My Friends, Please accept my good wishes for a happy and healthy New Year for you and your families. May it bring good health, happiness, security and a sense of repose into your life.
May the New Year bring a sense of sanity to the leaders of the United States, Israel and all the nations.
May we all enjoy good friends, good food, good humor, good sex, financial security and spiritual fulfillment in general. And the floor remains open for additions and corrections.
My Friends,
Please accept my good wishes for a happy and healthy New Year for you and your families. May it bring good health, happiness, security and a sense of repose into your life.
May the New Year bring a sense of sanity to the leaders of the United States, Israel and all the nations. We hope and pray that Israel can rise above the sense of saber-rattling and war-mongering, which has been regrettably and forcefully presented by the Israeli Prime Minister. We hope and pray that the American Jewish Community can find ways to express its love for Israel, without subjecting our own president to the political blackmail, in which the Israeli Prime Minister is attempting to engage. We hope and pray that the American Jewish Community can recognize that Judaism is our religion and Israel is a nation-state, and that being a good Jew does not mean acquiescing to ideology that diminishes the humanity of the Palestinians or any people. We pray that Israel can accomplish a sense of security without further brutalizing the Palestinian people, or manipulating the US into a war with Iran. We pray that the Israeli Prime Minister can see the grave fallacy of “dictating” to the President of the United States the terms under which the US will be contractually obligated to attack Iran. Politics is a nuanced art form, not served well by dogmatic determinations that limit options for any world leader.
May we all find paths to peace and prosperity through greater appreciation of one another’s needs, and through better stewardship of the Earth and its precious resources. If we better manage what we have, there will be less to fight over.
The New Year is also the occasion to remember our family members and friends who have died in the past year, as well as those recently or long gone. May we heal from these painful losses, and find joy the blessings those people left behind.
The New Year is also the occasion to forgive those who have hurt us. Fine, but I have a problem with that. It does no good to say, “Please forgive for any ways I may have hurt you,” when you know DAMN WELL there are specific transgressions that need to be acknowledged and corrected when possible. In order for forgiveness to occur, a proper apology needs to be issued covering all the bases: 1.) I’m sorry this happened; 2.) I recognize this hurt you; 3.) You have a right to be angry and you deserve better; 4.) I promise to avoid a recurrence; 5.) What can I do to make it right? The customary generic apology we offer is not always sufficient. The generic thing is fine for a Facebook statement this time of year, but does not serve any purpose when one person has been clearly malicious to another. To that end . . .
. . . May the powerful forces who have hurt others through financial misdeeds, contractual manipulation, disingenuous legislation, physical brutality and false pronouncements recognize their sins, and work to correct this through righteous actions and proper apologies.
May we all enjoy good friends, good food, good humor, good sex, financial security and spiritual fulfillment in general. And the floor remains open for additions and corrections.
Very Truly Yours,
H. Scott Prosterman