I never thought the day would come when I would turn off Stephen Colbert…Colbert has been my go-to for all things news, and I adore him. The saddest part of this new MAGA reality is it has caused me to reevalute my addiction to news. For my mental health, I have decided it is important to go on a “news fast.” I can not stand the sound of “his” voice or see “his” face without a tension rising. (I already have high blood pressure LOL) Along with millions of others, I remain in shock at the outcome of the recent election. So, my “news fast” means no more CNN playing in the background all day, no more Rachel Maddow or Jon Stewart on Mondays, no more checking the New York Times first thing in the morning and sadly, no more Stephen Colbert…at least for now. I’ve been a news junkie for years and withdrawal will be difficult. It will leave a giant hole in my heart.
I have fasted on Yom Kippur for over 60 years, since my Bat Mitzvah. I don’t see myself as a particularly religious Jew…I don’t belong to a temple but I try not to eat pork or mix milk with meat…I always loved the story about why Jews are not permitted to eat milk and meat together. It is a story of compassion. For me, it’s more about maintaining my moral compass than a religious dogma. The story I grew up with was that it would be insulting to the cow to take the milk she offers, then slaughter her for meat and enjoy both together. Just as The Talmud advises us to distract a chicken before you take her eggs. It’s about figuring out a way to translate those dietary laws into the actions of your daily life. So for me, after a day of fasting, I feel special. It is a reminder that I am good, I am wholesome, I am kind and I know the difference between right and wrong and try to abide by those principles. So today, while the political world is beginning its tectonic shift, I will remember that I am fasting to maintain my sanity.
The theory of plate tectonics explains how the Earth's lithosphere is made up of several large plates that move over the mantle, the rocky layer beneath the core. The theory explains the formation of major landforms, such as mountains, volcanoes, and earthquakes, by the interaction of these plates. The plates move slowly over the mantle of the earth, sometimes bumping or folding into each other. We are experiencing what I consider to be the political “Transform Plates” shifting and grinding against each other. When this happens strong earthquakes can occur, such as the San Andreas Fault in California or the election of Donald Trump. What is interesting about this movement, is it results in the relative motion of the two plates to be either sinistral (left side toward the observer) or dextral (right side toward the observer). Obviously, this tectonic shift is way right. It will remain to be seen where this particular paradigm shift will leave us and whether Democracy can survive this political earthquake.
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