Smith starts out by describing the belief in something called “the Other.” There is a belief in this for two reasons. They are: 1 - No human being is self created and 2 - Everyone at some point finds their power limited. The Other is like Reality, it is more like a person than a thing. The Jews believed in monotheism due to the view that worshiping many gods would be like living a divided life. Smith describes their belief in one god to be their supreme achievement. This is in part because at a time where others were following gods that pursued beautiful women, the god of the Hebrew’s looked over women and children.
Smith portrays the Jewish optimism in this chapter. They seem to always wait for the meaning to a situation rather than question the why behind their problems. It describes how their god made the world and it was “good.” This teaching of goodness they have brought into their lives.
Israel’s outlook on life differed from that of their neighbors from India. In India, the caste system was as natural to them as the sun rising in the morning. In Israel, they were distinguishing between God and his workings. They seemed to conform to what was happening around them. Smith writes that it is Judaism that laid the foundation for the Western religions. If something needed to be adjusted, it was. This work was accomplished through the prophets of old and new.
He goes on to describe the movement of the prophets. These men were men of no consequence, but through them social change was able to take place. It may have not been through great movements, for the most part it was through example and teaching. These men were able to find teaching opportunities in any situation. Just when one thought that all lessons were exhausted, Smith states that the prophets were able to “find a new vein” by which they could find understanding and teach the followers. It ultimately comes down to the lesson of optimism that Smith portrays in the beginning of the chapter.
Personal Reflection -
The relation of Palestine to Israel is like a high school relationship. It’s he-said-she-said and it is childish in my opinion. Each side, in my opinion has the right to claim the land as theirs. I do not believe that Israel has acted morally with Palestine and vice versa. They are both casting stones from their glass houses. Who knows if we will ever see the day that there is longstanding peace in that region of the world. This conflict, in my opinion, has become or is becoming engrained into the culture of these people that it will or is no different than the caste system found in India. Things will not change unless individuals change themselves.
