Over the last few days, we have been learning about the Kibbutz crisis, and the restructuring of Kibbutzim. To help us see this change for ourselves, we visited Kibbutz Ein Rand. For those who don't know, Ein Rand has deviated substantially from the socialist values of the original Kibbutz movement. Like many current Kibbutzim, Ein Rand has privatized, and wages are not needs-based.
We met the kids from Camp Hatikva on their Shnat (year off) program, who are staying at Ein Rand. After a short time we fell into an ideological debate. One of the Habos stated that collective living is the most moral way to to live, because each person can help to ensure the happiness and well-being of others. This prompted one of the Hatikva Shnatties to respond: "Achievement
of your happiness is the only moral purpose of your life, and that
happiness, not pain or mindless self-indulgence, is the proof of your
moral integrity, since it is the proof and the result of your loyalty to
the achievement of your values." After some more arguing, and the Shnatties angrily declaring: "Reason is not automatic. Those who deny it cannot be conquered by it. Do not count on them. Leave them alone," we decided to ease the tension and have a game of basketball. The Hatikva Shnatties were very competitive, but were ultimately hindered by their lack of passing.
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