A report just came out that 2024 was the year with the highest number of drug overdose related deaths in Australian history. That is tragic and remains an ongoing tragedy.
My initial hope is that it moves you and stirs a sadness that gives way to something else…. What it should give way to is not for me to prescribe.
Hopefully this will become part of our home conversations and the formulation of opinions.
But what’s informing our opinions?
Are they informed by personal experiences (or lack thereof)? Our natural thought/feeling tendencies? Are these learned values (learned formally or incidentally through media and zeitgeist)?
How do we approach this subject? Do we start with the person who is suffering to the point they take drugs to such an extent of death? Do we start with society and safety concerns? Do we start at criminality? Do we start at social welfare? Do we begin with the judges and sentencing laws or the government and police?
Do we talk about the individuals or the masses first? Is it binary? Is there even a starting point or a single discussion?
I venture to say no.
It doesn’t start anywhere in particular plus most of us are not in a direct position of power or influence, though in Australia we have compulsory voting and our vote can inform which political party will legislate around these tragic realities.
So why do I raise it?
Because discussions around this subject inform our position on many other unrelated subjects that directly impact our children, parents, friends, community, workplace and society.
One of the primary descriptions of a Jew is that we are Rachmanim, compassionate people. Perhaps that explains why we are disproportionately charitable and often at the frontlines, throughout history, of movements for social equality and opportunity both on the ‘left’ and the ‘right’.
We are also called the people of the book. We have a rich written code and transmitted history. Debates are enshrined in the Talmud. Deduction and application of biblical principles are codified in Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law). Re-application and analysis for each era is further analysed in Responsa. The mystical teachings of souls, sparks and Divine energy are on full display in Kabbalah.
We are both a literary and emotional people and formulating an opinion is important. But to formulate an opinion requires three things: the heart and mind and a healthy tension between the two.
If we cant’ feel then how can we really propose to improve our surroundings? If we don’t know then everything is a game of chance and do we want to leave safety and wellbeing to chance?
The philosophy of Judaism is not a separate text, it is woven through all our texts, and it is for us to explore it and to anchor ourselves to it. Through it we can work out whether our feelings are misplaced or not, whether our logic is correct or not.
Who says the greater good is best? Who says saving a single life is always a priority? We whip out these opposing theories to suit our narratives, but Judaism calls on us to tailor our narratives to the Torah’s truth. And when I say the Torahs truth I mean the full spectrum of debate and application.
We are living in times where soundbites and emotions are dictating or undermining us. As difficult as it is, I strongly encourage you to carve out time once or twice a week for even 15-20 minutes each time to read, watch or listen to Torah teachings on law and ethics. It may sound boring, so jump into the juicy topics first and develop a routine of acquiring wisdom.
Why the world is so chaotic and painful I don’t know. Why G-d harvests souls the way He does, I don’t know. But this is where we are at. What I do know is that we can make their deaths a cause for the improvement of society, our homes and our communities through ethics and wisdom.