That's All There Is

I'm dying. But so are you.

Déjà vu? It's not an original thought, but I admit I used the same words in Various Thoughts XIII on August 3^rd, 2017. Then it was theoretical and intellectual, but now it's for real. If it hasn't happened already. Consequently this will be my last post. If I have anything to say in the meantime I'll slip it in between essays already scheduled for publication.

First of all, I've been very lucky. (My wife, too. We've shared in our good fortune.) I have cancer. Death is inevitable and isn't worth wasting space on. But we've had (that's me and Phyllis) over fifty-seven years together, and they've been good years. We have three children, thirteen grandchildren, and two great grandchildren so far, and all have been good kids. No drugs or other of the evil signs of the times. All have remained faithful to their faith, and their propects look good. They love our people and they love Israel. I couldn't be more proud.

So what prompts this message? I've been losing weight despite attempts not to do so, and having some pains and discomforts I can't explain. Perhaps it's nothing but I doubt it. I'll report the findings to my doctor and get her take on the situation. And undergo the tests and whatever therapies she proposes.

In the interim, however, I've decided to record some thoughts I have. If you've been reading this blog, none of them will surprise you, but I wanted to jot them down anyway. They're about me rather than the disease and will explain a little more about who I am. As for my style in this essay, it's likely to be erratic. I'll record my ideas as I think of them, and that means they may not be in any logical sequence.

I live in a blue state but I'm purple – disappointed in the “new liberalism” (populism and antisemitism) of the left and attracted by some of the policy positions of the conservatives. I agree with concerns over the needy, in a religious and human way (and based on my upbringing in a liberal household), but I don't think protests and throwing money at them is the answer. On the other hand I support a more conservative view of our economy and national strength, but oppose our thumbing our nose at the rest of the world. I support Israel which has become the convenient target of antisemites and of the left in general – especially out of our country – even if I don't support all of Israel's policies. But I should add that I don't support all of our country's policies either and I consider myself a patriotic American.

Like most conservatives I'm old-fashioned. My clothing is stodgy and square. It's not unusual for me to be one of the few who wears a suit and tie to Shabbat and Yom Tov services. I relate better to the values and customs of my youth (including the music) than what is currently in style. I know the same can be said of every generation that preceded mine, and that this will always be the case, but I cannot help feeling that we're moving too fast – especially in our tendency to declare all dissidents to be right, and those who consider themselves oppressed to be declared protected minorities. I regret our inclination to protest whatever we don't like – and that's a very recent development – rather than to try to work with those we oppose. Ideology has taken precedence over common sense.

I'm Jewish, which you may have deduced from what I've written here, or learned from previous essays where it has been expressed unequivocally. I try to follow the precepts handed down to us by our sages. It's what I do, and I'll continue doing it as long as I can. I'm a creature of habit, and Judaism provides habits which resonate with me – habits I love. But I'm a little troubled that most, if not all, of the laws were written by humans. Even those attributed to G-d have been recorded – if not formulated – by humans. They may have been inspired, brilliant, and wise, but they were human and passed down to us, often with commentary, by people like us. No matter. What they say makes sense and seems fair. Admittedly we judge them using human not divine standards, but that's all we have. They tell us there is a G-d but it's not something we can confirm independently. It still doesn't matter. And, of course, I have no concept of death. The idea of an afterlife seems to have come about as a reaction to Christianity. That doesn't make it wrong but it's hard to ignore the fact that it wasn't mentioned in our early teachings.

I'd like to believe that there is such an afterlife and that it is a continuation of this one, similar to what is taught children. But I suspect that if there is such an existence it would totally unrelated to the one we are living now and we'll have no knowledge of this one or the people we knew. We have no knowledge of what happened before we were born and there is no reason to believe that we'll remember this life after it ends. But who knows. Human thought and logic don't apply. (FOR MY FAMILY: There's a lot more on my views of the subject on the Asus and on my flash drives. See Thoughts.doc. It's in “documents” on the open Office menu for drive C, and in “The Imperious Loudmouth” menus on the flash drives.)

I live (or lived, as the case may be) in Mount Vernon, New York, and in the same house for over forty-seven years (as of the time of this writing). I decided long ago that I'll never move because that would entail cleaning out the attic, and I'm not prepared to do so. It will be my children's problem and give them the chance to find all my old secrets, as well as some items that may have accumulated value over the years. It will also give them the opportunity to bump their heads. But they'll be careful. They were reared in this house and know their way around, so they know where to look and what to look for.

I have an agreement with Phyllis (full disclosure: it's not really an agreement but a demand I've made) that I'll die first. She keeps the books (she's far more organized that I) and I'd never be able to manage our affairs without her. I suspect it will be far easier to live without me than without her, although I know that a period of mourning will delay any immediate consideration of the issue.

Sadly, Phyllis is ill as well. Diagnosed much more recently than I, but ill nonetheless. Hence there will be a race. We both want it to be a marathon rather than a sprint, but that is out of our hands. To the loser belong the problems.

I probably should express some of my wishes for my family and for the world. None will be either original or unexpected, but all of them are deeply felt. For my beloved wife I wish happiness and a long life. I trust her therapy will be helpful in this regard and keep her symptoms and her disease from progressing. She's dedicated herself to working for the community and to the lives of others, and deserves the best for herself as well. I hope that she'll have the companionship that will make her happy. I know she has many friends through her Medicare counseling position and from members of the community. And, of course, the love and concern that she'll receive from our family.

As for that family, I wish unity. And mutual love and concern. I love them all. I hope they (and the rest of those who can do so for that matter) make an effort to care for the needy and afflicted wherever they may be. I mentioned earlier that they were all good and we were lucky. I pray that our luck will continue. Our grandchildren, at least some of them, are working out their plans for life and I wish them well. And all of my children and grandchildren have shown their attachment to the Jewish People and to the land of Israel. I couldn't be more pleased.

My wishes for the world are equally grandiose – though I am less sanguine about their accomplishment. I fear that my wish for world peace will never reach fruition. There are always power-seeking and self-absorbed people who will seek to enrich themselves at the expense of others. For them the power they feel while ruling a country and making it victorious over others will always exist, and it will prevent the compromises and accommodations necessary for us all to lay down our swords and join hands.

I am also concerned that prejudices will remain despite every effort to eliminate them. Antisemitism has been around for millennia and is achieving new strength as large nations and brainwashed people search for a convenient scapegoat to which they can point. Nations do it to distract their constituents from the real problems they face. Individuals pass their biases on to their children – biases they were taught by their parents and their leaders.

What I really want will take a miracle. It is that people learn to work together; that they learn to compromise for everyone's good; that they accept the idea that they cannot have everything they want but can contribute to the good of others. I believe in absolutes – at least some absolutes. I believe that in the DNA of all humans are instructions about how to live with our neighbors. After all, rules about human interactions are common to all of us. And they tend to be very similar. It's a human instinct. There are some outliers, with damaged DNA, who don't accept those absolutes, but most of us do. Perhaps evolution will ultimately rid humanity of its morally damaged. That is my hope and my wish.

My consolations are that I believe there is a G-d and that, from time to time, He authors miracles.


PS.  Irrespective of what I've said, check next week to see if there are more posts.

Enjoy!

August 7, 2017

Uncle Jonas

It's Purim, and I've been thinking about my Uncle Jonas. Perhaps I'm the only one who ever thinks about him. He died on Purim a little over three decades ago. He was about seventy – I'm not precisely sure what his age was. And I didn't know him very well. But still I remember him.

Uncle Jonas my father's younger brother. He was short and bald. He played the violin, though I can't testify as to how good he was. He never married and lived with his parents (until they died – then he lived alone in the same apartment) on Tenth Avenue in Brooklyn. As I think back, he always struck me as being a little retarded. That may have been the case, but I'm not sure it was always the case. I was told that he had been very bright as a child but was hit by a car and wasn't the same after that. I don't know the full story, but I know that he was friendly, and happy to converse with anyone who talked to him.

Obviously I can't imagine what his life was like. I don't know if he was happy and I don't know if he was contented with his lot. I don't know if he even thought about it. But he was friendly. I simultaneously liked him and, because he seemed slow, I was reluctant to interact with him. That was my problem but, I suspect, not mine alone, and he was left isolated. Now he's dead and I can only think about him. I can only remember.

Remember.

You can only remember those you knew – whether personally or by reputation. And those by reputation you really only “remember” about. Many hope to leave a heritage of accomplishments that will cause them to be remembered, not only by their families but by others as well. Perhaps others hear about them, but they don't remember them. You can't remember those you never knew, or about whom you never heard. So I don't remember the generations of my family – even the famous ones, and there were some – who died before I was born, and those who were never famous. So a few years from now, after I'm no longer in the picture, no one is likely to remember Uncle Jonas.

Does it matter? Not really. We're all forgotten. Equally. Whether accomplished, or living alone in Brooklyn, we're all equal. Whatever the cause of Uncle Jonas's mental slowness, he was human like the rest of us. Who gets remembered? To a degree, we all do. Who is forgotten? Eventually we all are.

So for a little while, I'll remember Uncle Jonas. We may have been different, but we were both made in the image of G-d. And He will remember eternally.

Net Profit

While one of the primary reasons for the internet proposal is to save money, start-up costs should be anticipated. I noted yesterday that satellites and nationwide transmission towers would be required, though to a great degree the government could use existing facilities to lower the costs.ⁱ But we shouldn't gloss over the likelihood that it will be expensive at the beginning. All entrepreneurs already know this, though. However great the ultimate profits, getting started can be expensive.ⁱⁱ

Another notable starting cost will be the computers. Since, in the twenty-first century and beyond, our government is to be based on the internet, we must be sure that government-use computersⁱⁱⁱ are available to all citizens. If, however, we can further the development of inexpensive units for the poor of other countries, we should be able to do the same for our own people. Although it might seem costly to distribute units to all Americans, in the end they would pay for themselves, and after the initial round, the annual expense would be modest. Rules will be necessary to designate who is entitled to a unit, but one per “family”^iv would seem to be reasonable. Beyond what most of us accept in terms of what constitutes a family though, additional definitions would be necessary.^v Census and marriage records might be employed in the determination, and those who are excluded could apply for additional units.^vi Similarly, those wishing additional units can obtain them at a reasonable price.^vii And, as for the opposite situation, anyone concerned about the clutter of an additional computer could have the program(s) downloaded onto an existing unit.

It is inevitable that repairs will be necessary and a government repair service should be available widely.^viii The cost of repairs should be minimal for bare-bones machines, and some form of cost-sharing between the owner^ix and the government should be implemented. In many cases it may be cheaper to trade out the unit than to repair it, but there should be some charge for this too, to encourage responsible care. If a repair cannot be accomplished immediately, and use of the system is necessary, local libraries, or other similar institutions, might provide back-up services.

A side benefit of such a program would be to encourage and improve computer literacy – possibly even before children start school.^x Literacy programs, at all levels, should be made available (at nominal cost?^xi) since it is obvious that the future is the internet and preparation of all our citizens should be a priority.

Clearly there will be start-up costs, but the income and other benefits^xii will start accruing rapidly after that. One will certainly be in the way Congress functions. Senators and Representatives will be able to work and vote from home – to telelegislate (?telegislate?). Your representative can stay home and work in his (or her) underwear, thus considerably lowering his clothing budget and the travel costs we must pay.^xiii Whatever offices are necessary will be local, as now, or in Cheyenne Mountain where costs can be lower than Washington.^xiv The same is true for housing costs. Committee meetings would be managed using conference calls with the occasional face-to-face meeting held at Cheyenne Mountain.^xv There will be no need to take family on the short visits there.^xvi They will be able to remain at their own residences where school changes won't be necessary. In fact, if the Congressman and his family remain in their district, we'll all have greater access to our representatives, and we'll be better able to keep track of their meetings with lobbyists.^xvii Of course the travel costs for the lobbyists will increase, but they are certain to be written off as business costs by their employers. Finally, by allowing almost all Congressional business to be handled locally, there can be significant staff reductions and efficiencies, redounding to all of our benefits.

It is sometimes necessary for our legislators to communicate with us and there is no more efficacious way than by the use of the internet.^xviii They all proclaim their love of the environment and their wish to preserve it, and what better way to do so immediately than to limit the need to cut down trees to create educational materials. Those we have elected can inform us of their positions on current topics^xix much more rapidly and cheaply by posting them for all to see. There might even be a method for polling constituents or otherwise allowing for feedback since our representatives surely want to vote on legislation in a manner that reflects our wishes rather than their own. Okay. I'm naïve.

Some of these and future proposals could be employed by the states and localities as well. The efficiencies they provide are sure to eventuate in lower taxes even the Federal government imposes a nominal fee for the privilege. That, too, will be of value to taxpayers.

But wait. We may have put Congress in its place, but you ain't heard nothing yet.

Next episode: “Saving America” – Raising the bar and lowering the debt.

i      It's too early to start pondering eminent domain and the nationalization of all communication systems, but no option should be exempt from consideration.

ii     Investment capital might be sought as a last resort, however there should be plenty of tax money which could be found. There always seems to be enough for the hare-brained schemes of all our representatives. We tax-payers are a generous lot, even if we don't know how our money is being (mis)used.

iii    Since the functions will be limited and there will be no competition, it will be unnecessary to be constantly upgrading the operating system.  In addition, printers (black and white only) should be available at a reasonable cost.  People may want to print out what they see on line, but it shouldn't be free.

iv     The definition of “family” will require some thought if all citizens are to be able to participate in the program.

v      What happens when two “singles” with computers marry? What happens when a family breaks up? What happens when a child grows up and moves out? What happens if someone tries to sell his computer? These, and numerous other possibilities, will have to be hashed out in advance of the system's implementation.

vi    The application, itself, would provide additional information for the government data base.

vii    To discourage the resale of units, they should have GPS devices so they can be located at all times. (There are other uses for a GPS which will be discussed in a future edition.) In addition, machines removed from the country, should require the payment in advance of a deposit.

viii  The location of the repair facilities may prove a thorny issue, but we have managed to provide other governmental services around the country and there is no reason why this situation should differ.

ix     A user may not have ready cash for a repair but this eventuality, and others of a similar nature, could be dealt with in the context of the tax system, which will be covered in a future installment of this series.

x      Elmo can give them a head start.

xi     There will be loud demands that in this effort and in others that there should be no charge for the needy (however large the bureaucracy required to make that determination) so as to “level the playing field.” Such efforts should be resisted. A payment, even if small, gives the user an investment in the system rather than getting it for nothing like another entitlement.

xii    They're not necessarily the same. Some benefits will relate primarily to function, though efficient function will, ultimately, lead to either increased revenues or lowered costs.

xiii   It would be unseemly and time-consuming for members of Congress to travel by bus, so air travel (economy class on commercial flights) to Cheyenne Mountain, with a maximum of one staff member, should be provided by taxpayers and all involved can be housed at the dormitory.

xiv    See “Go Tell It On The Mountain,” which appeared two weeks ago (March 3^rd). For more details on what might happen in our nation's capital, see the upcoming “The Future Of Our Past.” As for the offices in Cheyenne Mountain, they should be frugal, with functional and comfortable furnishings, but reflecting a limited budget. Anyone wanting something fancier can foot the bill.

xv     Spare conference rooms should be available.

xvi    And no payment for those who choose to do so anyway for some Rocky Mountain skiing or other purposes.

xvii   And others – significant or otherwise.

xviii  Perhaps this will lessen the need for frequent “informational” (actually it's mostly just before an election) mail and flyers. This self-serving extravagance can also be controlled by limiting or eliminating the “franking” privilege which has little purpose than to serve as an extra “perk” for incumbents.

xix    And to create, as well, a record of everything the politician is willing to commit to “paper”(-less paper).