Parashat VaYechi 5783, Favoritism vs. Family Mental Health, and The Common Good

Context, Thought, and Learning: ShiraDest Offers Project Do Better

        This week’s parashah is VaYechi, the 12th and final portion of Bereshit/Genesis, and first Torah portion of the secular year 2023 CE/ 12023 HE.  In this parashah, Joseph swears to bury his father up north, gets the double inheritance, promises not to kill his brothers for what they did to him, and then, dies, after making them swear to bury his bones up north, some time in the future.  Once again, we see the effects of favoritism, jealousy, and rigid inheritance rules on family relationships, and how harmful this can all be.   Here is another reason that long term planning and access to basic survival and equal health care resources for everyone is essential to the democratic process, right?

DoBetterCover

     The common good requires both rule of law and an acceptance by all to refrain from taking personal vendettas to their individually desired conclusions, while…

View original post 350 more words

♫ The 🌈 Rainbow 🌈 Connection ♫

Filosofa's Word

Last time I played this one was on April 3rd, 2020, because an old friend reminded me that it was National Find A Rainbow Day. This is not April 3rd, is not a national day dedicated to rainbows, but … it’s been a bitch of a week here in the U.S., my psyche is strained to the max after watching four days of a political circus in our Congress, plus the memories that came flooding back yesterday on the anniversary of January 6th, the day we damn near lost our future. So, I needed a bit of happy music, something that would bring a smile to my very tired old face. The music purists among you won’t like it, and I’m sorry, but … humour me for this one day … I need a rainbow in my life right now, ‘k?


Each year on April 3rd, National Find A Rainbow…

View original post 513 more words

Cavernous: Wild and Wondrous

From Behind the Pen

Image Credit: Robert Thiemann

Artistry of caves
while spelunking down under
a surprise visit.
©Kym Gordon Moore

Image Credit: Timo Volz

Image Credit: Raychan

Space, vast, dark and deep
weathering rock underground
cave of adventure.

© Kym Gordon Moore (Haiku from “A Spelunking We Will Go” 2020)

Image Credit: Robert Thiemann

View original post

Compassion and Non-violence – Silent Songs of Sonsnow

“Education today needs to include principles such as compassion and non-violence. What’s more, since we are missing something if we are physically fit, but full of anger and anxiety, we need to learn about emotional hygiene, tackling destructive emotions to find peace of mind.”

His Holiness the 14th Dalia Lama

Source: Compassion and Non-violence – Silent Songs of Sonsnow

Why eggs cost more in California than anywhere else – Los Angeles Times

More than 57 million chickens and turkeys have died or been culled since the outbreak began last February, including close to 4 million egg-laying hens in December alone. Among the roughly 40 million hens lost nationwide since the outbreak began, more than 5 million were cage-free egg layers, USDA data show. Source: Why eggs cost more in California than anywhere else – Los Angeles Times