Happy New Year?

It's coming upon us again, a new year. A day in which, like a birthday, we put our hopes and wishes toward a better time, a better day, a happier moment. Something to remove us out of the day to day insipidity of life, if only for a moment, a countdown, a toast. I feel like it's a bit silly at times, to celebrate, to try to fool ourselves into building a construct out of life that does not really exist within us, a facade that carries us through that day as many other facades do for many others.


So this is the new year /And I don't feel any different /The clanking of crystal /Explosions off in the distance.
So this is the new year /And I have no resolutions /For self assigned penance /For problems with easy solutions.
So everybody put your best suit or dress on /Let's make believe that we are wealthy for just this once /Lighting firecrackers off on the front lawn /As thirty dialogs bleed into one.
I wish the world was flat like the old days /Then I could travel just by folding a map /No more airplanes, or speed trains, or freeways /There'd be no distance that could hold us back.
So this is the New Year...
(DCFC)

The message of the artist is clear. The song depicts a disdain of life, of these celebrations. He wants to break free and go away from it all, perhaps forever. But to me, a celebration can be just the opposite of what he describes. Let is think for a moment what it is that drives us to celebrate. Is it the desire to be around people? The desire to break free for a moment? What pushes us to live for the day, to live for the future, while all other days we live drowning in monotony as the wave pushes us along?

It may be the same reason we search for love. We look for someone to complete us, someone to come along and tell us that it'll all be alright, that there is nothing to fear, that life is pure, and good, and sweet, even when the world can be so cruel and bitter, when every day we encounter hundreds or thousands of people and ignore them, people with their own problems and questions, people who, like you, are looking for a friend or a shoulder to lean on, bound by society to block any expression of that fear and longing within, or perhaps blocked of even that desire entirely.

Even as we get older, those that we have loved in years past become distant, like brothers who talk once a month when they once used to stick up for one another in school years ago, or friends who only talk occasionally when they once spent every afternoon together in the time of their youth. We build up walls between ourselves and others, out of fear. A five-year-old is not afraid to run around naked in front of everyone. A seven-year-old already realizes that society deems this uncouth, and becomes bashful. Even from our youth we feel the straightjacket beginning to push us away from ourselves. And we soon forget that that jacket was even placed upon us at all.

And then, as death and sickness approach, as time all of a sudden becomes of the essence, only then do those relationships manifest themselves once more in all of their glory. Why is that? Why did it take for the grand tragedy of 9/11 in America and 3/11 in Japan for the people to come together, to help, to feel a little closer? And why have we since grown apart? Why is it that, when a country is attacked, do the people then turn inward and focus on their own safety and security instead of that of others? The reason is not terribly complicated. It is those moments, like a birthday or a new year, that mark our living in the present, stamping us in the passage of time. In those moments, precious and few and costly as though they may be, do we truly find ourselves as bearing intrinsic value. We become in touch with our corporeality and our instincts, things that are eschewed by society. And all of a sudden, the depression lifts, the barriers break, and we celebrate, or cry, or emote to levels so rarely expressed in life, akin to the highest passions of a religious experience. And then, we recede as quickly as we expressed.

For some reason, and this I do not know, we have chosen being shelled in as the status quo. You can certainly bet that the driving force of someone jumping off of the Brooklyn Bridge is not coming from the happiest or most passionate moments in life. It is not even coming during a moment of loss. It comes from the emptiness, from a lack of true communication between that person and others around, between that person and the world. The rational mind has taken over the individual; that is the scariest part of all of it, the part that society cannot cope with. Despite the fact that we frown upon the notion of suicide, calling it utterly "irrational," the philosophers often hailed it as man's greatest achievement over nature, since no other being we know of would do such a thing, to comprehend the meaninglessness of life in our society and to cut it short. It seems to me to be irrational to think otherwise. The emotional expressions that so many seek to give and receive is forbidden at most times. It is actually within our externally emotional state that we can find commonality with others. In this case, a celebration, when apropos, is not something to be frowned upon for its wanton and fleeting nature. It is the moment when we are most in touch with the world, the moment when we realize there is actually a bigger picture than just the monotony of the self and the hidden face of the world.

So is the life of a party animal the most valuable of them all? It would seem to be the case. But I would also argue that if that person is partying not to live it up, but to instead drink and smoke and forget it all, then that person is neglecting an essential duty in bettering the world, in creating a greater community, in working to break down barriers among people instead of simply continuously breaking down one's own. To celebrate and live for the moment is one important part of life. To make it so that others can celebrate that much more, instead of living in the dust and sadness of poverty and abuse, is far greater a cause.

To be at the jumping point, to desire more than anything else in the world the cool neck of a pistol in your throat or the noose around your neck, means that society has utterly failed you. To take the lives of others is an abomination that comes from some deep-seated wrong in one's inner being (I discuss the cases in which mental instability issues are not the primary cause). I would honestly hope that a vast majority of people in this world would rather work for a collective betterment, for communal harmony, and not for more barriers. For the barriers only lead to isolation, while expressions of love and support, of grief and harmony, are lasting gifts to the human race and preventions of neglecting others by the sidelines.

May the New Year and the festivities therein be toward those better days ahead.

From New York to Chicago to Japan to China to Beersheva

I have so much to be thankful for, and even though Thanksgiving is 341 days away, I couldn't resist sharing a little bit of it. I am thankful for my family, for their unwavering support despite my wavering attitudes and my crazy thoughts (such as this vacation!). I am thankful for such wonderful friends who have hosted me, toasted with me, and roasted me with love. I am thankful for all of those kind faces and passerby who have been such help to me, like the lady who helped me with my bags in Tokyo or the couple who guided me to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, despite their extreme lack of English. And I am thankful for American Airlines and the Oneworld Alliance who, along with two other flights, allowed me to fly a grand total of sixteen (yes, that's right) flights between November 7th and December 24th, taking me everywhere I both needed to be and did not need to be, at very reasonable prices and point values.

Now then, let's get into the meat of the trip. After spending some needed time at home to recuperate from all of the flying between Israel, New York, and Chicago, I took off for Tokyo via Boston, in order to fly Japan Airlines' new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. While it did not seem like much at first, it really was a much more comfortable ride than the average airplane. Moreover, I sat next to a Japanese woman who is a certified doctor in Japan and is taking the USMLEs (and learning all of the foreign terminology) in order to be able to practice in the United States. What a challenge! But I at least could somewhat relate, even though I am learning the diseases in Engbrew and they are not as far off from the original. We wished each other luck as we left the plane and I stumbled along with all of my bags (in total, two overweight checked bags, a backpack, a guitar, and another carried bag). I took the two hour kaisoku train to my host family and made it to their house in time to light candles for the fourth night of Chanukkah (I flew over the third) and eat a fried everything dinner. I traveled around their town, to Hakone to see Fujisan, and to the Tokyo Tower before spending Shabbat with them at yet a second host family in Tokyo. It was an amazing first week!

I then hopped on an AirAsia flight (my first of two big mistakes on the trip--I should've used points and flown ANA) to Okinawa, arriving an hour late at a makeshift bus-transported terminal (not that it was totally terrible; I mean, I am alive writing this, but it would've been nice if they had provided some water at least aboard). My good friend from home was waiting for me, an Air Force E3, and it had been too long since I saw him last. It was like a mini-America on a Japanese island--even the Japanese people there were much more pushy. But the fish was still fresh, the accommodations were nice, and I got to see some cool military functions aside from walking around Naha, seeing the American Village, and zip-lining. It really is a beautiful island with a culture all its own.

On Friday, I hopped on a ANA flight from Okinawa to Kobe (what a random route) to make it in time for a Shabbat down memory lane. It was super enjoyable and great to see all of my Israeli friends there. I then took a flight back to Tokyo on Saturday night, with the goal of playing pachinko with the hosts. While all of the pachinko places were closed, I did pass by a woman, noted her, then looked forward (while I was waiting for the light to change), which prompted her to ask, "sekusu?" While I decided not to take her up on that, it was a fantastically hilarious way to end my trip in Japan.

The next morning, I flew (in business class, waddup!?) to China on JAL, with a 9.5 hour connection in Beijing en route to Tel Aviv. Since it was a Jewish fast day, I took my kosher box lunch (a product of Antwerp--go figure!) with me, much to the flight attendants' confusion. I first went to the airport lounge in Beijing to drop my things off once I had arrived, then decided to leave the airport (having already checked in, passed through security and customs, and without a Chinese visa), working my incredible charm in order to do so. My father warned me it would be cold (it was, after all, in the 40's and 50's in Japan), so I took a light jacket, a hat, and gloves with me, having overdressed in Japan. A gust of cold air greeted me upon my exit--little did I know it was -15C that day in Beijing. Still, I trotted on, seeing the forbidden palace, museums, and sculptures from the outside, and going into the garden beside the Forbidden Palace. Beijing was a place of raw power, with soldiers in formation marching to and fro and cameras in every nook and cranny (not to mention the president's portrait overseeing it all from the gate of the Palace). Still, the architecture was pristine and beautiful. Upon finding out that the museums were closed for the day, two friends from school in the south approached me, wishing to practice their English. They were friendly and kind and showed me around a bit, and then we walked into a tea house with a private room. I was served delicious tea, beer, and fruits, all for the low cost of about 630 Yuan (to clarify, that was a bit above $100). I was sincerely shanghaied in Beijing. But it was still a grand time, and if my credit card cooperates (which seems to be the case so far), the day will have actually been quite cheap. They suggested that I go see the Temple of Heaven, but by the time I got there, it was too dark to see anything. Cold and hungry, I boarded the train back to the airport, and ate my quite delicious fish, potato salad, pudding, and snacks from the plane. I returned to check in, was questioned by a total of three El Al agents for the "suspicious goods" in my checked baggage (and received compliments for my Hebrew), stopped into the lounge to grab my things, was questioned again for the lack of security tags on those, and then boarded the plane for my super-relaxing 12 hour journey back to Israel in El Al business class, which was an amazing (and quite delectable) flight. I arrived home at around 6:30 this morning to a lovely presentation of balloons and posters by a great friend, which made me feel just that much more happy to return. And here I am, uncertain if I'm well-rested, taking care of things that need taking care of (such as replenishing my food and cage supplies for my bunnies), and attempting to study for exams that are looming just ahead, like Shelob and Mount Doom waiting for their poor, unfortunate souls to come wandering in. Wish me luck!!!

Marry Christmas to those reading for whom it is relevant, and have a wonderful day!!!