“A raucous and riveting live performance by one of my favorite Rock bands, The Hold Steady, in Washington DC live during the Summer of 2024 at the 9:30 Club venue.”
Camera: iPhone 15
Location: 9:30 Club – Music Venue; Washington, District of Columbia
“In a world that often feels fractured, chaotic, divisive, and downright overwhelming when it comes to making positive changes reverberate, the ancient Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam – “repairing the world”, rings out like a timeless call to action in 2025.”
In a world that often feels fractured, chaotic, divisive, and downright overwhelming when it comes to making positive changes reverberate, the ancient Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam – “repairing the world”, rings out like a timeless call to action in 2025. This ancient idea in Judaism isn’t stuck in dusty scrolls or isolated in synagogue sermons alone, as it is a timeless principle that challenges every one of us, of any religion or non-religion, to take ownership of the cracks in our communities, the inequities in our cities, the damage being done to our planet, and even healing the wounds within ourselves. Rarely, if ever, have I written about religion and my own faith background but the need for practicing Tikkun Olam is something in Judaism I’ve always held dear not just for myself but for others to participate in, regardless of their own religious or other background.
What is ‘Tikkun Olam’ and Why Does It Matter?
Literally, Tikkun from the Hebrew language means “repair” or “healing,” and Olam (also from Hebrew) means “world.” It’s an invitation to actively make the world a better, more just, and more whole place, even if it is just a small action you partake in individually to counteract the evils and injustices taking place at the same time. Originating in Jewish thought, this concept for lending a hand to fight injustice and to do some good in the world, has evolved into a broader ethical framework that resonates far beyond Judaism. It’s a powerful reminder that healing for humanity, whether social, environmental, economic or personal is not someone else’s job. It starts with all of us, and we must all do our own part, whatever form that may be. As Mahatma Gandhi famously said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
Why does Tikkun Olam Matter More Than Ever in 2025?
Look around what’s going on around the world today: climate change threatens our very survival as a species on this planet, social inequality keeps millions trapped in poverty and continues to increase (especially in the United States), countless thousands have died in recent wars and conflicts from Eastern Europe to the Middle East to Sub-Saharan Africa and political polarization fractures communities worldwide leading to extremism and increasing stress on democratic values and freedoms. It’s tempting to feel helpless with all the ills taking place around the world, like the problems are too big and complex for any single person to fix any of them.
However, Tikkun Olam flips that script on itself. It says: the world isn’t going to heal by itself and no one person can do it alone. It requires active participation by more people, conscious choices on how to commit good acts, and collective courage to stand up against known evils and injustices. As Margaret Mead wisely put it, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” History has shown us repeatedly that when regular people mobilize consistently for change, are organized around their cause that they know is just, then their collective power can indeed make things better if it is sustained and united.
Healing Isn’t One-Dimensional for Humanity
Tikkun Olam asks us to think holistically about how we heal as humanity. Healing the world means tackling injustice across the board, whether racial, economic, or social, because inequality weakens the social fabric whatever form it may take. It means protecting the environment, our shared home, from exploitation and neglect, and coming up with solutions that keep it that way for future generations. Perhaps most importantly, it means looking inward to heal our own biases, fears, and prejudices. Because how can we fix the world if we’re broken ourselves or unwilling to be honest about our own healing process? The philosopher William James said it well, “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”
How Do We Live Tikkun Olam in 2025?
The beauty of Tikkun Olam is that it doesn’t require grand gestures or heroic feats because collective power to create change will always usurp that of any individual. While the average political leader, environmental activist, and social critic, can influence change with their platform they have, it’s not enough if no one else believes in your cause and will work with you to implement it together.
It’s in the everyday actions that really push change across the finish line: volunteering at a local shelter, voting for political leaders who will represent your beliefs and values, feeding and clothing the homeless with your donations, supporting sustainable businesses, speaking up against injustice in your community, or simply educating ourselves about the issues at hand. Small choices as well that we have heard about since we were children like reducing, recycling, or reusing your waste (if possible), donating time or money to causes that make positive change, or listening with empathy and kindness accumulate into real change.
The Road to Change is Never Easy but It’s Necessary
Good intentions sometimes falter no matter how much work and effort we can put into positive change. Activism can lead to burnout due to lack of support or funding. The world’s problems can feel like a tidal wave threatening to pull us all under. Tikkun Olam doesn’t promise a quick fix or painless journey towards being successful in seeing the world get better. It demands persistence, consistency, and resilience from everyone involved.
Here’s the truth of the matter: when you commit to healing some aspect of the world, you’re also joining a community of changemakers worldwide who believe in the power of repair and that is powerful to be in good company with other citizens wanting to better the world. As the novelist Paulo Coelho reminds us, “The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion.”
Looking Ahead: Hope for Action in a Fractured World
The future of Tikkun Olam or ‘healing the world’ lies in believing in global citizenship, recognizing that we’re all interconnected to one another despite our ever-present divisions. What happens halfway around the world affects us as much as what happens down the street from us. It’s about continuing to use technology, education, and cross-cultural understanding for good and work to bridge growing divides, learn from other’s advocacy to fuel our own, and inspire sustainable solutions that benefits humanity for the foreseeable future. The healing starts small but grows exponentially, like cascading ripples in a pond, momentum that starts in one town or city and spreads globally because of how universally justice, peace, and compassion can be applied. Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.’s words guide us here: “Injustice Anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere.”
Why Waiting on Change Will Never Lead to It
If you are waiting on the world to change on its own, you’ll be waiting until your dying day. The world is crying out for repair from every one of us, and the clock is ticking. Tikkun Olam is more than a spiritual ideal from Judaism; it’s a practical roadmap for living with purpose in a fractured world. The question isn’t whether you can make a difference, amplify your impact by combining your efforts with others to create collective change on top of individual change to create that ‘ripple effect’ it’s whether you’re ready to start and what problem(s) do you want to start tacking first. So, what’s your first step? The world is waiting on you.
Enjoying the recently renovated Wolf Trap amphitheater and live music venue for the band Wilco in June of 2024 in Vienna, Virginia.
Camera: iPhone 15
Location: Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts; Vienna, Virginia
“Life is not just about paying bills, taking care of errands, and going to and from work or school. No, life is more than just going through the motions.”
Life is not just about paying bills, taking care of errands, and going to and from work or school. No, life is more than just going through the motions. As an adult especially, you must have a life beyond the daily grind. You must be going out of your way to make time to enjoy life and to have something to look forward to, as frequently as possible. Life is short and days, weeks, and months can pass you by without taking full advantage of it. As you get older, it becomes not just about being successful and finding purpose but finding enjoyment out of it before your time is up here.
Enjoyment doesn’t have to lead to you spending your money needlessly. It could be going on a walk, a hike, or chatting with a friend on a park bench. You can enjoy the sunrise, the sunset, or take the time to exercise and feel good about yourself as a result. These are all things that you can look forward to without spending your hard-earned money. While there is nothing wrong with using money to have fun and relax a bit, it’s not the end all be all with looking forward to a gift, a purchase, or a subscription. If it brings you happiness and you’re responsible for it, monetary or not, you should always be marking your calendar each day to at least one thing or event or person you’re looking forward to interacting with.
Clearly, man or woman is not a machine and grinding endlessly just to sustain us alone is not healthy in the long-term. You can be a hard worker and still take the time to enjoy life even when you have a busy schedule. However, you need to also set boundaries and be willing to look at your time honestly to figure when and where you can fit this downtime in. You can easily get overwhelmed with errands, chores, duties, work, and other obligations and not carve out any time for yourself but that is no way to go through this life.
We all need our down time to reset, enjoy, and relax without feeling guilty for having done so. No one in your life is going to plan out your fun experiences or down time for you so you need to be actively doing so yourself. Managing your calendar well is part of that and being conscious of what brings you joy and happiness. Other people will often dictate for you what they think will bring you fulfillment outside of work or school, but you need to decide for yourself the best uses for your free time.
For some people, that could be playing tennis on a weekly basis, for others, it could be catching up with different friends over a drink or coffee over the course of a month. You should always be looking to make time for your fun and enjoyment as you see it best. It takes effort, communication, and planning but it’s better than just going through the motions without breaking up the daily grind a bit.
Being able to plan a vacation, a concert, a hike, or just time spent with loved ones is what really will fuel you through the ups and downs of professional and academic life. You need interests, hobbies, experiences, and people you like to get more out of life beyond the briefcase or backpack. We were not meant to live to work and earn our daily bread alone. Take the time out when you can to have something to look forward to doing, experiencing, or enjoying, whatever that may be, guilt free.
There will always be plenty of hours to give for that job, that class, or that bill payment, but there is less time for our free time by and large. That is why it’s important to plan out your free time well, to have a life beyond the grind, and to create fun, joy, and laughter wherever you can, whenever you can. Enjoy your free time and make the most of it because it’s not for forever and you need to make the most of the time we are given to pursue our own happiness.
A USMNT vs. Colombia friendly soccer match from June 2024 in which Colombia won handily in front of. a close to sellout crowd at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland.
Camera: iPhone 15
Location: Northwest Stadium; Landover, Maryland
“As someone who’s taught English across continents, from the bustling streets of Istanbul to the colorful hills of Medellín, I’ve seen the magic that happens when a student first cracks the code of an idiomatic expression. It’s like unlocking a secret level in the video game of language.”
Have you ever been in a conversation where someone said, “It’s a piece of cake,” and you started looking around for the dessert? Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of English idioms. As someone who’s taught English across continents, from the bustling streets of Istanbul to the colorful hills of Medellín, I’ve seen the magic that happens when a student first cracks the code of an idiomatic expression. It’s like unlocking a secret level in the video game of language. Idioms aren’t just expressions; they’re passports into culture, connection, and real-world communication.
Whether you’re watching Netflix, reading a Hemingway novel, or trying to impress your coworkers at happy hour, idioms are everywhere whether it’s talking about the weather or discussing a prospective business deal. If you’re serious about mastering English, learning them is not optional, it’s essential to furthering both your cultural awareness and vocabulary knowledge.
Let’s be realistic in that textbook English is safe, repetitive, and sometimes boring. Idioms are where the real flavor of the English language is. Idioms add personality and depth to your speech and syntax, letting you say something simple in a far more colorful way.
Instead of saying to someone, “I’m very tired,” a native speaker might say, “I’m beat.” Or, instead of “She’s very rich,” you might hear from someone, “She’s rolling in dough.” These idioms are more than shortcuts as they’re personality-packed expressions that help you sound natural and fluent in English.
Let’s look at a quick dialogue example to show you what I mean:
Tourist: “How hard is the hike up that volcano?”
Local: “Oh, it’s a breeze. You’ll be at the top of the summit before lunch.”
“A breeze” means something easy and it’s the same idea as “a piece of cake,” “a walk in the park,” or “no sweat.” By learning just one idiom, you open the door to several ways of expressing yourself naturally with other similar idioms.
Want to take it up a notch of difficulty? Idioms are also key for business English usage:
Whether you’re in a job interview or at a dinner party, idioms level up your vocabulary game.
Idioms aren’t random in terms of their use as they’re rooted in the culture, humor, and history of the English-speaking countries. Understanding where an idiom comes from gives you a peek into how English speakers think and communicate with one another.
Take “bite the bullet” as an example. This expression comes from the 1800s when soldiers, lacking anesthesia, were given a bullet to bite during surgery to cope with pain after suffering a serious ailment. It now means to do something unpleasant or difficult that you’ve been avoiding.
Another example, “let the cat out of the bag”, this one comes from old market scams where sellers would replace a little piglet with a cat in a sack. If the cat escaped, the secret was out.
These origin stories make idioms more memorable and teach you about local values like courage, humor, or sarcasm. They help you “read between the lines” and understand what’s really being said to you in English.
Textbooks will teach you how to say, “I’m very happy today.” But if you walk into a room and shout, “I’m on cloud nine!” or “I’m over the moon!”, people won’t just understand you, they’ll feel your emotion.
Here’s a little chart to show the difference between literal and idiomatic English:
| Situation | Literal English | Idiomatic English |
| Tired | “I’m very tired.” | “I’m running on fumes.” |
| Congratulate | “Good job!” | “You nailed it!” |
| Cancel plans | “Let’s stop now.” | “Let’s call it a day.” |
| Sick | “I don’t feel well.” | “I’m under the weather.” |
This is what fluency in English looks like: not just knowing what words mean but knowing how people use them too.
Idioms are also key to using humor and sarcasm, both of which are staples of English language communication. If someone tells you a ridiculous story and you respond with, “Yeah, when pigs fly,” you’ve just used a classic English idiom to say, “That’ll never happen.”
Idioms can feel overwhelming to the average English learner for multiple reasons. For one, there are thousands of them, and more are created each year. In this case, how do you learn without “losing your marbles”?
Here are some tried-and-true strategies for the English student to prevent themselves from being overwhelmed:
Learning idioms might feel like a “wild goose chase” at first. Here’s the truth though: they’re what separate the textbook English speaker from the fluent English speaker. They’re what make conversations natural, emails smoother, and jokes funnier. Moreover, idioms help you express both your emotions and personality. Instead of just saying, “I disagree,” you might say, “That doesn’t hold water.” Instead of saying “I’m nervous,” you can say, “I’ve got butterflies in my stomach.”
It’s not about sounding smart to the other person in the conversation, it’s about sounding real to them. Next time someone tells you to “hold your horses,” smile and relax a little. You’re no longer on the outside looking in with regards to not knowing what they mean or expecting yourself to hold a heavy animal. You’re now part of the conversation, the culture, and the rhythm of English. Keep learning, keep studying, keep laughing, and above all, keep speaking English idioms, one idiom at a time.
Enjoying a nice scenic boat ride out on the Chesapeake Bay on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The tides were calm and the wind was fierce but a good time was had by all.
Camera: iPhone 15
Location: Chesapeake Bay, Maryland
“It’s very rare in movies where a monologue becomes a classic and is quoted and re-quoted throughout the decades. That is most definitely the case nowadays with James Earl Jones’s famous monologue playing Terence Mann in the 1989 American movie, ‘Field of Dreams.’”
It’s very rare in movies where a monologue becomes a classic and is quoted and re-quoted throughout the decades. That is most definitely the case nowadays with James Earl Jones’s famous monologue playing Terence Mann in the 1989 American movie, ‘Field of Dreams.’ Now over 35 years old and counting, Field of Dreams’ and this legendary scene focus on the timeless appeal of Baseball in America, whose monologue has become iconic culturally not just for baseball fans and movie lovers but for what America can represent to the world when it taps into its best impulses.
“Ray, people will come, Ray. They’ll come to Iowa for reasons they can’t even fathom.” Baseball isn’t just a sport in this scene; it is the heartbeat of a nation’s spirit and resilience. The sport embodies the essence of the American Dream where everyone regardless of background, race, or ethnicity, can find a chance to succeed and belong, on and off the field. The monologue by Terence Mann (played by the legendary James Earl Jones) taps into the idea of America thriving on belief, on hope, and on the idea that greatness is around the corner if you dare to dream about it and fight for it.
Terence Mann isn’t just selling the idea of a baseball field and game to Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) on his farm but rather the idea of the possibility of uniting people and bringing them together. The message of his monologue is clear to viewers: If you build something meaningful in life, whatever that may be including a baseball field, people will be drawn to it because hope, enjoyment, and belief are powerful magnets.
Ray’s struggle to manage this baseball field and bring closure to a rough chapter in his life unresolved with his estranged father is emblematic of the struggles we all go through in this life. This scene with Ray is emblematic of a universal human quest to search for inner peace amidst chaos, uncertainty, and doubt. Terence’s monologue offers Ray and the audience a kind of calm assurance, a spiritual yearning, reminding everyone that the future isn’t handed to us, and it’s what we create and what we work towards to stay true to our vision, whatever that may be. It’s not about instant gratification in the form of a house or a car, it’s also about believing in your values, your vision, and knowing that the work you do is meaningful, especially if it connects to the past, family, baseball, or otherwise.
This scene also highlights how baseball has functioned and continues to function as a unifying thread through America’s social fabric. In the face of division, segregation, bias, and greed, baseball still brings people together around the country, crossing lines of race, class, and background. It’s a shred language that can bring Americans together, a communal ritual that reminds us that we’re all in this together as a people. When Terence says, “people will come, Ray…”, it’s a promise that no matter how ugly the world gets, how divided America may be, that promise will endure no matter the obstacles that face us. Sports, and in this case, baseball, has the unique power to draw people together in a collective experience that transcends our differences and can unite us to bring joy, happiness, and excitement with comradery and sportsmanship leading the way.
In this famous monologue, the actor playing Terence Mann, James Earl Jones’ delivery is everything and has made it such an iconic scene throughout the years. He is calm, measured, yet deeply convincing in summing up the power of the game of baseball. His voice here carries the weight of baseball’s history and that of America, of unspoken truths, of healed traumas, of future possibilities. He’s not just a supporting character in the movie; he’s also a narrator and a guide from the past.
He’s a sage sent into Ray’s life to remind him (and the audience) of a timeless truth: building anything worthwhile takes patience, faith, and a belief in the everlasting power of human connection. His words echo beyond the scene and the entire movie into the realm of business, relationships, goals, and our life’s purpose. He reinforces the idea that success comes from persistence and the courage to believe in what you put out into the world.
The scene is also a nod to the resilience embedded in American culture and its people. There is a strong “keep going no matter what” mentality that is deeply embedded into the cultural landscape and is also about leaning into “reinventing oneself” if you must that creates hope after hardship and how collective belief can overcome turning to cynicism and despair. In its essence, the monologue is a microcosm of American optimism, delivered through the poetic cadence of Jones’ voice and the symbolism of baseball as a sport that has gone through trials and tribulations like the country that birthed it.
Ray’s field or stadium to be in Iowa isn’t just about bringing baseball players from the past or present there to play a regular game. It sells the idea instead that America’s greatness is rooted in shared dreams and the belief that when you create something authentic and true, people will come…and not just to watch the game unfold, but for sharing a connection with each other, hoping for better days ahead, and finding community in a shared love of the game, America’s pastime.
“The Sakura Matsuri, hosted by the Japan‑America Society of Washington, DC, is the largest celebration of Japanese culture in the U.S. It’s a marquee event of the National Cherry Blossom Festival.”
Camera: iPhone 15
Location: Washington, District of Columbia
My sixth set of Spanish poems focused on showing attention to your beloved, having a queen in your life, the fight of your life, dignity being everything, and escaping when it’s necessary.
Óyeme bien
Óyeme bien, finalmente,
Estamos juntos de nuevo.
¿Qué puedo contarte todo de mi corazón?
Mis orejas podrán aguantar eso.
Sin ti, no tengo nadie a quien contar mis secretos.
Óyeme bien con tu voz bonita y fiel.
¿Dónde está mi reina?
Mi reina de mi corazón.
Ninguna persona es como mi reina.
Mi reina de mi felicidad.
Puedo luchar por mi reina para siempre.
Porque para mí, mi reina es todo el mundo.
La lucha de mi vida
¡Sube al ring,
Ponte los guantes!
Mantén la guardia alta,
Nunca temas el golpe.
La vida te golpeará duro,
¡Asegúrate de devolver el golpe con más fuerza!
¡La dignidad lo es todo!
Respeta a la gente que trabaja,
Respeta a la gente que estudia,
Respeta a la gente que hace que la vida sea lo que es.
Todo trabajo tiene dignidad,
Toda persona tiene dignidad, igual.
No lo olvides ni por un minuto.
Afuera de aquí
Ya no hay nada para nosotros.
Solo violencia, dolor y miseria aquí.
Recuerden lo que nos arrebataron a nosotros y a ustedes.
Almas atrapadas aquí para siempre, lastimosamente.
Aún tenemos una opción para sobrevivir y vivir.
Salgan de aquí ahora, antes de que sea demasiado tarde.
