?What goes up, must come down. Spinning wheels got to go ?round...? (lyrics by Blood, Sweat and Tears, 1969)



Charles Krauthammer as well as a lot of reflective thinkers and journalists are beginning to address some pretty frightening cosmic and ultimate questions with regards to the present world situation (see ?Bracing for the Apocalypse?, February 13). However, rather than take the plunge into new territorial waters, most writers echo old arguments, tow the same old conservative or liberal line and are busy pointing fingers and spinning their wheels in the mud of petty partisan politics. But, these are desperate times and no time to waste time. So, I suggest that all competent and thoughtful writers summon-up their courage and redirect their G-d given skills. They should stand upright and start acting like men by moving beyond and above the realm of political animals in order to approach the truth. In these overwhelming and confusing times, our writers, journalists and thinkers have the ability, potential and obligation to imbue the public with a sense of clarity and help us to regain some of our focus by, on the one hand, simplifying the issues and, on the other, challenging and inspiring the reader to exercise their minds and imaginations.



Often, the best approach to reclaiming clarity is to go back to our source. Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik would go back to the Biblical account of Creation when he felt a need to address distressing existential issues. In his acclaimed essay, ?The Lonely Man of Faith?, he examines seemingly conflicting accounts of creation, the inherent duality of Man?s personality and the G-d given obligations incumbent upon humankind. That?s pretty profound stuff and it would take a lifetime for a layperson like me to fully understand its depth. However, I?m intrigued and inspired by this approach, so I?ve done a little personality typing of my own and have applied it to our world today.



It seems that the two dominant personalities in what appears to be an up-and-coming clash between civilizations could be defined as ?vertical man? and ?horizontal man?.



Vertical man is Western man. He is productive, creative and dreams to touch the stars. He has achieved much in the areas of science and technology, has created skyscrapers, metropolises and the NASDAQ. He enjoys economic and political superiority in this world. True to form, this type of man rules ?over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and over the animal, the whole earth and every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.? Unfortunately, vertical man is also an arrogant man and he?s so impressed with his accomplishments that he?s forgotten who created him. At his worst, Western man enjoys unlimited freedoms and material pleasures, believes he is in control and the master of his own destiny and that there is nothing else outside of himself. He?s also done an overall lousy job of ?serving and keeping the garden.?



Enter horizontal man. Horizontal man represents a good portion of the Arab and Islamic world as it stands (or doesn?t stand) today. Indeed, G-d Himself formed this type of man ?of the dust of the ground? and the Islamic world has more than succeeded to be ?fruitful and multiply (and), fill the earth...? But horizontal man has trouble standing up and becoming a creative and productive member of the world community. He likes it down on the ground, in the sands. He prays in a horizontal position and even his concept of paradise after death is primarily horizontal (need I elaborate?). But, I gotta hand it to horizontal man, as he knows that there is a G-d above him - probably because there is nothing below him. Because his scope of vision rarely goes beyond snakes, scorpions and spiders, horizontal man often dedicates his wealth of resources and creative energies towards destructive purposes.



Which brings us to the current showdown, or George Bush?s ?War against Terror?. I?ll tell you, it?s a toss-up. I?m not sure if the guy at the controls of a Cobra helicopter, who thinks he is G-d, is going to necessarily win when pitted against the guy in the turban or keffiyah, who, like a snake, knows every nook, cranny and cave of the desert landscape and regularly prays to his Maker.



Are we condemned to an eternal deadlock, or tug-of-war, between vertical and horizontal forces? Why even bother? What?s it all about, anyway? Well, it?s a long shot, but Western/Vertical man does have one advantage over Islamic/Horizontal man. It?s called gravity.



We all know that ?what goes up, must come down?. But what?s already down doesn?t necessarily go up (take note, Saddam). This means that Western man has the ability to fall from the heights, contemplate his failures and rise again. The biggest problem is that nobody likes the fall and the climb back up is excruciating. Take the World Trade Center as an example.



A new design was approved this week for the World Trade Center site. It?s to be a collection of buildings and will include the world?s tallest tower, which will rise 1,776 feet and define the Lower Manhattan skyline.



I would have gone the other way and designed a World Trade Center Memorial and Meditation hole in the ground. It would be a 1,350 foot (height of the original towers) pit in the ground that would house a library of historical chronicles and volumes written by religious and existential thinkers. People would sit on the ground, in private cubicles, and be given sufficient time to read and/or reflect. There would be no elevators for the climb back up, but, hey, I?m not that cruel, so there would be rest stops and resuscitation stations along the way, as well as refreshment stands offering a light vegetarian fare (no cappuccino or croissants). Western man may never learn. He will, hopefully, win this battle with Iraq. But until he can either harness gravity (fat chance) or commit to change by accepting the pain and growth that comes from failure, we could be in for a very long war.



Israel also has to, once again, relearn a painful lesson. We sit right smack in the middle of both the geopolitical and spiritual centers of the world. We should have learned by now that our mission is to strike a balance between the horizontal and vertical forces of man?s personality. And that stability will only come by recognizing and serving G-d as outlined in the Torah. That?s what it means to be ?chosen?. The Jewish people can stop being embarrassed about the term, as it has nothing to do with looks, brains or superiority. It?s about self-awareness and learning to live with the vertigo that comes from knowing that each one of us is engaged in a lifetime of struggle, where we oscillate between being higher than the angels and lower than the worm. Islam and the West can slug this one out on the ground, but the ultimate battle will be ours, because G-d has given us the spiritual means to prevail. We only have to accept the challenge.



[Part 2 of 2]

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Ellen Horowitz lives in the Golan Heights with her husband and six children. She is a painter and writer and can be reached at [email protected].



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