business >>
Have Courage And
Be Kind ... To A Point
I
was on a cruise, returning to the
kind to others assailing the quote as
ship after taking a quick jaunt on
but another outdated suggestion for
the island. As I entered the pool
women to be subservient even when
deck, there was an eerie quiet and
subjected to undue hostility.
stillness. I glanced across the deck
I remembered an old movie favor-
and noticed that everyone was look-
ite, Road House, a 1989 movie star-
ing up at the large screen, eyes trans- ring Patrick Swayze as a cooler hired
fixed and glossy.
to tame a dirty bar. His advice to his
I'm talking about men and women, bouncer staff, in telling them how
young and old, guests and
to escort the troublemakers
crew, from virtually every
from the bar, was, "Be nice
nationality, all glued to the
His instruction was to be
large screen. No hoots and
nice in attempting to achieve
hollers with beers in hand
your goal as long as you can
and no flopping or slosh-
possibly do so, until it was
ing in the pools. All eyes
time "not to be nice
were fixed on the screen.
The Swayze advice works
I thought, "What is going
for me and, as a lawyer, I've
on?"
always abided by that with
What could muster such
the opposition. If you can
attention and emotion
Ken Gr oss achieve your goal and be
among all of these people,
pleasant about it that is cer-
many in a rowdy party
tainly the right road. If, how-
mode? The answer — Cinderella —
ever, you face a hostile adversary,
the latest Disney release.
courage is certainly necessary, but
As I walked across the desk, reach- at some point "being kind" is simply
ing Bonnie, my wife, who was also
not in the cards.
one of the watchers, I felt a sense
of satisfaction that amidst all of the
problems of the world — ISIS, the
mass shooting in Oregon, the U.N.
vis a vis Israel, Iran, North Korea
and so on — there remains "good-
ness" in the world, such that people
from all nationalities and ages can
be captivated to the extent of silence
and tears by the words and emotion
conveyed in a movie.
My daughter, Jenny, and son-in-
law, Shawn, were also on the trip,
and we all ended up in a discussion
Be kind to ISIS? Be kind to the
as to important quotes from the
Ayatollah, who repeatedly calls for
annihilation of Israel? I don't think
movie. Most notable is the death-
so. There is unimaginable evil in this
bed words told to Cinderella by her
mother, "Have courage and be kind:'
world — and evil, just as goodness,
The moment I walked upon the
transcends everything.
ship's deck and witnessed this heart-
Cinderella's task was to "be kind"
felt silence, I knew it was something
and "have courage" in dealing with
I wanted to write about; but as I
her evil sisters and the misfortunes
thought about the quote, I realized
she had to bear. In addressing our
it presents a multitude of issues in
enemies, we should display courage
the context of addressing today's dif- and be polite (not kind) in seeking
ficult affairs.
appropriate solutions, but we should
Courage certainly is needed and is
also heed Patrick Swayze's advice
a worthy attribute, but precisely how
and not be nice, when it is time not
does "be kind" fit in if faced with
to be nice. *
a hostile foe? A Google search con-
Ken Gross is an attorney with Thav Gross and
firmed diverse views on the message
host of Law and Reality that airs Tuesdays from
ranging from assertions that it is a
noon-1 p.m. on WCHB 1200 AM/99.9 FM and 11
Mother Teresa-type global message
a.m. Sundays on TV20.
for all to overcome the ills of man-
Ef you face a
hostile adversary,
''being kind"
is simply not in
the cards.
I MORE INCOME
FOR YOU.
I RISING STARS
FOR ISRAEL:
6,
111 ■■•■
.....
•:
4
s
ar
Brain Gain: After researching at Harvard,
Dr. Ofra Benny returned to Israel to join The Hebrew
University of Jerusalem's Faculty of Medicine. Learn
more about her research and the work of other
talented young faculty at afhu.org/cga4
Dr. Ofra Benny is prepared to stop cancer in its tracks. An expert in drug-
delivery systems, she developed Lodamin (from the Hebrew "no blood in"),
a drug shown to inhibit skin, lung, brain, liver, breast, ovarian and
pancreatic cancers. But the work is far from over, which is why she has
chosen to continue it at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
When you create a secure AFHU Hebrew University Gift Annuity, you not
only ensure a high lifetime return, tax deductions and substantially tax-free
annuity payments; you also help propel the groundbreaking work of
brilliant young researchers like Dr. Benny.
It's a rate of return that assures you retirement income for life and keeps
Israeli higher education on the rise.
AFHU Hebrew University Gift Annuity
Returns
Age
65
70
75
80
85
90
Rate
6.0%
6.5%
7.1%
8.0%
9.5%
11.3%
CALL OR EMAIL NOW. The returns are generous. The cause is
priceless.
For information on AFHU Hebrew University Gift Annuities,
please call AFHU Midwest Region Executive Director, Judith Shenkman
at (312) 329-0332 or email: jshenkman@afhu.org.
Rates are based on a single life. Cash contributions produce
annuity payments that are substantially tax-free.
I0
AFpU
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF
THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY
20 N. Wacker Drive, Suite 2020
Chicago, IL 60606
(877) 642-AFHU (2348)
afhu.org/CGA4
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
RESEARCH ENGINE FOR THE WORLD. ENGINE OF GROWTH FOR A NATION.
2039890
October 8 2015
37