Being Happy is Not a Reaction, It’s an Action
As a rabbi in Maryland since 2000, Rabbi Mendel Bluming, is turned to regularly
with the quest of how to find happiness in life.
In fact it is a question that is central in Jewish life because the
verse in Psalms 100 teaches that one MUST serve G-d (do their mission in this
world) with joy! But how is that possible when life is often full of agony,
loss and setbacks?!
And that’s why it’s given to us as a mitzvah. Happiness is not a
reaction to a wonderful life but rather an action, a commitment to living with
joy regardless of life’s circumstances.
But how? Here’s a thought: Rather than looking at happiness as
being a product of our circumstances, see it as the driver of our
circumstances.
Joy has the power to break down obstacles. A happy and positive viewpoint can bring about happy and positive results. Not that happy people never have grief. But happy people don't allow suffering define them. And that gives them the gift to see through tough times and come out the other end.
We can't control everything that transpires around us. There may be good reasons to be sad, and sadness is an understandable and sometimes appropriate reaction. However happiness is an action, not a reaction. We can constantly find reasons to be sad. Or we can choose to focus on being happy.
This doesn’t mean becoming blind to the suffering and pain in the universe and in one's life. The Zohar teaches that we can have pain on one side of the heart while having joy on the other. I can cry and laugh at once. I can be feeling pain, my own or that of others, and at the same time be full of optimism and joy.
Joy has the power to break down obstacles. A happy and positive viewpoint can bring about happy and positive results. Not that happy people never have grief. But happy people don't allow suffering define them. And that gives them the gift to see through tough times and come out the other end.
We can't control everything that transpires around us. There may be good reasons to be sad, and sadness is an understandable and sometimes appropriate reaction. However happiness is an action, not a reaction. We can constantly find reasons to be sad. Or we can choose to focus on being happy.
This doesn’t mean becoming blind to the suffering and pain in the universe and in one's life. The Zohar teaches that we can have pain on one side of the heart while having joy on the other. I can cry and laugh at once. I can be feeling pain, my own or that of others, and at the same time be full of optimism and joy.
Not easy, it’s a life time calling.