Be still sad heart...

Jews, in my opinion, have a funny way of looking at things. I, of course, include myself in that an analysis. We tend to look at things in a pessimistic way. We tend to see the glass as half empty, maybe with our distorted viewpoint, the glass is empty and we owe someone some liquids.

Often, when a Jew confronts a problem it is as if the world is coming to an end and there is no hope. Now this way of thinking probably is because of our history of suffering as a people, our position as the world's scapegoat, etc. I can understand how Jews tend to expect the worst so as not to be disappointed. But, do we have to continue in that vein? Is there some way we can decide, as a people, to have a more optimistic outlook, to at least see the glass as having water in it?

We must stop our collective sense of dour and sour and start seeing the positive and build on that. I am tired of the defeatist mentality. We must start thinking about turning our fecal matter into manure, our lemons into lemonade, our problems into solutions.

Believe me, as a parent of four children, with one child having a disability, I sometimes let myself wonder "why"? Fortunately, our one child's disability, for example, has and continues to refocus my vision on what is truly important and what are my objectives in this life. Most issues pale in comparison to health related issues and I make a point of reminding myself that every day.

As my grandmother used to quote the first two lines of a Longfellow poem:

Be still sad heart and cease repining;
Behind the clouds the sun is shining.

Of course the next few lines (which are not quoted herein), are not as uplifting, but that may have been why my grandmother only told me the first part.

Shalom.

Jeremy