Newsletter October 2024
Number 10
"It is true that bad and sensational news often dominates the media, but we should not let ourselves be fooled. There is also so much good news that quietly, every day, gives people a boost."
The last days I often think about this text, written by Sjaak de Boer, when I open the newspaper and follow the news on radio and television. It is indescribable what is happening in the world today.
On Thursday September 26 we visited a performance by Kees Posthumus in De Kapel in Andijk. I got a tip from a sports buddy and went there and I didn't regret it at all.
In Andijk, Posthumus, together with musician Henk van Glabbeek, performed his version of "Nathan the Wise", an old play written by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729-1781). Lessing wrote that play in response to the ban on his articles on tolerance and religious freedom. The central theme in the play is therefore the question: Which faith is right? Which faith has a monopoly on the truth?This question has occupied man for centuries and is often the cause of bloody wars. The story takes place around 1200 in Jerusalem. A Templar saves a Jewish girl from the flames. She is the daughter of Nathan, a wise Jewish man. The Sultan of Jerusalem and friend of Nathan, asks him at one point whether he finds Judaism, Islam or Christianity the most convincing. Nathan searches for an answer and tells the parable of the three rings.
Once upon a time there was a man who had a ring with a miraculous power. The ring made the wearer a good person, loved by everyone. He has three sons and wants to pass it on to the son he loves most. But he loves all three of them equally. To whom should he entrust the ring? When he feels his end approaching, he asks a goldsmith to make two more rings that are exactly the same. The goldsmith succeeds so well that no one can tell the difference anymore. The father gives his blessing to his sons one by one and one by one he puts the ring on their fingers. After the father dies, the brothers still want to know who actually got the real ring. They argue, they complain, but they can't reach an agreement. Finally they go to a judge who tells them: "Nobody knows who wears the real ring. Consider your own ring as the real one, as the true one. Live as if you are the wearer of the real ring. Do your best to prove the authenticity of your ring through love, tolerance and mercy. Your father loved all three of you equally. Follow his example.”
The Sultan stands up and says: “So, if I understand correctly, the Jews, Christians and Muslims must prove that their religion is the true one through acts of kindness and peace?” “Exactly,” said Nathan.
Whatever you believe in, we all have one thing in common: we are all HUMAN. And that is unfortunately forgotten too often.
