Handing The Mic To . . . October 3, 2025October 2, 2025 Glenn Sonnenberg, whose daily musings I rarely miss. Yesterday’s: Good morning, This evening marks the beginning of the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur. It is a time of introspection, cataloguing of life’s successes and failures, and pursuing self-improvement. Among the most important lessons of Yom Kippur is that not only should we acknowledge our own mistakes but we should forgive those who have wronged us. Accepting an apology—accepting contrition—arguably is just as important as acknowledging one’s own faults. We hold it within ourselves to free those who have wronged us from the burden of what they have done. In an era that is marked by playing “gotcha” with those who have erred, a little bit of compassion and humility can go a long way to repairing our politics, our society, and our personal relationships. We are living in a moment where people condemn professors, politicians, pundits and friends—often at the cost of their reputations or employment—solely because of a misplaced word or possessing a view with which someone might disagree. What is needed, instead, is a little understanding and a little compassion. A slip of the tongue should be perceived as that, and nothing more. It seems we are in an era where giving someone the benefit of the doubt is a sign of weakness. I’m not suggesting we blindly accept bad behaviors or allow ourselves to be wronged multiple times. Certainly, repeated transgressions point to a deeper problem. We are all human and, by definition, flawed in many respects. Mistakes are made. Hopefully, we learn from them, as we all are works in process. We should struggle to accept that everyone else similarly is a work in process, with their own challenges. We have to stop being so quick to judge others (lest we be judged…!). A word on the present condition of our politics and our civil discourse… We would all do well to acknowledge that those with whom we disagree are, with rare exception, people of good will (and this is not to suggest that there aren’t bad actors or profoundly bad behaviors). But most people are not, as some might suggest to us, our enemies. Most of our fellow citizens share our values. They simply disagree on priorities and implementation. They have a different perspective. They are not to be vanquished; rather, we should make every attempt to understand where they come from and why they hold the views that they do. We have much healing to do in the months and years ahead. I hope our society and our institutions are strong enough to allow that to happen. To all I may have harmed, whether through an intentional act or inadvertently or through indifference, I apologize. I’ll try to do better. And to anyone who thinks they have wronged me, it’s all good. I either don’t remember or don’t care, so forget about it! For all who observe this day, may it be a meaningful experience and may you have an easy fast. Have a good day, Glenn Echo, ditto, bravo, peace. Tikkun Olam.