Think Positive

To have an effect on the way a day turns out is no small achievement.

Years ago my young son got into trouble when he stubbornly refused to clean his room.  It was wall-to-wall shmutz.  As he continued to defiantly oppose the prospect of cleaning the room, shaking his head defiantly, he was punished.

Later that day, when he was out playing, he tripped, fell and skinned both knees.  He cried at the sight of the jagged skin and blood.  The pain was made infinitely worse by the horrid look of his mangled knees.

We dressed the leg after cleansing it and then applied an anti-bacterial ointment.  Afterward, he went out to play, much more carefully now and with noticeably less agility.

By mid-afternoon, this seven-year-old had lost his two Ninja Turtle action figures, merely a few hours old.  Together we launched a search mission but met with no success.

After these episodes, my son entertained himself with crayons and abundant imagination.  He played in the kitchen with them the long afternoon. At dinnertime he was positively beaming when I gave him his plastic turtle figures, which I had found on the front lawn.

To anyone but a kid such a day would’ve been devastating.

Compare:

>Having a “tiff’ with our friend or spouse

>Banging our fingers on the door or breaking a fingernail.

>Losing our ring somewhere near the kitchen counter.

What I have personally witnessed such a day would bring many to their knees in despair.  And we all know that the potential for things to go wrong is enormous.

When we get up in the morning Jewish tradition tells us to say the following prayer:

My God.

The soul You have given me is pure, for You created it. You formed it and You made it live within me. You watch over it daily. One day, you will take it from me and bring it to everlasting life.

God and God of my fathers, as long as this soul is within me I will declare that You are the master of all deeds, the ruler of all creatures and the Lord of every living soul.

Blessed are you Lord, who brings life to the lifeless, exhausted body.

Perhaps one the greatest human achievements is to allow the 10 wonderful things that happen to us every day, to outweigh the one negative event.

Think. Thank.

Norman Podhoretz interviewed Professor Stanley Hooks shortly before he passed away.  Podhoretz asked the well-known atheist about his philosophy of life.  After hesitation, Hooks responded that when something meaningful happened to him - whether it be the birth of a grandchild or being missed by a falling brick – that he felt thankful (the comment made me want to ask, “Thankful to whom?  Or what?).

I sometimes think about all the things in life that could go awry but do not.  We live in a technological age where everything is delicately balanced: our dishwasher, alarm system, cruise control, vacuum, lights, house systems….   there are so many potential hazards throughout the day from death to accidents to radiation poisoning to our machines going on strike that it is a miracle that we make it through the day basically intact.  The odds of survival seemed to be stacked against us.  It is only an accident of birth that we did into enter the world in Somalia.

At the end of the day (if there is an end to the day) maybe it is worthwhile to thank God for having survived reasonably intact along with our family.  What a novel concept -- being thankful for all the things that did not go wrong.  And the potential of things "going south " is endless….

Helen Keller remarked, “I, who am blind, can give but one hint to those who can see.  One admonition to those who would make full use of the gift of sight: Use your eyes as if you would be stricken blind!

“And the same method could be applied to other senses.  Hear the music of voices, the song of a bird, the mighty strains of an orchestra as if you would be stricken deaf tomorrow.  Touch each object as though tomorrow your tactile sense would fail.  Smell the perfume of flowers, taste with relish each morsel, as if tomorrow you would never smell or taste again.

“Make the most of every sense, glory in all the facets of beauty which the world reveals…”.

A little poem I found has a lot of wisdom in it.

My Little Plant

My Little Plant died

I worried why

“Too much water

And it will die."
I question why

“Too much handling

And it will die”

My little plant lived

I asked not why

Just threw my arms

Exultantly high.

-Sada Applebaum

Thank You

Norman Podhoretz of Commentary Magazine fame once interviewed Professor Sidney Hooks, a few weeks before he died.  Hooks was a well-known atheist.

Podhoretz asked Hooks about his philosophy on life.  After a moment’s hesitation, Hooks replied that when something meaningful happens to him – whether it be the birth of a grandchild or by not being hot by a falling brick – he felt thankful.  (Note to self: Thankful to whom?)

Sometimes my mind meanders to all the things that could possibly happen to me.  Everything seems delicately balanced to fall apart at any given moment, especially in this technological age when all appears to be automated, the dishwasher, television, telephone, music systems, event he walls of our homes!  There are so many potential pitfalls of things that can go awry during the day from the greatest of them (death) to the least of them (the earphone jack does not work) that just getting through the day without a terrible mishap is a major accomplishment.  And it is only an accident of birth that we did not enter the world in say, Libya.

At the end of the day (assuming there will be a usual end to this day) it may be worth our while to be thankful having survived it reasonably intact, along with our family.  What an novel concept—to be grateful for all that did not go wrong.  And, of course, the potential for things to go “off course” is endless.

Helen Keller: “I, who am blind, can give but one hint to those who can see.  One admonition to those who would make full use of the gift of sight: Use your eyes as if you would be stricken blind!

“And the same method could be applied to the other senses.  Hear the music of voices, the song of a bird, the mighty strains of an orchestra as if you would be stricken deaf tomorrow.  Touch each object as though tomorrow your tactile senses would fail.  Smell the perfume of flowers, taste with relish each morsel, as if tomorrow you would never smell or taste again.

“Make the most of every sense, glory in all the facets of beauty which the world reveals…”

A short poem with more than a measure of wisdom:

My Little Plant

My little plant died

I worried why.

“Too much water

And it will die.”

My little plant died

I questioned why.

“Too much handling

And it will die.”

My little plant lived

I asked not why

Just threw my arms exultantly high.  –Sada Applebaum

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.