Utilize Your Talents
Our talents resemble nuclear power; we can use them to light up the world, or to destroy the world. God does not interfere with our free choice...
We continue with the Ten Lessons of the Flakefoot Falcon as we learn how to acquire the art of being at peace with ourselves.
Lesson Number one: Look for your good points
Lesson Number two: Separate your weak points
Lesson Number three: The weaknesses are a blessing
Lesson Number four: To judge yourself fairly
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Lesson Number Five: Utilize your talents for the benefit of society
Alfred Nobel, the brilliant 19th century Swedish chemist who invented dynamite, intended his innovation for the benefit of construction and industry. When he saw the death, pain, and suffering that the use of dynamite caused, he lost his sanity.
Our talents resemble nuclear power; we can use them to light up the world, or to destroy the world. God does not interfere with our free choice to do good or evil (see Lesson Six). Yet, whenever we misuse our choices, we go against the grain of our souls – which are all a tiny, holy spark of the Almighty – and therefore create inner turmoil. Inner peace is dependent upon the utilization of our good points toward positive goals.
Let's return to our feathered friend the Flakefoot Falcon. Were he to use his strength and flying prowess to terrorize and to bully the little birds in the treetops, we wouldn't have much regard for him. Such a falcon would miss the boat of his life's mission as majestic king of the sky, and would simply become another tyrant – here today and gone tomorrow. When we are privileged to witness a Flakefoot in flight, we are exhilarated. A noble Flakefoot has the ability to elevate our thoughts, even beyond the wild blue yonder. If a bird has the ability of being either a terrorist or a lofty spiritual influence, can you imagine what a human's choices are? Think about it – it's mind-boggling.
Lesson Number Six: Don't be angry or disappointed when you fail. Never despair! Make a new start!
Don't be angry with yourself when you fail. Examine the following list of failure consolations:
The Five Consolations of Failure:
1. Only doers fail. People who drive sometimes get traffic tickets. People, who don't drive, never make wrong turns. Wouldn't it be ridiculous if a seventy-year-old person bragged that he never committed a traffic violation, if he never drove a car? Failure's first consolation is the knowledge that you are a doer.
2. Failure teaches, and usually triggers a stronger second effort. Failure guards us against complacency and arrogance. When we fail, we realize that we need to improve. Oftentimes, a second effort is far superior to even a best first effort. Don't be angry with yourself; just try harder. Failure is like your soccer team losing a goal – the other team may have scored a point, but the game's not over!
3. Failure brings us closer to God. If we were constantly successful, we'd probably walk around with our noses in the air. Then, we'd be ugly, Heaven forbid, because few things are uglier than arrogance. The Almighty wants His children close to Him. After failure, we pray a lot harder and earnestly seek Divine assistance for our next effort. If our lives were a perfect string of successes, we'd almost certainly neglect our spiritual development.
4. Experience is life's best teacher. The experience of failure drives a lesson home immediately. Usually, we are slow in internalizing and implementing what we learn. When we fail, we have a golden opportunity to better ourselves immediately.
5. Small-scale failure assures large-scale success. Where would an actor prefer to forget a line, in rehearsal or on stage? A failure in rehearsal often assures a better performance on stage, since the actor makes a special effort to polish the rough edges of his or her performance. Sometimes, small failures are none other than preparations for large successes.
Important! Don't ever despair when you fail. Try harder, ask God for help, and then be positive that you'll do much better the next time. Depression stems from the dark, spiritually impure side, and prevents you from being happy. Despair perpetuates inner turmoil and creates a barrier between you and God's light. True inner happiness – the opposite of despair – is holiness, a sign that you're close to God.
To be continued . . .
(The Trail to Tranquility is available in the Breslev Store.)
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