Peace Agenda

Peace Must Be A Priority

I believe that deep in our hearts all Jews-including the angry Israelis-want peace, thus, as I go shopping for a synagogue so that I can rejoin the Jewish people, I wholeheartedly commit myself to being a Jewish peace activist. Nevertheless, I no longer believe that it is fruitful to bash Benjamin Netanyahu and other Jews, who seem to believe that peace is unattainable or that it will only come when other people submit to the Jewish will.

We Jews must cease our infighting and come together to formulate a plan for putting a stop to the hostilities in the Middle East and other parts of the world. It won’t be easy because we have real, hardened enemies in the Arab world and plenty of cynical Westerners (both Jew and Gentile), too, who think that there is nothing wrong with Israel and the world being at war forever.

But I think it’s terrible that generation after generation of Israelis have to walk around in army fatigues and that Jews all over the world must be submitted to anti-Semitism, partially because of the situation in the Middle East.

We must believe in God and we must believe in the importance of peace, something that many esteemed and religious Jews think is one of God’s top priorities.

I don’t care that many Jews and Gentiles may think that my agenda is foolish: I don’t see how one can be a Jew and not be concerned about ending war and other forms of hostilities both in the U.S. and abroad.

Craig R. Bayer, 12/31/17

My Ultimate Calling

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”(Matthew 6:24)

According to the Book of Matthew, it is impossible to simultaneously serve two masters, yet I have been attempting to serve numerous masters over the years, namely God, politics  and literature, just to name  a few.

One day I was going to be a rabbi, the next I was going to be  a politician/activist, a third day I was  going to be a novelist,  and on the last day I planned to be a literary scholar. On some days, I envisioned being all of the above.

And guess what: with that attitude, I got little if anything done. Indecisiveness and being spread too thin mentally, have, in the end, lead to inertia and stagnation.

I’m not saying that one cannot be a multi-faceted human being, but at some point, the majority of us have to concentrate on doing and mastering just one thing.

So, my main thing, the only thing which truly gets me moving in the morning is to be an activist. I have to put all my heart, time and energy into being an activist.

Oh, I’ll continue to muddle through my British novels, and write poetry, and read religious texts,  and even go to synagogue or church, but when push comes to shove, I have to be an activist.

I can be a political/religious/mental health/cultural activist, but I must be an activist. I have to write activist articles, organize people and events,  and participate in activist gatherings.

And I have to use my activist impulse to get me through mundane tasks like cleaning my room, doing laundry, securing and holding on to a wage job, and taking care of my health.

All of this has to come together in one process, the process of being an activist.

I hope I’m right about all this, because the time has come to get- and keep- moving...

Craig R. Bayer, 12/29/17

Acting Locally

A good friend of mine—a fellow activist—once shared with me the slogan: “Think globally, act locally.”

This coming year I am making a commitment to doing just that. I will forget about dreams of being a famous writer and/or activist and just focus on myself, my family, my friends and my neighborhood.

Now that I am being forced by economic forces to move, it will be a new neighborhood that I will be serving (in the outer boroughs of NYC), so I’m going to try to find a local synagogue and/or church, perhaps a local job(although I may still end up being employed in Manhattan) and of course I will continue my work at Fountain House , because it has been so successful and rewarding.

If I am gainfully employed, I may attempt to travel again, but even travel may not be the most important thing on my agenda. What counts is that I am developing a work and social life wherever I am parked: I will no longer yearn for bigger and greener pastures.

I will continue with my internet blog, but I don’t care if it fails to gain followers, because I am no longer interested in big money or fame: my interest is in a productive life and in inner and outer peace.

I hope to continue my relationships with all of you while on my local journey.

Have a Happy New Year!

Craig R. Bayer 12/24/17

Economic Fascism

There is little evidence that corporations that receive tax breaks will reinvest their newly gained money in the American economy. Just as importantly, the plan to cut social programs will not necessarily lead to people pulling themselves up by their boot straps and earning a good living. Some people are mentally, psychologically or physically incapable of earning a good living, some can and will work but are not inclined to hustle; they, too, will not earn good money, but will encounter exploitation instead. 

That’s what I believe is fascist about the Republican game plan. It expects everyone to be not only workaholics, but hustlers, gamblers, shysters, and of course total conformists.

Everyone, I believe ,can work on some level, but are they inclined to conform to Republican work standards and should they serve an economy which is spiritually, intellectually, environmentally and often physically destructive?

We have a government safety net not just to protect people who are totally helpless, but also ordinary people, who will be duped into working against their own interests and the interests of the country or will fight against this trend and therefore pay a price economically.

The Democrats must win this fight or the country and world will be ruined.

Craig R. Bayer, 12/21/17

Presentation to Iowa Clubhouse About The Cisco WebEx System

Presentation To Iowa

Why has your clubhouse obtained this system?

This system will enable you, the members, to communicate—in a new and exciting and economical way—with clubhouses all over the world.

Fountain House has used it to discuss with other clubhouses the thirty seven ICCD standards, to prepare for and follow up with national and international colleagues before and after colleague trainings and for many other high-minded to mundane purposes.

Just like in Star Trek, you can now interact with people in far off places, at no cost!

Perhaps the most rewarding part of using this system was the Standards Review process, which gave me the opportunity to learn and teach the meaning behind the 37 standards, clubhouse life and the clubhouse movement. I had the opportunity to talk with fellow members, staff and members and staff from other cities, states and countries about clubhouse and receive the praise and applause from doing a good job during this process: it reinvigorated my intellectual and creative pride.

I also liked the camaraderie that resulted from traveling with two staff members to Cleveland to install one of these systems and watching the reaction of the clubhouse in which we installed the technology.

And needless to say, the greatest fruit of my Standards review labor was the opportunity to travel to Britain to discuss clubhouse and clubhouse standards with colleagues from all over the world.

We hope you enjoy your new method of communication!

CRB

Back to Woik

It has always been my belief that I would return to work someday, the question always was, when and where?

As a person in mental health recovery, I feared that I might not be able to handle the stress of the average job. I also feared that I might not be able to tolerate the average job, because I had negative memories of my time in the workforce: I did not like jobs in which I was over-worked, underpaid and which were, worst of all “dead end”. I desired advancement, dignity, money and glory.

When I joined Fountain House in July of 2015, I grew to love the work-ordered day, because, though it was a purely voluntary situation, there was much dignity in choosing my own hours, the work that I wanted to do, and the nature of the work, which I consider to be therapeutically, professionally and politically progressive. The colleague trainings were a godsend, because they involved intellectual labor, examination of the philosophy of work and even travel.

Nevertheless, some of us cannot live on fulfilling work alone: we need money and that is the primary reason I am returning to work: to pay off debt, pay bills, and earn money that may range from mere pocket cash to funds that I can invest in my life and my writing/activist career.

I still have fears that I might decompensate or simply be exploited by the marketplace, but I must overcome them so that I can build the life for myself that I always wanted to build.

It will take some luck—and a lot of hard work—but I think that I can succeed.

Here’s to re-employment in 2018!

Craig R. Bayer

God's Will

In the end we all have to submit to God’s will. Our own will is important, but it cannot control everything.

Gradually, I have come to the conclusion that virtually everything happens for a reason:

  I was born a Jew for a reason, so I have decided to stick with Judaism, even though I am attracted also to Christianity and Buddhism.

 I was born an American, American values are in my blood, even though I sometimes rebel against certain American ideas.

I received a secular education-I am not a deeply religious person-and I’m glad, because I believe that God doesn’t want me to be a biblical fundamentalist, but an independent thinker, who resists superstition.

I am highly influenced by Marxism, the Civil Rights Movement, the Feminist Movement, British and American literature, music and culture: all these are part of me and I think God wanted me to experience and learn from them.

I, and other members of my family, have been touched by mental illness: God obviously wanted me to be a mental health advocate.

I learned from my humanist education—which is promoted in both American universities and in the public schools, that utilizing one’s will to make things happen is good, but the will has limitations—sometimes you have to face and accept reality: politically, economically, intellectually, professionally, sexually, socially, etc…

I hope to someday be a bookstore owner, because that would bring all my  ideas and experiences together and I could make money while  educating the world the way I was educated—in  a smart, complete and elegant manner.

I hope it’s God’s, will that I succeed. 

New Jew

I find myself embracing Jewishness completely: spiritually, theologically, economically, intellectually, politically. I now fully comprehend the importance of the Jewish work ethic. Yet, like most sane Jews, I still see a role for government in civic life: it must feed, clothe and educate the sick, the disadvantaged, the oppressed minorities, etc.… It must help people find a way to work and compete, if they can indeed work.

The private sector doesn’t care about people with special needs and churches and synagogues cannot accommodate the countless needy people here and abroad.

Maybe I went too far being a Marxist, but some sort of safety net is necessary to make sure that the cold, cruel and often corrupt capitalist world doesn’t overwhelm everyone and everything.

The Jewish way is to acknowledge the importance of both the private and public sectors, both secular and religious education. The Jewish way is sensible and fair. Amen.

Long Live Democracy

We are now at war-in a war of all against all and President Trump is a symptom of that war. The insults, the bullying, the domination of one class over another—none of this can continue or the nation and world will be destroyed. We must practice mutual understanding, compromise, democratic decision-making. We must respect the rights and concerns of minorities. We must argue with mutual respect, reason and compassion.

I’ve been an angry man since graduating from college way back in 1986,but I must cut it out already and show respect for my fellow man. There is no socialism without love and respect, no society without love and respect, that’s what the Social Contract requires.

Long live democracy and the things required to maintain it!

Serving

I have to applaud the many demonstrators who showed up on Capitol Hill to protest the GOP’s so-called tax reform bill. Getting arrested isn’t for me-at least not at this point in my life-but I have to give credit to people who are still willing to do this. Perhaps their protests will lead to a political turnaround on this bill and in the nation’s politics, in general.

As for me, I have to work on finding work in the government sector, joining a temple, continuing my work at Fountain House and generally serving the public good in a more quiet and subtle way. You don’t have to get arrested to help your fellow man: you just need to be prepared to help people wherever and whenever they need it.

So here’s to the betterment of mankind!

Craig R. Bayer, 11/28/17

Judaism and Socialism are Compatible

I don’t want to read or hear from any Jew that Judaism and socialism are incompatible. We’re supposed to be committed to one another and being a light unto all nations, a people who will help fix the world. You can’t do that if you commit yourself to capitalism and to being  a money-grubbing maniac. That’s one of the sources of anti-Semitism: the notion that all Jews care about is making money.

Well, this Jew is not toeing the middle class Jewish line: I’m a Jew and a socialist and I’m fighting for my religious, political and literary(I’m an Anglophile, too!) principles until the death!

Holocaust Remembrance Day

On this Holocaust Remembrance Day, I apologize to God for all my past sins. And I apologize to my fellow Jewish people for bashing them now and then for personal, philosophical and political reasons. Today we should be unified against all evil—evil against us and against other oppressed people. Never again must we tolerate violence or even harassment against individuals or groups. We must live in peace and brotherhood.

The Journey Begins

My Jewish journey begins, now. I am going to visit Manhattan’s Jewish Community Center, perhaps take some classes there, maybe join  a book club, attend some events, make myself known there and down the line, I may be able to secure a job, there.

This is my way of connecting with both the Lord and the Jewish people. I’m also looking for Jewish wife because secular life and bachelorhood really suck. And lastly, I’d really like to help bring peace to Israel and the Middle East.

Those who are worried that I am no longer a left wing activist, need not worry; I am still a Marxist, just an increasingly Jewish one.

I don’t believe that Marxism and Judaism necessarily contradict each other. Indeed, Marxism, in an odd way, may be an off shoot of Judaism, because Marx was  a Jew himself, folks and he was descended from rabbis ,and his concern for the poor and the working class is not inconsistent with the Torah.

So here I go, into the world of Judaism ,wish me luck...

Shalom!

Craig R. Bayer (aka Shimon Rubin)