25 September 2023

Yom Kippur is a day of fasting, which, in theory, gives us a chance to focus on prayer and plans to be a better person. One of the reasons why fasting is helpful with some disease states is because, by eliminating the heavy lifting of digestion, it frees the body up to work on other repairs.

With the current culture of immediate gratification, dopamine fasting has emerged as a strategy for bringing balance to addictions of technology, substances or junk food. As I watched the Blue Zones series on Netflix (Live to 100!), one thing that stood out was the pace of life.

We may think that technology is improving our lives (and I don't deny that it is), but how helpful are some of these time-saving hacks? We have all kinds of kitchen devices (food processors, bread makers, electric pasta machines) that reduce the physical activity and mindful connection that occurs during slow-food cooking. We have shortcuts to nutrition, in the form of shakes and bars, but they contain food substances that our bodies were never designed to process.

Haste makes waste. I experience this idiom more often than I’d like. So today I’m going to slow down. We can be mindful about which shortcuts we choose. No judgement…least of all today! Personally, I don’t think we should sacrifice our health to free up time for anything else. Because it’s the foundation upon which our entire lives are built. Obviously, I think that healthy eating is an important and enjoyable part of that.

Today is the Day of Atonement for Jews, but anyone can have a fresh start on any day.

How to make a good apology

When an apology often looks to shut a conversation down, a good repair opens one up. Check out Becky Kennedy’s Ted Talk. (Relevant to kids, spouses, friends…everyone!)

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I enjoy live-streaming the High Holiday services from Central Synagogue for its beautiful music and meditation. And I love the sermons. Typically, the rabbis connect traditional text with modern circumstances.  This year, the obvious application was artificial intelligence.

One of the few things that differentiates humans from AI is not rationality nor creativity nor empathy; supercomputers are getting better at those all the time. The thing that makes us different is knowledge of good and bad. No matter your religion, there seems to be the consensus that we are accountable for our actions and must repent when we fall short.

AI might get better at figuring things out, creating art and even acting like a friend, but it cannot ask forgiveness – after all, everything it does comes from humans. Only humans have the capability to realize a mistake and attempt a repair.