Forrest Gump is a sweet movie from the last century about a relatively clueless -- though quite loveable -- fellow who triggers several history changing/making events of the 20th century. He also amasses a considerable fortune due to fortuitous stock purchases and business investments. A model for success, no?
No. In every event, every stock transaction, and every business investment... our relatively clueless -- though quite loveable -- protagonist is completely passive and simply the beneficiary of good/dumb luck/karma/being at the right place at the right time. It is not that he is a bad role model, nor a role model for something bad. He is just not a role model. Like an ice cube in a glass. When the glass is empty, the cube rests on the bottom. When the glass is filled with water, the ice cube bobs to the top. The ice cube is neither good nor bad; it just is.
I recently saw an incredible back story about events leading up to the (long overdue and very much appreciated) release of Sholom Rubashkin. The story was that a terminally ill Orthodox Jewish child was approached by Make A Wish (a quite wonderful organization that helps many, many children). The story goes that they terminally ill child was told he could basically ask for anything, and the child asked to have a visit from the president of the United States. He wouldn't say why and wouldn't take anything else. He was told that it was not in their control, so he asked if they could deliver a letter to the president. Yes; they could do that. The child wrote a letter asking simply for the release of Sholom Rubashkin. The letter was delivered and -- so the story goes -- the president read the letter and -- so the story further goes -- started crying and then signed papers to release Sholom Rubashkin. How do we know that? Well -- the story goes -- both Sholom Rubashkin's lawyer and the president's daughter were there and witnessed the whole thing.
Incredible, no? The word "credible" means "able to be believed; convincing"; incredible, therefore means, "not able to be believed; unconvincing". It was so not to be believed that I did not believe it. I investigated and found that much of the story was a fabrication. The president crying when he read the letter, the witnessing of the event by a famous lawyer and the president's daughter, even the star of the story -- the tragically terminally ill child -- fabricated.
The real story? A handicapped child -- Baruch HaShem not terminally ill, but still eligible for Make A Wish, had applied to be able to meet the president. Why did he want to meet the president? The child had been the beneficiary kindness from Mrs. Rubashkin and her family when the child and his family had some car trouble far from home. She had seen them on the side of the road, helped them find a mechanic, then invited them to stay for dinner. He was touched that with all her troubles, she went out of her way to help them. He was told that it would be a very long wait to meet the president, so his mother worked with him to write a letter to the president. The child expressed that he was not only touched by her kindness, but had also seen that one of the children was autistic. He felt so sorry that this child -- who could not understand where his father was -- had been suffering the loss of his father for so long.
The letter did end up on the president's desk. Did the president read the letter? No clue. If he read it, did it affect his decision? No clue. Not only do I have no clue, I don't care. The wonderful inspiration here is that a child was able to feel empathy for another Jew and give up something big to help that Jew. The triumph is that Mrs. Rubashkin displayed kindness when she had the opportunity even with all her trials and tribulations. The triumph is that we can all identify and recognize that things like that go on in our wonderful communities all the time.
The flashy, hollywood version of the story deflects our attention from the real greatness of the people involved. It might be more fun to say over and exciting to hear. It's like a firecracker that makes a noise and is gone, having achieved nothing. The real story is like a candle in the dark, guiding and inspiring.
No. In every event, every stock transaction, and every business investment... our relatively clueless -- though quite loveable -- protagonist is completely passive and simply the beneficiary of good/dumb luck/karma/being at the right place at the right time. It is not that he is a bad role model, nor a role model for something bad. He is just not a role model. Like an ice cube in a glass. When the glass is empty, the cube rests on the bottom. When the glass is filled with water, the ice cube bobs to the top. The ice cube is neither good nor bad; it just is.
I recently saw an incredible back story about events leading up to the (long overdue and very much appreciated) release of Sholom Rubashkin. The story was that a terminally ill Orthodox Jewish child was approached by Make A Wish (a quite wonderful organization that helps many, many children). The story goes that they terminally ill child was told he could basically ask for anything, and the child asked to have a visit from the president of the United States. He wouldn't say why and wouldn't take anything else. He was told that it was not in their control, so he asked if they could deliver a letter to the president. Yes; they could do that. The child wrote a letter asking simply for the release of Sholom Rubashkin. The letter was delivered and -- so the story goes -- the president read the letter and -- so the story further goes -- started crying and then signed papers to release Sholom Rubashkin. How do we know that? Well -- the story goes -- both Sholom Rubashkin's lawyer and the president's daughter were there and witnessed the whole thing.
Incredible, no? The word "credible" means "able to be believed; convincing"; incredible, therefore means, "not able to be believed; unconvincing". It was so not to be believed that I did not believe it. I investigated and found that much of the story was a fabrication. The president crying when he read the letter, the witnessing of the event by a famous lawyer and the president's daughter, even the star of the story -- the tragically terminally ill child -- fabricated.
The real story? A handicapped child -- Baruch HaShem not terminally ill, but still eligible for Make A Wish, had applied to be able to meet the president. Why did he want to meet the president? The child had been the beneficiary kindness from Mrs. Rubashkin and her family when the child and his family had some car trouble far from home. She had seen them on the side of the road, helped them find a mechanic, then invited them to stay for dinner. He was touched that with all her troubles, she went out of her way to help them. He was told that it would be a very long wait to meet the president, so his mother worked with him to write a letter to the president. The child expressed that he was not only touched by her kindness, but had also seen that one of the children was autistic. He felt so sorry that this child -- who could not understand where his father was -- had been suffering the loss of his father for so long.
The letter did end up on the president's desk. Did the president read the letter? No clue. If he read it, did it affect his decision? No clue. Not only do I have no clue, I don't care. The wonderful inspiration here is that a child was able to feel empathy for another Jew and give up something big to help that Jew. The triumph is that Mrs. Rubashkin displayed kindness when she had the opportunity even with all her trials and tribulations. The triumph is that we can all identify and recognize that things like that go on in our wonderful communities all the time.
The flashy, hollywood version of the story deflects our attention from the real greatness of the people involved. It might be more fun to say over and exciting to hear. It's like a firecracker that makes a noise and is gone, having achieved nothing. The real story is like a candle in the dark, guiding and inspiring.
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