We all know how it can be flash-in-the-pan. Think of new year’s resolutions, diets, etc. We mean well, but it doesn’t always translate into transformative living.
Shallow behavior.
We all know it. Think of when we say or do something perfunctorily, without thinking/feeling the corresponding sentiment.
Inspiration that doesn’t translate into real action is like a soul without a body. Action without genuine intent is like a body without a soul.
If I live a life sprinkled with intangible, not-yet-materialized inspiration, I’ve lived a life with sparks but no fire.
If I live a life of positive behavior with no inspiration, then my life is a diamond, but it reflects no brilliance.
Each – inspiration and positive behavior - is a good thing; each needs the other in order to reach fulfillment. So how do we bring these two together? How do we bring integrity to life?
We need consciousness. When I feel an inspiring thought, when the warmth of meaning hits me, I can’t just pat myself on the back for having good thoughts. I must immediately recognize the need to anchor my inspiration in concrete life.
When I’m exercising a behavior, I need to watch myself. Is this genuine? Do I feel what I’m doing?
So, a higher ‘Me’ needs to guide my instinctive ‘me’ to a life of integrity.
What is that higher ‘me’? What deeper consciousness can help me integrate my inspiration and my actions? What higher sense can help guide me toward more focused behavior?
In Jewish spirituality we call this higher sense: Wisdom (‘Chochmah’ in Hebrew). Wisdom is Vision. It’s a guiding awareness of who we need to be. It’s a deeply rooted compass that is honed by life’s experiences and struggles; after all, the pain of shallow living often calls our attention to the deep need for something meaningful.
Wisdom is called the soul’s ‘oil’; it is the ‘fuel’ for meaningful living. Just as an olive yields its oil through a painful squeeze, our souls produce the Wisdom of life through challenge and pain. Our Oil/Wisdom takes a spark of inspiration and fuels it as a steady flame. Our Oil/Wisdom permeates our actions, so that they are no longer separate from our soul-awareness.
Our Oil/Wisdom allows us to take our spark of inspiration, and our wick of action, and light up our lives, for real.
ב"ה
Jim Teicher wrote...
Does it then amount to having faith...taking a leap of faith relative to the origin of of this wisdom? It's also interesting to note that many so-called sources of wisdom in the world fuel a substantial amount of negative behaviors.
Thanks for your thoughts this week!
Mendy Herson wrote...
That's a good point. And not necessarily related to religion.
I've heard more than one professional talk about 'going with your gut'. Who says the 'gut' is correct? When a murderer, G-d forbid, goes with HIS gut, is that coming from some transcendent place? Can't my sense of a 'deeply-seated desire' just be intense selfishness? How about jeopardizing my life by jumping into the ocean to save someone's life? Do I sit and calculate the odds? Do I go with my 'gut'.?Where does it come from?
It's interesting that in Jewish thought we find an emphasis on curbing self-indulgence (in eating etc.) because that curbs the ego and makes it easier for the Higher Self to show. The more ego/self-driven I am, the more I need to be circumspect about my 'gut'.
I also need to measure my 'deep instinct' against an objective moral framework. If I feel a calling from my 'Higher Wisdom' to hurt you, I need to analyze whether that's consonant with the Torah (my moral framework). If it's not, then I need to be suspicious about where this 'Higher Thinking' comes from.
Along those lines, I need to review what the bottom line of this 'inspiration' will be. If I stand to gain, or if it accords with a weakness of mine, I should really get the input of an objective third party.
Bottom line: I believe we have higher levels of consciousness which can guide us to more meaningful lives.
I also believe that we have an incredible propensity for fooling ourselves into thinking our selfish pursuite are holy ones.
[There's a Yiddish expression which translates something like: "A person who fools himself is a fool, and it's no great accomplishment to fool a fool"].
So we need to chip away at our superficial selves, observe our inner dynamics, and listen to our inner voice. If it doesn't take us in an unacceptable direction, go for it.
Laura Waitze Zuckerman wrote...
Am I going off on a tangent here?
Each day, I try and use my wisdom that I have learned from my parents, from life and those around me to make the best decisions possible. But, who knows.
Mendy wrote...
Your point about multiple sources of legitimate wisdom is well taken.
If I, you and your Dad all look at a specific document, we can all conceivably have varying perspectives, with each of them being legitimately wise.
That's when we define wisdom as knowledge, sagacity or good judgment.
In my original thought, I was referring to the Kabbalistic 'Chochmah', which is often translated as Wisdom, but actually refers to a deep inner awareness, and a sense of Higher connectedness.
While we're all individuals, and probably have unique levels of Higher Awareness, we all would probably do well to allow that Consciousness to guide us. Too often we allow base instinct to be our compass, when we have a frame of reference that's so much Higher, just beneath the surface of our psyche.
αρώματα wrote...