Listening to the history of achievements of MLK and Heschel are overwhleming. Their lives were filled with extraordinary purposes that you cannot absorb all at once.
During the interview with Abernethy, the main point made about Heschel was about his insight into the bigger plan of things. Abernethy concluded the fact that "Heschel never blamed God", not for his past nor the future events of hatred among mankind. He demonstrated a life dedicated to God; he believed in his values. "My being Jewish is so sacred to me that I am ready to die for it." Can we all say that we are so devout to a belief that we are willing to die for it also? How many times can you encounter a person so confident in a concept that he/she would die for it?
It is not a coincidence that Heschel and King cooperated together to fight against injustice. They were both prophets in their actions and ideas, as Cornel West would sum up. During Heschel's walk with MLK, he said that he "felt he was praying with his legs." We should all feel that.
During the biography of Heschel, his experiences are truly inspiring. Although some people may view him as controversial, I see him as speaking only truth. He is one of the few people that will speak for the people, not for himself. His words are of meaning, they can weigh down a person, that is why some people say he is controversy.
It is just astounding that even with the obstacles King an Heschel went through, they have not lost sight of God. Many turn against Him, directly blaming Him for the outcome of tragic events, even if He is indirectly related to it. We so easily blame God for the misfortunes of our lives, and we distort our view of Him, that is why many of us have lost Him. He is always there, yet the more we blame Him, the more we push Him away. Simply, He is just there, but when we place blame, we psychologically lose faith.
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I still find it difficult that God would just be there for us and not directly impact every action and reaction on Earth. It was comforting though when Heschel mentioned that even God joins in our suffering and takes on the pain of each individual. He could be doing whatever he wishes but He would rather go without sleep, suffering our pains with us. That's unimaginable...
ReplyDeleteI too saw Heschel's faith in his own Jewish values as an amazing thing too. But, as I read your questioning of whether we too would be able to die for our beliefs, I also thought of the Taliban and how they would KILL for their beliefs. It's a scary moment when you realize that someone would be willing to commit suicide and murder in the order to honor their beliefs... I still can't understand it. Why would anyone worship a prophet or god to the point of murder? Is that situation ever possible for us? I pray not...