As I sip my coffee this morning, I am tempted to comment on Cheeto's relationship with Vlad, but, today, I am more motivated by thoughts of humanity.
My sister-in-law posted a note from a Rabbi from Delaware about Joe Biden. In the Jewish faith there is an intimate ceremony known as a minyan in memory of the deceased which involves 10 elders of the temple. In this case, the deceased, a woman of modest means, lived in a very small apartment so they held the minyan in the laundry room of the rent controlled apartment building. As the ceremony began, a stranger quietly joined the gathering - all alone. The Rabbi recognized the stranger as Senator Joe Biden, and he talked to him after the service asking how it came about that he was there. Biden responded that the woman gave him $18, all she could afford, during his first run for Senate. In each subsequent campaign she gave him an additional $18, again all she could afford. Senator Biden wanted to show his gratitude and respect for the women's support knowing that her contribution was significant to him. There was no press, no publicity, no aides, just Joe Biden being a caring human being in the time of grief.
I got thinking about this story and it occurred to me that what is missing in our government today, especially at the highest level, is humanity - kindness, mercy, sympathy. I have had it up to my ears in name calling and nightly insults that Cheeto thinks are clever and attention getting. How often does the president pause an think about the human aspects of a situation? WHY is Kaepernick kneeling? How are the families doing after a mass shooting? How do I address racism in this country? Why is it always about protecting my Ass(ets), keeping the Dow Jones above 25000, or how do I look wearing a mask during the pandemic, and on and on.
I am always suspicious about a president who doesn't own a pet which I felt was a good barometer of humanity. I checked about Joe Biden, and as is so typical of his character, he and his wife, Jill, adopted a rescue dog called Major. These are the 'little things' that define the empathy and kindness inherent in a human being. The ability to reach out when the circumstances dictate is so much more important than responding to every story with which you disagree as 'fake.' How do you take the lessons of life and continue to grow, not react and go into rabid denial.
I am reminded of John Donne's most famous meditation, No Man is an Island. "No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; ... any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom
the bell tolls; it tolls for thee." I am sure Joe Biden's presence at the minyan is because he is involved in mankind and every (wo)man's death diminishes him.
The sad part of humanity is that you can't buy a book or sign-up for an online course on Humanity 101. It is born over a lifetime of experience and caring and is probably a reflection on how you were raised and you can throw in a few of the right genes. It is way too late to expect Cheeto to manifest a modest amount of humanity. If you believe, as I do, that humanity is a major element in leadership and oh so needed at this point in history, do your thing in November.
On this heavy note, I am making more java.