BESA

How many people would lay down their lives for a stranger? This is the question addressed by film makers Norman Gershman & Stu Huck in a documentary released the last weekend of July at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival— BESA: the Promise. The film tells the story of Albanian Muslims who saved the lives of more than 2,000 Jews during World War II. They did not hide them in basements or attics; they took the Jews into their families, gave them Albanian names, and sacrificed their lives for them in some cases.

The question arising from their actions is a clear WHY? Why would Albanians, Muslims, shelter Jews, at the risk of their own lives, during the Nazi occupation of their country? The answer is “besa.”

Besa is a part of the Albanian Code of Honor, embedded throughout their generations. It is usually translated faith, with a reflection on personal honor to keep a promise, at any cost. In their Moral Code (the Kanuni of Lekë Dukagjini), they have a saying “Shqiptaret vdesin dhe besen nuk e shkelin” (Albanians would die rather than break honor). One Albanian interviewed said he would rather sacrifice his only son than break an honor— besa.

The Albanian idea of besa should be acclaimed and lauded among all nations. A documentary of how the Albanian Muslims sheltered German Jews and made them part of their families is long overdue. BESA: the Promise is a must see film for all— Jews, Muslims, Christians, even atheists.

It would be a disservice if I did not leave you with at least two points to ponder—

Would you lay down your life for a stranger?
To what extent does a code of honor influence your decisions and actions?

We have a saying at the company where I work—

Honor God: honor people. Make a difference.

‘Nough said,

Gary

draw a line

Too many of us are not willing to take a stand on issues. We keep our observations and opinions to ourselves. We like to keep our options open and not commit to anything. We are unwilling to draw a line in the sand and boldly assert— HERE I STAND!

Why? What if we are wrong? What if our bold assertion must be withdrawn with a humble act of contrition— an apology; an admission that we did not get it right, that we failed!?!

The issue should be simply obvious. We have attached our self-esteem, our worth, our public “image” to our achievements. If we in some way must admit that we were wrong, we feel like we will be less of a person, or at least viewed that way by others. So it is the more cautious course to NOT take a stand, to NOT commit, to NOT reveal our beliefs or opinions about popular or critical issues. In a sense we decide to stand above the fray, aloof, outside of the ebb & flow of life, merely observing. True, it is safer. But is it life?

Lest we become a generation that will be remembered for its fear of definers, of commitments, of being mere observers of life, reflect on this query posed in the ancient writings of King David. The King proffers a primal question—

Lord, who may rest with you in your secure palace?

Who may reside with you on your holy mountain?

Part of his answer is— He who swears allegiance, even to his own hurt, and does now waver. Quite simply, he draws a line in the sand and stands firm, even if it brings harm to himself. Yes, capitulation, giving in, compromise, would be so much easier. But it is not in the character of someone who desires to stand in the presence of God…, and live for long.

Let your yes be YES: let your no be NO. Declare clearly and emphatically where you stand on issues, but always with sincere graciousness, congeniality, and resolve. You may be proven wrong later on. In that case, apologize with sincere graciousness, congeniality, and resolve to make it right. (Suggestion- A peace offering of tea or chocolate might also be acceptable.)

If a King offers advice to stand firm in the presence of God, may it be worth considering that drawing a line in the sand and insisting HERE I STAND with our fellow man might also be a wise social/professional posture? [Suggestion- Find a beach, a sand dune. Practice.]

[The rest of King David’s advice can be found in Psalm 15.]

Have a nice week,

Gary

fast distractions

Nooooo. This is not a story about a Bugatti Veyron. Truthfully, I would rather be driving one than ever writing about one. This is a story about the speed of our lives, that often feels as if it is approaching the speed of a Veyron (247.2 mph). As a society we move w-a-y too fast. Our careers seem to have taken over our lives, rather than providing income so that we might have a life. The proliferation of ¨fast food¨ (if in fact it is food) should be proof enough of our life´s increased velocity.

We move at such a life-pace that we rarely STOP long enough to take the time to discuss the important stuff- our goals, life ambitions & dreams, values, weaknesses and fears. Most of us just work, crash & burn. OR, we escape in TV, sports, movies, alcohol, or non-stop social activities. Sometimes, sadly, it is too late to remedy the past stream of events and we must endure the less-than-pleasant consequences of our actions.

So before you are over-run (or run-over) by your own life consider trying these action-steps:

1. STOP moving so fast. You really DO NOT have to fill every waking moment of your existence.

2. Find THIRTY MINUTES a day wherein you do NOTHING: no work, no TV, no people or activities. You simply sit or walk alone with yourself…, & God, if he chooses to join you.

3. SIT with your spouse, partner, or group of good friends and TALK about those more consequential issues of life. What is my purpose? What do I want out of life? Is there a God? What difference does it make if there is/isn’t? What am I doing to leave a life-legacy?

4. SING. Yes, Sing. For some of us this is best done in a shower or in a forest deep. There is just something that happens to your soul when you sing.

5. ASK God…, well, anything. Then WAIT for an answer. You might be surprised.

6. DETERMINE to DO one unnecessary thing for someone else at least once a week. [Extra bonus points for doing so in a slinky, stealthy manner.]

Great insights and solutions often come unexpectedly in times of private reflection and solitude. So, again, slow it down and smell the coffee. Unless, of course, you are behind the wheel of a Bugatti Veyron.

Have a nice week,

Gary

…and justice for all

If you’ve ever had occasion to interact with the American judicial system at any level you quickly discover that rulings are made not in accordance with a sense of justice, but rather in compliance with the precedency of the law. The Rule of Law has been in place since ancient times. In the time of Job, 2,000-1,500 BCE (Eusebius), prior to the Jewish Exodus from Egypt, there was no justice. The Biblical writer Job protested before God-

“Though I cry, ‘I’ve been wronged!’ I get no response;

though I call for help, there is no justice.“(Job 19:7 NIV)

He began the echo of the masses throughout history. From Egypt to Israel, Greece to Rome, China to the warlords of Japan, to the twentieth century Holocaust, and the slaughters in Syria, there has been no justice. Individuals and nations stand by in silence as great harm, evil, is enacted upon others. Though international tribunals have been established to judge the war-crimes, the deeds are done; lives have been brutally ended. Yet the cry for justice rises above Law, which seems oft too inequitable and too late to make a difference.

How many of the guilty have been set free on a technicality? How many war criminals have taken refuge in countries sympathetic to their crimes, no matter how heinous? How many white collar crimes, have gone unpunished, and even rewarded, millions of homes have been devastated by their greed. King David, writing in the (1040 – 970 BCE), sang,

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me. -Psalm 13

Our Courts of Law may or may not grant justice to those wronged. The odds are not, historically, in our favor. Sometimes the only course of action left us is to turn to the God who made us and to seek His face. This is not always as gratifying as justice or vengeance, but it may be our only recourse. The Lord God is, afterall, the Judge of us all. Selah.

quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur

Language has played a multidimensional role in human history. Ever since Babel, confusion and cultural divisions have reigned. Today’s whole field of cross-cultural communications has expanded to indispensable proportions. Language has both united us and divided us every bit as much as ideology. In our day we have the convenience of instant written and vocal translation devices. Yet in Western culture we oft fall back on our mother tongue, Latin, to accentuate a point.

Acta non verba– Action, not words; the motto of the U.S Merchant Marine Academy is used across the English speaking world. From Aesop we received alterius non sit qui suus esse potest– Let no man be another’s who can be his own. Author John Steinbeck, told he would be a writer when pigs flew, tagged all his subsequent works with Ad astra per alas porci- to the stars on the wings of a pig. And of course, amor vincit amnia– love conquers all. [Ah, FTL. (That’s yet another language.)]

The English language is steeped in Latin roots. –dict- to say, as in dictation; -ject- to throw, as in project or eject; -port- to carry, as in import or support. Then there are the myriad of prefixes and suffixes. Latin all! Words just sound more, well, correct, in Latin.

But seriously, erudition aside, what is the point? Unless you are presenting a paper at a medical college, or lecturing at an international theological or ornithology gathering, Latin may otherwise be out-of-place. The issues at stake in any human intercourse are clear communication, with personal integrity and individual trustworthiness. If these three elements are not present, phrasing a thought in another language will do little to give it legitimacy.

Of all the parts language has played in human history, no role is more important than clear, honest, communication. Thus, for what it’s worth, in Latin or English, this challenge remains for each of us— Do we mean what we say? Or do we use words to conceal a part of the truth? Do we twist what is true, what is wholly true? Or do we use words to shield us from reprimand for wrong-doing? In Truth, are we being at least honest? Latin erudition can disguise our fear only so far.

Oh, the title of this emPulse translates “whatever has been said in Latin seems deep.”

Uh-huh.

Arguendo,

Gary

fireheart

The flame ignited, burning hot, passions flaring, intensity glowing, depth and elation stretching the limits of reason, mind and body. Your heart is racing, blood pumping. You are ready. You are on fire! Inextinguishable energy personified.

But there is another side. Burned. Emotionally, physically, to the core of your being. Trust destroyed. Energies extinguished. Your heart a pyramid of embers, not even smoldering. Or, ruthlessly smoldering with rage.

The heart holds such sway over human nature. Kingdoms have been built, flourished, defended, and lost because of visions dreamed and passion abated. Great art and great destruction have flowed from its river. The heart is a burning flame with the capacity to inspire or enrage. If crushed, its restoration is costly, both in time and effort. For a wounded heart is reluctant to let even its possessor near.

So what is it that ignites this simple organ, this muscle that calibrates and controls the flow of our life blood throughout our body? What is it that transmutes it from a simple body part into our source of passion and power? What enflames it to become a fireheart ?

1. A Challenge. Whether a problem to solve or a situation to resolve, or a task to be accomplished, it is only a burning desire within that is formidable enough to achieve a triumphant outcome.

2. Anger. Some things should get us so mad that we do something about it; not in retaliation, but in sensible reactions that resolve issues.

3. Intense Fear. The fear that cripples so severely may also serve as the catalyst that launches our hearts to fight. Use fear: do not give into it. [Note. Soldiers at war, in face of imminent death, have moved from mere men to heroes when they faced this fear.]

4. Faith. Believing that something is right and worth living for is an inspiring launching pad for great accomplishments. IF you truly believe in it. And act! [Note. Many genuine Christians have given their lives for what they believed; fewer agnostics or atheists have done the same.]

One final point to ponder— Is your heart a fireheart? What are you doing about it?

Have a nice week,
Gary

distant intimacy

Over the past 20 years we’ve developed a kind of barrier that allows people in, and keeps them out at the same time. We want to have friends, but not too many close friends. We want to be known, but not too known. We want to be loved, but we want to return love on our terms. We want to fully give ourselves to another, but our confidence in trustis cautious. A paucity of depth in our relationships has woven in us the threads of doubt, fear, and hesitancy. So above all else, we seek to protect our hearts from the outside world, even among those who are close to us.

This has resulted in a kind of distant intimacy between lovers, husbands & wives, siblings, and within many other relationships. We’ve grown careful with how much we bare our souls with another, how much and what kinds of information we pass on, and we think twice about our degree of openness with others. This blocks uncluttered communication and further damages the nurturing of any safety we might desire. Even the excitement of a first date with someone carries some relational tentativeness into it. And long-term commitments…, well, the idea has become a rarity.

Broken relationships, the dissolution of our families, and life shattering events have all but relegated intimacy to short-term sexual encounters with little thought to the context for that kind of intimate connection. Thus, some reflection on moving intimacy from distant to deep—

Deep intimacy takes work: it does not just happen.

Deep intimacy takes time: it is more than a one night stand or a series of dinners out.
Deep intimacy takes forgiveness: admitting you are wrong, versus pointing the finger.
Deep intimacy takes trust: putting your life into another person’s hands.
Deep intimacy takes courage: it is a risk. But, nothing ventured… .
Deep intimacy will hurt at times: that’s where you will be put to the test.
Deep intimacy will cost you— everything. Holding back leads to distant intimacy again.

So, is it worth it? The deep intimacy? Of course it is! But it cannot be possessed without giving something of yourself, with little thought to what you might, or might not, receive in return. Personally, I need God’s help to make every relationship work. You may be different, but I doubt it.

naked

Naked. Butt-naked. Au natural. Birthday-suit. Bare. Buff. In today’s world cultures, the human form has oft been portrayed in its superlative beautiful form and as its most ignoble pornographic depiction. Nakedness, per se, is nothing of which to be ashamed (unless you resemble this writer). The shame comes more in the eye, or, more precisely, in the mind, of the beholder. Our species has a tendency to seek the basest elements in nature and to lift them to an art form, thus diminishing the beauty of what our God has created in all of us— a reflection of Himself. [Inordinate use of fast-foods, sugars, and salts hasn’t helped either, not to mention the prevalence of our “couch-potato culture.”]

So we hide ourselves in post-Eden attire, brightly colored and reflective, to hide the form with which God has endowed us and we have abused. We hide in hides, as it were. Or cotton, wool, silk, or polyester, eye-liner, flushed cheeks and dangly thingies from our ears. Not that any of these are bad, mind you…, given the alternative. Gross nakedness of a Creature gone awry.

Moreover, we extend hiding to our relationships with our Creator and our fellow creatures. Though decked in the latest fashion, we cover-up further with a personal façade to prevent others from truly knowing who we are underneath. Concealing our true selves from one another, for whatever reasons, seems counter-productive to Truth and truth to this writer. Attempting to hide from God…, well, that’s just ridiculous. Yet we find ourselves in a culture where being accessible and being secretive aspire to go hand-in-hand. We want God to be there when we need him; otherwise, we do not want him meddling in our stuff. We want our friends there to Blog with, FB, IM, or Tweet. But responding must remain on our turf & time.

We humans have such a desire to be known, to be loved, and to know others intimately and safely. We want to love freely, like we could when we were just children: but our world has become such a frighteningly unsafe place. It takes more effort to earn the trust of someone today than it did in the past. My word is my bond and a handshake is no longer enough. Saying “I love you.” even needs a prenuptial agreement. How did we arrive at such a deplorable, tragic state?

Might I suggest that a modicum of nakedness might be in order; baring our souls for others to see, opening our lives to people who need to know they are not alone. Isn’t it time we all took the risk of standing naked before our Creator so as to stand unashamed before one another?

Have a nice week,

Gary

Issachar

There is a reference in the Jewish Chronicles regarding the confluence of the tribes of Israel to support David, a former shepherd, in his bid to assume the King’s throne. One of the tribes is described as “the men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” (I Chronicles 12:32) An odd reference to be sure. Issachar did not even bring that many to the battle– “200 chiefs and all their relatives under their command.” other tribes brought tens of thousands.

But the men of Issachar had an skill not attributed to any other tribe. They understood the times…, and knew what needed to be done.

100 years ago British author G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) wrote a commentary on his times—

“Our world today needs a new kind of prophet. Not one like the prophets of old who told men that they were going to die; rather we need a prophet who will tell them that they are not dead yet.”

Chesterton understood his times. Though critical in much of his writings he was still quite poignant. He drove home the truth whether his audience wanted to hear it or not. He was not afraid to speak up, to go on the offense against his antagonists, to stand his ground. He understood his times: he knew what to do.

In our era, who are the prophets who understand these times and know what to do? Are they in government, religion, or the local pub? In a way it doesn’t matter where they are. They need to be heard. More so, it is important for us to heed their insights and ACT. For understanding the times is just part of equation.

Are you this kind of prophet? Or, are you one who understands? Then ACT? There is still time to make a difference; to warn people of impending disaster, to inspire them to great opportunity, to come alongside them and guide them. Are you this kind of person?

As I recall, most of the people on this planet are still alive. They are not dead yet: and neither are you. If you are like the men of Issachar and understand the times, and know what to do…, please, for the sake of all that is right, and holy, and decently human…, step forward, take a stand.

And… ACT! With an understanding of the times.

Have a nice week,

Gary

terrified

Far too many people around our planet survive their days in petrifying terror. Whether due to the horrors of war, abusive families, or constant failures, they have become a class of human beings who dread life. Their intense fear fossilizes them into a dormant state of seclusion from life’s activities, people, and society. Eventually, they lose any accurate connection with true-realityand cocoon themselves within their ever shrinking world. For some, it is just too much to bear and they execute the ultimate separation from their fear. They end their life.

Terrorized people are oft categorized as recluses, hermits, most fourteen year olds, monks, ascetics, and those with paranoia and/or phobias. We think of these people as mentally ill; and some probably are. They range from insecure youths to the executive offices of corporate and governmental leaders: they are among the under-dogs and the privileged. The common fear they possess knows no rank or race. It is a soundless terror eating away at their soul.

Edvard Munch’s 1893 painting The Scream, depicts his own horror in a moment of realization that death awaits us all. He too lived a life of constant terror, bordering incessantly on insanity. Even though his works have received international acclaim as some of the finest examples of Expressionist Art, Munch ultimately isolated himself from the world outside in his estate at Ekely (Skøyen, Oslo) where he died at age 80. Throughout his life he remained deeply obsessed with morbid pietism and psychoneurosis. “The angels of fear, sorrow, and death stood by my side since the day I was born.” [Prideaux, Sue (2005), Edvard Munch: Behind the Scream, New Haven: Yale University Press, p.2.]

It is often impossible to overcome such a deeply rooted sense of dread. Nonetheless, there are many who have overcome being terrified of life and reentered the land of the living. How?

Some have gotten angry. Tired of this life-sucking way of living they finally got mad enough to fight back. They fought themselves; a fight never easy of enjoyable to wage. Until you win. (Note- they often had to fight other peoples’ perceptions of them as well.)
Many have admitted their inability to beat this agony alone and sought the support of others. No man is an island. Seeking another’s support takes an active decision to trust. Trust is indispensable in defeating terror. It is a risk that must be taken.
They did not give up after every falter or failure. THEY DID NOT GIVE UP. But they really wanted to.
Many have turned to God in prayer. Whether you view prayer as truly talking to the God of the universe or not, prayer seems to elicit some form of cleansing, healing, and peace. Personally, I actually talk to Someone. What bothers me is when God talks back.
They rejoiced as pieces of pain were lifted from their souls. Small victories.
Some, whom I have counseled, also danced and sang. This self-therapy surprised me. In some way it freed their spirits to soar above the terror and gave them new perspectives on it.

Living a continuously terrified life is not a life. It is an inner death sentence being carried out long before actual death. May God grant you His power to speed you on your journey to new life!

Have a nice week,

Gary

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