“The Greatest Generation” Stood Up and Accepted their Challenge – Now It’s Our Turn!

How many more mass shootings? How many more political scandals? How much more corruption? How many more people killing in the names of their gods? How much more unbridled greed for profit at the expense of "We the People... and the Common Good?" Is this how we, Americans, are choosing to live in our nation today? Is this the legacy we want leave to our children and grandchildren? Was this the vision the Founders had for us?

I've mentioned many times, in the work that I do, that I come in contact with those who remain from that the "GREATEST GENERATION." My parents of blessed memory and their friends were part of that group as well. I've spent many hours listening to their stories and being constantly amazed by such a diverse group of people and experiences who came "TOGETHER" to respond to the horrible evils that threatened to swallow the entire world!

Governments are governments and politicians are politicians, but at that time, the government responded to the terrible hardships of the Depression by creating programs to put people to work and in doing so provided the groundwork for America's infrastructure. We came together as a nation to accomplish our task. Millions of women went to work in factories, ration cards, meatless Tuesday’s, scrap metal drives, victory gardens.  

Even the "outcasts", African Americans and Japanese Americans joined in the fight, to sacrifice for a country that rejected them when Pearl Harbor was attacked! This country, with all its faults, is still the most unique place on the planet, because it was intended to be nation of laws, built on the power of "We the People... and the Common Good."

Again, RAH (“evil,” not the Hollywood Devil or Satan garbage) -- the OPPOSITE OF TOV --  “Words Thoughts and Actions Which Destroy Life, it's Function and Quality -- has raised its specter on our world, as it hides in the Darkness of Anonymity. Technology has helped isolate more and more Americans to the point that radicalized authoritarian groups with "extractive values" are becoming attractive options to them. They feel entitled and spiritually driven to inflict their wills and desires upon all who are not in their elite circles!

I'm not offering Eternal Salvation, Prosperity Gospel, Perfection, or Cornucopia to all the problems on the planet, or even to Change the World! We are surrounded by people and groups offering all of those things and it is clear they are working. One thing they have in common is that they all point to something or someone else to fix things!

Real change in our parts of the world requires that we look in the mirror and point to that image as the source of change. However, that person cannot do what will be required alone. To use a familiar phrase – it requires teams. Over the past twenty-five years I have been on a journey and it has been preparing me to understand and explain to you why this teams approach is required. The first reason is that America is built on a team model – “We the People” – not “me and a bunch of unconnected individuals!”

In order to transform a bunch of unconnected individuals in teams, they must jointly recognize something as valuable and commit to protecting and preserving it. That’s what the members of “Greatest Generation” did. Many died for it. However, their “enemy” was very different from the RAH (“evil” we face). Their enemy attacked from the outside and wore identifying uniforms. The sources of RAH we face are very different and their targets are the minds of Americans. In addition to RAH, American minds have been under attack by others too – primarily for commercial purposes. The bottom line is that they played a major role in creating the “Me Generation” and all of the unconnected individuals living in America today.

As I said above, getting to this point has been a twenty-five journey and I believe that what we, Jim Myers and I, have learned has the power to begin the process of change that must begin before it is too late. We know that unexamined religious belief systems cannot provide the links that will connect Americans and make them a team. We also know that unexamined political and economic beliefs systems can’t do it either. The only thing we believe that can accomplish this is shared values -- and all Americans, especially those with Judeo-Christian heritages, already know them.

I want to bring people together, teach them about their shared values, help them create values-based relationships, and implement those values in their lives. We created a uniquely American model to help us successfully do these things – a sports model. This doesn’t mean we want to treat life as if it is just a game, but it means that the sports model has proven its worth in creating and training teams. We call our approach TOV Teams. TOV is a Hebrew word that appears in the first creation account of the Bible. It is the standard the Creator used to judge his work and reveals Values Family – groups of related values beginning with Life.

Implementing those Values in the lives of TOV Teams members, as well as others, are the primary goals of TOV Teams. Every Values Family below Life in the above graphic is required to create Life according to the Creator’s Standard.  

The sports model approach begins with creating – TOV FANS. Why do you professional sports teams – NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB – have so much influence today? Everyday there are many football, basketball, hockey and baseball games in America, but no one ever hears anything about them. Even though this may surprise a lot of people, it isn’t the game that causes professional games to be so important. What makes certain sports very important is that lots of fans tune in to watch their favorite teams. And, that is where a miracle takes place that most people are not even aware of – by being a fan and watching, they begin to learn the game.  

We created TOV Teams to do the same thing. The first step is to become a FAN and participate in activities you choose and learn more. You will learn by following TOV Teams Updates, participating in Gatherings and other social media activities. As time passes, more opportunities will become available for members who choose to become even more involved as players, coaches, sponsors, etc.

I am asking people who know me to support our vision by becoming a TOV Teams Member -- and simply being a TOV Fan. I am looking forward to regularly meeting with members who live in my “Home area,” at Gatherings designed to help them learn more and interact together. If you would like to be a member of my Home TOV Team, join today and let me know.

We have also created a special TOV Team which only a very few will have an opportunity to join – The Founders TOV Team. Membership in this team will only be available until December 31, 2016. The only other requirement is that it is for those who join as Lifetime Members. We understand that as members of the Founders Team, you will be with us as we deal with the “bumps in the road” we face during the launch phase. We will all learn and Co-Create together to make our parts of the world and our lives more TOV.

If you are considering where you will make yearend tax-deductible charitable donations for 2015 – please consider the TOV Center. Over the past twenty-five years we have collected lots of information. We have a vision and a plan. We know how to begin repairing the damages that have been done to Americans and America. We need two things to take things to the next level – members and funding.

I hope you will join with me by becoming a member of TOV Teams. For those living in the Dallas area, I look forward to seeing you at our Gatherings -- CLICK HERE TO JOIN.

Now it’s our turn to face the challenges of our generation. Let us leave a legacy for our descendants that include a better and safer American than the one we are living in now. Choose Life 1^st by Being a Co-Creator of TOV!

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor