THOUGHT OF THE WEEK – May 7, 2021
Tragedies and challenges seem to be hitting us in every direction. I have heard countless people asking, “How come so many people are suffering– why are so many tragedies happening?” Death by Covid, death by stampede, mental illness, addiction, abuse, and unfortunately, the list goes on and on and on.
I cannot and will not suggest why; I think that anyone who does has a God complex, and is truly insensitive. The question I can ask, is ‘now what’?
Additionally, I don’t believe I can ask ‘now what?’ for you, I can only ask it of myself.
About 15 years ago, I went and saw a Rabbi who I respect very much, and I asked him, “Am I ever going to be able to chill out, to take it easy– does life ever have smooth sailing in it”?
He responded, “What did you think you came here for, to eat pizza”? My interpretation being that life isn’t about taking it easy, and it isn’t about accumulation of the material and the physical. Life is about the various acts of service I can accomplish, it’s about personal and internal growth, and then it’s about giving it away– our knowledge, our time, our funds– giving away what was given to us.
Please don’t get me wrong, I don’t begrudge anyone luxuries, and I don’t think they are bad; I don’t believe in living the life of a monk. What I’m saying is, when that becomes my purpose, it makes life empty, and it doesn’t answer the ‘now what’.
My answer to the ‘now what’, is how do I make the world a better place? What can I do to give more than I receive? How can I be a part of the solution, not the problem? And most importantly, how can I be more like my forefather Abraham, who said “say a little, and do a lot”?
How do you deal with all of the pain all around you? How do you make sense of the senseless?
This week, join me in being a little bit nicer, and a little more patient. Let’s be the example of how we want to be treated.
Accountability, Community, Unconditional Love
Asher
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