We're curious creatures, you and I.
What other being knowingly acts against it's own interests?
For example:
His marriage is the orbital center of his life, yet he acts on impulse - reacting to the prospect of a fleeting pleasure - and creates damage that far, far outweighs any gain.
Her kids are incredibly important to her, she'd sacrifice anything for them; yet she yells at them because she was stressed by a client, or because someone moved her IPad.
You are committed to your spiritual identity. Your actions don't always show it, but your Judaism means a lot to you. There are some lines you would never cross; but you're too preoccupied with life to stand back and consider what lines G-d would never have you cross.
This isn't rational behavior. But it's a regular part of the human experience.
How does it happen?
News Flash: The Talmud teaches that bad behavior is inevitably the result of clouded thinking (a "spirit of folly").
When we have clarity of priorities and objectives, we make the right choices. When we lose mental clarity, we're in imminent danger of going off the rails.
This - the struggle to stay on track - is the human condition's primary test.
One important strategy is to temper our indulgence of our appetites and impulses.
The more we chase our desires, the more those desires control our minds. The more we take comfort in self-indulgence, the less room we leave for the beauty of higher-minded pursuits.
Kabbalistic thought teaches that one's excessive engagement in self-serving, sensual pleasure deadens one's capacity to appreciate spirituality and inspiration.
This struggle, the struggle to gain control of our inner selves, is Torah's goal - its ultimate wish - for us.
Scripture tells us to create a Sanctuary for the Divine. In macro, this means that we need to build a Tabernacle and Holy Temple.
But in micro, it's a much more personal directive: We each need to make ourselves, our individual lives, into Divine Sanctuaries. We begin by making room for the Divine. Getting control of our self-absorption and creating space for a life of Purpose.
It's worth the struggle.
ב"ה