As a break from the regular (usually depressing and negative) news, we deal with all week, I offer a chance to add some light to the darkness, and positivity to this world. (or at least the Blogmocracy)
(Explanation of lyrics)
In the Shema prayer, Jews say, “You shall love God with all your heart, with all your life and with all your possessions.” This is a commandment to be willing to give up even our lives and our possessions in the pursuit of meaning.
The Jewish Sages explain that for some people, their money is more valuable than their life, so the Torah needs to state both. There are plenty of people who are willing to give up their lives for their money.
How many people do you know who are spending so much time making money that they have no time to actually “live”?
Each one of us knows deep down that life itself is so gorgeous that all of its bothersome details just pale into insignificance. At the same time, so many of us feel that we are just not tapping into that goodness. We know there is so much more out there that we are just not experiencing, so much we are missing out on.
The only way to engage fully in life is by doing exactly that: Savor every bite food; focus intently on the warmth of the sun on your skin; see the goodness in those around you, and love them for it. Even savor changing your beautiful baby’s diaper. It’s all there to be enjoyed. Life is rich, so rich, that even its most mundane aspects can be heavenly.
Unfortunately, the effort of enjoying life is often so great, that we would rather not bother. The effort of really focusing in order to fully experience the joy of living is such a hassle that we just mindlessly go through the motions. Deep down we know we are missing out when we do that, so we have to find a way to convince ourselves that we really are trying to find fullness in life.
The most common distraction from truly enjoying the living is the pursuit of money. We convince ourselves that once we have enough money, we will be able to enjoy life in its fullest sense. Quite obviously, this is not a means for engaging in life. It is merely a sophisticated excuse for not doing so.
Don’t just chase money for the future, chase life now! TIf you want to enjoy life, you have to take the effort to enjoy the “now” – not build toward some sort of wonderful future where all will be so much better. Life is rich for you now. Life is full for you now.
Don’t let the pursuit of a better life be an excuse for not living that better life right at this moment.
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For the Jews who keep it, have a wonderful Shabbat. For all who do not, have a joyful weekend. Enjoy this open thread!
