Life’s been crazy lately. In
the midst, I have been thinking about tikkun
olam in a markedly different way.
My take: “We” are all forgetting to think of ourselves in the “collective
we.” We’re divided, subdivided and compartmentalized. We no longer identify as
a part of a greater whole. We are broken and fractured as a community.
You want to fix the world? Need a place to start?
Bring people together, even if it’s one or two at a time.
Let them share a powerful, meaningful experience; it may be the
first one they’ve had in a long time. Do it without pretense, without pomp, and
without a holier-than-thou attitude. Let it be transparent, and only focus on
the experience itself. Forget agendas. It’s not about becoming, doing or
giving. It’s about having the experience. It is, quite literally, all in the
moment.
Connect in a space that feels comfortable, unpretentious, and
safe. Feel good to be there. Take care
of each other; we all deserve it. Create an atmosphere that’s genuine. Take
away illusion, and go for what’s real, actual, and honest.
Once all the armor is off, and all the barriers have fallen away…
that’s when amazing things can happen.
I believe this. And I believe in this.
The WarehouseNYC. Shabbat.
March 16. Tammany Hall, NYC.
-jn
