Holy Week – a great opportunity for mingling! It’s a time of year rich with major religious observances across several faiths. For Christians, yesterday was Palm Sunday and next weekend brings Easter; for Jews, Passover begins at sundown Wednesday; for Muslims, this is the period right after Ramadan, with Eid al-Fitr occurring around late March depending on moon sighting; and in other major traditions, significant Spring observances include Sikh Vaisakhi, the Bahá’í festival of Riḍván, and Buddhist Spring renewal holidays such as Theravada New Year. H/t to Robert Putnam, author of “Bowling Alone”, for reminding that organized religion is a great way to establish community ties and build social capital. Recent news suggests many are doing exactly that. The New York Times noted that people are joining the Roman Catholic Church in droves. (“Bishops are buzzing about the surge, and confounded by what is behind it. ‘Of course we think the Holy Spirit is,’ Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington said. ‘But we are kind of stymied.’”) The story also notes an uptick in Orthodox Christianity membership. With regard to American Catholicism, I’m sure the popularity of Pope Leo is a contributor. But overall, I’ll bet it’s more about re-establishing connection in a society that has become disconnected by technology. People are looking for common experience… and spirituality. They want to mingle. We see it in the membership of our organic Mingle Meet Ups for radio listeners. In your church, your synagogue, your mosque or meeting house, you might have religion in common, but little else. It’s an easy way to spend time among people without the interruption of a smart phone.
Lone Survivor – don’t miss my interview just released on YouTube (and linked in this newsletter) with R.M. Schneiderman regarding Operation Red Wings, better known to most as the story of the “Lone Survivor”. Along with Ed Darack, Schneiderman just published a deep dive in Politico Magazine revisiting the famous story: After a small Navy SEAL team on a post-9/11 reconnaissance mission in the Hindu Kush of eastern Afghanistan was happened upon by goat herders, the SEAL team faced the terrible choice of killing or releasing them, knowing they might reveal the mission to the Taliban. Now, two decades after the tragic mission that inspired Marcus Luttrell’s book and the film adaptation directed by Peter Berg and starring Mark Wahlberg, some of the military participants are finally speaking about what happened for the first time. While not questioning the bravery nor service of any of those involved, the conversation nevertheless raises questions as to the accuracy of the popularly accepted account and how much got lost in the fog of war. Added bonus: listen to my interview with Luttrell recorded in front of a live, sold-out audience at the Scottish Rite Auditorium in Collingswood, NJ in 2008.
Finally, concerning Tiger Woods: golf writer Michael Bamberger will be on today’s radio program. Bamberger just published at Golf.com in the aftermath of Tiger’s latest DUI. Writes Bamberger:
“It has been an open secret in the tight circle around Tiger Woods for years: If you want to have a serious conversation with Woods — about his charity and architecture work; about the future of the PGA Tour; about his 15 wins in Grand Slam events — you do it in the morning. Woods, famously, is a poor sleeper and an early riser. The broad picture you get, from people in position to know, is that if you’re in the circle, you can get him early. As his days wear on, Woods becomes less available and less predictable. This is not idle, mean-spirited speculation. More like observations borne in care, if not worry.”
Funny coincidence. Last month I found myself alone in an elevator with the legendary golfer and his daughter in a boutique hotel in Northern California. And it was after 9pm. Somebody was glassy-eyed in that elevator car, but it wasn’t them…
##
