Natural
Life is natural. Actually to be more correct death is natural. Every minute live is another minute we are dying. Every breathe takes us further from our birth and closer to our death. It's not morbid. It's true. I was just sitting on the train. Nature is always going towards chaos. Towards degradation. We spend all our lives fighting nature. We fly. We drive. We take medicine. We exercise. All these things are not natural. It's not natural for a human being to get an infection. It's natural course should lead to death. It's not natural for a person to survive cancer. Radiating our bodies isn't natural. Drawing blood, sticking in needles filled with all sorts of things isn't natural. But we do it to keep ourselves alive. We fight nature everyday! We make millions of choices that defy nature.
So then why is it that people use the term "natural" as a positive. Why do we rush to use natural products? In a lot of places, people die because they drink the water that is available to them naturally. But people extol all things natural. Ask people why they aren't embarrassed at nudist colonies- it's natural. Natural is beautiful.
Nature is chaos! I started all this because I was thinking- how does a person become foul mouthed? At what point in their lives do they decide that they want to use crass unrefined language? Do they make an active decision to use four letter adjectives? At what point does one decide that I'd rather not use the words I hear around me? Are they both achieve choices! Conscious decisions?
I think and tell me if you agree...I think speaking in a refined manner is a more active choice. I think that after watching TV and movies one's entire life, being involve in society and in the media... It is only natural to think and talk in a certain way. Humans are highly adaptable. We adapt to our environment. So if the environment is allowing and even condoning a certain mode of speech, then it is only natural that we should follow.
But, we can choose! We can choose not to follow the tide. I think the active decision, the bocher, will at a certain point decide that this is not how I want to speak. This is not the way I want to sound. These words will not be in my vocabulary. But it cannot be a one time decision. It is a constant decision. To a certain extend, much to my dismay, these words creep into our subconscious. Before you know it that word you swore would never grace your lips...is at the tip of your tongue. It would only e natural to just let it slip out. It's not your fault.. You really tried. But that would be passive. That would be destruction.
If we gave into every temptation. We'd be destroyed. Natural is taking the path of least resistance. It's not natural to work. But just imagine if we gave in every time. If we followed every whim without very challenging ourselves. Is that the kind of person I want to be?
So in this organic natural obsessed world. I'm taking a stand. I'm choosing to fight my nature. I'm going to battle back. Adam leumal yolad. I hope to keep fighting nature till I give in to the most natural thing of all- death
So then why is it that people use the term "natural" as a positive. Why do we rush to use natural products? In a lot of places, people die because they drink the water that is available to them naturally. But people extol all things natural. Ask people why they aren't embarrassed at nudist colonies- it's natural. Natural is beautiful.
Nature is chaos! I started all this because I was thinking- how does a person become foul mouthed? At what point in their lives do they decide that they want to use crass unrefined language? Do they make an active decision to use four letter adjectives? At what point does one decide that I'd rather not use the words I hear around me? Are they both achieve choices! Conscious decisions?
I think and tell me if you agree...I think speaking in a refined manner is a more active choice. I think that after watching TV and movies one's entire life, being involve in society and in the media... It is only natural to think and talk in a certain way. Humans are highly adaptable. We adapt to our environment. So if the environment is allowing and even condoning a certain mode of speech, then it is only natural that we should follow.
But, we can choose! We can choose not to follow the tide. I think the active decision, the bocher, will at a certain point decide that this is not how I want to speak. This is not the way I want to sound. These words will not be in my vocabulary. But it cannot be a one time decision. It is a constant decision. To a certain extend, much to my dismay, these words creep into our subconscious. Before you know it that word you swore would never grace your lips...is at the tip of your tongue. It would only e natural to just let it slip out. It's not your fault.. You really tried. But that would be passive. That would be destruction.
If we gave into every temptation. We'd be destroyed. Natural is taking the path of least resistance. It's not natural to work. But just imagine if we gave in every time. If we followed every whim without very challenging ourselves. Is that the kind of person I want to be?
So in this organic natural obsessed world. I'm taking a stand. I'm choosing to fight my nature. I'm going to battle back. Adam leumal yolad. I hope to keep fighting nature till I give in to the most natural thing of all- death
Re every second alive is a second closer to death, it reminded me of this story. The Chozeh of Lublin's son Reb Yosef of Tortchin inherited the wall clock that had hung in his father’s room. Once, while traveling back to his hometown Tortchin, a heavy storm broke out, forcing Reb Yosef to stop his journey and find shelter. He found an inn owned by a simple jew and stayed there for three days until the storm passed. Preparing to leave, Reb Yosef told his host that he had no money with which to pay him, and having no alternative, he would give him the precious clock that had belonged to his
ReplyDeletefather.
A few years later, Reb Yisachar Ber of Rodoshitz stopped at this inn, but was unable to sleep through the night and kept waking up at each chime, joyously singing and dancing. The following morning, the Tzaddik asked the innkeeper from where he had gotten the clock that is hanging in the room. The innkeeper
related how he had received it as payment and when he described how the man appeared, Reb Yisachar Ber exclaimed, “I felt that
this was the clock of the Chozeh of Lublin! Usually when clocks chime, they notify that one is one hour closer to the end of his life. However, the chime of the Chozeh’s clock tells us that we are one hour closer to Moshiach.”
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On nature, chassidus teaches that "Elokim" (that name of Hashem) is gematria hateva (nature), Elokim as well known is also the name of G-d which is associated with gevura. Just saying...
Hashem formed nature into beautifully precise ecosystems; it's not chaos, it's poetry. Then a snake hitches a ride on a plane, ends up in Ecuador and throws their whole animal life on it's head.
ReplyDeleteWe are supposed to see Hashem in teva; that is what Avrohom did and that is why he is greatness. Moshe and nissim were a one time deal to show us as the chosen people; Yehoshua was the leader that returned us to teva (I am not sure if Elokim = nature is necessarily an specifically chassidishe concept).
Hashem made a world that contains cures, we only have to find them. Medications are usually derived from naturally forming components; drug companies find different ways to amplify the effects and replicate it synthetically. After years of being told to go on medication, doctors are now recommending diets full of fruits and vegetables to keep us healthy, and it is amazing what benefits there are in this wonderful food Hashem provided for us.
I am a "natural" foodie, because I believe what Hashem has created for us is the best way. And medicines etc., while not necessarily natural, are inspired by nature and the body's method of fighting disease.
As for your other point, that is something else entirely; that is not simply just nature. That is self control of one's animal desires. We are not animals, we are humans with a higher brain that Hashem has also naturally provided us with. That higher brain contains the concepts of self control. (Esther Wein had a fascinating shiur on that).
ok..
ReplyDeleteI just want to clarify..I also believe that G-d created a beautiful world. And I also believe that we can see His hand everywhere.
I was looking at it from the physics point of view. Sorry, ive gotten a science mind. Things in nature take the path of least resistance. if we were to do that..then we would follow our base animilistic desires. That would be the easiest. But we dont and that was my point.
When we challenge ourselves, we are fighting the tide. Also please keep in mind that I am out of my brain tired...and i wrote this on a stuffy train.
Prof- that is a beautiful story. I wish i was on that level. It would be incredible if we could honestly say that we every minute we live is used to attain another piece of olam haba.
Princess Laeya- We actually just learned that there is a part of the brain that controls our control of our language. If this area is damaged in any way..then this person has no control over the foul language he uses..I wonder how much that works..but anways..
in conclusion, The world is beautiful place, we have to work on ourselves..and if used properly we could really live each minute..not cross it off as a minute closer to death
peace out!