Do you ever think to yourself: What in the world is wrong with people? Aren't
they getting what I'm getting? Aren't they feeling what I'm feeling?
You may have just lost a dear family member. The grief is insurmountable. You
are driving in the limo from the chapel to the cemetery and you look out the
window. People are walking around, shopping, having lunch, and going about their
day. And you ask yourself: What in the world is wrong with these people? Aren't
they getting what I'm getting? Aren't they feeling what I'm feeling?
You may have just experienced the birth of a child for the first time. You
are excitedly calling friends and family, while your wife holds the newborn. You
are pacing down the hallways, and pass by the nurse's station. One nurse is
complaining about her nails, the other talks about the cable guy. And you ask
yourself: What in the world is wrong with people? Aren't they getting what I'm
getting? Aren't they feeling what I'm feeling?
You may have just graduated from a 28-day program in rehab. You just
discovered your true self. You just found a way to alter the course of your
human existence--your entire life. You just discovered the thrills of having a
relationship with a power greater than yourself. Your emotions are raw, and you
are floating on the pink cloud. Then you come home. You turn the TV on, and some
reality show comes on about some wannabe celebrity who is catching the attention
of millions of Americans. The price of gas is more interesting to people than
the latest reading from your 24-hour book. Friends and family are so excited
that you are finally back to the "real world." And you ask yourself: What in the
world is wrong with these people? Aren't they getting what I'm getting? Aren't
they feeling what I'm feeling?
You are in good company. The Talmud relates that after spending twelve years
in a cave delving into the depths of mysticism and Jewish philosophy, Rabbi
Shimon bar Yochai walked back into the real world. There he saw a man plowing
his field, and he asked himself: What in the world is wrong with people? Aren't
they getting what I'm getting? Aren't they feeling what I'm feeling?
G-d heard him loud and clear. G-d's answer was: There is nothing wrong with
people; it is you who have a problem. Maybe twelve years was not enough. Why
don't you try it again for another twelve months? I guess it has something to do
with the number twelve...
In Step 12 of AA, we are told that having a spiritual awakening is not the
end of a spiritual journey, but just the beginning. Now we need to practice
these principles in all of our affairs. Like it or not, the world is real, and
is materialistic. Like it or not, the real world is one where people go about
their day doing the things that they do.
Being spiritual is not about having the capacity to exit the world and enter
into a reality of Divinity. Being spiritual is not about creating a cave for
ourselves so that we don't have to deal with the real world. Being spiritual is
our capacity to practice these principles in all of our affairs. Being spiritual
is the possibility of plowing a field and having a relationship with G-d at the
same time. Being spiritual is having a relationship with G-d that is inclusive
of all my daily mundane actions.
After the additional twelve months, Rabbi Shimon walked out of the cave
again. This time he had the power of healing, of reconciliation. This time he
was able to see a man in a hurry and see the beauty of a Jewish person taking
his observance of Shabbat to heart. Rabbi Shimon said to himself: There is
nothing wrong with people! They are getting what I'm getting! They are feeling
what I'm feeling! They're just channeling these feelings and emotions into
actions that puts them in harmony with the world. They are practicing their
spiritual principles in all of their affairs. I just acquired a whole lot of
principles, let me find a whole lot of affairs to apply them to.
The world of Kabbalah was born.
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