if the limits of my language are indeed the limits of my world, I cannot think of a world more open to exploration and discovery, more intriguing and… - Shulamith Hareven

The first things that get lost in charismatic leadership are facts.

Generally, we translate only one level of a language, the top of the pyramid, leaving very different levels concealed below.

In the short run, the identity of victim does, indeed, pay off. Sholem Aleichem recognized this in his story "Lucky Me, I Am an Orphan." Anyone who is a victim and nothing but a victim-in the sense of "deserving" compensation and forgiveness for everything-usually milks this position for all it is worth, through the end of the generation that witnessed the tragedy. In the longer run, the perpetuation of the victim identity causes complete severance from reality, utter dependence on the past and the past alone, and distortions of all proportions and emphases to the point of warping the personality.