VERSION|0.5.1|SUBJECT|The Big Chief Rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks, Baron Aldgate |CONTENT|[b]Rating[/b] 4 out of 5 (Highly platitudinous)

[url=http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap130514.html][img=images/2013/05/pic130514.jpg popup=false float=right][/url]There's a Big Jewish Festival coming up. Happy [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shavuot]Shavuot[/url] everybody! 

Shavuot commemorates the Invisible Magic Friend giving Moses the Ten Commandments on two pieces of stone, which Moses then smashed when he saw the entire Nation of Israel worshipping a golden calf, and then had to go back up the mountain to see the Invisible Magic Friend again, because the Invisible Magic Friend lived up a mountain in those days, to get a second set of Ten Commandments. 

None of this happened but we remember it anyway.

[url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Permanent-Present-Tense-Unforgettable-Amnesic/dp/0465031595]Henry Molaison[/url] was the opposite with regards to memory. He was unwell, so a doctor decided to cut a bit of his brain out. This had unanticipated side-effects, one of which was that he couldn't make any new memories. This meant he couldn't recognise anyone, couldn't make new friends, couldn't establish relationships and couldn't plan for the future.

That's what would have happened to the Jewish people if we hadn't remembered the things that didn't happen when the Invisible Magic Friend lived up a mountain. We remember our enslavement that didn't happen too. We just wouldn't be the people we are today if we didn't remember all those things that didn't happen. 

Nowadays people have smartphones. As a result, they never remember anything either. In particular, they don't remember any of the things that didn't happen. This is very dangerous. Henry Molaison didn't remember things that didn't happen and look what happened to him!

We need to remember the things that didn't happen yesterday, for yesterday leads to today and today leads to tomorrow. How can we plan for things that won't happen tomorrow if we don't remember the things that didn't happen yesterday?

You fools! Treasure your memories of things that didn't happen yesterday!

[url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0190ffk]Listen/Read[/url]|CATEGORIES|57,52|IP-ADDRESS|94.168.119.214|DATE|1368516361|CREATEDBY|admin
