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Sir Arthur Conan Doyle hated Sherlock Holmes.
I know: That sounds as improbable as J.K. Rowling hating Harry Potter or Ian Fleming hating James Bond. Indeed, when Britain's The Strand published "A Scandal in Bohemia" in 1881, Holmes' creator found himself rocketed to both fortune and fame. Nonetheless, Conan Doyle saw himself as a serious author and he chafed against the critics who dismissed his detective stories as cheap fiction.
By 1893, the author had had enough. In "The Final Problem," Holmes pursues his arch-villain James Moriarty to the top of a cliff at Switzerland's Reichenbach Falls where, after a struggle, the celebrated sleuth and his nemesis both fall to their deaths.
The public outcry from readers was swift and ferocious. Devoted fans mourned Holmes' demise, the author's mother among them. Some wore black armbands. Newspapers ran obituaries.
For over a decade, the pressure continued unabated. Finally, in 1905, Conan Doyle relented by publishing "The Return of Sherlock Holmes." His primary motivation: money. For 13 stories, Colliers Weekly paid the author an extraordinary $52,000, an estimated 1.6 million in today's dollars.
The resurrection of Sherlock Holmes inspires this week's addition to the Ethical Lexicon:
Redivivus (red*i*vi*vus/ red-uh-VAYH-vuhs) adjective
Living again; revived or resurrected.
The sages of ancient Judea taught that the righteous are called alive, even after they've died; and the wicked are called dead, even while they're alive. Their message is clear: All of us hold the key to our own immortality. No matter how far we've descended into moral confusion, each and every one of us can turn back from oblivion to master eternity.
That is the theme of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. In this season of redemption, the sounding of the ram's horn summons us to take account of ourselves, to ponder whether we are living our lives as we should or merely going through the motions.
Even in the secular calendar we recognize the value of New Year's resolutions. This annual ritual prods us to become spiritual detectives, to search for clues that will uncover the mysteries of our own hearts. How do others see us? How do we want them to see us? How should we want to be seen?
Imagine reading your own obituary in tomorrow's paper. What will others say about you? What have you acquired of real value? What are you leaving behind?
Alfred Nobel didn't have to imagine. One morning in 1888, he opened the paper to read his own premature obituary under the headline, "The Merchant of Death is Dead." The inventor of dynamite shuddered to think he would be remembered only for bringing destruction into the world. Nobel went on to found the institution he envisioned becoming a beacon of enlightenment and peace.
Are we inspired by the stories of our own lives? If not, what can we do right now to change the narrative arc before we reach our story's end?
Despite Conan Doyle's love-hate relationship with his creation, he left a legacy that has inspired countless thousands. The iconic detective teaches us to be keen observers of the world we live in, to pay attention to detail, to reason our way to understanding, to search relentlessly for evidence and to employ every resource available in pursuit of truth.
The Days of Awe are not only a Jewish season. They commemorates the creation of the world, the nobility of humankind and the establishment of justice as the foundation of civil society. But before we expect justice from others, we need to demand justice from ourselves.
Like Sherlock Holmes redivivus, we need to escape from the clutches of our most villainous inner enemies — bias, arrogance, complacency, superficiality and rationalization. We need to pull back from the edge of the abyss of self-indulgence and begin climbing the mountain of integrity.
With a keen eye, a questioning mind and a sincere heart, even the most morally desensitized among us can undergo a spiritual resurrection and find our way back into the land of the living. These Days of Awe remind us that moral clarity is always within reach and that it is the key to becoming fully human.
Rabbi Yonason Goldson is a nationally syndicated columnist, keynote speaker, award-winning podcast host, and executive coach with Vistage Worldwide, Inc. His observations on culture and ethics have been cited in Forbes, Time, Newsweek, and the Washington Post. He has given two TEDx Talks, published seven books, and serves as Executive Vice President of the Coalition for Jewish Values, Missouri Chapter. Visit him at ethicsninja.com.
Previously:
• Play allows our soul to thrive
• Get Outside your Head to Look Inside your Mind
• Seeking Peace Does Not Demand Surrender
• The real-world tragedy of Inexcusable Educational Malpractice
• Why do the willfully ignorant mutate into the most intransigent ideologues?
• More Dangerous than FOMO: The Fear of Not Being Missed
• Eyes wide shut
• Increase performance by turning into the wind
• Balancing the Equation of Intentions vs. Outcomes
• To be Human is to be Exceptional
• If You Get Where You're Going, You've Taken the Wrong Road
• Think Twice Before You Take Advice
• Taking intellectual humility seriously
• What are we?
• Are we Pillaging our own Moral Depository?
• Why Sharp Tongues Lose the War of Words
• Good Intentions Never Prevail Over Cold Reality
• Sarcastic Wit Carries Too High a Cost
• Character, not as a bank account. Rather, an investment portfolio
• Are We Programming Ourselves Out of Existence?
• The bigger they come, the harder we try to make them fall
• How to Transform Fallacies Into Actionable Reality
• How to make life worth living --- no, REALLY!
• What Do Opposites Attract? Truth and Wisdom
• Groucho Marx and Embracing Tension
• Toward a more civil civilization
• Break Down Barriers of Thought to Build Towers of Innovation
• 'Tis the Season for Reflecting Beyond your Reflection
• Why Antisemitism Is Not Just a Jewish Problem
• The rank stupidity of 'Just let it go'
• To create a functioning, biblically-based civilization
• The difference between optimism and hope
• The Next Piece of the Puzzle Might Fill the Hole in Your Heart
• Self-Esteem Isn't Given -- It's Earned
• Remember the Past to Promote a Successful Future
• Are We Making Failure the Price of Success?
• Demoralization Is More About Culture than Feelings
• The Lesson We're Missing From the Death of Charlie Kirk
• Invest in Your Own Success by Building Up Others
• The Most Valiant Heroes Fight on a Different Battlefield
• How Pundits Came to Give Punditry a Bad Name
• The Wisdom of Knowing What You Don't Know
• Success Thrives in the Light of Purpose and Passion
• When Seeking Peace, Don't Release the Dogs of War
• Greta Thunberg Sails Toward Moral Hypocrisy
• Checking More Boxes Is Not the Solution
• Why Sometimes NOT Seeing Is MORE Believing
• A Healthy Diet for the Brain Promotes Ethical Clarity for the Mind
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