Category Archives: Uncategorized

Quoting: Use Auto-Suggestion for Approval

Repeat to yourself slowly and calmly again and again, even hundreds of times, “I do not need the approval of others,” or, “What others think of me does not make a difference.”

Contemplate these thoughts until you start to internalize them. Repetition will help you integrate them. Realize that you may have repeated many thousands of times the need for approval of others. Counteracting these takes many repetitions.

-from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s “Gateway to Happiness,” p. 289

ME: Especially with the contentiousness going on in social media at the moment (well, really at all times), this is an important message. Celebrities and other pundits don’t have control of your life, thus their opinions about those who disagree with their pronouncements mean less than nothing.

Quoting: Beware the Fruits of Impulsivity

Be careful not to panic into taking action or saying something, until you carefully think it over in your mind. The fruit of acting impulsively is regret. When you act impulsively, you might make irreparable mistakes.

It is especially important not to make major life changes when you are guided by emotions. If you are emotionally excited (either in the positive or negative), wait until you calm down before taking action.

Sources: Shaarey Kedushah 1:6; Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s Gateway to Happiness, p.261

The Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan

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Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan

Today (Shevat 14 on the Jewish calendar) is the Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan (1934-1983), an American author and scholar who inspired thousands of Jews to return to Jewish observance. Rabbi Kaplan was a physicist, and applied the same analytical approach to the study of “metaphysics.” He possessed an encyclopedic command of Jewish literature, and he produced 50 books on philosophy, Jewish law and Kabbalah. The Jewish world mourned his untimely death at the age of 48.

I’m adding this to illustrate that physics and metaphysics aren’t mutually exclusive, and a brilliant man of faith can be an equally brilliant man of science. I know. It doesn’t play to the stereotypes that all religious people are superstitious Luddites, but part of the reason I post these messages here (rather than on my religious blog) is to break through the stereotypes.

Quoting: Patience Enhancing Scripts

What are some of the scripts that create patience?

“Things are going as fast as they are. I will do what I can to speed things up and I will accept the reality with serenity.”

“Each second of life is precious. And I won’t waste it by causing myself needless distress.”

“One never knows where it is best for one to be at any given moment. I will try to make the wisest choices. But I will realize that where I am could be the best thing for me.”

“I choose my emotional state and I am committed to living my life experiencing positive, resourceful states.”

“Opportunities for personal growth can be found wherever one is and in any given situation. Right now I will look at the present as a gift and an opportunity.”

-from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s book “Patience.”

Quoting: Learn to Let Go

For those who have mastered serenity, fifteen seconds ago is ancient history. They realize that once something is over, it is over regardless of whether it has been over for many years or for a relatively short time. It is understandable that it can take different people varying amounts of time until they are able to let things go. But the goal should be to let go of what is over and done with. In truth it is gone whether or not you let it. It is just a question of the degree of emotional mastery that you will have. Regardless of where you are at this moment, you can always improve on your ability to let things go as soon as they are gone.

-from Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s book, “Serenity,” p.51

Quoting: Stages in Willingness to Forgive

There are three levels of willingness to forgive others:

(1) Some people forgive anyone who wronged them if that person comes over and asks forgiveness.

(2) Others go out of their way to meet those who wronged them to make it easier for them to ask for forgiveness.

(3) People on the highest level explicitly state each night before they go to sleep that they forgive anyone who insulted them, even if those people will not ask for forgiveness on their own.

Sources: Eikev Anavah, p.58; Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s “Gateway to Happiness,” p.307

A Sequel…Why Did It Have to Be a Sequel?

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From the teaser/trailer to “Ghostbusters 3”

Oh, good grief. I mean “Ghostbusters 3?”

Okay, I’m a huge fan of the original 1984 Ghostbusters starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, and directed by Ivan Reitman. Every Halloween, I close up all of the blinds on the front of my house, hide from trick or treaters, and watch this comedy classic. It’s a beautiful movie that never gets old.

I’ve watched the 1989 sequel exactly once, hated it, and have never viewed it since.

I read extensively about the gender-flipped 2016 Ghostbuster’s remake and decided to avoid it altogether. Yes, that probably leaves me vulnerable to being called “sexist” and “misogynistic” since a “woke” man would have not only watched the film but loved it for being pro-woman and progressive (however, as Paul Bois at The Daily Wire quipped, “Get woke, go broke”)…

…or maybe it was just a bad movie banking on using an established and beloved franchise to push an ideology in the most shallow and blatantly obvious way possible.

Continue reading →

Quoting: Shrink Problems Down to Size

The best way to gain a proper perspective about life is to visit a cemetery.

You might have many problems, but that is part and parcel of being alive. Compared to those buried in the cemetery, just how serious are your difficulties?

Learn to have a sense of proportion to events. If you fail to do so, you might react with equal levels of distress to someone’s spilling soup on your clothes as you would to news of the outbreak of global nuclear warfare.

Today, when something bothers you, ask yourself: “On a scale of one to 100 (with 100 applying to nuclear war), what number would I give this situation?”

You’ll find with this perspective that many potential mountains will easily shrink to molecules.

Rabbi Nachum of Huradna used to say, “If I had already died and the Almighty told me I could come back to life again, imagine how happy I would be. Now that I am alive, I should feel that same joy!”

Sources: see Chayai Hamussar, vol.2, p. 176, 200; Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s Gateway to Happiness, p.65

Lepers: A Short Story Review

keyan bowes

Author Keyan Bowes – image found at bigpulp.com – No photo credit given

I became aware of author Keyan Bowes‘s short story Lepers when I received it as part of the latest newsletter from Mysterion Magazine.

Since I’m interested in having at least one of my short stories published by that periodical, I thought it might be a good idea to see what they think is acceptable fare.

Oh, Mysterion is:

…an ezine of Christian-themed speculative fiction edited and published by the husband and wife team of Donald S. Crankshaw and Kristin Janz. We seek quality speculative fiction with Christian characters, themes, or cosmology. Join us as we rediscover the mysteries of the faith!

Lepers is a little over a thousand words long, qualifying it for something just a tad longer than flash fiction. It chronicles the brief encounter between Vijay and his former friend Raj, who he was told had died while studying abroad, but in fact, has become something like a zombie.

Continue reading →

Quoting: Feel Secure In Your Value

A king arose in the middle of the night and fixed the wick of a lamp to prevent it from extinguishing. His subjects asked him, “Why did you not ask us to do it?”

“I was the king when I arose, and I was still the king when I went back to sleep,” he replied.

The lesson: Someone who is aware of his value does not worry about losing it.

Sources: Orchos Tzadikim, ch.2; Rabbi Zelig Pliskin’s Gateway to Happiness, p.131