As a kid, we spent both Passover seders at my grandparents. My cousins were always there for one of the seders because they spent the other one with the other side of their family. When we got older, we started going to my aunt's for the first seder and then the second one would be spent with any combination of friends and family. At the same time, I was teaching myself a lot about Judaism and had begun to observe traditions that I hadn't grown up with. So while my extended family has future rabbis, in my immediate family I would probably be considered the most observant.
This year, our second seder was held at our house and for the first time, my parents had invited friends who are Jewish AND friends who are not. Being at this seder, especially after my mom asked me to pull some readings to add to the seder as a way of making sure everyone was learning something new, I realized a few things about myself in relation to my religion.
There is still so much that I don't know. And this is both an exciting blessing/adventure and also a daunting undertaking. I love learning and philosophizing and puzzles. This explains a lot to me because it is what drew me to experimenting with Judaism. I am practical and believe in only what can be proved. This has proven to be a dilemma for me due to how conflicting and outdated religious traditions can be. Yet I enjoy tradition and community; I find that I thrive best in that kind of environment. How/when does something become a tradition? How/when do those traditions
change and when /why is it ok for some traditions to change and others
stay the same? What motivates people to follow traditions and are there
better reasons than others? And though I enjoy tradition (or more so, what tradition creates - a community), I'm troubled that tradition doesn't stem from what is written in the Torah, it comes from the interpretation of the rabbis. And who is to say that there aren't other possible ways of interpreting what is written? When it comes down to it, if there is a higher power (again, an issue I have because I over-intellectualize and need proof to believe in something) would it really matter if I didn't follow some of the more cultural traditions? Does it really matter if I eat a cheeseburger (though I haven't had one in almost 7 years) or use my cell phone on Saturday (which I still do without a second thought)? Wouldn't it be more important that I live my life in a morally and ethically sound way?
While both the Jews and goyim (non-Jews) all learned from what I shared at the seder, without sounding pretentious, I think that I was the one who learned the most.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Friday, February 22, 2013
Cycles
Every time I have a conversation with a few select friends, all connected to me via different aspects of my life because none of them overlap, I've noticed a few of the same topics cycle through. While I don't think we intentionally bring these things up, they make their way into discussions that a majority of the world would likely think we were crazy for considering. And it makes me wonder about the people I'm friends with compared to the small group of people I have these absurd one-on-one conversations with. It's difficult to put into words how we get onto these topics and how easily it just seems to flow with those select people but I'm curious what other people think because I'm so limited in the scope of who I've conversed with in this way.
Time
Does time only progress in a straight-foward, linear way or is there something more to time that we are incapable of understanding? Just like historically we've created deities to try to compartmentalize what we as humans are able to experience, have we done the same with time? What is time were experienced in the same way that a tree grows. All at once and then branching off into all the potential choices that we make? But what if time is cyclical, does that mean we have the ability to make choices at all? We are all confined by time on this planet, but if we only see what is directly in front of us and refuse to see into the past and the future, considering how they both shape the now, we're just hurting everyone.
Fear
This might be the only emotion that can be as equally freeing as it can be paralyzing. Generally it is only viewed as preventative, it stops you from doing things that could bring harm to you or others. It is not a bad emotion, it is necessary and has contributed to the survival of humankind. Yet it is also an emotion and by that nature, it does not always come from rational thought but is reactionary. This is when fear is crippling and holds us back from real progress. It is only upon acknowledging the fear, having awareness for how it is stopping us, and then purposefully overcoming it or doing something in spite of it, that fear can be freeing and beautiful. Yet we often accept this emotion and allow it to be debilitating rather than confronting it. To what extent is fear empowering and destroying us?
That's all I've got for now. Thoughts?
Time
Does time only progress in a straight-foward, linear way or is there something more to time that we are incapable of understanding? Just like historically we've created deities to try to compartmentalize what we as humans are able to experience, have we done the same with time? What is time were experienced in the same way that a tree grows. All at once and then branching off into all the potential choices that we make? But what if time is cyclical, does that mean we have the ability to make choices at all? We are all confined by time on this planet, but if we only see what is directly in front of us and refuse to see into the past and the future, considering how they both shape the now, we're just hurting everyone.
Fear
This might be the only emotion that can be as equally freeing as it can be paralyzing. Generally it is only viewed as preventative, it stops you from doing things that could bring harm to you or others. It is not a bad emotion, it is necessary and has contributed to the survival of humankind. Yet it is also an emotion and by that nature, it does not always come from rational thought but is reactionary. This is when fear is crippling and holds us back from real progress. It is only upon acknowledging the fear, having awareness for how it is stopping us, and then purposefully overcoming it or doing something in spite of it, that fear can be freeing and beautiful. Yet we often accept this emotion and allow it to be debilitating rather than confronting it. To what extent is fear empowering and destroying us?
That's all I've got for now. Thoughts?
Monday, February 11, 2013
Being Happy
I think we complicate being happy. There is a certain simplicity in choosing to be happy and yet it seems that we frequently allow ourselves to choose other options. Happiness is a goal that we set for ourselves but don't allow ourselves to realistically obtain. It's something to strive for, to work toward, to try to be. And when we aren't, we justify it as a temporary state of being that will eventually turn into happiness.
I believe that we all do want to be happy. But want in and of itself is desire, need, wishing, hoping. It isn't fulfillment. Because there is always more to want, more to get. Our satisfaction is brief before we find something else to want. Something else to need. Every day is chock full of actions we take toward reaching that ultimate goal of being happy. Whether in our romantic lives, our jobs, our friendships, our academics, our families, we constantly work on improving these things because that will result in being happy. So when we experience it, we are only encouraged to work on these things more in order to continue feeling the emotion of happiness.
But there's a difference between happiness and simply being happy. While I do not constantly experience happiness, I still choose to be happy. Regardless of what may occur on a daily basis, cultivating the mentality of being happy takes an enormous pressure off. For then we can act without fear because even when sadness strikes, we are happy or rather, content. Though a word that seems to often carry the implication that we are no longer trying as it can be perceived as passive, used in this context, it becomes alive. To be alive, we must be content, we must be happy. We must choose these things because to do otherwise results in spending each day only striving for something. There will always be more to want and more to get. But by actively choosing to be happy, we are able to reach a sense of inner tranquility and peace. A state of mind that in turn allows us to simply be happy.
I believe that we all do want to be happy. But want in and of itself is desire, need, wishing, hoping. It isn't fulfillment. Because there is always more to want, more to get. Our satisfaction is brief before we find something else to want. Something else to need. Every day is chock full of actions we take toward reaching that ultimate goal of being happy. Whether in our romantic lives, our jobs, our friendships, our academics, our families, we constantly work on improving these things because that will result in being happy. So when we experience it, we are only encouraged to work on these things more in order to continue feeling the emotion of happiness.
But there's a difference between happiness and simply being happy. While I do not constantly experience happiness, I still choose to be happy. Regardless of what may occur on a daily basis, cultivating the mentality of being happy takes an enormous pressure off. For then we can act without fear because even when sadness strikes, we are happy or rather, content. Though a word that seems to often carry the implication that we are no longer trying as it can be perceived as passive, used in this context, it becomes alive. To be alive, we must be content, we must be happy. We must choose these things because to do otherwise results in spending each day only striving for something. There will always be more to want and more to get. But by actively choosing to be happy, we are able to reach a sense of inner tranquility and peace. A state of mind that in turn allows us to simply be happy.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
If we knew the Future in the Past
How would our lives be different if we knew things before they happened?
If we knew that a particular moment was the last time we would see or talk to someone, would that change the way we spent that moment? Or rather, because it would mean that because we always knew when something was going to be a last time, how would we change the things we do? Would we not bother getting to know someone because we know the friendship is destined to end? Would we not pull that all-nighter because we know we will graduate summa cum laude? Would we decide not to leave, knowing that we'd never see someone again?
Or, would we be forced to be their friend, pull the all-night, and leave simply because we know that if we don't, we're actually changing the future? Does knowing the future eliminate the existence of free will because we have no choice but to do what the future is telling us must happen?
We approach time as being chronological but in a world where we know when something will happen before it does, time would be cyclical. There would be no changing the future simply because that future is dependent upon what happens in the past, which for us, is the current moment.
While I don't think I would want to know when something will happen before it does, I don't think it could hurt to know when something will be the last. Actually, I take it back. We wouldn't hug each other as tight if we knew exactly when we'd see each other again. We wouldn't tell people how much they mean to us if we knew that we would be able to say it for another 30 years. Not knowing is what keeps us sharing, but at the same time, we don't always appreciate those moments because we often assume they will not be the last. We don't look at each other and say how much we care with real feeling every time because we believe that in a few hours, a few days, a few weeks from now, we will have the opportunity to say it again. We don't watch another car drive away. We don't see each other beyond just looking. We don't listen beyond just hearing.
What if we did those things without knowing when it would be our last? Because when we don't get that chance again, it affects us all differently but it's often what hurts the most. The one thing we didn't get to say or do. Because often, while we did it, while we cared and said so, we took those moments for granted and didn't make sure that that last time was treated like the last time. We didn't get the end, the goodbye we'd wanted. If we could know when we needed to have that moment, would we have it? Would we fight it? Would we look it in the eye and take it in? Would we avoid it?
How would we view every moment differently if we knew what we would see when we looked back at it as a past moment once the future is the present?
If we knew that a particular moment was the last time we would see or talk to someone, would that change the way we spent that moment? Or rather, because it would mean that because we always knew when something was going to be a last time, how would we change the things we do? Would we not bother getting to know someone because we know the friendship is destined to end? Would we not pull that all-nighter because we know we will graduate summa cum laude? Would we decide not to leave, knowing that we'd never see someone again?
Or, would we be forced to be their friend, pull the all-night, and leave simply because we know that if we don't, we're actually changing the future? Does knowing the future eliminate the existence of free will because we have no choice but to do what the future is telling us must happen?
We approach time as being chronological but in a world where we know when something will happen before it does, time would be cyclical. There would be no changing the future simply because that future is dependent upon what happens in the past, which for us, is the current moment.
While I don't think I would want to know when something will happen before it does, I don't think it could hurt to know when something will be the last. Actually, I take it back. We wouldn't hug each other as tight if we knew exactly when we'd see each other again. We wouldn't tell people how much they mean to us if we knew that we would be able to say it for another 30 years. Not knowing is what keeps us sharing, but at the same time, we don't always appreciate those moments because we often assume they will not be the last. We don't look at each other and say how much we care with real feeling every time because we believe that in a few hours, a few days, a few weeks from now, we will have the opportunity to say it again. We don't watch another car drive away. We don't see each other beyond just looking. We don't listen beyond just hearing.
What if we did those things without knowing when it would be our last? Because when we don't get that chance again, it affects us all differently but it's often what hurts the most. The one thing we didn't get to say or do. Because often, while we did it, while we cared and said so, we took those moments for granted and didn't make sure that that last time was treated like the last time. We didn't get the end, the goodbye we'd wanted. If we could know when we needed to have that moment, would we have it? Would we fight it? Would we look it in the eye and take it in? Would we avoid it?
How would we view every moment differently if we knew what we would see when we looked back at it as a past moment once the future is the present?
Sunday, January 27, 2013
25 things I’ve learned in 25 years
(in no particular order)
1. Laugh often.
2. Being happy begins with inner peace.
3. Music is what feelings sound like.
4. The best place to get lost is in a book.
5. Life isn’t easy but it can be simple.
6. Friends are the family you get to choose.
7. Nothing is more valuable than a strong, loving family. Remember your roots and appreciate them.
8. People > things
9. There’s no such thing as giving to someone who can give nothing back. Selfless acts feed your soul.
10. Keep looking up. Always.
11. Take chances. Make mistakes. Learn.
12. Forgive yourself the way you forgive others.
13. Make lists.
14. Find a hobby that doesn’t require electricity. Bonus points if it involves real human interactions.
15. Stay active.
16. You can grow older and still not grow up.
17. Dream. Wish. Believe. Hope.
18. Change is good. The harder it is, the better you will be for it.
19. There is beauty everywhere. Notice it.
20. Be passionate.
21. There is a light within us all. Only you can decide to keep it lit or put it out.
22. This life is a gift. This world is a gift. Treat it with care. It’s the only one we get.
23. You don’t have to settle. It doesn’t have to be what it is.
24. Every person you meet has something to teach you.
25. Love yourself.
and because it wouldn't be a birthday post without the extra bonus one...
26. If nobody thought wishfully, nothing cool would ever happen.
1. Laugh often.
2. Being happy begins with inner peace.
3. Music is what feelings sound like.
4. The best place to get lost is in a book.
5. Life isn’t easy but it can be simple.
6. Friends are the family you get to choose.
7. Nothing is more valuable than a strong, loving family. Remember your roots and appreciate them.
8. People > things
9. There’s no such thing as giving to someone who can give nothing back. Selfless acts feed your soul.
10. Keep looking up. Always.
11. Take chances. Make mistakes. Learn.
12. Forgive yourself the way you forgive others.
13. Make lists.
14. Find a hobby that doesn’t require electricity. Bonus points if it involves real human interactions.
15. Stay active.
16. You can grow older and still not grow up.
17. Dream. Wish. Believe. Hope.
18. Change is good. The harder it is, the better you will be for it.
19. There is beauty everywhere. Notice it.
20. Be passionate.
21. There is a light within us all. Only you can decide to keep it lit or put it out.
22. This life is a gift. This world is a gift. Treat it with care. It’s the only one we get.
23. You don’t have to settle. It doesn’t have to be what it is.
24. Every person you meet has something to teach you.
25. Love yourself.
and because it wouldn't be a birthday post without the extra bonus one...
26. If nobody thought wishfully, nothing cool would ever happen.
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