Spiritual progress through the new millennium

Praying—even for anonymous others—was a gift to myself.

By Robin Wright

When one evaluates progress or moral growth overall, one might observe advanced systems of technology and communications, streamlined forms of travel, or spacious home environments equipped for telecommuting. When I think about progress, however, I think of the qualities we express that improve conditions and initiate world peace. Peace starts in the home, with family. My family has seen significant moral growth through peace. But it wasn't always like that.

As a small child, I learned through family elders about their immigration to the United States. It must have been a painful experience, because their memories were not happy. In fact, they were bitter. Along with these experiences, they demonstrated a prejudice against Jewish people. This was incongruous with the fact that, even though I was not told until I was grown, I knew in my heart that our family came from a German Jewish heritage. It was unbearable to hear antisemitic sentiment from the very people I should love the most, especially since we were Jewish!

Can you imagine how confusing this dilemma was for a very young child? Conflict and confusion are painful to navigate when family members are the ones who express them. When displaced Jews become antisemitic, hatred and fear are turned inward, toward themselves. This is the beginning of harmful behavior, not only to others but to ourselves. It was no surprise to see family members succumb to inappropriate behavior and addictions. Verbal abuse also had very negative impacts on the circle of family, including the constant expectation that life is full of disappointments. All this was evidenced in violence.

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