"The beginning of atonement is the sense of its necessity." - Lord Byron, British Poet (1788-1824) - QOTD: 9/16/2010
"Every true, eternal problem is an equally true, eternal fault; every answer an atonement, every realization an improvement." - Otto Weininger, Austrian Philosopher (1880-1903) - QOTD: 9/17/2010
"Who can say "I have purified my heart, I am free of sin? There is no man on earth so righteous that he never sins!" Cast away the evil you have done and get yourself a new heart and a new spirit." - Proverbs 20:9 - QOTD: 9/18/2010
I am not Jewish; I am Protestant. However, I have literally hundreds of Jewish friends that I have met primarily through the BSA. Strangely enough, I learned about Yom Kippur and it's meaning through a movie that was released in 1980: "The Jazz Singer" with Neil Diamond, Laurence Olivier and Luci Arnaz (the movie that produced two great songs: "Love on the Rocks" and "America"). Neil is Jewish, and the movie chronicles his rise to fame and the strife that he has with his Jewish Father (Olivier) over tradition. They finally reconcile on Yom Kippur: "The Day of Atonement."
From that moment on, I strived to learn more about this annual Jewish Holiday, and have always tried to honor it in my own way and live by it's principles and teachings each year, especially on this day. This year, Yom Kippur falls on September 18th. I don't know if it's possible for me to atone for all I have done in my 52 years, but I will never stop trying, nor will I stop learning my lessons when I screw up. I never want to intentionally hurt or harm a person emotionally (it's not my nature to physically strike anyone), but feel bad when I don't communicate properly and because of my shortcomings in verbage (Journalists are not perfect, but that's no excuse), the wrong intentions take place and feelings are hurt. If you fall in that category, I am truly, truly sorry for the pain that I caused you.
Every time I hear the song "America," I am reminded of Yom Kippur. It's one of a select few that literally sends a chill up my spine each time I hear it (the others are: "Holly, Holy" by Neil Diamond - the key change in the middle of the song does it to me every time; "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears; "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5 - their breakthrough hit and a #1 song; "Magic Man" and "Crazy on You" by Heart; "Dancing Queen" by ABBA; and "More Than a Feeling" and "Long Time (long version with "Foreplay" leading into "Long Time") by Boston.
So - the lesson is this: the Day of Atonement is for everyone, not just for the Jewish Faith, for we as true believers must atone for our sins and our inhumanity to our fellow man. Today's QOTD is the final one posted having to do with atonement. May we never forget . . . and may we always ask for forgiveness and atone for our mistakes.
Think about it . . .
Yogi: 9/17/2010 10:56AM CDT (Updated 9/18/2010 8:15AM CDT)
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