An early night for me, folks. Tonight's photo is from friend and fine artist Jim Root. He took it twenty minutes after a big storm crashed through. I’ll see you tomorrow.
Like thousands of us tonight, I am devastated over the passing of our indomitable Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. But, It was time for her to rest, to stop fighting the pain, the medical procedures she underwent that kept her going. I am as distressed as anyone about her no longer being here to fight for the justice this country so desperately needs, but in a way I’m glad she is at peace. A body can take just about so much, and she had coaxed hers into hanging on just as long as she could - with no small measure of pain, I fear. I am thankful for her indomitable spirit; we can honor her by being as much like her as possible - quietly persistent in our resolve for a better nation and determined that justice, real justice is done. (I want going to post this, but I have been needing to say something all day! Thank you so much for your pictures of ME where I spent many a summer on the coast!)
What a perfectly emblematic picture for tonight. Thank you, Heather, for all the brilliant effort you expend every day on behalf of creating a more informed populace. Rest well, weary soldier.
Watched the RBG documentary. Her kids said she worked nonstop through the week and slept through the weekends. Your work ethic is like hers, so glad you’re gonna get you some rest. We need every hand on deck, rested and ready when we ride the last of this storm out.
I am so exhausted, from the weight of this loss and the weight of what lies ahead. I agree that I am relieved for our Notorious Madam, but I have not yet been able to grasp the vision we should have going forward. I do believe that a line has been drawn in the sand. And I know that I/we must be prepared to do what needs to be done. We cannot tolerate any reaction that is not peaceful or poorly organized. We will have to act decisively. Someone must be in charge. And the rest of us must rise up and fulfill our obligations to see this through. If we don’t act now there’s no point to fighting about anything. My question is: Are You In?! Heather, you have unwittingly organized a cadre of incredibly bright, sincere people. We are putty in your hands. Your plate is overflowing but please help us unite and fight.
Copied from a friend. I am happy to understand this.
For your consideration this Sunday morning:
“There are a few posts going around reminding folks that since RBG is Jewish, the proper thing to say about her passing is "May her memory be for blessing," which is true, but I wanted to add a bit of perspective on what that means.
Jewish tradition does not focus on the afterlife. There are a few thoughts on what happens when we go, some of which look a bit like reincarnation, and some of which looks like time to reevaluate our actions and relationships on earth, but for the most part, the whole "Do good things, get good reward from God; do bad things, get bad punishment from God" is just not part of our worldview. (Spoiler alert: this is why I love The Good Place so much- the final season feels very in line with Jewish thoughts on the afterlife.)
When Jews speak of righteousness, it is never with the idea of an eternal reward. We work to be good humans to others and ourselves because justice and peace are their own rewards. We don't know what happens next, but we know what happens here, and that is enough. The pursuit of justice is one of the highest callings of Judaism, and it should not be misinterpreted as vengeance or punishment. The ideas of justice and sustainability are inextricably linked in Judaism. A system that is unjust cannot sustain, and a system that is unsustainable cannot be just.
It is said that a person who passes on Rosh Hashona is a Tzedek/Tzaddeket, a good and righteous person. When we speak of tzedakah, the word is often translated as "charity" but it is more accurate to say righteousness. Tzedakah can take many forms (including monetary donation) but it's important to note that tzedakah is not a benevolent contribution given to be kind or nice to those who need it, it is to be viewed as a balancing of the scales, an active working towards justice. To use a simple example, one should donate to the local food bank not to gain favor with God, or to be nice to those with less than ourselves, but because it is unjust for anyone to be without food, especially while others have plenty. Correcting injustice, balancing the scales, evaluating the distribution of power and creating equity is tzedakah, the work of righteousness.
Similar to Maslow's (imperfect) hierarchy of needs, Maimonides wrote in the Middle Ages of eight levels of Tzedakah, the highest of which results in self sufficiency, or rather, an act that creates a sustainable form of justice. "Teaching a man to fish" is an extremely reductionist view of this idea, but it's a start- the real meat of it is the idea that charity is good, but eliminating the need for charity is better. (i.e. Tax the billionaires so we can have universal healthcare instead of praising the rich for building hospitals with their names on them.)
The second highest form is where both the giver and the receiver are unknown to each other. This allows both for the dignity of the recipient, and for the giver to be free from personal motivation and reward. In other words, we should help create a more just world for the benefit of people we don't know, without the expectation of praise, gratitude, or reward, in this life or the next.
When we say that Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a tzaddeket (the feminine form of tzaddik) we don't just mean she was a nice person. What we're saying is that she was a thoughtful person who worked tirelessly to create a more just world. One that would perpetuate equality and access, one that wasn't reliant on charity, one that was better for people she did not know, without the expectation of praise or fame. THAT is what it means to be a Tzaddeket, and I can't think of anyone who better embodies the pursuit of justice.
When we say "may her memory be for blessing" the blessing we speak of is not "may we remember her fondly" or "may her memory be a blessing to us" the blessing implied is this: May you be like Ruth. Jewish thought teaches us that when a person dies, it is up to those who bear her memory to keep her goodness alive. We do this my remembering her, we do this by speaking her name, we do this by carrying on her legacy. We do this by continuing to pursue justice, righteousness, sustainability.
So when you hear us say "May her memory be for blessing" don't hear "It's nice to remember her"-- hear "It's up to us to carry on her legacy." When you hear us say, "She was a Tzaddeket" don't hear "She was a nice person"-- hear "She was a worker of justice."
Good night and thank you. David and I attended a candlelit vigil for RBG tonight in Duluth, MN, at the feet of Lady Justice in front of our courthouse It felt right.
Thank you so much for all you do. I am at a philosophy congress this weekend (online), and trying to push some of the attendees to become more public, i.e. to do something analogous to what you have done so bravely and tirelessly for history. It is astonishing to me that charlatans such as Ben Shapiro and Jordan Peterson, with narratives that don't differ fundamentally from those of Buckley, Buchanan and Calhoun, are out there claiming to be public philosophers, influencing so many young people with a new kind of intellectual sophistry, while our trained academic philosophers are staying close to the academy for the most part. Fingers crossed :-)
Thank you, Heather. Through all of this terrible period in our country, I would have lost hope, if not for your intelligent commentary. It won't be easy, but we'll come out on the other side. Take care - we need your ray of hope and fine mind,
Like thousands of us tonight, I am devastated over the passing of our indomitable Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. But, It was time for her to rest, to stop fighting the pain, the medical procedures she underwent that kept her going. I am as distressed as anyone about her no longer being here to fight for the justice this country so desperately needs, but in a way I’m glad she is at peace. A body can take just about so much, and she had coaxed hers into hanging on just as long as she could - with no small measure of pain, I fear. I am thankful for her indomitable spirit; we can honor her by being as much like her as possible - quietly persistent in our resolve for a better nation and determined that justice, real justice is done. (I want going to post this, but I have been needing to say something all day! Thank you so much for your pictures of ME where I spent many a summer on the coast!)
Thank you Claire Crotty Thompson...
For Ruth Bader Ginsberg
When Great Trees Fall
by Maya Angelou...
When great trees fall,
rocks on distant hills shudder,
lions hunker down
in tall grasses,
and even elephants
lumber after safety.
When great trees fall
in forests,
small things recoil into silence,
their senses
eroded beyond fear.
When great souls die,
the air around us becomes
light, rare, sterile.
We breathe, briefly.
Our eyes, briefly,
see with
a hurtful clarity.
Our memory, suddenly sharpened,
examines,
gnaws on kind words
unsaid,
promised walks
never taken.
Great souls die and
our reality, bound to
them, takes leave of us.
Our souls,
dependent upon their
nurture,
now shrink, wizened.
Our minds, formed
and informed by their
radiance,
fall away.
We are not so much maddened
as reduced to the unutterable ignorance
of dark, cold
caves.
And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed.
#rbg
#thenotoriousrbg
#ruthbaderginsburg
#gratitude
Be well.. emotionally drained for all my American friends. Wishing you peace tonight.
Fight on for the honourable RBG.
What a perfectly emblematic picture for tonight. Thank you, Heather, for all the brilliant effort you expend every day on behalf of creating a more informed populace. Rest well, weary soldier.
Watched the RBG documentary. Her kids said she worked nonstop through the week and slept through the weekends. Your work ethic is like hers, so glad you’re gonna get you some rest. We need every hand on deck, rested and ready when we ride the last of this storm out.
I am so exhausted, from the weight of this loss and the weight of what lies ahead. I agree that I am relieved for our Notorious Madam, but I have not yet been able to grasp the vision we should have going forward. I do believe that a line has been drawn in the sand. And I know that I/we must be prepared to do what needs to be done. We cannot tolerate any reaction that is not peaceful or poorly organized. We will have to act decisively. Someone must be in charge. And the rest of us must rise up and fulfill our obligations to see this through. If we don’t act now there’s no point to fighting about anything. My question is: Are You In?! Heather, you have unwittingly organized a cadre of incredibly bright, sincere people. We are putty in your hands. Your plate is overflowing but please help us unite and fight.
In the right way!
Copied from a friend. I am happy to understand this.
For your consideration this Sunday morning:
“There are a few posts going around reminding folks that since RBG is Jewish, the proper thing to say about her passing is "May her memory be for blessing," which is true, but I wanted to add a bit of perspective on what that means.
Jewish tradition does not focus on the afterlife. There are a few thoughts on what happens when we go, some of which look a bit like reincarnation, and some of which looks like time to reevaluate our actions and relationships on earth, but for the most part, the whole "Do good things, get good reward from God; do bad things, get bad punishment from God" is just not part of our worldview. (Spoiler alert: this is why I love The Good Place so much- the final season feels very in line with Jewish thoughts on the afterlife.)
When Jews speak of righteousness, it is never with the idea of an eternal reward. We work to be good humans to others and ourselves because justice and peace are their own rewards. We don't know what happens next, but we know what happens here, and that is enough. The pursuit of justice is one of the highest callings of Judaism, and it should not be misinterpreted as vengeance or punishment. The ideas of justice and sustainability are inextricably linked in Judaism. A system that is unjust cannot sustain, and a system that is unsustainable cannot be just.
It is said that a person who passes on Rosh Hashona is a Tzedek/Tzaddeket, a good and righteous person. When we speak of tzedakah, the word is often translated as "charity" but it is more accurate to say righteousness. Tzedakah can take many forms (including monetary donation) but it's important to note that tzedakah is not a benevolent contribution given to be kind or nice to those who need it, it is to be viewed as a balancing of the scales, an active working towards justice. To use a simple example, one should donate to the local food bank not to gain favor with God, or to be nice to those with less than ourselves, but because it is unjust for anyone to be without food, especially while others have plenty. Correcting injustice, balancing the scales, evaluating the distribution of power and creating equity is tzedakah, the work of righteousness.
Similar to Maslow's (imperfect) hierarchy of needs, Maimonides wrote in the Middle Ages of eight levels of Tzedakah, the highest of which results in self sufficiency, or rather, an act that creates a sustainable form of justice. "Teaching a man to fish" is an extremely reductionist view of this idea, but it's a start- the real meat of it is the idea that charity is good, but eliminating the need for charity is better. (i.e. Tax the billionaires so we can have universal healthcare instead of praising the rich for building hospitals with their names on them.)
The second highest form is where both the giver and the receiver are unknown to each other. This allows both for the dignity of the recipient, and for the giver to be free from personal motivation and reward. In other words, we should help create a more just world for the benefit of people we don't know, without the expectation of praise, gratitude, or reward, in this life or the next.
When we say that Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a tzaddeket (the feminine form of tzaddik) we don't just mean she was a nice person. What we're saying is that she was a thoughtful person who worked tirelessly to create a more just world. One that would perpetuate equality and access, one that wasn't reliant on charity, one that was better for people she did not know, without the expectation of praise or fame. THAT is what it means to be a Tzaddeket, and I can't think of anyone who better embodies the pursuit of justice.
When we say "may her memory be for blessing" the blessing we speak of is not "may we remember her fondly" or "may her memory be a blessing to us" the blessing implied is this: May you be like Ruth. Jewish thought teaches us that when a person dies, it is up to those who bear her memory to keep her goodness alive. We do this my remembering her, we do this by speaking her name, we do this by carrying on her legacy. We do this by continuing to pursue justice, righteousness, sustainability.
So when you hear us say "May her memory be for blessing" don't hear "It's nice to remember her"-- hear "It's up to us to carry on her legacy." When you hear us say, "She was a Tzaddeket" don't hear "She was a nice person"-- hear "She was a worker of justice."
May her memory be for blessing.
May her memory be for revolution.
May we become a credit to her name.
h/t Evelyn Ruut
Rest well! the days ahead are fraught with peril and opportunity. We need you doing what you do so well! So grateful for you and your efforts!
I am heartbroken, and resolute. And immensely grateful for your wisdom and generous spirit. Rest well.
Good night and thank you. David and I attended a candlelit vigil for RBG tonight in Duluth, MN, at the feet of Lady Justice in front of our courthouse It felt right.
Thank you so much for all you do. I am at a philosophy congress this weekend (online), and trying to push some of the attendees to become more public, i.e. to do something analogous to what you have done so bravely and tirelessly for history. It is astonishing to me that charlatans such as Ben Shapiro and Jordan Peterson, with narratives that don't differ fundamentally from those of Buckley, Buchanan and Calhoun, are out there claiming to be public philosophers, influencing so many young people with a new kind of intellectual sophistry, while our trained academic philosophers are staying close to the academy for the most part. Fingers crossed :-)
Rest well, Heather, and thanks for the beautiful photo.
Stunning photo. Thanks for sharing!
Glad you are taking some time. We so appreciate you HCR!
I’m drained as well Heather, and more frightened without RBG!
A very rough day. RBG: May her memory be a blessing
Thank you, Heather. Through all of this terrible period in our country, I would have lost hope, if not for your intelligent commentary. It won't be easy, but we'll come out on the other side. Take care - we need your ray of hope and fine mind,