Life Advice: Taking a View through
a Window
Living
in the urban environment of today, with its cell phones, portable laptops, and
other high-tech devices, is not only chaotic but also incredibly impersonal.
After we earn money, we put our time and effort into generating additional
income. Is it over? Not typically because we never feel content. How many times
have we told ourselves that life would be wonderful if we only had more money?
But after getting a sizable rise, do we then find that it wasn't enough and
that we require more?
What
Do You Need to Do?
I've
read a lot of life-related literature, including Robin Sharma's Monk says this
and the monk says that, and they all seem to argue against the necessity of
money. Though it is. Can you live without a lot of money? I'm aware I can't.
I
went to the local rabbi to obtain his guidance in order to discover my actual
path in life.
I was led to the window by the rabbi after he nodded. He asked, "What do you see?"
I replied right away, "I see people strolling back and forth and a blind man is begging for charity at the left corner."
I
was led to a large mirror by the Rabbi, who nodded. "Look now, and
describe to me what you see."
I
man replied, "I can see myself.
Rabbi
smiled. You can no longer see anyone else. Even though both the mirror and the
window are made of the same basic material, glass, one of them has a small
layer of silver put to it, so all you can see when you look at it is your own
reflection.
I
felt the Rabbi's arm resting on my shoulders. "Put yourself up against
those two pieces of glass. Without the silver layer, you could see the others
and empathies with them. You only see yourself when you are covered in silver.
I
gave the Rabbi my full attention. "I don't get it,"
The Rabbi carried on. "You won't become someone unless you have the guts to take off the silver covering from your eyes and once more see and love people," said the speaker. He gave me a pat on the back and waved me off.
I've
given what he said some attention and believe he was on to something. Yes. We
need money, so trying to live without it is foolish and would only make things
worse.
Instead,
I suggest that we should follow the advice the Rabbi gave me. We can only
perceive ourselves when we approach life with a silver covering. You can see
and feel everyone else if you take off that covering.
We
are permitted to and ought to be able to look in both types of mirrors in life,
but we must keep in mind that a mirror simply reflects us, whereas a window is
the gateway to true compassion, health, and riches. In other words, pursue
wealth at all costs, but don't allow it stop you from appreciating life,
people, kids, and the less fortunate.
