By International Artist Phillip Ratner/ratnermuseum.org
Lee Diamond – “You Shall Dwell Alone” & Digitally Impaired?
“You Shall Dwell Alone”
These are the words of Balaam!
To the Jewish people.
Are these words a
blessing or a curse to Israel?
Why not just dwell apart?
Why not live a national life
Of splendid isolation?
Why must we be integrated
Into the nations ?
So what if the U.N isolates us?
“Um Shmoom”
So what if America disavows us?
We can make it on our own?
God will protect us as before
Tzahal (IDF) will guard our going out
And our coming in.
The world hates us !
Anti Semitism reigns supreme today
Accept the lot of our lonely
Existence —-Israel.
But suddenly
one Morning we rise
From this status as described by Balaam
And feel that we’re a nation
And we start to walk
With pride
And demand equal recognition
As we sing our own praises
We are alive
The nation of Israel lives
Not your scapegoat anymore
We demand to be heard!
You founded us!
By 14 mandates
You founded us
You can not delegitimize Us at your will.
Israel is a state as much as any of yours.
Yet, No state has been demonized
By you–like Ours.
Yes, We must play by the rules
Rules of your making
And just rules ..
But we won’t be demonized
Any longer
For we’re at least as just
As any of you
Who condemn us.
We are not alone
And we won’t accept your
“Condemn” “nation “
Or your “damn” “nation” of us!
We must and will act with justice
For we are the nation
Who declaim
Justice Justice
You shall Seek
Justice
And
Balance
Balance of the scales of Justice
Digitally Impaired?
Once we referred to people
Who spoke to themselves
As the rich counting their money
Once we thought people with earphones
Were hearing impaired
Once we talked to one another and not to ourselves
Once we played games with balls
Or with jacks
Or with cards
Or with marbles
Or even tinker toys
Once when people walked down
The streets, they saw each other
And sometimes smiled or nodded
To others
But no longer!
Is this the intention of
The verses from psalms
“Eyes have they but they see not”
“Ears have they but they hear not”
The internet has taken control our lives
Our communication
Our relationships
Our independent thinking
We are the pawns of the Internet
Yes!
We’re living in a new age
An age of AWE
It’s breathtaking
Worth a “bracha” of appreciation
A WOW
But there’s a loss l
A loss of humanity
Communication has improved
Enormously
But humanity has “lost big”
Have you ever been smashed into
By someone “owned” by his/ her smartphone?
Have you been with a close relative
Or friend who is physically with you
Yet far away
Have you ever spoken to your children
To discover that they haven’t heard a word?
Or seen your smile or your tears
Is it us who are out of date?
Or
Perhaps the digital generation
Is “OUT OF TOUCH” ?
I am committed to progress
When it Improves
The human condition
When will we collect our marbles again?
Or play jacks again?
Marbles were beautiful, simple and fun
Jacks were real cool and interactive.
And we played them with friends
Together
