The Great Big Sort:
The Wonderful Blessing and Terrifying Danger of the Time in Which We Live
They gave out lettuce.
Yes, one time, someone I know, got lettuce from a neighbor as a trick or treat food. Not owing to make lots of friends and not the most neighborly thing to do.
There is a Chinese proverb that says that “A good neighbor is like a priceless treasure.” Well, lettuce on Halloween, may not be so priceless, but we all know how priceless a good neighbor can be. From the big moments in life, to the day-to-day routine, supportive people who share your life and neighborhood make a big difference.
And Rebbi Yose feels the same. In Pirkei Avot 2:9 he tells us that the good path of life is being a
שכן טוב --a good neighbor. R. Lau, in his commentary, tells us that this means that we should choose where we live with great care, making sure we are surrounding ourselves with a proper environment. He shares the famous quote: “You can give me gold and silver, but I would not trade that in for living in a community of Torah.”
Americans have done a good job at heeding this advice. In his book, The Big Sort, Bill Bishop tells us how, in modern America, our economic mobility combined with the age of remote business, enables Americans to choose where to live more than ever before. He writes, “Americans move houses often, usually for practical reasons. Before choosing a new neighbourhood, they drive around it….Perhaps unconsciously, they are drawn to places where they expect to fit in.”
While the environments in which we surround ourselves should reflect and reinforce our values, there are down sides to being in a “fitting in” neighborhood.
First, our neighborhoods give us a false sense of the country and the world in which we live.
For example, as the book points out, in the 1976 presidential election, “26.8% of Americans were in “landslide counties” that year, where Mr Carter either won or lost by 20 percentage points or more. The proportion of Americans who live in such landslide counties has nearly doubled since then. In the dead-heat election of 2000, it was 45.3%. ... in 2004, it was a whopping 48.3%. As the playwright Arthur Miller put it that year: “How can the polls be neck and neck when I don't know one Bush supporter?” Clustering is how.” And that clustering can blind us to the rest of the world.
But the challenges of the Big Sort do not stop with our neighborhoods. We also exercise this “clustering” with a high level of choice regarding our political, religious and professional affiliations by gravitating only to certain books, newspapers or media. The Big Sort is part of every facet of our lives.
These connections can be amazingly self affirming and also become terrifying. In this Big Sort, double standards feed our inboxes and news feeds with stories that put some political or religious figures or ideas under intense scrutiny while others receive free passes.
In this Big Sort, we all have a tendency to first protect our own without listening to the content of the political, racial or religious concerns of others. We are quick to the defense of our neighbors or our “ideals” without listening to those outside. When taken to the extreme, our Big Sort clusters can blind us so much that we may even endanger others who are more vulnerable, whether they be minorities, religious opponents, or, in some cases, even children.
As Rachael Denhollander, a victim of the Michigan State scandal wrote, “Far too often, our commitment to our political party, our religious group, our sport, our college or a prominent member of our community causes us to choose to disbelieve or to turn away...Far too often, it feels easier and safer to see only what we want to see. Fear of jeopardizing some overarching political, religious, financial or other ideology — or even just losing friends or status — leads to willful ignorance of what is right in front of our own eyes.”
Our mitzvot, as we are told in Tehilim 19:9, should enlighten our own eyes מְאִירַ֥ת עֵינָֽיִם ׃ They should turn us away from quick decisions and defensiveness and move us toward deep reflection that leads toward goodness, compassion, integrity and truth.
Yes,our loyalties should bring out the best in what we could be--making us more sensitive and aware.
But when loyalties go too far, it is blind loyalty that can be terrifyingly dangerous and bring out our worst in who we are.
The Wonderful Blessing and Terrifying Danger of the Time in Which We Live
They gave out lettuce.
Yes, one time, someone I know, got lettuce from a neighbor as a trick or treat food. Not owing to make lots of friends and not the most neighborly thing to do.
There is a Chinese proverb that says that “A good neighbor is like a priceless treasure.” Well, lettuce on Halloween, may not be so priceless, but we all know how priceless a good neighbor can be. From the big moments in life, to the day-to-day routine, supportive people who share your life and neighborhood make a big difference.
And Rebbi Yose feels the same. In Pirkei Avot 2:9 he tells us that the good path of life is being a
שכן טוב --a good neighbor. R. Lau, in his commentary, tells us that this means that we should choose where we live with great care, making sure we are surrounding ourselves with a proper environment. He shares the famous quote: “You can give me gold and silver, but I would not trade that in for living in a community of Torah.”
Americans have done a good job at heeding this advice. In his book, The Big Sort, Bill Bishop tells us how, in modern America, our economic mobility combined with the age of remote business, enables Americans to choose where to live more than ever before. He writes, “Americans move houses often, usually for practical reasons. Before choosing a new neighbourhood, they drive around it….Perhaps unconsciously, they are drawn to places where they expect to fit in.”
While the environments in which we surround ourselves should reflect and reinforce our values, there are down sides to being in a “fitting in” neighborhood.
First, our neighborhoods give us a false sense of the country and the world in which we live.
For example, as the book points out, in the 1976 presidential election, “26.8% of Americans were in “landslide counties” that year, where Mr Carter either won or lost by 20 percentage points or more. The proportion of Americans who live in such landslide counties has nearly doubled since then. In the dead-heat election of 2000, it was 45.3%. ... in 2004, it was a whopping 48.3%. As the playwright Arthur Miller put it that year: “How can the polls be neck and neck when I don't know one Bush supporter?” Clustering is how.” And that clustering can blind us to the rest of the world.
But the challenges of the Big Sort do not stop with our neighborhoods. We also exercise this “clustering” with a high level of choice regarding our political, religious and professional affiliations by gravitating only to certain books, newspapers or media. The Big Sort is part of every facet of our lives.
These connections can be amazingly self affirming and also become terrifying. In this Big Sort, double standards feed our inboxes and news feeds with stories that put some political or religious figures or ideas under intense scrutiny while others receive free passes.
In this Big Sort, we all have a tendency to first protect our own without listening to the content of the political, racial or religious concerns of others. We are quick to the defense of our neighbors or our “ideals” without listening to those outside. When taken to the extreme, our Big Sort clusters can blind us so much that we may even endanger others who are more vulnerable, whether they be minorities, religious opponents, or, in some cases, even children.
As Rachael Denhollander, a victim of the Michigan State scandal wrote, “Far too often, our commitment to our political party, our religious group, our sport, our college or a prominent member of our community causes us to choose to disbelieve or to turn away...Far too often, it feels easier and safer to see only what we want to see. Fear of jeopardizing some overarching political, religious, financial or other ideology — or even just losing friends or status — leads to willful ignorance of what is right in front of our own eyes.”
Our mitzvot, as we are told in Tehilim 19:9, should enlighten our own eyes מְאִירַ֥ת עֵינָֽיִם ׃ They should turn us away from quick decisions and defensiveness and move us toward deep reflection that leads toward goodness, compassion, integrity and truth.
Yes,our loyalties should bring out the best in what we could be--making us more sensitive and aware.
But when loyalties go too far, it is blind loyalty that can be terrifyingly dangerous and bring out our worst in who we are.
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