Rachmones
The Passion Of Hebraic Empathy, A History
by
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"You are not like those who live in the places from which you have fled,”
"Fleeing from all the lands around,” the speaker continued, "you have sought refuge in free places, where each has equal say and no man lords it over another. In that free spirit, held in common among brethren, you have your home.”
In this pivotal moment, Moses was calling upon the habiru - “stateless citizens” who had defected from every kingdom in the surrounding lands, to transform their code of behavior into a body of law that would impact on the entire future of Western consciousness, and indeed upon world history. At its core was empathy.
Rachmones traces the passion of hebraic empathy, its expression and defense, from its roots in universal human awareness on into contemporary culture. Utilizing a detailed examination of ancient documents and biblical sources, with references to experiences of the author in his own family, Rachmones introduces a perspective on human history long obscured behind the operative mindset of corporate society.
Brigands, drop-outs, defectors, sheep herders, poor dirt farmers all played their role in defending the freedom of thought within which that precious emotion of human engagement might be preserved. With empathy poised now to invigorate a new era in human survival, this is their story.
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About the Book
"You are not like those who live in the places from which you have fled,”
"Fleeing from all the lands around,” the speaker continued, "you have sought refuge in free places, where each has equal say and no man lords it over another. In that free spirit, held in common among brethren, you have your home.”
In this pivotal moment, Moses was calling upon the habiru - “stateless citizens” who had defected from every kingdom in the surrounding lands, to transform their code of behavior into a body of law that would impact on the entire future of Western consciousness, and indeed upon world history. At its core was empathy.
Rachmones traces the passion of hebraic empathy, its expression and defense, from its roots in universal human awareness on into contemporary culture. Utilizing a detailed examination of ancient documents and biblical sources, with references to experiences of the author in his own family, Rachmones introduces a perspective on human history long obscured behind the operative mindset of corporate society.
Brigands, drop-outs, defectors, sheep herders, poor dirt farmers all played their role in defending the freedom of thought within which that precious emotion of human engagement might be preserved. With empathy poised now to invigorate a new era in human survival, this is their story.
About the Author
Familiarly known as “Daz” on Big Island where he’s made his home since ’95, Burt Alpert was born May 26, 1926 in New York. Growing up in the Bronx, he lived in San Francisco for 35 years before moving to Hawaii. Interrupted by service in the U.S. Navy ‘44-’46, studies in physiological psychology led to a B.S. at CCNY followed by a year of graduate work in sociology at Columbia U., ending when Alpert went to work for 7 years as a machinist, and then as a public assistance social worker until his retirement. Politically active with the Progressive Party in ’48, Burt was instrumental in organizing an independent union in the SF Dept. of Social Services, ’67-‘72. With Freud, Marx, and Wilhelm Reich as major influences, a life-time interest in collaborative behavior led him to an exhaustive survey of classical archaeology, history, religion and literature. Works include Inversions, A Study in Warped Consciousness, a social-psychological analysis of linear thinking, self-published in 1972, and Parabhagavadgita [Beyond the Song of God], a play offering a shamanic critique of detachment, presented at SF State College 1991. Columns, articles and film reviews have appeared in Journal of Social Issues, March of Labor, Liberation and Hawaii Island Journal. Having written all his life, Alpert credits the aloha culture of Hawaii with refining his style through cultivating his humanity. An avid dancer, with interests in alchemy and shamanism, Burt is single and a father of three sons.