No Israel Trip This Summer

Since it is now public that I am not going to be the next executive director at JCRC, I thought I might check in and share a few choice thoughts.

I won't be going to Israel this summer.  It makes me sad, but it made no sense to go when my employment status at JCRC is so unclear.  I've made no decisions and closed no doors, but it seemed imprudent to have me invest in new long term relationships.

So what am I thinking about these days?  Well, on the Israel front it is the new anti-boycott law and other measures that, in my humble opinion (remember, not necessarily the positions of my employers) hurt Israel's ability to make the case that it is the bastion of democracy in the middle east.  On the home front, I am looking forward to our trip to California this summer, albeit to take G-Dubbs to his new adventure at Pitzer college.  We will miss him terribly but I am very excited to see what this next chapter of his life will bring.  Pretty banal stuff, I admit.  But family is really the only important thing -- as I have learned far too well in the last month and a half.  

So what does the future hold for me?  Doors are opening and new possibilities await.  JCRC will be in good hands whether I am there or not.  The Jewish people will continue to survive and thrive even if I am not there professionally.  No one is irreplaceable but only a small few are irrepressible.  I am the latter.

So, at 44, it's time to turn a page.  Should I go the easy way out and stick around, or find something in my "wheelhouse"?  Or should I explore the great unknown?  Maybe I can find a way to do both... 

I will be writing more, that's for sure.  I'm going to try to get a few articles published... so you can look for those.  Something will be coming out soon... Just waiting for my co-author to come back from vacation.

Stay tuned... it's going to be a hell of a ride and as Lady Macbeth said "Screw your courage to the sticking place and we'll not fail."

And, by the way, I'd love suggestions and any good advice you have.

So here I go.

Welcome to "Out of the Echo Chamber"

Insurance experts will tell you that the vast majority of traffic accidents occur within 3 miles of one's home. This is not to say that people are more reckless nearer to their homes. People have more accidents near their homes because that's where they drive the most.

Opinions and our vision of the world, too often, follow the same pattern. We form our opinions based on what we usually read and our closest colleagues and friends -- in other words, the "usual suspects."

This small circle is what I call the "echo chamber." In the echo chamber, perceptions of the world are often distorted -- "groupthink" is not reality. By definition, it cannot be.

Truth is also a victim of this process. Many people claim to tell "the truth" and demand that others do the same. However, what often drives this desire to tell the "truth" is not only to recount facts but also to convince people that our interpretations of those facts should inform their actions. And that's where the "echo chamber" is dangerous.

This blog will explore many of the "echo chamber" assumptions that our "little circle" makes. My goal is to think about ways to get out of the box and enrich our perspectives by hearing others and broadening our take on the world.

I look forward to a healthy and respectful discussion. (If anyone ever reads this!).

Until next time,

AR