By the way, the word "tzures" I think is somehow much deeper than the mundane "problems". Tzures implies the kind of suffering that is seemingly unique to Jews starting with Job - the little "jokes" God likes to play with us. Just for fun, I'll send the junta to arrest you as a Communist even though you aren't. Or maybe I'll send the NKVD to arrest you as an enemy of the people instead. As Tevye says with regard to God picking the Jews as the Chosen People, couldn't He choose someone else once in a while? In Yiddish, we say "A mensch tracht un Got lacht." A man makes plans and God laughs at them. Or as Burns (even though he wasn't Jewish) said: "The best-laid schemes o' mice an 'men Gang aft agley [oft go astray]".
But keep in mind that God, after He is done playing with us, usually saves us in the end, if only so He can play with us some more later.
I too hope she's well very soon. I usually have no medical opinions, nor have I any credentials. But I'm a "native speaker" of Bio-medical English - I'd be glad to translate anything into regular English.
As you can see, your many (ok, 9 or 10) readers are concerned for you and your family. Please give us an update and let us know that everything is OK, God willing.
Oy vey, I fear no news is not good news in this case. Why does God afflict the innocent and grant long healthy lives to murderers like Pinochet and Mengele? I've had enough of His little "jokes" - I demand that He cut it out and leave the Jews alone from now on!
Did he make the trains run on time too? It would take more than fixing the economy to outweigh being a murderer. Pinochet was responsible for the death of a couple thousands instead of millions, but it's reprehensible to take even a single life. I understand that he thought (with some good reason) that he was saving Chile from becoming another Cuba (which would have cost many more lives, probably by a large factor) but aside from those who were killed resisting arrest, the rest could have been imprisoned and given proper trials rather than just tortured, disappeared, etc. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
It's not a matter of intentions but effects. Pinochet's economic reforms were so effective that left-leaning democratic Chilean governments afterwords made no attempt to eliminate them, and Chile remains the best run country in Latin America today. From a utilitarian perspective, he almost certainly was a net benefit to Chile.
Hitler may have had "good intentions" for Germany, but by the time he was done Germany lay in ruins.
Intentional murder is never permissible on utilitarian grounds, at least not to me. It is one thing to say that building such and such a dam or tunnel can be expected to lead to the accidental death of X workers and the value of the dam will exceed that loss (or not), or that when a President orders soldiers to war, he knows that a certain # will be killed, but it is of a morally different dimension to order than persons A to X be executed without trial because in the long run the country will be better off without them, even if it would. If you accept that argument, then why not eliminate the entire liberal bloc in the US Congress or those annoying Peace Now activists, etc.? Wouldn't we (arguably) be better off without them too?
PS We send our continued best wishes and prayers to J and his family and hope for the best.
I have communicated with J privately and without violating his privacy, I can say that his daughter's problem is serious but not imminently life threatening, and with proper treatment, which she is receiving, she should have a full recovery in the long term.
I believe what happened is that this was all a shock to J's system - one day your life is going well, everything is falling into place, and the next day things are no longer as perfect as they seemed. I'm hoping that J will get used to "the new normal" soon and be back to his usual, voluble self, offering us his wise commentary on subjects all and sundry.
I will leave that up to J - I feel as if I have already imposed too much. Israel has a very fine medical system and I suspect that he will be able to manage this situation quite well on his own, with the help of his family and local professionals, and without the help of anonymous (and possibly mentally unstable or even canine) commenters on the internet, especially once the initial shock has worn off a bit.
27 comments:
I hope you'll send her wishes for a complete and speedy recovery, from your readers.
Oh, J, I am so sorry. There is nothing more worrying to a parent. I'm sure she'll be OK. We wish her a refuah shlema.
K
I hope she is in good hands. If there are points of interest or contention,your readership stands ready to opine.
Anon.
By the way, the word "tzures" I think is somehow much deeper than the mundane "problems". Tzures implies the kind of suffering that is seemingly unique to Jews starting with Job - the little "jokes" God likes to play with us. Just for fun, I'll send the junta to arrest you as a Communist even though you aren't. Or maybe I'll send the NKVD to arrest you as an enemy of the people instead. As Tevye says with regard to God picking the Jews as the Chosen People, couldn't He choose someone else once in a while? In Yiddish, we say "A mensch tracht un Got lacht." A man makes plans and God laughs at them. Or as Burns (even though he wasn't Jewish) said:
"The best-laid schemes o' mice an 'men Gang aft agley [oft go astray]".
But keep in mind that God, after He is done playing with us, usually saves us in the end, if only so He can play with us some more later.
K
I hope for her speedy recovery.
I too hope she's well very soon. I usually have no medical opinions, nor have I any credentials. But I'm a "native speaker" of Bio-medical English - I'd be glad to translate anything into regular English.
Dear Sir,
I am very sorry to hear of this and hope for her complete recovery.
I hope your daughter is soon well, J.
I wish your daughter a speedy recovery.
Best wishes for your daughter's speedy recovery, J.
As you can see, your many (ok, 9 or 10) readers are concerned for you and your family. Please give us an update and let us know that everything is OK, God willing.
K
Heartfelt thanks to my friends. I promise to update the blog after the situation stabilizes. Thanks again.
Heartfelt thanks to my friends. I promise to update the blog after the situation stabilizes. Thanks again.
Sorry for the delay in getting to your blog, but I hope this ends well.
Oy vey, I fear no news is not good news in this case. Why does God afflict the innocent and grant long healthy lives to murderers like Pinochet and Mengele? I've had enough of His little "jokes" - I demand that He cut it out and leave the Jews alone from now on!
K
I was about to contribute that no news might be good news, but then decided to hold my peace.
Anon.
"Pinochet and Mengele"? Pinochet at least left some positive economic legacy for Chile.
Did he make the trains run on time too? It would take more than fixing the economy to outweigh being a murderer. Pinochet was responsible for the death of a couple thousands instead of millions, but it's reprehensible to take even a single life. I understand that he thought (with some good reason) that he was saving Chile from becoming another Cuba (which would have cost many more lives, probably by a large factor) but aside from those who were killed resisting arrest, the rest could have been imprisoned and given proper trials rather than just tortured, disappeared, etc. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
K
It's not a matter of intentions but effects. Pinochet's economic reforms were so effective that left-leaning democratic Chilean governments afterwords made no attempt to eliminate them, and Chile remains the best run country in Latin America today. From a utilitarian perspective, he almost certainly was a net benefit to Chile.
Hitler may have had "good intentions" for Germany, but by the time he was done Germany lay in ruins.
Intentional murder is never permissible on utilitarian grounds, at least not to me. It is one thing to say that building such and such a dam or tunnel can be expected to lead to the accidental death of X workers and the value of the dam will exceed that loss (or not), or that when a President orders soldiers to war, he knows that a certain # will be killed, but it is of a morally different dimension to order than persons A to X be executed without trial because in the long run the country will be better off without them, even if it would. If you accept that argument, then why not eliminate the entire liberal bloc in the US Congress or those annoying Peace Now activists, etc.? Wouldn't we (arguably) be better off without them too?
PS We send our continued best wishes and prayers to J and his family and hope for the best.
K
Wishing your daughter an easy, speedy and complete recovery.
רפואה שלמה לבתך
Radiosilence.
Anon.
Dear other blog readers,
I have communicated with J privately and without violating his privacy, I can say that his daughter's problem is serious but not imminently life threatening, and with proper treatment, which she is receiving, she should have a full recovery in the long term.
I believe what happened is that this was all a shock to J's system - one day your life is going well, everything is falling into place, and the next day things are no longer as perfect as they seemed. I'm hoping that J will get used to "the new normal" soon and be back to his usual, voluble self, offering us his wise commentary on subjects all and sundry.
K
Thankfully it was not worse, and we appreciate this update.
It seems the situation is coming under control. if you, or J, feel that any of us could add anything of value, let us know.
Anon.
I will leave that up to J - I feel as if I have already imposed too much. Israel has a very fine medical system and I suspect that he will be able to manage this situation quite well on his own, with the help of his family and local professionals, and without the help of anonymous (and possibly mentally unstable or even canine) commenters on the internet, especially once the initial shock has worn off a bit.
K
Probably you are right.
However, the more you know, the luckier you get.
Anon.
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