Human life is a sexually transmitted disease

(Note--this is a posting where I'm basically brainstorming.  Feel free to dispute it, agree with it, quibble with it, whatever--but don't require me to agree with it, even though I wrote it).

If you've never heard of this concept, it's an interesting one to ponder.  The idea is something like this--in purely evolutionary terms, the point of a living being is to create more living beings like itself.  The point of a tree is to make more trees.  The point of a fish is to make more fish.  And the point of a human being is to make little human beings.

What does this have to do with the larger topic here?

Well, I was thinking about the title topic this morning and it occurred to me that it results in a rather bleak view of the world.  The purpose of life is to produce more life (that's not so bad, but it really doesn't feel particularly meaningful).

But we're human beings.  And we want and need to make meaning out of things.  We're pretty good at it, really, whether the meanings we come up with are "true" or not.  There are plenty of people who would argue that concepts like "G-d" and religion are attempts to impose meaning on human existence.

And again, what does this have to do with "chosenness"?

And my answer is that identifying ourselves (through our religion) as "chosen" provides an additional layer of meaning.  Not only can one believe in a higher power,  but one can believe that the higher power has assigned a higher purpose to life than mere procreation. 

Which is to say that we were "chosen" to deliver an important message to humanity.  As far as I know, Judaism not only presented monotheism to the world, but also presented a fundamentally altruistic message.  And if you think about it, if the primary purpose of life is to reproduce, a secondary purpose is to protect your offspring.  Extending the purpose to protecting (and therefore being decent to) other people's offspring, even beyond your own immediate community, is a substantial development.

Long time, no update!

Well, I see I haven't been real good about keeping up with this project. 

I did spend some time this afternoon expanding the resource list.  Check it out if you're interested.  There's a few blog posts and online encyclopedia articles that might be worth a look, as well as a bunch of books that I've recorded so I can look at them later, but have not yet acquired.  Time for a library visit or 6, I'd guess.

Beyond that, I'd mention that one of the blog posts talks about "chosenness" in a way that I find very attractive.  It cites the example of the parent "choosing" a child to clean up a room.  I tend to think of it more in terms of Dr. Seuss's The Cat In the Hat Comes Back: 

When our mother went 
Down to the town for the day, 

She said, “Somebody has to 
Clean all this away. 

Somebody, somebody 
Has to, you see.” 

Then she picked out two Somebodies. 
Sally and me. 

But obviously there's a lot more to process on the subject, and the fact that I like this interpretation doesn't mean I've defended my position.  But it's a start!

What does it mean to be the "Chosen People?"

The biblical story of the Binding of Isaac (Genesis 22) is the traditional Torah reading for the morning of Rosh Hashanah.  This text includes the passage:

'By Myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, 17 that in blessing I will bless thee, and p. 25 in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast hearkened to My voice.' 

This passage is one of the places where the Jewish people are identified as being especially "chosen" by the Almighty.

At Congregation Kerem Shalom Rosh Hashanah services this year, Rabbi Darby Leigh challenged us to consider what it really means to be "chosen."  It can seem remarkably arrogant to claim that one is "chosen" by G-d, especially if one is, as I am, committed to the idea that no one group, indeed no single human, is "special" at that level.

I am taking that challenge seriously, and this blog will be my attempt to grapple with the issue.  I anticipate adding a number of essays addressing different parts of the issue, as well as some kind of bibliography/resource list.  I look forward to this process, as well as to seeing respectful and thoughtful discussion from anybody who wants to contribute.

One note on contributions:  Because this is a potentially sensitive subject, I will be moderating comments.  I will gladly allow opinions contrary to mine to appear, so long as they are phrased respectfully.  Personal attacks and trolls will be ignored.