Are you comfortable right now?
If your answer is yes, then I imagine you’re lounging on a recliner in perfect weather. With a Pina Colada.
'Comfort'. We think of it as a state of ease and quiet enjoyment. No worries; just relaxation.
Sounds comfortable. And I’m sure it is.
But it describes a vacation, not real life.
And it’s surface-comfort, not soul-comfort.
Deep, genuine comfort comes from finding inner peace and equilibrium. True comfort sets in when we satisfy existential emptiness and find a balm for the psyche.
Not a job for a Pina Colada.
No, authentic comfort doesn’t come from life’s trappings; it comes from a meaningful life.
A lot of our internal unease – the “quiet desperation” that is the stuff of poetic exploration - comes from the fact that we live in a world that doesn’t seem to make sense; it looks shallow, random and meaningless.
And we know better. We need symmetry, justice and meaning. Watching the world's madness violates our sensibilities, because we know something’s not right.
It bothers us.
And it should.
G-d intended your soul-irritant to be your wake-up call; it has to provoke a response within each of us, propelling us to act and bring sanity to the chaos.
That is why we were created.
To elevate the world.
And elevate ourselves.
And, in that process, to find genuine peace and comfort.
Soul comfort doesn’t come from inaction; to the contrary, it comes from meaningful struggle and productivity.
Finding meaning is what brings us comfort.
Real comfort.
In the Torah, G-d says that He will yet ‘comfort us’ in future days. G-d’s not promising Pina Coladas, nor am I awaiting them.
I’m looking for an embrace. I want to experience the true beauty and meaning in what I do. I want to see the richness of the human journey and its accomplishments.
I can handle the work. But I could use the comfort.
And we’ll get it.
That’s a promise.