Yesterday I wrote about coffee and the impact Keurig cups have the environment. Today I have been reading in the book “On the Way to War.” I haven’t learned much about Kenya yet. Originally the author wanted to go to Rwanda. It seems incredible to me that we are 20 years out from the Rwandan genocide. It seems incredible to me that people, any people, still call for the destruction of another people. How is that possible. And yet this is a week filled with such reports. A gunman, a known white supremacist, kills three outside of two Jewish institutions in Kansas City. We mark the first anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing. It is also, sadly, the anniversary Waco, the bombing Oklahoma City, and Columbine. There are also conflicting reports out of the Ukraine of some Jews being told they must register as Jews or risk deportations. Yes, this is happening today. 2014. 5774 in case you need to look at a calendar to believe these things.

The author of the book I am reading says that what he sought was a short, intense life that made a bold impact and live beyond him. His greatest fear was an ordinary life. Perhaps if more people tried to make a difference we could be free from the fear of genocide, poverty, terrorism, gun violence. With freedom comes responsibility. The responsibility to make the world a better place. He quotes Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Something to think about this Passover.