The Price of Words

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are suing a U.K. newspaper over an article reporting that their high-profile relationship is unraveling.

What makes this episode of flagrant gossip so repugnant is it also effects their six children and the basic structure of their family. There is nothing more important to the human being than the family–a branch upon the Tree of Life planted in the Garden of Eden.

The Talmud-Book of Law states, words that cause embarrassment brings redness to the face as a sign of subtle murder. Among the worst kind of speech is gossip–a pointless endeavor; the best kind of speech is prayer.

Only human beings have the capacity to translate thoughts into articulated words–it is what makes us different from the animals, be that spoken or written words. The Torah says that rich famous people should be honored one because God chose them for this reward and two because there are inherent difficulties in being rich–gossip about one’s family is the most pernicious type of invasion.

While people fight for the right of marriage this couple prefers not be married perhaps because family means more than family values. In the Torah the often quoted adage of an eye for an eye refers to monetary compensation–the question is what is the price for embarrassment?

Rich Get Richer

The US has the highest inequality of wealth in the industrialized world hitting the middle class and poor; the gap between the top one percent and the remaining 99% of the US population has grown to a record high.

The name United States portends unity, but a name is only an exterior facade; the truth is an uncomfortable reality–a growing disparity between rich and poor. No question, there are just too many rich people.

The Torah demands that stewards of riches be respected because God made them rich; with richness comes responsibility–not to let society run amok.

All ancient texts extoll charity and caring for the weak; by placing this obligation to help the poor on religion who lives by the tax break and donations from the rich have been bribed into silence–a de facto way of the rich ignoring their obligation.

The reason for this divide between rich and poor is the separation between church and state which allocates morality to religion freeing capitalism to pursue greed. Though charity is mentioned often all ancient texts, religion is never mentioned–there is no word in the Torah, Koran, and in the Hindu Vedas for the word religion.

Religion came from Rome just like our political system, economic system, military/technological apparatus and philosophies of life. The end of Rome was nine years ago, it is time to move on.