Destination

 FOCUSING ON THE DESTINATION

 

 

 

Rabbi Mendel Futerfas spent many years in a Siberian gulag tells how he learned a great lesson from a tightrope walker who was also imprisoned there.

 

The rabbi asked the tightrope walker what is the secret to his art. "What does one need to master? Balance? Stamina? Concentration?"

 

The tightrope walker's answered surprised him: "The secret is always keeping your destination in focus. You have to keep your eyes on at the other end of the rope, and that's how you get there is a straight line, without wavering. But do you know what the hardest part is?"

 

"When you get to the middle?" the rabbi ventured.

 

"No," said the tightrope walker. "It's when you make the turn. Because for a fraction of a second, you lose sight of your destination. When you don't have sight of your destination that is when you are most likely to fall."

 

Life is something like a tightrope. To navigate it successfully you must have your destination in focus. You must know where you are going. When the time comes to make a turn, and for a moment you cannot see where you are headed, you have to have your destination in your mind's eye.

 

The ultimate destination—the final goal of all human efforts throughout history—is called geulah ("redemption"), when the world will realize its purpose and reach ultimate refinement. The Jewish people have always kept their eyes on this destination; it gave them the power and freedom to forge ahead, despite all difficulties.

 

Geulah is not a destination you can see by looking in front of you, you can only see it by looking inside you.

 

Real focus is not physical, it is transcendental. Real focus is your relationship with your Divine mission.  If it is well developed, it can guide you past the moments of danger, and keep you moving with confidence even in moments of greatest fear and darkness.

Kick ‘Em in the Shins

Kick ‘em in the shins is a philosophy of life.

It goes like this: If you kick them in the shins they will stop complaining about their headache.  Now, while I am not suggesting anyone commit any small act of violence, the idea does work.

From a religious point of view it generally works, too.  There are few times when we have great clarity of vision.  Most often our view is obscured by doing the shopping, picking up the kids, picking up after the spouse, preparing dinner, working, servicing the car, mowing the lawn….  

In the midst of all these errands and obligations, we lose sight of the reason are doing them.  Work is for clothes and food and shelter.  The car is to make it possible to work.  Eating is the seminal communal activity that binds the family.   School is to gain basic tools for survival.  

Yet the reality of most people’s lives is that we work to get “more things” and have our self-esteem boosted.  We wear clothes to make statements to others about our prosperity and taste.  We drive non-utilitarian cars to draw attention to our economic status.  We eat because we are hungry and do so swiftly so that we can get to the important tasks of watching our favorite television program or shuttle junior to the game.  Likewise, the premise of school is to have a good Grade Point Average in order to get to the next level: The object is not to learn.

No wonder life is so unsatisfactory.  It bleeds us without allowing for replenishment.  The basic life functions which nourish the soul like eating a leisurely meal and enjoying the family news of the day with one another gives great rewards.  Time spent keeping busy is not synonymous with living.  In fact, most of us are just waiting for life to really begin.  The stuff thus far does not qualify as living….

Still, every now and again comes the vision of how life is really supposed to be.  Not surprisingly, the clarity comes when someone close to us is near death.  With startling lucidity everything makes sense: the car is irrelevant, the electronic toys are meaningless, the unceasing carpools are an utter waste of time.  Time spent holding hands becomes the only currency.  Money saved from years of scrimping are meaningless in the “shadow of death” and the ultimate meaning of life.  Words of love exchanged are gold.  Nothing else matters.  It’s like being kicked in the shins.

Religion is supposed to make us feel more alive.  Think of how often the liturgy reflects nothing more than thanks.  Think of how often the liturgy reflects nothing more than thanks. The ideas are repetitive bordering on banal.  Yet, it’s like being kicked in the shins.