ChristiTutionalist Politics | Christian Perspectives on Constitutional Issues
"ChristiTutionalist (TM) Politics" podcast (CTP). News/Opinion-cast from Christian U.S. Constitutional perspective w/ Author/Activist Joseph M. Lenard.
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ChristiTutionalist Politics | Christian Perspectives on Constitutional Issues
CTP (S3ESepSpecial4) Gratitude Over Entitlement: A Spiritual Journey
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CTP (S3ESepSpecial4) Gratitude Over Entitlement: A Spiritual Journey
Author Bracha Goetz shares her journey from cultural Judaism to spiritual discovery, revealing how gratitude transformed her worldview from gray to vibrant. Through her 45 children's picture books, she addresses modern challenges like entitlement culture and teaches life-changing values to readers of all ages.
• Children's books uniquely reach every age group, making them powerful vehicles for transmitting values
• Bracha's book "The Mother Who Always Said Yes" cleverly illustrates the consequences of unbridled indulgence
• The modern "entitlement epidemic" creates an insatiable spiritual emptiness many try to fill with external gratifications
• Gratitude practices can fundamentally change our brain patterns at any age through neuroplasticity
• Spiritual awakening led Bracha from liberal to conservative political perspectives
• True dialogue across different perspectives is essential for fostering understanding and unity
• Children need protection from inappropriate content while still receiving age-appropriate information to guard against predators
• Happiness comes from within - "Where is the happiness box? Below your hair, above your eyes"
Find Bracha's books and resources at GrowingImpactPublications.com
Welcome to the Constitutionalist Politics Podcast, aka CTP. I am your host, joseph M Leonard, and that's L-E-N-A-R-D. Ctp is your no-must, no-fuss, just me, you and occasional guest-type podcast. Really appreciate you tuning in. As Graham Norton will say, let's get on with the show. Hello everyone.
Speaker 1:Oh, wait a minute, I'll cut this out. I've already started recording. Now, is it? Braca Gets Horrific. Okay, hey, well, I got it right. Maybe I'll leave it in Excellent, excellent. Normally I would cut that. Hey, well, I got it right. Maybe I'll leave it in Excellent, excellent. Normally I would cut that first part out, but since I forgot to ask you proper pronunciation before I hit record, we'll leave it in because I accidentally got it right. Yay, and it's spelled B-R-A-C-H-A-G-O-E-T-Z. I'll put it on a scroll at the bottom for the benefit of the behind-the-scenes video where that posts, and, of course, now I've spelled it for the benefit of the transcript or those listening on audio. Before we get to the heavier stuff, we'll talk about your books. But of course, before we even get to that, I like to joke. Cue the who song. Who are you Right? Who, who, who, who?
Speaker 2:Where were you born, where were you raised, where are you now and that sort of thing Baltimore, but I'm also living in Israel, so right now I'm here, but I'm in between both places.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you have a dual citizenship, yeah, okay, yeah, I spoke with someone just the other day also in Canada has a Canadian, I think her mother's Canadian and her father's from the States. So, yeah, she's back and forth between Canada and the US and has dual citizenship with that.
Speaker 2:Oh, I listened to her. She was from China, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, there's somebody. I just recorded the other day. Oh okay, Episode hasn't aired yet. But yeah you heard Tong Ji talking about her book and about escaping China.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, yeah.
Speaker 1:So for those who haven't listened to that, by the time this airs that will be a while ago. Go back in the Christitutionalist Politics Catalog for that show. At any rate, you're here now. Let's talk first about your books.
Speaker 2:They're children books yes, yes, almost all of them. There's 45 children's books and just one book for adults. But it's a memoir, so I didn't really write it. I composed it from, like my diaries and journals and filled in missing pieces, so it's kind of a documentary. I don't write long books, I write short things, so this one I don't write things with a lot of words that book was like pasted together, so it's kind of a documentary.
Speaker 1:You use what I have in my how to write a book and get it published. Hence tips and techniques, hints, tips and techniques. That is one thing. People can also don't necessarily need to write a memoir or an autobiography. You can use a diary to your life and dramatize it into fiction, but you've got that ready-made story that you can fictionalize and publish. That's a shortcut. But your kids' books are any of them picture books.
Speaker 2:They're all picture books, tons of pictures.
Speaker 1:Yes, okay, hold on still for those viewing behind the scenes video that says the mother who always said yes, oh, that could be a problem.
Speaker 2:Yes, you got it. It's a problem, it's a big problem.
Speaker 1:There's helicopter parents and who always say no. That's a problem. And there are those who can never learn to say no to their kids and write the Bible spare the rod, spoil the child. That is a problem too. You don't have to spank, but you've got to say no at times, or they don't grow up to understand reality that at times life is going to tell them no.
Speaker 2:Exactly, exactly, my granddaughter. We were hanging out together. She asked her mother for some candy and her mother said no. She turned to me this was about two years ago and she said when I'm a mother, I'm going to always say yes. So all of a sudden the bell started ringing. Oh my goodness, what would that be like if you were a mother who always said yes, you know.
Speaker 2:So this book it never tells the children the pictures it makes it sound like it's going to be wonderful, but in the pictures you actually see the house becoming more and more dysfunctional and crazy and chaotic. And at the end of the book I just did this. I read this book yesterday to like about I guess it was about 100 children at a school, and I read the book, I showed the pictures and I asked them at the end. Problem is you just see what happens, you get to, you watch it through your imagination. Oh my gosh, what would happen if this? So the children get the message without one word being said about how awful it would be to have a mother who always says yes.
Speaker 1:Yes, that is a great book. I know some adults that need that book. Yes, I don't think they were ever told Mo was a child.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Yes, and that brings to mind a couple things. Things. Did you see the movie Bruce Almighty with Jim Carrey, where God gives Jim Carrey powers of God and so Jim Carrey says I'm just going to say yes to all the prayers. Wow, and the havoc. Of course that reeks. And there's also the Garth Brooks song. Of course that reeks, and there's also the Garth Brooks song. Sometimes I Thank God for Unanswered Prayers. Wow yes, it may be what you want, yes, but it may not be what you need.
Speaker 2:Yes, oh, that was a lyric from the Rolling Stones, I think. Oh, they had one like that too. You can always get what you want, but if you, if you try some time, you just might find you get what you need.
Speaker 1:Yeah I'm not a. I'm more garth books than a. Yes, but yes, exactly, that song too. Exactly right, and some people don't learn those lessons.
Speaker 2:Yes, and that's the secret to children's books that people don't know. These books are read by every single age. It's the only kind of book that every age reads, because the parents are reading it to the children, teachers are reading it, grandparents are reading it and then you have the little children reading it and teenagers. They pick up the books when no one's around and they also get the messages. So everybody gets the message from a children's book.
Speaker 1:It's the best way and I dare say I'm a former IT guy I blame Twitter. I call it the Twitter attention span. Yes, Everybody. Just give me the headline, even though the headline could be misleading. Right, you read a news story, the headline suggests one thing, but if you actually read the story, in the eighth paragraph, the detail tells you the headline actually doesn't match the reality.
Speaker 1:Yes, so true, same with the TikTok right, give me a 30-second video, no details matter and, like you said, right, teenagers caught in this. We're like almost to the 60s again. If it feels good, do it, and consequences be damned right, I'll worry about that later, if ever. And I want it. You know I want it and not now. Yesterday. Why didn't you anticipate I would want something today and give it to me yesterday?
Speaker 2:Yes, exactly that's why, exactly my books are about instilling gratitude. We have come to be it's an entitlement epidemic where everybody feels they're entitled to everything, when really Every single thing we have is a gift. It's not like we deserve it, it's all a gift. And when we learn to have gratitude, oh my gosh, it completely changes everything. That's what changed my life, because I wasn't brought up. The lower the expectations you have, then you don't take things for granted. You start being grateful for all the tiny things, all the big things, everything, because there's really an abundance of gifts from God every single moment, if we open our eyes to see it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's psychology, it's human nature. We're all human. We're all frail, flawed and imperfect, and it's just part of our nature. If you work for something and earn it, you respect it. That's right. You have that gratitude because I toiled for working to get the money to buy that, as opposed to what is given to you often is not respected, is not held in high regard because you didn't earn it.
Speaker 2:Right, that's true. That's true, it's a retraining of the brain. I ended up going to Harvard. Why? Just because I was searching for wisdom and I figured, oh, maybe that's where the ultimate wisdom is. Well, it wasn't there, but that's what I was searching for desperately because I wasn't brought up in a spiritual way, in a religious way, and there was an emptiness inside me, which, which I think is a lot of why there's so many. Addictions are widespread now. People have an emptiness inside them and we try desperately to fill it with externalities, but the hole gets deeper and deeper, because it's not a physical hole, it's a spiritual hole.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Choices have consequences. There are short-term medium have consequences. There are short-term, medium and long-term benefits and consequences. Pros and cons, like today we're recording.
Speaker 1:One-ish in the afternoon I went to Olga's kitchen, had a BLT and an orange cream. Cooler I treat my disability budget really means I should have been at McDonald's and eating the $2 McNuggets. But okay, once in a while I can splurge on myself. Now I love filet mignon but I can't go to the steakhouse and buy filet mignon. But I can't go to the steakhouse and buy filet mignon every day because the consequence is I can't afford it. If I continually run up credit cards, then I'm in economic distress in short order and people don't want to think. You know I do other shows about finances and the economy. Right Debit and credit. Oh, I got a 5% raise but inflation was 9%. You didn't get ahead. Fool, you've got to look at both sides of the ledger as opposed to five years ago. They may have only gotten a three and a half percent raise, but inflation was only two percent. You were actually getting ahead then. But people don't think. They just want to feel their way through life these days.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I take it you agree with that yes, yes, very, very well said yeah, nodding your head doesn't yeah okay, like we might say in a kid's book use your words right very good, and for the benefit of the transcript, we're laughing. I'm joking with her. It's just teasing.
Speaker 2:We're having a little fun.
Speaker 1:Yes, that that's a joke. We're laughing, laughing Right At any rate. So let's indeed move to the heavier topic that attracted me, because we're seeing a lot of anti-Semitism today. Yeah, and it comes from both left and right, right, no question. But it is more so immensely seen on the left, from liberals. And you said to me you went from being a liberal Jew to a conservative Jew. What brought about that awakening?
Speaker 2:Oh, what brought it about was becoming religious. That's really what changed it for me. I was brought up.
Speaker 1:So you were kind of a Jew in name only for a while.
Speaker 2:Pretty much it was culturally Jewish, but it wasn't spiritually Jewish.
Speaker 1:Okay, you put it so much better. Thank you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I was searching for spirituality. I looked into Buddhism and Christianity. I was looking and I found elements that I loved in Christianity and in Buddhism, but it wasn't this perfect fit until I really found. I learned about my own heritage when I went to Israel and and it changed my life. I mean, I that's when I really learned that gratitude is the basis for just appreciating this world and coming to trust that there's a God that created this world out of goodness for us to enjoy it in gratitude and to also believe that I was a good person. These are things I did not know about. I had gotten to a point where morals didn't matter to me at all and the world felt gray. It was like there were no distinctions, nothing mattered anymore. My morals were slipping away and the world turned gray, until I began to appreciate this world in gratitude again, and then the colors returned and now it's like a vivid, beautiful world that I appreciate and value.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I am so glad you mentioned Christianity and Buddhism because obviously this is a Christian-based show, right? And I mentioned anti-Semitism. It bothers me to no end. I think it's Matthew 23, where Jesus says about vipers and snakes and blind guides. The number of Christians who cling to an anti-Semitism, trying to blame all Jews somehow for Jesus's death hey, did you read your Bible? Jesus also said I think it's Matthew 5, 17.
Speaker 1:I've got to memorize that scripture number one of these days, where he says I came to fulfill the Torah, not completely erase it and supplant it. Right, if we're honest as Christians, we understand. I'm a Messianic Jew. Just some of the Jewish aspects of the Torah were replaced by Jesus as the final blood sacrifice. But this anti-Semitism to me, if you're angry at the Jews, you're angry at God, because Jesus had to die on the cross to fulfill the scripture. So how can you be angry at the people who fulfilled God's will? And Buddhism you mentioned I just had somebody on. We were talking about the eight tenets of Buddhism. You don't have to view it as a religion, but as a philosophy. It's got some great tenets. It's not like buddhism is somehow anti-biblical or anti-jewish yeah, we, yeah.
Speaker 2:We learned that abraham actually gave some gifts over to the East, and this has a lot to do. This is what I've learned. It has a lot to do with the development of Buddhism.
Speaker 1:Many of the practices actually came from an Abrahamic source. Yeah, a lot of religions have some similarities, some differences and indeed cultural ties going back to some degree right even supposedly muhammad. The quran right has genesis in it, right, jesus in it, just not recognized as you don't recognize christ as Christ, as the Messiah Right. But he's in there. Noah is in the Koran.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:Supposedly, allah is really just Aramaic. For God, right, the Aramaic people would have said Allah, even if they were worshiping Christ, christ. So it's only over the centuries that we humans have screwed these things up, not necessarily what they were supposedly originally intended to be or claimed to be. Some claim, you know, islam is a Me Too religion. Well, I want a copy for Arabs, right. And of course, today you don't have to be Arab to be Muslim, right? Not all Muslims are Arabs, not all.
Speaker 2:Arabs are Muslim. Right, that's right are Muslim.
Speaker 1:Right, that's right. Again, it's we frail, flawed humans have screwed things up. Yes, where things have gotten worse instead of better, it's often because of mankind.
Speaker 2:Yes, our mixed up choices. Exactly, we're given free will and it's not God's fault. God gave us this incredible garden and he wanted us to enjoy our lives here, and he wanted us to enjoy life here in gratitude. And, yes, we've gotten really far off the mark, but we can get back. We can get back to where we need to be. Call it a.
Speaker 1:Christian. So, even though I was born and raised Catholic, I don't consider this a Catholic, a Presbyterian, a Methodist, an Adventist, a whatever, whatever, whatever you know, oh, what's? Oh, I'm trying to think, not Mormon, right? Satan wins if we are arguing with one another. Mine is better than yours rather than seeking those things we can agree upon. Yes, yes.
Speaker 2:Appreciating. That's what we learned Love. Love is about what do you appreciate about someone else, what do you value about them? That's how we increase our love by connecting when we disconnect from each other. It's important. That's why programs like yours are important, because we're spreading education, we're learning about each other, and all of this is important so that we can all come to appreciate each other's differences in a positive way.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, exactly Like. Oh right, there are two genders. Sorry if that upsets some people, but that's the reality. There are two genders and the rest is delusion. We are also different subcultures, but we are all one human race. My skin pigmentation may be different from somebody else's because of the region I come from and the region they come from on the planet, but we are still, like Martin Luther King Jr said, right about content of character, because the skin tone doesn't really matter. We're the same species and it's hate and division, which is certainly not godly, that causes all this bad stuff going on down here.
Speaker 2:Exactly. We're not here to see through each other, we're here to see each other through. We're all here to help each other. That's why we're here right now. That's why we're alive right now, not to spread hate.
Speaker 1:Yes, I am absolutely with you and, yes, this is part of the reason I felt called to do this show. With all the division and hate, we've got to love Now, right, love even our enemies as best we can. I don't have to like them.
Speaker 2:I may not have to deal I may not have to deal.
Speaker 1:You know, I might not want to put up with them, because if they're always indeed spiteful, angry, covetous, hateful, it's not good for our psyche to be around negative people. So that doesn't mean I don't love them and don't still pray for their soul yes, exactly.
Speaker 2:Care about them. You care about them and that's why you're doing this show, because education is important. We all have to speak to each other. There has to be dialogue. That's really important and that's what's meant by free speech. That there should be all kinds of presentations in the universities and the colleges, from kindergarten on.
Speaker 1:I mean, people need to hear all kinds of these views, not just one particular perspective, although, I say in my quotations chapter of one of my constitutionalist politics books that are companions to the show. Obviously Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but it matters if it's based on reality or delusion and you have every right to try to want to cling to your delusion. But you can't force others into accepting and you know tolerating is one thing but forced advocation for something I don't agree with is a whole other thing and there are many Supreme Court dates on that. Right Speech, hate speech, like it or not, is protected. I can dislike brunette women all day long. Right, for those viewing or hearing on audio, you don't see Braca, she's a brunette or dark haired. Right, I can dislike dark haired women all day and night long and say verbally I don't like them, but I don't have a right to then say somebody ought to do something to that person because, I don't like them.
Speaker 1:That's where the line is crossed. And same with, like the cakes issue. There are a bazillion bakeries, but yet they want to go to the one that doesn't want to bake them the cake, or they'll bake them the cake. They just don't want to put that message. You don't have the right and the courts have ruled this to compel me to advocate for your lifestyle if I don't agree with lifestyle. But you can't force me to tolerate it, I have to accept it. I don't have to tolerate and advocate these differences again. People don't understand.
Speaker 2:Yes, Right and it's important that we start with, unfortunately, very young children. In public schools, we're learning about the gender bread man instead of the gingerbread man, you know, and we, unfortunately, we weren't even aware of how children were being indoctrinated in this way, indoctrinated in this way and the more we do become aware of it, it's really important to help children so that they they understand that they have free choice and that understand when they're being indoctrinated. That's's really important.
Speaker 1:And the whole other thing there is too, is it's not about the type of sex, it's about sex at all. Let kids be kids. Yes, Pedophilia is against the law. Children are supposed to be protected to age 18. It's like in Florida, the supposed don't say gay bill. No, it didn't say gay anywhere in the bill. It was about protecting children from sexualization of any kind gay or straight because they're too young. They shouldn't have these adult themes foisted upon them at that age. It's not about burning books. It's not even about banning books. When they are age-appropriate. They can go check out the book at a library for themselves, but a six-year-old shouldn't have that in their hands. It's not banning, it's not burning. It's just about age appropriateness.
Speaker 2:Yes, that's really true, Although I want to say that two of my books do deal with that topic of sexual abuse, about preventing it, because if children do need to have some certain basic information, if they're too naive, unfortunately people can be predators to these naive children.
Speaker 1:There's a big difference in your intent to protect them, to try to get them aware enough, without sexualizing them yourself, Right exactly. Right, right, exactly. Classics like Orwell and HG Wells and Anne Rand and Dr Tocqueville and the Happiness Box right yes well. I'm more talking middle school high school books. I'm quoting grade school Right, your books are appropriate for that Exactly, exactly Like the happiness box is.
Speaker 2:It's a boy. He's like I never get anything. He gets plenty of things but he feels like I never get enough. His parents get a washing machine and his father gets this idea I'm going to make the box that the washing machine came in into the happiness box. And he tells his son inside this box you can only think happy thoughts. So he's not used to that. He's used to complaining and just wanting more all the time. So he goes in the box. He just starts thinking what is he grateful? For? A few things he comes up with, he gets more and more used to it. He's training the brain to scan for positive patterns. That's what we're doing when we practice gratitude. So one day he has no box near him and all of a sudden he realizes where is the happiness box? Below your hair, above your eyes. There's a happiness box in your head. You see, it's a happiness box, if you let it be Exactly.
Speaker 1:I'm so glad you brought that up right. It goes back to that entitlement, brat attitude. Yes, we've allowed other younger generations to seemingly some older folks too. I don't want to be ageist here. Yes, it seems to be a sign of our time in society these days. But indeed our happiness is not someone else's responsibility, it is our own. Yes, and it is choices we make. If we allow others to constantly keep us in a negative place, that's on us for allowing them to do that.
Speaker 2:Yes, but as a child, let's say a child has gone through trauma or neglect, abuse. It's very hard to be positive, but it can still be done. There is still resilience possible. You can break that cycle but it takes effort.
Speaker 2:Yes, exactly, and support, and that's what we're trying to do Build the soul, nourish the soul with good things, bring gratitude back into children's lives so they could live more joyfully for the rest of their lives. And as adults, we have neuroplasticity we can change our brains to become more grateful people, and we could do this at any stage of life, so it's always possible of life, so it's always possible.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm so glad you came on and, like with most guests, we could talk for three hours, maybe even three days. But, wrapping things up, do you have a website that people could reach out to you via?
Speaker 2:Yeah, my children have created such a beautiful website to you, bia. Yeah, my children have created such a beautiful website. It's called Growing Impact Publications, because at first we were just making Jewish books and now we're making books with universal themes. So we're growing our impact and just helping the world to be a more joyful place. Is that dot com, yep com? Growingimpactpublicationscom?
Speaker 1:Yes, Of course all three words run together yeah, GrowingImpactPublicationscom. And of course that'll be again something I'll put on the scroll for the benefit of those viewing the behind-the-scenes sneak peek video rather than listening on just audio or reading the transcript. Thank you, Say your name again to hopefully get people to remember it Raka Getz, Beautiful B-R-A-C-H-A-G-O-E-T-Z. Thank you for stopping by. Take care, God bless.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much. What a pleasure.
Speaker 1:Thank you for having tuned in for Chris Dittus' Politics Show. If you haven't already, please check out my primary internationally available book, terror Strikes, coming soon to a city near you, available anywhere books are sold. If you have locally run bookstores still near you, they can order it for you. And let me remind, over time the fancy high production items will come. But for now, for starters, it's just you, as a very appreciated listener by me. All substance, no fluff, just straight to key discussion points. A show that looks at a variety of topics, mostly politics, through a Christian, us constitutionalist lens. So again, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Take care, god bless.
