Tag: wokism

Separation of Light & Darkness

From the beginning of the creation of the world, G-d used His discernment, to separate the light from the darkness. This separation is a phenomenon that we may observe every day at dusk and dawn. The transition at twilight into nighttime, and at sunrise into daytime.


The Targum Neofiti emphasizes that G-d separated by word between light and darkness. We take the separation of light and darkness as a natural occurrence that seems effortless on the part of what most human beings refer to as nature.

Since there was no Biblical Hebrew word for nature, modern Hebrew uses the word Teva. The point that I would like to make is that the initial separation was not effortless, nor a natural phenomenon; rather, it was a principle of separation built into the fabric of Creation.


According to Rashi, because the light was good, it was not appropriate “that light and darkness should function together in a confused manner” (commentary on Genesis 1:4, sefaria.org). A parallel can be drawn to moral sphere, wherein the same rule may apply.


This tenet would caution us against the mixture of light and dark in our thinking, and how we approach the challenges in life; it may help decrease the confusion prevalent in society today. The current chaos of the world derives from the admixture of good and evil that permeates society. It is fueled by the flames of bitterness, animosity, and hostility.


Yet, the line of good and evil runs through the heart of every human (Solzhenitysn). This must be acknowledged by all decent people with a conscience in order to maintain a balanced perspective. The designation of people groups leads to an us and them mentality, as if the moral integrity of the in-group compels them to be sinless in their own eyes.

On the contrary, we must examine ourselves, all the moreso, in order to better challenge evil. In a world where the difference between good and evil is blurred we need the discernment that is able to separate light from darkness.  “The words You inscribed give light” (Ps. 119:130, JPSN).

Furthermore, to attempt to justify evil by placing it within a context that is itself deceptive is a disavowal of the existence of objective good and evil. We approach the dystopic inverse mentioned by the prophet, wherein “good is called evil and evil is called good, darkness is changed into light and light is changed into darkness” (Isaiah 5:20).

Yet, the original light of Creation, created before the sun, stars, and moon were created was set aside for the righteous in the Messianic Era. This is G-d’s promise of utopia on earth, when Moshiach will reign from Jerusalem. No utopia that man attempts to create can deter the divine plan.

Shifting Values

The psychical structure known as the superego, within a Freudian context, represented the inculcation of values from society, that served to moderate the inappropriate impulses that originated in the Id. The ego is the mediating factor, between an individual’s impulses and the constraints learned from societal norms.

Freud lived in Austria during the first half of the 19th century when the norms of society were based upon a stringent level of morality and etiquette. So, the concept of the superego was dependent upon a set of moral norms that would serve to rebuff the unruly impulses an raw emotions of the Id. In other words, the strength of the superego was context-dependent upon the moral vigor of society.

However, the established norms of one society, and time period give way to the diminished values of another society and time period. Therefore, the influence of norms of the superego are dependent upon the shifting sands of the moral values of society.

If there is no stable set of norms in society, then the superego has nothing constancy to counteract the feelings, desires, and impulses of the Id. The more society devolves, the more the Id has influence over a person, if the cultural norms are accepted.

So, it is clear that the superego must be nourished by means other than going along with the zeitgeist, if indeed the current milieu of culture has gone astray. These are challenging times, whereof the lines are being drawn between those who seek righteousness, and those who abandon caution to the wind. Yet, true freedom is when we don’t let our Id rule our ego.

Therefore, we need something more substantial to nourish the superego of the psyche. In consideration of the superego’s strength, it can also be dependent on the values of one’s parents and community. Realistically speaking, it is our own personal obligation to boost the strength of the superego.

If as individuals, an appropriate value system can be developed, based upon moral philosophy, ethics, or religious principles, this will be the decisive factor in the battle for maintaining one’s moral character in the face of the onslaught of pseudo-values being proffered in the wake of the zeitgeist.

We are not meant to be subservient to the Id, representative of base desires and impulses that must be transformed into appropriate channels of expression. Rather, G-d has given mankind a conscience, that permits us to decide upon what is to be rejected, and what is to accepted, in regard to our inner being (Isaiah 7:15). Thus, the conscience is linked to the concept of the superego.

Our free will combines with the conscience, and the superego, creating a powerhouse, with the ability to choose right from wrong. This is the domain of the ego (as a psychical structure), to mediate between the inner conflicts within the psyche, and make decisions in accordance with reality.

We are not to be reduced to deterministic beings; rather, we have been given a soul, with the inunction to choose between good and evil. As is written, “see I have set before thee this day, life and good, and death and evil” (Deuteronomy 30:15).

The problem is that within the framework of the current cultural shift, that began decades, if not centuries ago, the demarcation between good and evil is being blurred. “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter” (Isaiah 5:20).

Loyalties Divided

Truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance are the trademark calling of the philosophy of Falun Gong, also know as Falun Dafa. Yet, the repressive CCP (Chinese Communist Party) regime seeks to suppress this revived version of the traditional religious and philosophical underpinnings of Chinese society. It is an affront to their intolerance of anything that runs counter to their methods of control, that are based on fear, distrust, and hatred.

During the Maoist revolution of the 1960’s Mao’s cultural revolution waged war against what was referred to as the Four Olds: Old Ideas, Old Culture, Old Customs, Old Habits. Unfortunately, 5,000 years of Chinese ethical belief and culture was destroyed virtually overnight. In place of their cultural relics, Mao’s image in photographs, painting, and statues appeared everywhere. He became a demigod, as a result of crushing all other means to seek deity.

The vision of Karl Marx that fueled the fires of both Chinese and Russian Communism is ultimately one that can be characterized as entropic, that is to say, leading toward entropy. Yet, it is not a passive dissolution of the status quo; rather, a revolutionary enactment of overthrowing everything that previously existed, in order to start anew, transferring power, in an abrupt manner to the state.

Incidentally, the reason that the Marxist cultural revolution transforming this country is not ostensibly recognized as such is because of its implementation that focused on societal change by undermining society by gaining access within its institutions. Additionally, Rod Dreher delineates between hard totalitarianism, such as in the former Soviet Union with its system of Gulags, and soft-totalitarianism, that can be construed as a form of digital Marxism wherein people are canceled, lose benefits, reputations, and jobs. China currently has such a system, via the social credit scoring technology to control its citizens, in additions to its still extant version of hard totalitarianism.

On a moral level, the philosophy of Marxism via the Woke movement will be devastating to society, running counter to its claims of promoting social justice. One key point may be mentioned, in light of cancel culture, as follows: Judeo-Christian belief promotes forgiveness, as do other major world religions; yet, Marxism teaches unforgiveness. It does not permit a place for forgiveness; rather, it views its targets as “irredeemable.”

Within the overall framework of this cultural revolution in America, how can we relegate the issues to politics, and exclude the value of our faith in entering the discussion? This revolution of culture is changing the morals of society; therefore, it is less of a political framework than an underlying grounds for change in the moral sphere of society.

To not enter into an awareness of what is happening, nor give voice to our values, is to cede to the Marxist element of this cultural revolution. If religion is supposed to inform every area of our lives, than “politics” cannot be separated from our belief and practice. Our political views need to be informed by our religion, ethics, and values, not the other way around.

Forgetting our humanity, we are being led down a road of destruction that will divide the country into categories, similar to those established within the Maoist Revolution. Consider how the basic premise of the Woke Movement divides the populace into two basic categories of the oppressed and the oppressor. This is revolutionary language, meant to undermine the establishment, values, and foundations of this country. It is traceable back to the 1960’s and earlier in history, as will be further explained in this essay.

Freedom entails responsibility, direction, and motivation toward a value, that has import on both the lives of individuals and a society as whole. First of all, inner freedom, wherein we have the capacity to transcend our temperament, especially if inclined toward criticism, and judgmental attitudes. If we do not control our temperaments, then our temperaments will control us, leading toward agitation, and social unrest. If we give reign to our inner angst, then “cancel culture,” in all of its despotism, will continue to wreak havoc, because it “feels” like the natural way to vent our anger.

The intolerant stance toward members of society who are called out for their past and present sins is in direct philosophical opposition to the tenets of Judeo-Christian belief and other religions that place value in the ability, no, the necessity to forgive those who have wronged us, slighted our ego, or trampled upon our feelings. In the case of a proper attitude promoted by Judeo-Christian belief toward those who think differently than us, we are to enter into civil discourse with those who hold other opinions. And even if we agree to disagree, to still hold no grudge, resentment or hatred toward them.

The ideologues fueling the fire of the woke movement are directly opposed to compendium of morality, promoted by religious values. A parallel can be made to the members of Falun Gong who are persecuted in China, so too, anyone who exhibits traditional, moral and religious values is being silenced, censured, and cancelled.

Yet, there is one important difference to note within the framework of this comparison. For the CCP, it is only following up on what the Maoist revolution began in the 1960’s. Yet, In America, we are only at the beginning of a Marxist revolution that has come to fruition after the long march toward socialism through the institutions that began in the 1960’s with the New Left.

Intellectuals from the Frankfort School, established in Germany in 1929, who sought to continue their neo-Marxist agenda, escaped the Nazi regime in Germany by relocating in America at Columbia University, under the protective cloud of the New School of Social Research. Eventually, the teaching that they brought with them influenced a generation already ripe with revolutionary foment. Marxist intellectuals like Herbert Marcusse, Saul Alinsky, and Antonio Gramsci galvanized the 1960’s New Left. Antonio Gramsci, in particular, advocated infiltrating the institutions to transform society from within its various structures.

The legacy of the 1960’s as a whole can be encapsulated in the performance of the Jimmie Hendrix version of the Star-Spangled Banner. The same disdain for America, authority, and religion is being furthered in the educational system, as is symbolized in the discordant, loud, and raucous notes of his electric guitar.

Where is the moral compass of this country? At this point, since the decline of the nation, it’s trajectory toward a valueless morass, sponsored by a socialist upheaval will in all likelihood continue, the question needs to be reframed for the individual. I think that is still sincerely more important to seek the renewal of souls, who may be lost in the confusion of a country that is torn asunder by many elements, competing for the attention, loyalty, and devotion of the populace. When G-d has been left out of the equation, cancelled from the public exchange of ideas, and left out of the overall culture of a country, then people will seek some other “god” to fill that void, that we all have inside of us.

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