@jofree
Hi @jofree, and others reading this message,
I hope you had a joyous Christmas, and wish you good health and much happiness in the New Year. Last Sunday a friend and I attended a performance of Handel's " Messiah" - it a long piece of music, a celebration of the nativity, and it is beautiful with a full orchestra and choir. Just as my friend and I were leaving the auditorium, we started hearing people talking about the massacre on Bondi Beach which had happened while we were enjoying the music. What can I say? I don't understand the world and human beings. Such beauty, and such terror. What sort of legacy are we leaving our children? What can we do?
On a brighter note, my children and I went for dinner at a restaurant overlooking Federation Square, a large public entertainment place in Melbourne. There we saw gathered several hundred Jewish people, come together to mark the loss of Jewish people at Bondi and express their determination to celebrate the Jewish religion and way of life. It almost brought tears to my eyes. Yes, there is oppression and bigotry in our society, but we must fight against it and treat others with respect and compassion. We can not tolerate acts of violence and terrorism
against others with different views. I am not Jewish (non-practicing Lutheran), but everyone has a right to their beliefs, as long as they are not hurting others. What a sad way to end 2025.
I hope that 2026 will bring peace and prosperity to us all, and we remember to do unto others as we would have them do to ourselves. Greetings from Australia! @ellu