A Soulful Journey

It is good to laugh, especially when life is trying. It is really good to laugh at the travails we suffer from. In the moment of smiling and then letting out a hearty laugh we diminish the raw hurt. It instantly becomes smaller, less painful. "You can't blame Reagan for the deficit. It's not a job for a gentile. You need a Jewish president. Somebody who can show a profit for this country." Jackie Mason Find reason to laugh and express joy at what other wise might be painful. Besides, it feels a lot better!

“What happiness is there is not purchased with more or less of pain?” Margaret Oliphant It is not easy to maintain a positive outlook. Frankly, just listening to the nightly news can be an exercise in functional living. The news is depressing. With all the objects that seem to fall in the way of our lives it also no simple task to remain on our intended life’s path. Despite all the hindrances we find our way towards the ephemeral light of happiness through struggle, loss, and triumph. It is like love – no one wants to lose it and yet we know death and disease are life’s constants. Sooner or later we will be bereft of our love. With this knowledge, who would not surrender to the bliss of being in love?

“To say the right thing at the right time, keep still most of the time.” John W. Roper Those who get in trouble most often are those cannot seem to keep still. Life teaches many lessons. Among the best lessons of life is one my father taught me at an early age was, “If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing.” The contributions we make to life via our mouth are many and varied. Most of the time, I reckon, they are not contributions at all but things that diminish the richness of life.

Perhaps the greatest and most constant question nagging at human conscience is suffering. Why do we suffer? Does it have a basis in our actions? Are we deserving of suffering? And is there a way to look at our pain as a means of growth? Does it have a purpose? The answer to these questions has the possibility to leading to an ennobled life. "The question was whether an ape was being used to develop poliomyelitis serum, and for this reason punctured again and again, would ever be able to grasp the meaning of its suffering. Unanimously, the group replied that of course it would not; for with its limited intelligence it could not enter into the world of man, i.e., the only world in which its suffering would be understandable. Then I pushed forward with the following question: "And what about man? Are you sure that the human world is a terminal point in the evolution of the cosmos? Is it not conceivable that there is still another dimension possible, a world beyond m...

Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich starker ("That which does not kill me, makes me stronger") Nietzsche Most Jews would find this difficult, even while being true. It is a truism because suffering often has the capacity to build within us a resilience and determination. We learn from falling down and skinning our knee a valuable lesson. And yet, the reason why it is so problematic for Jews is that there are times when pain does nothing to enrich our character. It deprives us of joy and often compassion for the suffering of others, It can make us calloused and hard and perhaps suffer a worse fate than death, indifference. Maybe the most valuable commodity/trait we will ever possess is our pathos. When we lose that, there is only death.

"It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech." Mark Twain It is so vital to think, plan, and only then execute. When we take time and mental energy to plot out where we want to go, the trip usually goes much smoother. That is why such a famous person like Mark Twain worked hard to hone his craft. Part of that craft was working to make sure that he sounded like he was speaking "off the cuff." Professionals work that way. They know what they are doing even if it appears that they are working effortlessly. Why should it be any different for us? All life's events should take planning and thought especially if they involve meaningful relationships. Speak with a thoughtful mind and kind heart.