Spiritual Starvation

People today are starving...starving for something real, for something meaningful in their lives...the modern world has been feeding people lies and fantasies for decades through such devices as television, movies and advertising...the media, through its slick marketing techniques, draws people in and convinces them that all they should want is to live a life of material and bodily obsession...this force is a powerful one and at times is difficult to truly point to...people are beginning to wake up from its dizzying grasp, though...people are beginning to realize that which traditional cultures have known all along: that there is more to this life than what we see or feel, that one should not become enthralled with worldly possessions, for they are not an end, but rather a means to a higher level of consciousness and awareness of life...some traditions profess that the physical world is an illusion and should be all but completely ignored, while others view the physical as a means of connecting to the spiritual...either way, the emphasis of life lies not on the physical garbs with which we cloth ourselves (money, cars, expensive clothing), but rather on the spiritual garbs we choose to wear (charity, kindness to others, respect for elders and so on)...so yes, the world is waking up to the fact that it has been asleep in front of the television set for too long, that it has been ignoring that small, still voice inside which is actually screaming to be noticed, that is screaming to come out and help us with the problems we are facing on an individual as well as global level...but it can only help when we bring it to the surface, when we quiet all of the other loud, overpowering voices in our lives and listen to it...one can hear this small still voice, for example, during meditation, as one works towards quieting the mind... but one can also hear this voice sitting next to a flowing stream in the woods, or listening to a story being told by an elderly woman about how things used to be when she was a little girl...that small still voice is  all around us, we just need to be aware of it and listen to what it has to say...there's an ancient prophesy that foretells of a time when there will be a hunger and a thirst throughout the land, not a hunger for bread or a thirst for water, but rather to hear the word of G-d...we are living the words of this prophecy, for people are beginning to cry out in hunger, yearning for something more than they've been given...beginning to search for that something more and traveling to the far corners of the earth to find it...some in nature, some in ashrams and some, unfortunately, in cults...many others are looking into the traditions of others for a sense of connection and a better understanding of the world around them...for example, a friend of mine who I met when I was first in Israel became very interested in the native american tribes of northern california, spending time with them and studying their ways...one day he was sitting with one of the elders, asking her questions about her tribe...when she was finished talking, she turned to him and said, "Now tell me about your tribe."...when he opened his mouth to answer, he realized he had nothing to say about "his tribe" since he knew nothing about them...that experience inspired him to learn about his own roots, which today has led him back to the ways of his ancestors, to the ways his soul was no doubt screaming out for for years, though he was unaware of it...the Divine One works in wondrous ways...

modern-day society, on a physical level, is very enticing...it has all the things the body wants...everything to keep the body happy and content and at the same time everything to keep the individual's attention focused on the body and away from anything meaningful and real...modern society works towards pushing away such questions as: "Why am I here? What was I put here to do? What's the purpose of this life I'm living?"...when one begins a process of asking questions such as these, cracks begin to appear in the structure of modern society...the foundation weakens further as new questions are asked and new realizations are had about the futility of a lifestyle solely based on physicality and materialism...we need to work towards a life of balance, where we care for both our physical and spiritual needs, where we infuse a sense of meaning into all of our physical actions...

we can draw this meaning from all around us, from the people that we meet and the experiences we have...but meaning can be subjective, specific to a certain time or place...where are you going to draw your meaning from?...of course, as this is the theme of these writings, i suggest that Jews look into their own tradition to see what it has to say about the deeper aspects of life…if, during one’s process of learning and discovery, a person comes across an aspect of Judaism which appears negative to him/her, whether it be a belief, a ritual or a custom, it does not seem fair to disregard the entire tradition...as a matter of fact, we may come to view something that we initially disagreed with in an entirely new light, and, as a result, see its beauty and deep significance...we may come to realize that we only disagreed with certain facets of our tradition because we were misinformed of their significance and meaning, or because we simply did not understand its role in the whole of the tradition...

if we are going to run away from our tradition and our heritage, we owe it to ourselves to first know what it is that we're running away from...after exploring and delving into the Jewish tradition, many people would be surprised to find out that there are things within it they actually agree and connect with on a very deep level...by learning more about our past, our individual as we as well as collective past, we are strengthening our roots, as well as strengthening our sense of place in the now...in order for a tree to grow to amazing heights, it must have strong roots, dug deep into the ground... it's no different for a human being...if there is nothing grounding a person in his/her life, he/she will be like a leaf blowing in the wind,  easily drawn in any direction society wishes to go...and as we all know, society does not always choose the most appropriate direction in which to go...