GIVEUPTITUDE

Koehler's description of the mood we're all in

I was reading an article by one of my favorite writers, Robert Koehler, and he said things are so bad he’s tempted by a state he calls “giveuptitude.” And who can’t relate? One day it’s a state government wanting to prosecute librarians who knowingly or unknowingly show a child a book that has a sex scene in it! Another day some kid loses a limb working at a factory that chose to ignore child labor laws. On another day a state Supreme Court declares that embryos have the rights of children, making it exceedingly difficult for prospective parents to get IVF treatments. On another day you see a graph of all the cities planning for Cop Cities of their own.

Then there’s the prospect of Trump versus Biden again, which apparently only a few people want but which has pretty much been thrust upon us - at least on the Democratic side. I’m still deciding whether to unsuspend my campaign, but I won’t bore you with the complicated details involved in making that decision. I feel I’m waiting for some large words to appear in the Sky with Diamonds, making clear what I’m supposed to do. Oprah Winfrey once said to me, “Don’t do anything unless every part of you says ‘Yes.’”

In the meantime, I know we must not give up on creating a more beautiful world. Despite the wars, despite the injustices, despite the pain and fear and the woundings of the heart, we must not give up. An old Rabbinical saying puts it this way: “You are not expected to complete the task, but neither are you permitted to abandon it.” We are here to repair the world (tikkun olam), and that cannot be a directive we take seriously only when it feels like we’re getting there. We must hold each other up and push each other forward. We must not give in to giveuptitude.