Yesterday I went to New York and was so happy to be there I didn’t mind walking blocks and blocks in the rain just to see Times Square.
It was as though my feet were as light as air, and I didn’t have a care in the world. All the troubles and the worries on my mind virtually melted away, as I visited this place I have always loved and enjoyed so much.
Thinking about it on the way home, I realized that it doesn’t do any good to be depressed, anxious and worried–about anything. While it’s true that negative emotions can be useful in signaling that something is wrong, there also comes a point where you can lean on the emotion as a substitute for action.
In other words, your mind engages in the cognitive fallacy of telling itself that feeling upset about a thing is your duty as a concerned individual and even acts as a means of changing whatever in the world is wrong.
But the reality is, that’s just not true. The only way to actually influence a negative reality is to physically do something positive. And the act of that doing, generally cheers you up.
Some people think they can’t make any difference whatsoever–after all, they are weak and the power of evil seems so strong! This kind of thinking makes everyone depressed, and the Rebbe (may his memory be for a blessing) warned strongly against it:
“We have seen how one individual (Hitler) brought the world to the brink of destruction, but for the mercies of the King of the Universe, Who ordained that ‘the earth shall stand firm; shall not fall.’ If such is the case in the realm of evil, surely one’s potential is much greater in the realm of good. For, in truth, creation is essentially good, and therefore more inclined toward the good than its opposite.”
– from the November 25, 2016 issue of “L’Chaim,” a newsletter published by the Chabad-Lubavitch
This Chanukah, and as we head into calendar year 2017, I’ll be remembering the Rebbe’s message. Just as we light a single light against infinite darkness, so too even one small act by a single human being, regardless of the odds, can do a world of good.
Always stay positive–and continue to do one small constructive thing at a time.
Here’s to life, and love, and lots and lots of laughter. Never stop your feet from dancing in the rain.
_____
All opinions my own.
2016 Diary - Dannielle Blumenthal 
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