March 27, 2009

• Unrealized Miracles

  From the above book, God is a Verb, by Rabbi David A. Cooper.

  "The Kabbalists teach that everything we do stirs up a corresponding energy in other realms of reality. Actions, words, or thoughts set up reverberations in the universe. The universe unfolds from moment to moment as a function of all the variables leading up to that moment. When we remain cognizant of this mystical system, we are careful about what we do, say, or even think, for we know that everything is interdependent; we know that a seemingly insignificant gesture could have weighty consequences.

  For example, when we leave our home to go visit someone we are affected by our surroundings in thousands of ways from t he time we step out the door until we return. Where we place our feet, the people we see, the traffic we encounter, and the impressions we make all can be envisioned as intersecting lines in a great tapestry of life.

  Now, what happens if the telephone rings just as we are about to leave? Our trip is delayed a few minutes. This changes the design of the entire tapestry. Everything is different. The timing changes. The green light is red; the person we would have smiled at is gone; the aunt we never saw is now crushed.

  In the new science of chaos theory, there is a well-known phenomenon called the "butterfly effect," in which the air moved in one part of the world by an insect can be the initiatory cause for a typhoon that occurs somewhere else in the world at a later time. The technical term is called "sensitive dependence upon initial conditions." This theory adds incredible dimension to our lives if we take note of it. What does it mean that my automobile would push one air mass if I were not interrupted by a telephone call, and a completely different air mass if I were? What different reverberations are set up in the universe by those few minutes? Does one lead to a typhoon in my life, while the other does nothing?

  Moreover, what if the phone ringing causes me to miss a terrible accident that otherwise would have maimed or killed me? A truck lost its breaks and came through a red light where I would have been had the phone not rung. Should I call this a miracle? Yet how should I even know that the accident would have occurred? Two minutes later, everything seems normal. Obviously, this would be an "unrealized" miracle.

  In Jewish mysticism, the instant we open our eyes to the true dimension of creation and causality, we find ourselves immersed in a sea of miracles. This realization is astonishing. At any instant, creation might unfold in a way that would be disastrous for us; therefore, each moment is bursting with the gift of life. Indeed, as a result of this awareness, the mystic loves life intensely and feels loved by it."

  My interpretation:  Love life!  The very fact that you are alive is the greatest miracle!   To quote Lo, "Take note of how precious each day is!"
  
  

  • 12:43 am
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