What does it mean to be visionary, to have a vision for your life and pursuits?
In a basic sense, this means that you conceptualize goals and objectives. You consider future potential and focus on a target for growth. You recognize that “now” isn’t all there is.
“Now” – disconnected from the future and its possibilities – can be stale and aimless.
“Now” - looking ahead with vision - has commitment, enthusiasm and hope for the future.
Vision brings optimism and direction. A dream doesn't need to remain an abstract ray of sunshine; it can be pro-active inspiration driving us to actualize our goals.
The problem is that, with the passage of time, it becomes more difficult for the realistic person to continue dreaming. Disappointments eventually take their toll on the human psyche.
Which raises the question: When does one learn to adjust one’s expectations and recognize that that dreams are……just dreams?
Never.
While we should always be acutely aware of reality, warts and all, we can never stop believing in – and working toward – a brighter future.
Consider this: Our Holy Temple, along with our entire Jewish Commonwealth, was destroyed by the Romans almost two thousand years ago.
It’s been rough ever since, and we’re fully aware of our reality. Every year, on Tisha B’Av, the 9th of Av (this Shabbos, with the fasting postponed to Sunday), we mournfully remember the destruction and recognize the pain of our own times.
Yet, interestingly, the Shabbos before 9 Av, as in this Shabbos, is marked as the “Shabbos of Vision.”
Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, an eighteenth century legendary Chassidic master, as we prepare to mourn for the destruction in our world, G-d shows us a Vision of the Future. We are shown a vision of a rebuilt Temple, a reconstituted humanity, a healed world.
G-d equips us for the mourning by ensuring that hope – the Vision – never dies; this Shabbos exercise ensures that our sobering recognition of “now” doesn’t smother our hope for the future.
I can’t see this Divinely-granted vision with my physical eyes; but if G-d’s showing it to me, it must be resonating somewhere in my soul.
So tomorrow - Shabbos - I’ll prepare to tackle reality by first searching myself to find G-d’s vision of a beautiful future. I'll need to keep my eyes wide open.
Try it yourself.