Living
on a prayer is fine if it doesn't make a difference if we make it or
not! But what if you really do want to do something remarkable? Are you
prepared to fight for it?
Let
me put this back into context. I've been thinking recently about how we
have the ability to take a step back from everything that's going on
and make conscious decisions about how to respond, and what steps to
take next. Sometimes we realise that we just have to accept a situation
as it is, but that too is empowering. There's definitely strength in
just "taking it like a man".
The
question that's on my mind though, is whether serene acceptance of a
bad situation really is the right thing to do.
Often
in conversation I hear the words "Hashem Yaazor" -
God will help - in response to a question about some problem being
faced. Those words are often a sincere prayer but are they not
sometimes also an excuse?
Let's
make a really obvious distinction to start with: If there's something
that you can plainly do to better a situation, then don't sit and pray
and then smugly wait till salvation comes. Just get out there and sort
it out for yourself. Don't be like the fool who drowned waiting for God
to save him, instead of boarding the boat that came to rescue him.
Acting
like a fool isn't a worthwhile exercise of mind over matter because that
presupposes having a mind to begin with.
Now
of course most situations are not such clear-cut cases of life and
death with a blindingly obvious action to take. Most of the time we
deal with things where the worse case scenarios range from mild
annoyance to a lot of pain. And much of the time the factors that
determine the outcome are complex and hard to predict.
So
what to do with a lot of variables and outcomes - can we make a case
for "living on a prayer"? Is it a sign of faith and strength to submit
yourself to the outcome and just let things take their course? Would
that put you at the pinnacle of self awareness and control or is it a
sign of weakness and cowardice?
What
about when the choice is whether to accept mildly frustrating
conditions that are ongoing and very hard to change? The alternatives
to acceptance are either attempt to make things better or to grumble a
lot. Again, should you channel your energy into coming to terms with
the problems or into fighting them?
Hang
in there and I'll try to set out some guidelines later on.
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