“breaking bad” was an enormously popular tv show which is considered one of the top 10 of all time by many critics. the show portrays a chemistry teacher, walter white, who chose of a criminal path of producing and distributing crystal meth as a means of supporting his family. during the days of his criminal enterprise, due to the high quality of his meth product, he obtains the moniker “heisenberg.” this moniker entered pop culture as well.
while “breaking bad” was entertaining, it glorified evil. it failed in a large part to document the impact of the crystal meth and its harm to both users and communities where the live and destroy.
is it time that we get “breaking good?”
heisenberg? who needs an illicit drug maker heisenberg? is it not time for a rabbi heisenberg, a pastor heisenberg, a minister heisenberg, a father heisenberg. and an imam heisenberg!
it is our time to choose a path of morality and goodness towards each other. how long can a society survive with the glorification and condoning of immoral behavior? not too long. you only need to look on our city streets. homeless people, a lot who have drug use and abuse problems, are making our country look worse than a third world country. i actually think we are living in a fourth world country. a fourth world country being one which is both rotten and immoral. in addition to the homeless, residents are being inflicted with criminals who are given a pass by local politicians.
the concept of “breaking good” is not a new concept. the old testament tells the story of a great king who made it his mission to “break good.” king heisenberg? no, king josiah.
it is stated about king josiah that “he did what was right in the eyes of the lord, and he walked in all the ways of david his father, and he turned away neither right nor left”
note: ironically, this statement was made way before the advent of the political terms of the left and right.
under king josiah’s watch, it was reported “and hilkiah the high priest said to shaphan the scribe, “i have found the scroll of the law in the house of the lord,” and hilkiah gave the scroll to shaphan, and he read it.”
when he was read the laws, he rent in clothes which is a sign of mourning, grieving or loss. perhaps, he realized how broken his nation was on a moral level.
upon hearing the word of the scroll, king josiah stated “go, inquire of the lord on my behalf and on the behalf of the people and on behalf of all of judah concerning the words of this scroll which has been found, for great is the lord’s wrath which is kindled against us, since our forefathers did not obey the words of this scroll, to do according to all that is written concerning us.” kings 22
and the king summoned, and they assembled before him all the elders of judah and jerusalem. and the king went up to the house of the lord, and all the people of judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were with him, and the priests and the prophets, and all the people from small to great, and he read within their hearing all the words of the scroll of the covenant that was found in the house of the lord. and the king stood on his place, and enacted the covenant before the lord, to follow the lord and to observe his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and soul, to fulfill the words of this covenant, which are written in this scroll. and all the people were steadfast in their acceptance of the covenant.“
this is breaking good!
he had a society that was crumbling and he took the action to get it on the right track. if the words of the torah had not been brought back to the public consciousness, perhaps they could have been lost forever. note: it is believed that this was the book of deuteronomy, the first book of the torah, that was found. deuteronomy contains a version of the ten commandments.
we all need to “break good.”
for those who wish to get started, go into your house and look around. perhaps you will find a bible sitting around. you need to dust it off, crack it open, read a few inspiring verses, and try to implement this inspiration to lead a better and more moral life.
be well!
The Ten Commandments Project 