First Aid Tips: A Homemade Kit

 

By: Jonathan Seidel                                                    

                                                Biblical Values and Self-Help Crisis

A few contemporary Jewish thinkers have focused on responsibility as the hallmark of Jewish ethics: Levinas, Wurzburger, and Sacks. The other is an imperative to the core of self spreading outwards. It is a communitarian approach that is first familial then tribalistic then universal. There is an inherent particularism but it rides on a pragmatic account towards the self before the other. Yet, this selfishness is mitigated by a respect for the other’s dignity. Contra Levinas, it is not just ethics as first philosophy but really dignity or responsibility. Ethics is too broad and can be misconstrued. Marginalising radical individualism for communal integration. 

The valuational bedrock is an irrational ethic. It does not derive from logic nor emotive spirit. The ethic is compounded with narrational memory. Sacks notes the power of biblical narratives to educate critical lessons. Ironically, there is such a desire for self-growth novella. My brother is a prominent reader in said category. Yet, despite his criticism that much of the lessons are common sense or prior knowledge, it is enhancing. To give one example. My brother recommended to read the The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson. After reading I mentioned to my brother that it was so obvious. He countered that though I was correct the narratives he used to explain his points hit harder. He compliments Sack’s model. The difference being that Sack derives lessons from the Jewish book (Bible) for his Jewish audience while Manson frames narratives from all over to his readers. 

This is a fundamental flaw in the system. People need to be taught or reminded about basic etiquette. Manson’s book should be a review not a lecture. It should be obvious that one should not concern themselves with the thoughts of others. This does not mean that you will be invincible to this feeling, I certainly am not but it comes with routine practice. I outgrew what people think by being myself. I live my life without concern what others think. I used to care and gradually moved on. It is a step in maturity and self confidence that is habituated. I did not need some book to educate me, I needed to reflect and raise my self-esteem. My father who hesitates to ever compliment me (probably given my “ego-issue”) remarked that it was truly amazing that I do not care what people think I chart my own path. He concluded the compliment by exclaiming that it was due to his education because that was his life model. Honestly he is pretty on point. My parents educated me to not be concerned with what other’s think. I took this to heart and acted on my own. I alone began working with special needs, went to a different yeshiva, joined the army, moved to Israel, became a philosopher and social critic. Much of my personality is a sceptic hell bent on independence and self expression. I consider myself a major non-conformist. Politically and religiously I hold drastic contrasting views to my friends and I will argue with them profusely. My own individualism is unique to me but concerning self help it is no novelty. 

Another example of a self-help “guru” is Jordan Peterson. The great irony is that his self help genius derives from biblical narratives. He is quite vocal of their imagery and virtue. Jonathan Sacks does the same thing in his weekly sermons. He extrapolates lessons from the text to empower people. The narrational ethic embodies an engendered ethos. The bible acts as a guide to a generational timeline of people. The values that are instilled from birth. These values are internalised across congregations. It is embedded in the educational framework. It isn’t simply narration like Manson, Covey’s 7 Habits or Clear’s Atomic Habits. These authors provide external insights. The bible is a memory bank that heightens connectivity to its ethnic linkage.  

Self-help books provide an external link of how people should act. It’s a philosophy, an estranged one, presented to the public. It is a listing of methods to follow but is so systemic that it should be intuitive. Much of these books are good to bolster an intrinsic value but the latitude of categorical entries proves it is heteronomous. There is a lack of internal connection to these ideas. People are lost and need to be taught these obvious lessons. This is due in part to a secularised society. Kant Hume and others attempted to ground ethics in varied theories from logic to emotion to utility. These generally concerned the semantic statements of don’t kill or steal but as behaviour archetype they were lost. Their lack of poetic novelty constrained their effective transformation. On the flip side, Nietzsche’s ideas were coded in narration and thus were developed further and mass effective. Zarathustra storied analysis of human desire for power enriched by the Nazis to persecute Jews (alongside a Heideggerian philosophy excluding Jews as the absolute other to be removed). The enlightenment has steadily moved to more fragmented world of lost souls. Narratives are powerful as they visualise the reality. It is not just a to-do list but a step by step guide of what to do exactly. There is a power to virtue ethics that though is vague provides a framework to flexibly promote a certain ethical style. 

Self help though is simpler than Kantian ethics is still extrinsic. It is an externally imposed model. The method of choice is to inspire. Indeed, this occurs in Judaism as well in a study hall but these texts are intrinsic to the students. It is their tradition speaking to them. It is telling them how they ought to be by virtue of their code. It is not commanding a foreign entity to take hold but to strengthen an internal commitment. The superiority of an internal system has an embedded matrix linking the entire community together. It is not just one individual to do better but everyone. The communitarian vibe insists on joint growth. These sermons are narrational and inspiring but they are close to home in a language they understand. Using familiar jargon these ideas become receptive and valuable. These virtues are autonomous to the Jew. Yet, this is not restricted to Judaism. Japan’s low crime rate harkens to a valued based society. It may not be a “religious” country but it is traditional and valuational. The Jew is no different. It is not a perfect system but it is a start. The core of educational growth hinges on communitarian advancement. 

For Jews this works but what about everyone else? It must come from the home. Our environments must repel the institutional damage haunting our modern society. Parents need to reeducate and pass on the values instilled in them for generations. Every group has a valued core, it is on them to perpetuate it. Jews advantageously routinely express their values in worship. The absolute secularist can only work via logic. Unless he is to promote his past for the betterment of the future, he is lost. It all starts at childbirth to educate values to drive behavioural intent. Today the political climate is trying to rewire our children. Do not let them overpower you. Your values are dear and merited. Liberalism is fragmenting in need of traditional values to salvage it. At home values meet democratic ideology. The latter is improved by the former.   

Self-help books are great but they are secondary to the values learned at home. These lessons are nuanced and insightful but should not be the bedrock of knowledge. They are the polish to the elegant silver that just needs some dusting off. They are fantastic reads but as the Ramchal wrote in his intro, “Everything I’m writing in simply review”. The same ought to be true for the self help world. These profound lessons are elementary that are bolstered by the literature.