MELT DOWN

Where are your beloved mentors when you need them most? Our nation's major anxiety attack has had me wishing to speak with my rabbi, Ed Friedman. What would his take be?

But he is no longer with us so all I can do is remember back to those classes in Bethesda, M.D. where he explained the various ways that anxiety prevents individuals and groups from thinking rationally. He explained how the media reflects the nation's nerves and weak spots back to itself. I remember the diagram he drew to explain this vicious cycle.

This week has been quite a case study...how would Ed decode it? I can only survey my class notes and re-read his texts for a possible answer. OR...I can remember how he warned against relying on the unreasonable power of reason especially when the nerves are so raw.

At this point nothing makes much sense: not the campaign, nor the media's response, not the economic 9/11 or the nation's response or the media's response to the nation's response.

I get why the debates might, probably, maybe will be cancelled. And I get that they might have to be rescheduled to replace the VP debate (oops, sorry Sarah and Joe). I get that Obama acted like a president and McCain is wimping out. Or wait, was it McCain that acted like a president and Obama who wimped out...shoot, I can't remember.

At this point I'm waiting for them to postpone the election because we haven't had enough just yet.

But then again, I'm not thinking rationally...maybe we all need to take a national yoga class and just...exhale. Phew.