Truth Over Tyranny: Biblical wisdom for defeating the Technocrats.
These are my insights for defeating the Transhumanist Technocracy movement, based on the teachings of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, of blessed memory, on the weekly Bible portion.
Why are so many people suffering today?
For sure, we can hold responsible the many individuals and social institutions that are causing monstrous harm across the globe. These include:
Transhumanists trying to merge humans with machines;
Global elites attempting to “depopulate” the planet;
World governments persecuting their own citizens;
Corporations producing deadly products;
and progressive families, schools, and communities sacrificing their own children to woke ideology.
But many of us take a deeper look at things. We have to ask the Bigger question: is this the way things are supposed to be? Why do we have to go through such suffering?
These questions don’t usually yield satisfying answers, at least to those of us seeking rational or logical explanations. They are really more matters of faith. But this is not dogmatic faith; of adopting beliefs because you are supposed to, or to get “to heaven” or “a share in the world to come.”
It’s a faith that helps you understand that what you experience can help you make this world – the world we currently live in – a better place. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks discusses such faith in his commentary on Parashat Tetzaveh called “Crushed for the Light:”
https://rabbisacks.org/covenant-conversation/tetzaveh/crushed-for-the-light/
Rabbi Sacks discuss the symbolism of the Mishkan, the portable tabernacle in the desert of the Jewish nation, and of the various rituals of their worship:
“Our parsha begins with the words: ‘Command the Israelites to bring you clear olive oil, crushed for the light, so that the lamp may always burn’ (Ex. 27:20). The Sages drew a comparison between the olive and the Jewish people. ‘Rabbi Joshua ben Levi asked, why is Israel compared to an olive? Just as an olive is first bitter, then sweet, so Israel suffers in the present but great good is stored up for them in the time to come. And just as the olive only yields its oil by being crushed – as it is written, ‘clear olive oil, crushed for the light’ – so Israel fulfils [its full potential in] the Torah only when it is pressed by suffering.’”
The suffering of the Jews is itself symbolic of the darkness all people must go through before they see the light of a better way:
“The oil was, of course, for the menorah, whose perpetual light – first in the Sanctuary, then in the Temple, and now that we have no Temple, the more mystical light that shines from every holy place, life and deed – symbolises the Divine light that floods the universe for those who see it through the eyes of faith. To produce this light, something has to be crushed. And here lies the life-changing lesson.
“Suffering is bad. Judaism makes no attempt to hide this fact. The Talmud gives an account of various Sages who fell ill. When asked, ‘Are your sufferings precious to you?’ they replied, ‘Neither they nor their reward.’ When they befall us or someone close to us, they can lead us to despair. Alternatively, we can respond stoically. We can practice the attribute of gevurah, strength in adversity. But there is a third possibility. We can respond … with compassion, kindness and love. We can become like the olive which, when crushed, produces the pure oil that fuels the light of holiness.”
Ironically, the way to remove the darkness is not to ask “why is it dark?,” but to say, “why can’t it be light?”:
“When bad things happen to good people, our faith is challenged. That is a natural response, not a heretical one. Abraham asked, ‘Shall the Judge of all the earth not do justice?’ Moses asked, ‘Why have You done harm to this people?’ Yet in the end, the wrong question to ask is, ‘Why has this happened?’ We will never know. We are not God, nor should we aspire to be. The right question is, ‘Given that this has happened, what then shall I do?’ To this, the answer is not a thought but a deed. It is to heal what can be healed, medically in the case of the body, psychologically in the case of the mind, spiritually in the case of the soul. Our task is to bring light to the dark places of our and other peoples’ lives.
“… Let no one imagine this is easy. It takes a supreme act of faith. Yet it is precisely here that we feel faith’s power to change lives. Just as great art can turn pain into beauty, so great faith can turn pain into love and holy light.”
I would add this:
Rabbis Sacks’ explanation seems to echo the contemporary motto of “you be the answer to the problem.” Since the transhumanist technocrats are filling the world with cruelty, malice, and hate, we should counter them by showing compassion, kindness and love. I think this is true, but we must remember that doing so does not preclude administering justice. We certainly must make the bad guys pay for their evil deeds, and make amends to all those they have injured. As appropriate, we could and should show mercy as justice is served.
But doing so cannot stop us from fighting to win.