Escapism Would Be Good Right About Now
From "Survivor" to King David, we need inspiration and miracles to get us through
By Abigail Pickus
Sometime between the snow on Monday, the heat wave on Tuesday and the tornado on Wednesday, I thought to myself: The world has surely gone to hell in a handbasket.
I mean, really.
And I’m not even talking about the war in Israel, which is what I’m really thinking about every second. Or the fact that because of said war in Israel, our brothers and sisters on the land are in the throes with what my friend so eloquently said is not so much PTSD as a living, breathing TSD.
I’m also not referring to another constant worry of mine, that insidious AI, which is slowly but surely going to take over our lives, our jobs, and our souls.
What is there left to do, then, in this moment of sinat chinam (senseless hatred), global warming and scary sci-fi technology?
I recommend, dear reader, Survivor.
Yes, I’m late to the party. But if you, like me, choose episodes indiscriminately from the past 20+ years it’s been running, and start to get attached to the assortment of weirdos who agree to be dropped together on a remote tropical island for over a month to duke it out for the million-dollar prize, well, you know what I’m talking about.
And what I’m talking about is not so much the “social experiment” of seeing how this amalgam of humanity connives to win the contest or the sheer physical prowess of so many of them or even the celebrity sightings – I’m looking at you Blair Warner from Facts of Life! – but the absolutely decadent escapism of this reality “experience.”
“Don’t finish watching without me!” I call out to my son who is camped out on the couch as I head out with our dog. He responds by saying he can’t make any promises.
And really, who can blame him? And will Kim win? I wonder as the dog and I round the corner of our block.
This reminds me of our own Jewish adventurer, that irascible, red-headed fugitive of the law. I’m talking about David, of course. He of humble beginnings, who after he killed Goliath – but before becoming King of the Jews – spent many years running for his life. First from his father-in-law, Saul, and later from his son, Absalom. On the lam, an exile and an outlaw, he turned to his one source of solace: The God of Israel. As he said in one of the 73 psalms he penned:
“The LORD is my light and my help; whom should I fear?”
The story of David, in fact, is rich not just in poetry and drama but in that timeless fan favorite: the well-executed plot twist.
For David’s story is one of overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles. It’s a tale of the underdog winning against all odds; of the power of innovative thinking; and when all seems hopeless, of surrendering to a higher power. His story is a testament to the enduring beauty of friendship and the frailty of ego and power.
For when despair is knocking at your door, King David’s life teaches us that the impossible can be possible.
“We thank you for your miracles that are with us every day,” as we say in the amidah prayers.
Or as Maimonides so deftly put it:
"A miracle cannot prove that which is impossible; it is useful only as a confirmation of what is possible."
I’ll remember that the next time I feel everything is just too much. Because right now, a belief that all will ultimately be okay is our best bet for making it through.
Abigail Pickus has written for JUF News Chicago, the Jewish Agency for Israel and The Jewish Week. She ran the Nextbook literary series at the Chicago Public Library.
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