where i'm from...
where i'm from is a land that has come to be known as suburbia... if you're from suburbia you understand why it's not necessary that i give the actual name of my hometown, for, on some level, all of suburbia is the same...strip malls and fancy cars...people convinced that the fulfillment of their bodily needs and desires is the end-all be-all of our existence here...people so convinced of this that they slave away at jobs that wage war on their peace of mind just so they can keep up with the latest trends and the ever-changing status quo...if you're not from suburbia, I'm sure you can still relate, for this is a sickness that has spread throughout our country, from the cities to the rural communities, and throughout our modern-day culture…
anyways, suburbia isn't really where i'm from...it's just a place where i was born and raised...where i'm from is a whole long story that spans time and space, various corners of the earth and endless stretches of the universe...the same is true for most Americans, since, except for the natives who were here prior to the arrival of the whites many centuries ago, this is not the real home for any of us...for the Jewish people and many others, this is but part of the diaspora, part of the exile that we have become accustomed to for so long...this land is a land my ancestors and yours came to in search of something better, something people like to call the American Dream...within a generation, due to their willingness to assimilate, they did it...they dreamed the dream and the dream came true...their offspring now live in comfortable homes on streets that are clean and straight...but for some of us this is not a dream, but rather a nightmare...a nightmare that took us many years to realize...but once realized, there's no going back...only forward...
so where am i from? again, this society would tell me that i'm from new york, and that's that, but i know the story doesn't stop there...i know that this is but the most recent scene of a story that began a long time ago, a time when there was nothing...a time when nothing was all that was needed, when nothing was everything...
so, where we're from is not this consumeristic, materialistic, capitalistic country called the United States of America...this is but a step on our path towards enlightenment and redemption...for each of us, where we're truly from takes us to lands outside the ones we walk on now...lands either personally left in search of that dream (or in some cases, to avoid danger and oppression), or lands only thought about, but never actually seen...
in essence where we're all from is not a place at all, but rather a spark of light that ignited the whole universe some 15 billion years ago[1]...we all come from that same spark, that mystical primal source, all emanating and created from the same One Creator...that original spark spread out and has taken on an infinite amount of different forms, yet within each one is a piece of that original spark, evidence that we are all inherently connected, that together we all re-form that original spark of light...and though that first light has resulted in a myriad of different forms, the light that exists within each is just as strong as the first...it's like a candle that lights a million others...by lighting the others, the first candle does not lose any of its strength or intensity, and those that it lights become just as strong as it...so, too, we must realize that within each of us is that original spark of creation...if that original spark created an entire universe, and we have the same strength as it, there's no limit to what we can do, no limit to the levels we can reach both as individuals and as a collective society...
though we all are connected
through this original spark of light, we are all here with a different story to
tell, and a different mission to fulfill...by telling our story and carrying out
our mission, we are able to bring that original light of creation that we hold
within ourselves out into the world, where it can inspire others to do the
same...for it is when all of the hidden sparks are revealed that the world will
reach its intended state of perfection...but what becomes of a person if he/she
doesn't play out his/her role, if he/she doesn't carry out that mission that was
only assigned to him/her? what becomes of that person, and what becomes of that task that
is to
be done?...you may be asking yourself at this point: what if i don't know what my mission is? you might even be
asking: what do you mean by all this
mission stuff?!?
each one of us comes to this world for a reason...if you believe in G-d[2], then you can view G-d as sending you here to carry out a part of a universal plan, a part that only you can carry out...if you don't do it, however, it is left undone...each one of us must discover why it is we are here, and then work towards fulfilling that mission...this is not to say that we are all like androids put here to do one and only one specific task...this is real life where we experience love, pain, joy and sadness...but through all of this, through our everyday actions, speech and thoughts we need to bring that piece of ourselves that makes us unique, that defines our mission, into the world so that the world can become a more whole, connected place...it is only through people realizing themselves and doing "their thing" that real change comes about...for each person has a completely unique spark to share with the world, unique not only to their generation, but to all of time...what a tragedy it would be if one fails to realize what this unique quality of theirs is...what an even greater tragedy if one fails to realize that they even hold that spark within...
so once we acknowledge that we have this unique mission to fulfill, how do we discover what it is? well, of course, that's the hard part...it comes from a process of introspection, from looking within, for it is from within that we are all connected to G-d, who acts as our guide through life...there's a saying that G-d leads us down the path we choose, meaning that we are partners in Creation with G-d...it's not all up to G-d, and it's not all up to us...when we are aware of this connection and work towards deepening it, we come to learn to realize why we are here...this "why we are here" works on two levels...there's the individual, personal reason each one of us is here, which we already talked about, and then there's the global reason, the two being inherently connected to one another...on a global level, we all need to work towards perfecting this world, towards bringing light into this world, towards a day when peace will be the only reality...this larger goal is only manifested, however, through our individual actions...it is us who decide if and when this future to come will come...if we will live in a world of light or in a world of darkness...for it is through our good actions that we spread light, and through our negative actions, G-d forbid, that we take that light away...it would be easy now to get into a discussion of what defines good as opposed to bad actions, about whether or not there is a universal morality (which i believe there is), but that's not the focus of this writing, at least not right here and now...the point i want to make is that as human beings we have a mission to accomplish: to bring the Divine Light of G-d into this world and create a world in which that Divine Light can reside...for through each good deed, no matter how small we may think it is, we can "bring down" a lot of light, just as one small candle placed in the center of a dark room creates a lot of light and pushes away a lot of darkness...
so getting back to where i'm from, where we're from...we are all from that original spark, but since then we've been many places...a journey which only now at this time takes us to where we stand...we must discover where it is we have been all these years...where were you two, three, four or five generations ago? what were you wearing? what were you eating? how were you living? these things are necessary to know not only for the sake of knowing one's past, but so that we can truly understand who we are and how we came to be in the place (both spiritually and physically) we now stand...for without knowledge of the past, we can never understand the present, and certainly not the future...it is said that the masculine represents the past, while the feminine represents the future...we need to bring these two complementary energies together so we can understand the NOW...for it is through the now that we experience life...through the past, we understand the now, but through the now, we bring the future...but to bring the future, and not simply repeat the past, we must intimately know that part of ourselves that comes from that first original spark, that tells us what we need to do to bring the spirit of creation into every moment, into every thought, and into every act...when we have the consciousness that in every moment we have the ability to transform the world, we are working towards and actually bringing about the long awaited Redemption...
[1] Though some Jews believe that the world is only 5764 years ago, according to the literal interpretation of the Torah, this is not necessarily so...many Kabbalistic sources have pointed out that the universe itself was created long before modern-day humans came on the scene, that there were many cycles of creation that preceded the one we are now in...based on calculations from many great Kabbalists and Torah scholars, the age of the universe is shown to be about the same that modern day science is coming up with only recently...about 15 billion years old...a proof that science and religion do not have to be, and should not be at odds with each other...science should and could be viewed as a means through which one can better understand the awesomeness of Creation...
[2]In our society today, the name G-d evokes weariness and hesitation in many people as it has become a word that evokes images of "The Big Man in the Sky" or other patriarchal, judgmental-type images...but this should not be the case...in fact, when images and concepts such as these are attached to the essence of G-d, they are the furthest thing from the truth...the reason G-d is written without the "o" in the middle is based on the belief that the essence of the Creator/Creative Force of the Universe cannot be captured in a word, nor can it be attached to anything physical (i.e. body, form) or conceptual (i.e. thoughts, beliefs)...the essence and reality of G-d is beyond all we do and see, yet, at the same time, G-d is imminent, an inherent part of Creation...so while we cannot attribute any physical human qualities to G-d, for G-d is beyond all definition, as creatures who rely on verbal and written communication, we need a way in which we can talk about the Creator…our minds cannot easily accept a G-d that is beyond all definition...therefore we talk about G-d in human terms, in terms that we can understand...doing this, we even sometimes attribute a gender to G-d, most often that being the male gender...while some are comfortable with that, others are not...that's not a problem...it makes sense that one would be uncomfortable with G-d being referred to as a "He"...G-d can also be called a "She", but that would also be just as far from the true essence of G-d...G-d is without gender, without body or form...it is just a human tendency to want to talk about G-d in terms that one can relate with...along these lines, we could use a variety of words, phrases or concepts to "describe" G-d or talk about G-d...throughout the writing, names such as Divine One and the Creator are used...these are all attempts to capture the essence of G-d, which (and I know I keep saying this) cannot be captured in words or thoughts...but, as humans, we go on doing what we do, for we need a way to at least try and come close to the essence of the One...so whatever name use for G-d, whether it be Love, One, or "simply" G-d, realize that what you are talking about is none of these things, while at the same time all of them… G-d is the ultimate paradox...transcendent above all physical and spiritual reality, while simultaneously right there in every moment and every thing...for those who are uncomfortable reading or talking about "G-d", know that it is just a word...a word to describe that "thing" that cannot be described, that "creative force" that is behind everything, as well as beyond...