We hear so frequently about the importance of commitment, or are critical of someone’s fear of the same. But when we too often view commitment as the initial act of pledging ourselves to someone or something. We forget that this is only the first, and maybe the easiest, step in a much longer process. It’s what happens after that really makes the difference because surrendering to a person or cause creates expectations that we’ll be there for the entire journey, not just the start. Accepting the responsibility and following through on these expectations is the real test of our mettle.
The Oath, named as a Kirkus Best Book of 2016, tracks the intertwined lives of Dr. Michel Katz and SS Doctor Hans Bloch, who both survive Auschwitz and the war to practice medicine in the United States, never losing the stains upon their souls. Stephen Robert Stein is a retired orthopedic surgeon living in rural Indiana with his wife Becky and they have two children, Matthew and Alyssa. Leaving his thirty year practice in Phoenix, he moved out to Batesville, Indiana, where he concentrated on writing and enjoying the Midwestern lifestyle. They have traveled extensively throughout Europe laying a solid historical foundation for The Oath while delving deeper into the reasons behind the Holocaust. His passions include Scuba diving, flying and exploring new environments. He presently serves as the President of the Batesville School Board and is active as a Director of the Ivy Tech Community College Foundation.
Joseph Beth Booksellers is an independent bookseller with five locations in Lexington, Cincinnati, Crestview Hills, Cleveland Clinic, and The Christ Hospital. With over 25 years of being more than a book store, Joseph-Beth has become a place where ideas are shared, knowledge is gained, and memories are created. Driven to create value the people and communities where stores reside, Joseph-Beth has donated over $175,000 to local charities and works to support the local economy with job growth and community involvement. Visit one of their stores for books, exceptional gifts, toys and educational games; attend events and book signings; or bring your children to enjoy exciting activities such as Camp Joseph-Beth or Story Time.
From our waking hours to the closing of our days, we always seem to be doing something. Consumed with progress and achievement, our minds and bodies are in perpetual motion. We’re either planning what to do or making the next move to accomplish some goal. With so much focus on execution, we have a tendency to overvalue the importance of our efforts, that they will leave a mark and be remembered by many. But the reality is the ripples travel beyond our realization, affecting countless individuals and our surroundings. Just because we don’t experience the outcome, doesn’t mean our intentions are not felt.
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We often create the craziness surrounding us. In the throes of such bedlam, we ask, Why do we keep doing this to ourselves? While self-sabotage might be a hurdle we have to overcome, it doesn’t explain all our moth-like affinity for the flame. Some of this is simply a need for adventure, some excitement and unpredictability in a too often mundane journey. We just can’t get lost in the turmoil and disorder, or worse, become addicted to it. We must balance the chaos with periods of tranquility. It’s during this equanimity that we’re able to create something useful from it.
When someone agrees with us, we feel it validates our thinking as being more true, that two minds sharing the same thought is better. What we don’t consider is that maybe we are equally as wrong or crazy as the person with whom we are enjoying synchronicity. Before we anoint ourselves as great minds thinking alike, perhaps we should look across at our harmonious partner and consider whether it is a good thing that we are aligned in our reflection and speculation. After all deriving gratification from the admiration of one’s mental acuity is a defining trait of narcissists.
We rely on our hands for so much. We use them to type, to congratulate, to direct, to pray, to pull, to push, to protect, to feed, and most of all to hold and help one another. Whether we are giving someone a hand, offering a helping hand, or handing it to someone, our hands are symbols of utility, strength, and compassion. We focus so much on what ours do for us, we forget their greatest gifts are when we surrender and pledge them to one another. When we remember the best times of our lives, our hands are holding others and never empty.
Our strengths are our favorite tools. Time and again they’ve served us well when we need them the most. They’ve gotten us through difficulties and helped us achieve our goals. So it’s natural when facing obstacles that we turn to these proven talents first. But what got us here, won’t necessarily get us to where we need to be or want to be next. New situations have different challenges and may require fresh techniques and strategies. We must be willing to adjust and adapt to what is required and not simply rely on that at which we are adept.
intertwined lives of Dr. Michel Katz and SS Doctor Hans Bloch, who both survive Auschwitz and the war to practice medicine in the United States, never losing the stains upon their souls. 
