Every once in a while, a blog post comes out something out of this world, in my opinion. I think this is one of them. Tell me if it’s special to you too.
An important part is based on writings by Lewis Thomas (1913-1993).
I explain how we could upgrade our bodies, eventually, so that we will never get infections anymore. I added how, one day, we may even have alternatives to eating and breathing. I told you: something special.
Reading this post may have a lasting impact on you. Your awareness might never be as confined again. Am I right? Please, let me know.
It’s not something you must read now. In ten years, it’ll be as fresh. But maybe during a pandemic, it would speak to you more.
***
First of all, a word for those who say that if you believe in the Hebrew Bible, you can’t believe in Evolution Theory.
Warrior against modernist corruption of Orthodox Judaism in Germany, Chief Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch (1808-1888), opined that if this idea (it was not a Scientific Theory yet) of Evolution turns out a worthy scientific concept, that should not worry believers in Creation. Palestine’s First Chief Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook (1865-1935) was of the same opinion.
Let me add, why would one ‘allow’ G^d to use Gravity but not Evolution?
NB: The two (!) Creation Stories in the Hebrew Bible are not pretending to be descriptions of what happened, like a perfect police report or history lesson. Rather, they are Divine Teachings. They are True in the sense that no letter of them may be doubted or changed because that would change the Teachings — not because that would argue their descriptive veracity.
***
If we were smart enough, we would ask, why does the human body allow bacteria and viruses to take over our cells and have them mass produce these microbes and infect other people? The old analogy of a ‘hostile enemy’ does not hold water. Human pathogens seem to have the keys to our cells. These keys are highly specific. Why didn’t we change the lock?
I was not so brilliant to ask (and answer) this question. When still a medical student, I read part of the book The Lives of a Cell. It’s a collection of pieces Lewis Thomas, 1913-1993, wrote for the New England Journal of Medicine. Published in 1974, it went through many reprints and eventually, was translated into 11 other languages. Even today, after so many years, this classic holds an eye-opening if not jaw-dropping text. Many of the author’s brain waves were far ahead of their time, and still so even today. Especially about the interconnectedness of all life and the inanimate. What a genius.
Thomas suggests that in the very olden days, cell intrusions by tiny cell-like creatures, greatly enriched our cells. Now, most living cells (including most human ones) contain organelles without which they could not survive for long, that generate all energy for them. Animal cells’ mitochondria and plant cells’ chloroplasts (with their own genetic materials!), clearly were once intruders. Also, our DNA seems to have inserted ‘foreign’ genes.
Clearly, these breaches were at times so enhancing that our cells did not dare to close the door to more chance encounters like that. So much so that they rather risked sickness and death than to say, enough already.
That must be the reason why we rub our noses and eyes all the time.
There was a problem with the old metaphor of our innocent body being attacked and overpowered by vile enemy microorganisms, once we understood that we were the ones who gave them the keys to the front door of the palace. Rather, we kept dreaming that the next intruder might be the prince on the white horse we had been waiting for all our lives.
But now, we could say: enough. People are not exchangeable creatures. Each of us is a world in ourselves of infinite value. We cannot risk anyone more to die. We need to upgrade our body but manually and deliberately, not as a game of Russian roulette or on the basis of trial and error.
First, we need to change the lock. No more access to our cells from the outside. If we’d find a beneficial microbe, we’ll take charge and insert it — without Evolution’s time-consuming and costly paths of ruthless Nature.
Like chloroplasts. They use sunlight to make energy and O2 from CO2 for plant cells. We probably could use that as an extra way to dump our carbon dioxide and get oxygen and calories! (And all look like the Hulk.) Or like changing our DNA back to producing Vitamin C so that we don’t need to eat fresh fruit. (Once, one point mutation took that ability away from us.) Or us Caucasians getting back the natural melanin amount in the skin so that we won’t sunburn so quickly when we ‘eat’ with our chloroplasts.
We must upgrade our bodies very cautiously. We don’t want to kill any of the myriads of biochemical checks and balances calibrated over eons.
But before that, we need to refuse all microbes, bacteria and viruses, any access to our cells or body. It’s been a pleasure but now please leave. Our microbiomes play a worthy role on the surfaces (in the crevices) of our skin and on our mucous membranes, including even, close to the surface of our lower airways. They occupy these places so that mean pathogens cannot colonize these otherwise sterile places. And some even make vital vitamins ‘for us’ in our intestines. But that is enough cooperation and symbiosis.
(NB: You should also expect cures for cancer, strokes, and heart attacks.)
Plant microbes would never attack our cells. They don’t have the key. So it must be for all animal microbes. Let’s change the lock in our cell walls.
That is better than disinfectants, vaccines, antibiotics, and antibodies to kill microbes. Just deny them lodging. No more replication here. End of party.
If we don’t make ourselves go extinct from climate change or atomic wars, and you’ll hang in there, you’ll live to see this happen. It’s high time.
But until that time, get your vaccinations and eat your veggies!!
MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, previously a daily blog contributor to the TOI. He often makes his readers laugh, mad, or assume he's nuts—close to perfect blogging. He's proud that his analytical short comments are removed both from left-wing and right-wing news sites. None of his content is generated by the new bore on the block, AI. *
As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. Or not at all because he doesn't claim G^d talks to him. He gives him good ideas—that's all. MM doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and educations contribute to his visions. *
This year, he will prioritize getting his unpublished books published rather than just blog posts. Of the 15 (!) books he has in mind, the next two are about homosexuality in Judaism and new rabbinics. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. To find less-recent posts on a subject XXX among his over 2600 archived ones, go to the right-top corner of a Times of Israel page, click on the search icon and search "zuiden, XXX". One can find a second, wilder blog that also may contain updates to Times of Israel posts, to which one may subscribe, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the globe icon next to his picture on top. *
He's getting ready to publicize books on: "Free Will, "Judaism and Homosexuality, "His parents in the Holocaust, "Judaism, "A New Torah Translation and "A New Hebrew Grammar, "Co-Counseling, "Vegan Facts, "Immortality, and more. *
Like most of his readers, he believes in being friendly, respectful, and loyal. However, if you think those are his absolute top priorities, you might end up disappointed. His first loyalty is to the truth. He agrees that in a post-truth world, that's irrelevant, but then this is for the record. He will try to stay within the limits of democratic and Jewish law, but he won't lie to support opinions or people when don't deserve that. (Yet, we all make honest mistakes, which is just fine and does not justify losing support.) He admits that he sometimes exaggerates to make a point, which could have him come across as nasty, while in actuality, he's quite a lovely person to interact with. He holds - how Dutch - that a strong opinion doesn't imply intolerance of other views. *
Sometimes he's misunderstood because his wide and diverse field of vision seldomly fits any specialist's box. But that's exactly what some love about him. He has written a lot about Psychology (including Sexuality and Abuse), Medicine (including physical immortality), Science (including basic statistics), Politics (Israel, the US, and the Netherlands, Activism - more than leftwing or rightwing, he hopes to highlight reality), Oppression and Liberation (intersectionally, for young people, the elderly, non-Whites, women, workers, Jews, LGBTQIA+, foreigners and anyone else who's dehumanized or exploited), Integrity, Philosophy, Jews (Judaism, Zionism, Holocaust and Jewish Liberation), the Climate Crisis, Ecology and Veganism, Affairs from the news, or the Torah Portion of the Week, or new insights that suddenly befell him. *
Chronologically, his most influential teachers are his parents, Nico (natan) van Zuiden and Betty (beisye) Nieweg, Wim Kan, Mozart, Harvey Jackins, Marshal Rosenberg, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, and, lehavdil bein chayim lechayim, Rabbi Dr. Natan Lopes Cardozo, Rav Zev Leff, and Rav Meir Lubin. This short list doesn't mean to disrespect others who taught him a lot or a little. One of his rabbis calls him Mr. Innovation [Ish haChidushim]. Yet, his originalities seem to root deeply in traditional Judaism, though they may grow in unexpected directions. In fact, he claims he's modernizing nothing. Rather, mainly basing himself on the basic Hebrew Torah text, he tries to rediscover classical Jewish thought almost lost in thousands of years of stifling Gentile domination and Jewish assimilation. (He pleads for a close reading of the Torah instead of going by rough assumptions of what it would probably mean and before fleeing to Commentaries.) This, in all aspects of life, but prominently in the areas of Free Will, Activism, Homosexuality for men, and Redemption. *
He hopes that his words will inspire and inform, and disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. He aims to bring a fresh perspective rather than harp on the obvious and familiar. When he can, he loves to write encyclopedic overviews. He doesn't expect his readers to agree. Rather, original minds should be disputed. In short, his main political positions are among others: anti-Trumpism, for Zionism, Intersectionality, non-violence, anti those who abuse democratic liberties, anti the fake ME peace process, for original-Orthodoxy, pro-Science, pro-Free Will, anti-blaming-the-victim, and for down-to-earth, classical optimism, and happiness. Read his blog on how he attempts to bridge any tensions between those ideas or fields. *
He is a fetal survivor of the pharmaceutical industry (https://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/studies/des-and-psychological-health/), born in 1953 to his parents who were Dutch-Jewish Holocaust survivors who met in the largest concentration camp in the Netherlands, Westerbork. He grew up a humble listener. It took him decades to become a speaker too, and decades more to admit to being a genius. But his humility was his to keep. And so was his honesty. Bullies and con artists almost instantaneously envy and hate him. He hopes to bring new things and not just preach to the choir. *
He holds a BA in medicine (University of Amsterdam) – is half a doctor. He practices Re-evaluation Co-counseling since 1977, is not an official teacher anymore, and became a friendly, powerful therapist. He became a social activist, became religious, made Aliyah, and raised three wonderful kids. Previously, for decades, he was known to the Jerusalem Post readers as a frequent letter writer. For a couple of years, he was active in hasbara to the Dutch-speaking public. He wrote an unpublished tome about Jewish Free Will. He's a strict vegan since 2008. He's an Orthodox Jew but not a rabbi. *
His writing has been made possible by an allowance for second-generation Holocaust survivors from the Netherlands. It has been his dream since he was 38 to try to make a difference by teaching through writing. He had three times 9-out-of-10 for Dutch at his high school finals but is spending his days communicating in English and Hebrew - how ironic. G-d must have a fine sense of humor. In case you wonder - yes, he is a bit dyslectic. If you're a native English speaker and wonder why you should read from people whose English is only their second language, consider the advantage of having an original peek outside of your cultural bubble. His posts are spell, grammar, and style polished by AI, but all written by himself. *
To send any personal reaction to him, scroll to the top of the blog post and click Contact Me. *
His newest books you may find here: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AMoshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&s=relevancerank&text=Moshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1
