With the pandemic still limiting our ability to socialize and with all road racing becoming virtual, I have really not been overly motivated to blog about running. I get up each day (except Wednesday) and go out for a run. I have no real goal in sight as I am not signed up for a race. I choose not to sign up for the virtual races because they are nothing more than another solo training run. I still enjoy the sport. I just miss the community aspects of racing.
As I run my miles, I have a lot of time to think. The past few weeks, I keep coming back to the thought that the world has gone a little meshugana (crazy). I feel that the entire human race is choosing sides. We are forgetting that we are all living on this planet together. We need to respect each other. Instead, we are totally indifferent to other's plight. All that matters is how I feel or how others make me feel. I feel we have lost all empathy which makes me deeply sad.
Elie Wiesel once said, “The opposite of love is not hate. It’s indifference. The opposite of beauty is not ugliness. It’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy. It’s indifference. The opposite of life is not death. It’s indifference.” Wiesel’s comment is so accurate. Today I see indifference to other humans and a general lack of compassion toward those who suffer injustice. When I hear people put down the protests raging across our country as being terrorist activity or saying that the Black Lives Matters movement is a radical leftist mob looking to sabotage the white, suburban lifestyle, it confirms my fears that we don’t have empathy for our fellow man. This indifference to the suffering or socioeconomic position of the other is the real issue our global community must confront.
As a Jew, it is hard not to compare the current indifference with the historical instances of indifference that allowed for mass violence and murder in human history, particularly the Holocaust. We must all understand that history is more than something that happened in the past. It is a grim reminder of our potential future. Therefore, I believe that actions are not choices. We are obligated to not just be fighters but be fully engaged with what is happening around us. We must understand the dangers that grow with indifference. Know that indifference comes in many forms. I choose to not be indifferent to the plight of my fellow human beings. I choose not to be indifferent to knowledge and science. I choose to not distance or desensitize myself from the lessons of the past. By being engaged in this way, I cannot be indifferent.
We are created in God’s image (tzelem Elohim). If this is true, then lesbians and gays are created in the image of God. Bisexuals, transgender, cisgender, heterosexual, celibate, queer-identifying, single, and married persons are all images of God. No matter what skin color you have – you are also the image of God. Based on this truth, I cannot be indifferent to their plight and suffering. Rather I must champion inclusion. God asks us to love our neighbor as ourselves. This is another way God is telling us to be inclusive. We are obligated to love the stranger. Here is yet another reason to strive for inclusion.
I believe that we are put on this Earth to build a world on loving kindness, engagement, and inclusion rather than strict rules and exclusion. How can we do this? By recognizing the image of God in all people. If we do this then there is no way to not clearly understand that we are all connected. If we don’t understand this connection, we lose our compassion and empathy for things that are not directly concerned with our advancement. John Lennon simplified this truth when we said, “I am he, as you are he, as you are me, and we are all together.” I choose to lean into the concept of connectedness. Instead of being focused solely on personal gain, I will live my life as part of an interconnected world and try to champion treating every one of whom I come into contact with lovingkindness.
“For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge you’ll never walk alone… We leave you a tradition with a future. The tender loving care of human beings will never become obsolete. People even more than things have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed and redeemed and redeemed. Never throw out anybody. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you’ll find one at the end of your arm. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands: one for helping yourself, the other for helping others. Your ‘good old days’ are still ahead of you, may you have many of them.”
—Sam Levenson
Aug 17 – 6.50 miles (1:09:49, 10:45 pace) – Hill Repeats
Aug 20 – 5.10 miles (43:29, 8:32 pace) – Tempo Run
Aug 21 – 6.00 miles (58:06, 9:41 pace)
Aug 22 – 9.10 miles (1:27:15, 9:35 pace)
Aug 23 – 5.10 miles (48:49, 9:35 pace)
Aug 24 – 6.20 miles (1:05:08, 10:31 pace) – Hill Repeats
Aug 25 – 3.10 miles (24:49, 7:59 pace) – Speed Work
Aug 27 – 5.10 miles (43:08, 8:27 pace) – Tempo Run
Aug 28 – 5.10 miles (49:04, 9:37 pace)
Aug 29 – 10.00 miles (1:37:23, 9:39 pace)
Aug 30 – 5.10 miles (47:40, 9:21 pace)
Aug 31 – 5.10 miles (54:47, 10:45 pace) – Hill Repeats
Sept 1 – 3.10 miles (26:44, 8:47 pace) – Speed Work
Sept 3 – 5.10 miles (43:32, 8:32 pace) – Tempo Run
Sept 4 – 5.10 miles (52:16, 10:15 pace)
Sept 5 – 8.10 miles (1:18:30, 9:42 pace)
Sept 6 – 5.10 miles (49:21, 9:41 pace)
Sept 7 – 6.10 miles (1:05:33, 10:45 pace) – Hill Repeats
Sept 8 – 3.10 miles (24:40, 7:57 pace) – Speed Work
Sept 10 – 5.10 miles (41:00, 8:02 pace) – Tempo Run
Sept 11 – 4.10 miles (38:23, 9:22 pace)
Sept 12 – 9.10 miles (1:20:24, 8:50 pace)
Sept 13 – 4.20 miles (39:56, 9:31 pace)
Sept 14 – 5.50 miles (54:32, 9:55 pace) – Hill Repeats
Sept 15 – 3.10 miles (24:58, 8:03 pace) – Speed Work
Sept 17 – 5.10 miles (40:51, 8:01 pace) – Tempo Run
Sept 18 – 4.10 miles (37:14, 9:05 pace)
Sept 19 – 10.10 miles (1:32:28, 9:09 pace)
Total Miles: 160.70 miles
2020 Total Miles: 1,252.60 miles
No comments:
Post a Comment