Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar

we can open in gratitude even to inanimate objects.

We are actually wired into all kinds of larger circuits and systems, from the molecular to the social, and we don’t control many of the factors that have a role in shaping our lives. Least of all can we expect to rule the timetable according to which life takes place.

“accepting what I cannot control.

When confronted with injustice or the needs or suffering

we have no business patiently taking our time. Patience comes into play when it is our own burden we are bearing, or when there really is no course of action available to us at that moment to alleviate the situation.

“He was so humble he didn’t even know he was humble.”

it is also a short step from impatience to rage,

The inner voice that says, “You’re hot!” and the one that says, “You’re not!” both originate from the same source,

The more you accept extreme inner attitudes that either build up the ego or tear it down, the more you deviate from truth.