/4559210802_5bfb43c312.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1584_032"></a><br> Chinese and American food side by side</p> <p>But there is a fly in the ointment. In order to supply the multitudes with McDonald’s hamburgers, and other forms of meat, we’ve had to use some rather artificial methods to produce that food. And the same goes for fish. Actually, as difficult as it might be to believe, even a large part of the vegetables we consume, are raised in an extremely artificial way… and I’m not just talking about the poisons to discourage other living creatures; there’s an increasing enthusiasm for meddling with the DNA of plant life, and eating is no longer as simple as pulling a wild radish out of the ground and chomping on it. In fact, some of the issues that have popped up concerning the food we put in our mouths, bring back the nightmarish visions of Malthus, a little over 200 years ago. We may have to re-examine our eating habits.</p> <p>And even for those who are not worried about food, there is a certain alienation from nature. I noticed that at nine this morning, when my computer told me it was ten. </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/03/30/the-future-of-mankind-13342749/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> photosfoodmallnaturetimehttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/03/30/the-future-of-mankind-13342749/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/03/23/the-streets-of-jerusalem-13287743/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-03-23:/2012/03/23/the-streets-of-jerusalem-13287743/Fri, 23 Mar 2012 14:35:36 +0100 <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/6862112680/" title="D1936_35 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7234/6862112680_ff41463d96.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1936_35"></a><br> where the old train used to run, a walkway, and a lane for bicycles</p> <p>I noticed many years ago, that when people go around asking for advice regarding some problem they have, or decision they have to make, it often seems like they are checking out people’s opinion, until they run into an opinion that mirrors their true internal desire, and then, they give that friend or acquaintance the honor of having come up with the solution… and do what they wanted to do from the start.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/27524303/" title="framed by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/21/27524303_4cb92b87c5.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="framed"></a><br> a mirror in front of a frame shop</p> <p>Which brings to mind one of my favorite stories about Sigmund Freud. He was riding in a train, sitting next to an acquaintance who wanted to take advantage of sitting next to this well known authority on the human mind. He told Freud about a complicated problem he had. The bottom line was that he had to make a decision between two choices, each of which had pluses and minuses. He asked the doctor for his opinion. Freud thought about it for a while, and then looked into the man’s face for a minute, and said, ‘I think you ought to flip a coin’. The man said nothing for a while… and finally admitted that he was expecting something more definite. After all, anyone could advise you to flip a coin. Freud, realizing that the man was disappointed, said, ‘when you look at what the coin indicates, you’ll know by your internal reaction, what it was that you really wanted to do’.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7008228019/" title="D1936_23 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7228/7008228019_33b708d9b6.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1936_23"></a><br> a building style that reminds me of my youth</p> <p>In our tradition, we have something of an answer to this. As you can probably guess, there are many different Rabbis who have as many different opinions on a long list of religious dilemmas, and going to a Rabbi for a learned point of view, doesn’t mean that necessarily, you’ll only get one sort of answer. Of course, there are some issues on which all agree. But sometimes the answers you can get are wide apart. So our sages taught us that you can choose which Rabbi to go to, when wrestling with a quandary. But once you’ve asked him, and gotten his answer, you should accept it, and not keep asking until you get the sort of answer that pleases you.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/45537092/" title="D865_066 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/30/45537092_fa50a97731.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D865_066"></a><br> in a newer part of town</p> <p>And if you’re asking how I got to this subject in the first place, I was told by a reader that what he liked most about my blog, were the back streets of Jerusalem, that a tourist might not run into, but that I show in my blog after one of my daily walks. No sooner had I read that, then I was planning a four part study of the back streets of my town… but then I thought, ‘What?, do I need an excuse to do it?’ The truth is that I have a great love for the streets of Jerusalem, and have many collections of such sets, filed according to the different neighborhoods. These photographs are not of the sort usually considered ‘street photography’. For street photography focuses on people doing unusual things, or combinations of images that provoke thought. I have done that too, on occasion. But I enjoy the mere documentation of the streets I love, and don’t publish such pictures often, because I fear that the innocent viewer might find himself bored by a line of houses sitting in the sun; not skyscrapers, and not wonders of architecture, but just photographed as a keepsake of this city I love.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/7008228047/" title="D1936_28 by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7250/7008228047_568cde7c32.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="D1936_28"></a><br> the metal shutters were a necessary protection once</p> <p>There is a context that I remember, that the viewer of the photos wouldn’t know… and it is within that context, that my feelings are remembered. There was a house, I used to park next to, when I was teaching at the college in the 90s, because often I’d hear a woman in an upstairs apartment singing through an open window as she worked. And another parking spot next to my studio, where the cats of the neighborhood used to greet me enthusiastically when I arrived. It wasn’t because I handed out freshly caught fish… I have no idea why they remembered me, and would always come around to say hello when I arrived, and often bid me goodbye when I left. </p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/59306189/" title="D890_15s by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm1.staticflickr.com/29/59306189_901ad6ce10.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="D890_15s"></a>’<br> a shtiebel</p> <p>And there are those very special one room synagogues, scattered around the town, where people will get together for a prayer, with great regularity. Sometimes it’s in an apartment, and sometimes it’s an old store, or even a bomb shelter, or a store room on the ground floor of an apartment building. We call them a shtiebel. The name comes from the Yiddish. More times than I can remember, I’ve been on my way from one place to another, with thoughts of work on my mind, when I’ve been approached by a stranger, who asked me to join in a prayer, which have to have a minimum of ten men for a forum, called a minyan. I would stop whatever I was doing, and join the company of complete strangers for a quarter of an hour… sometimes longer.</p> <p>So, today, a few very personal souvenirs of the Jerusalem I love.</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/03/23/the-streets-of-jerusalem-13287743/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> photosstreetsjerusalemlovehttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/03/23/the-streets-of-jerusalem-13287743/#commentshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/03/21/burying-a-piece-of-us-13238774/tag:tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk,2012-03-21:/2012/03/21/burying-a-piece-of-us-13238774/Wed, 21 Mar 2012 09:02:25 +0100 <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/shimonz/5208969792/" title="A670_04s by ShimonZ, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5281/5208969792_a3e531e7ba.jpg" width="500" height="310" alt="A670_04s"></a><br> rest in peace</p> <p>Bless the new green shoots of grass<br> and the leaves and flowers of spring<br> under the blue sky.<br> The morning dew on the flowers,<br> the bumblebees jumping from one luscious flower to another,<br> and the happy shrieks of children in their play.<br> But it isn't always like that.<br> Sometimes it's bleak and dark,<br> with the frost hugging plant life with deathly cold,<br> and cold fingers of the low lying foggy day<br> reaching for our aching bones,<br> nudging us with hints of despair.</p> <p>Not to speak of the children<br> who haven’t had the chance to live<br> before the hatred of a stranger cut ‘em down<br> tears not dry on their cheeks<br> from the dress that didn’t fit<br> or the skateboard that was stolen<br> their very lives wiped out before we noticed…</p> <p>And we, simple human beings;<br> trying to live our lives in the free spaces<br> between forces much greater than our understanding…<br> often greater than our perceptions;<br> carried by winds of fortune and misfortune…<br> in the heat of summer and the cold of winter,<br> forgetting in our youthful exuberance<br> that this life is lent to us for a time…<br> with the due date hidden in the tiny letters of the contract<br> on which we impatiently checked the 'I agree' box<br> before throwing our copy into the recycle bin…<br> we, the slowly evolving church mice and bed mites,<br> and city cats and fat cats and mountain lions…<br> all of us with a due date…<br> with head aches and back aches,<br> and dyslexia and mothers in law,<br> and some of us with the law on our backs…<br> and some with a monkey on our back…<br> all of us looking for a little light in the dead of night…<br> we have to learn, don't we,<br> to take the good with the bad…<br> to enjoy a good cry as much as a good laugh…<br> and to moan the pain away<br> when it's filled our bodies and souls past withstanding…<br> to moan the pain away…</p> <p>and know…<br> that we have to take the good with the bad<br> and the bad with the good…<br> cause this is life, no matter what we came up with…<br> no matter if the other guy has it better,<br> or it isn't fair…<br> or we were promised better…<br> this is it, for as long as we make it through…</p> <p>it only matters that we like red roses,<br> when we've got the dime in our pocket,<br> and the all the bouquets are before us on display.<br> and when we're saying goodbye to mother<br> or brother, or sister, or friend<br> or even a son, who couldn't take it<br> and put a bullet in his brain,<br> saying… I've gotten this far,<br> and it's as far as I wanna go…<br> carry on from here, I've done my time…</p> <p>and we, who've put our cut hair in the pail,<br> and put our fingernail clippings in the dust bin<br> and our cigarette butts in the ashtray…<br> our old whiskey bottles,<br> and the old cardboard boxes from the super…<br> and the wrapping paper that came<br> with the shiny new purchases…<br> and Christmas presents found under the tree…<br> and the spam, and the candy wrappers</p> <p>let us dig a deep hole in the ground<br> and with due respect<br> not exaggerated, and not inflated,<br> nor overloaded by solemn ritual…<br> let us put the body of our loved one<br> who is no longer here…<br> who's body is the left over peel<br> of his earthly existence.<br> no more than the fingernail clippings<br> and the cut hair.<br> not what we will remember<br> it wasn't that, we hugged, in better moments<br> now we'll lower it into the ground<br> and shovel some dirt on top of it…<br> and tamp it down, we will<br> and say goodbye…</p> <p>and keep on living, as long as we can…</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/03/21/burying-a-piece-of-us-13238774/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p> good-baddeathburialbwpoetrycoldphotoshttp://tzelem-enosh.blog.co.uk/2012/03/21/burying-a-piece-of-us-13238774/#comments