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Mishenichnas Adar - Increasing
Your Happiness Quotient
by M.W.
Seems like the blueprint for a good life is based on the
premise that our natural frame of mind should be a joyous
one. In Adar, we are asked to increase our joy. Of course,
this is easier for some people than for others, depending on
every individual's temperament and the parameters of his
daily life. But I think it also depends on our basic
orientation to life. It is within our power to work on this
and to turn our thinking around.
A small concrete example: jealousy is known to erode
happiness, to erase joy, and to depress us. Jealous feelings
cause us to focus on the empty half of the glass. A tiny step
towards acquiring the marvelous mida of
farginning [the only translation we can come up with
is to `rejoice in the happiness of another's good fortune' -
or the opposite of `begrudging'] is to start thinking along a
new track. Think of it selfishly. If your happiness is
dependent on your own state, i.e. what you've accomplished,
acquired, achieved or received, you are limiting your
happiness quotient drastically.
Think in multiples. If you share in other people's joy, your
chances of having pleasureable moments increases
exponentially. Times 10, 100, 1000. You may not be ready for
this, but Mishlei teaches us that the goodhearted are
always celebrating. Instead of looking at your interpersonal
relations as a difficult burden, challenge yourself to find
the up side of every relationship. You don't have to turn
into a cockeyed optimist or an irritating smiley Pollyana;
you don't have to undergo a total personality metamorphosis.
But try out this formula in a gentle and quiet way. See how
your ability to fargin builds your own world up. To
say nothing of building up the other guy.
May Adar's joy be permanent and increase. For the
Shechina rests upon us when we are in a joyous
state.
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