Monday, November 25, 2013

My Autobiography Chapters 4 and 5

I walk down the same street
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
I walk around it

I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk - The gemara says סחור סחור אמרינן לנזירא לכרמך לא תקרב  - Go around we say to a Nazir, don't go neeeaarrrrr a vineyard [a Nazir is not permitted to drink wine]. It is better not to go near a danger zone. In daily life as well, if there are areas where we fall, we should stay far away. I am [more than] a bit stubborn and insist on going down the same street where I previously fell into a pit.

I walk around it - Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! This time I was careful. I shouldn't have been on the street at all but at least I walked around the pit [or in Talmudic language - the bor birishus harabbim]. I am improving. Growth is a process.

Chapter 5

I walk down another street - GEVALLLLDDDIIIIKKKKK!!!!! Finally! I learned my lesson. I didn't fall in the pit because I walked a different path. That is the secret of change. If what you are doing is not working - DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT. Forget what they taught you that "If you don't succeed, try and try again". That makes people do the same stupid things repeatedly.

If I had the power, I would go out into the world and make a revolution. I would teach people to see what their negative, destructive, ineffective patterns are and find new, positive, constructive, effective patterns.

Their relationships would be transformed, they would succeed more at work and most importantly - they would be happier.

Please consider my words and apply them to yourself.