Is it me or is the world spinning out of control? Where have all the sensible people gone?
Regular readers of this column will know that I have a great affinity for the place of my birth, the UK. And a great love for the National Health Service (NHS) in which I have worked for 43 years and continue to do so to this day.
But, I could weep at what is happening to this beloved institution and the country it serves.
Allow me to explain.
In recent years, the United Kingdom has witnessed a growing trend toward ideological extremism – an aggressive push toward so-called wokeness – that seems to be increasingly detached from common sense and traditional values. What once might have been well-intentioned efforts to promote inclusivity and sensitivity have snowballed into a culture of overcorrection and, in some cases, outright absurdity.
The latest example of this occurred at Norwood Primary School in Eastleigh, Hampshire, which decided to cancel all Easter celebrations, including its Easter Bonnet Parade and Service, to “respect diverse religious beliefs.”
But many parents and commentators are rightly asking: is this really inclusivity, or is it cultural erasure under the guise of progressiveness?
Let’s not forget that Britain is a Christian country. Its calendar, institutions, and traditions are deeply rooted in Christian heritage. Easter is not a fringe holiday – it is central to British cultural life. To cancel Easter celebrations in a British school to appease a vague notion of “diverse beliefs” is not inclusivity; it is an act of self-negation. It sends the message that traditional British culture is something to be ashamed of, rather than something to be respectfully celebrated alongside other traditions.
This is not an isolated case. Across the public sector, we see similar trends. Take, for instance, the accusation leveled at NHS Trusts that they are manipulating interview shortlists to discriminate against white applicants, in a misguided effort to promote diversity.
DESPITE ETHNIC minorities being statistically overrepresented in the NHS workforce, these policies persist in the name of equity. What we are seeing is not fairness: It is reverse discrimination, a new kind of ultra-extremism that vilifies white Britons as default oppressors, automatically privileged, and inherently racist.
Such policies and decisions are not only unjust, but they also breed resentment and division. Instead of moving toward a truly fair and equal society, we are hurtling toward an Orwellian world in which language is policed, tradition is suspect, and history is rewritten to suit modern ideological fashions. This is not progress – it is ideological tyranny masquerading as virtue.
Contrast this with the situation in the United States. There, at least in some quarters, there is a growing resistance to wokeness. President Donald Trump has declared a full-blown war on what he calls the “woke mind virus,” and conservative media outlets have echoed this sentiment with gusto. But a recent Guardian headline lamented: “Wrecking ball: Trump’s war on ‘woke’ marks US society’s plunge into ‘dark times.’”
Sadly, some of the anti-woke backlash in America goes way too far, with some describing it as “a modern-day blend of McCarthyism and white grievance”.
And what about here in Israel? We are no strangers to extremism either. On the one hand, we have haredim (ultra-Orthodox) who refuse to serve in the army, even as others risk their lives defending the country. On the other, radical settler extremists attack non-Jewish properties in the West Bank, bringing shame to the Zionist enterprise.
And let’s not forget the hard-Left activists who disrupt traffic, stage protests at every turn, and reflexively oppose any government measure simply because it originates from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Each side believes it holds a monopoly on truth and righteousness, and in the process, society is torn apart by competing ideologies, each more entrenched than the next.
So again, we must ask: Where have all the sensible people gone?
THIS IS not a new dilemma. The medieval Jewish philosopher and physician Maimonides, known as the Rambam, grappled with these very questions of balance and extremism. In his Mishneh Torah, he advocates for the “Shvil HaZahav” – the Golden Mean. According to the Rambam, every character trait exists on a spectrum between two extremes. The proper way – the “Derech Hashem,” the path of God – is to follow the middle road, to cultivate moderation in all things.
He draws on the philosophies of Aristotle and Al-Farabi, fusing Jewish tradition with classical thought to articulate a timeless truth: extremism, whether to the Right or the Left, leads to chaos. It is balance that brings harmony.
In our world today, that message could not be more relevant. Whether in Hampshire classrooms, NHS boardrooms, the streets of Jerusalem, or the corridors of power in Washington and Westminster, we are witnessing the unraveling of societies pushed to their ideological edges. The problem is not one specific ideology; the problem is extremism itself. The inability to see nuance. The refusal to consider other perspectives. The abandonment of tradition in the name of progress, or the rejection of change out of fear.
It’s time to return to the center. Time to speak out against absurdity, whether it comes dressed in the language of inclusivity or nationalism. Time to reclaim common sense as a civic virtue. To teach our children to be proud of their heritage while respectful of others’. To resist the mob, whether digital or real-life, that seeks to silence dissent.
Let us strive for the Golden Mean – not just as individuals, but as communities and nations. Only then can we build a society that is not just tolerant, but truly just. Not just diverse, but united. Not just passionate, but wise.
In a world veering off course, moderation is not weakness: It is strength. And it is the only path forward.
The writer is a rabbi and physician who lives in Ramat Poleg, Netanya. He is a co-founder of Techelet-Inspiring Judaism.