If you look around the world, you will see people searching for meaning and the purpose of life.
People are looking for something greater than themselves and to leave a lasting footprint behind in the world in the short time they have.
Some people fly around the world looking for meaning, while others are looking to help the world in some way, big or small, whatever their cause may be.
Take a look at the people around you and on social media. Everyone seems to have a strong opinion about a specific topic and no one can change their perception or their mind, no matter how much logic or facts to the contrary thrown at them.
There are people who join a volunteer group or charity work, which should bring a feeling of true and great accomplishment and happiness. If it does not, you will need to look into the cause, and reevaluate the organization you associate with.
You will encounter people who are fighting for the rights of their cause in a way that consumes their existence, their identify and their happiness.
These acts leave them bitter and angry, as they see the world as a place of injustice. If you are part of this group, you may need to evaluate and do some soul-searching as to why you decided to create or join this particular cause.
While we all want to leave the world a great place for our future generations, you see people who fight for the environment or animals in such an aggressive manner to the point that they call for the death of any person who hurts the environment or an animal.
It is very clear in the Torah that Hashem gave people the right to eat animals and for certain animals to eat other animals and living plants. The Torah in parshat Vayikra 11: 2
דברו אל בני ישראל לאמר זאת החיה אשר תאכלו מכל הבהמה אשר על הארץ
Speak to the children of Israel, saying: These are the creatures that you may eat among all the animals on earth.
It seems that every person hangs on to some belief and spends a lot of time and often lots of money to spread their beliefs and to get as many people as they can on board to see their side of the coin and to join them in their mission to spread their beliefs.
Some people refer to themselves as Atheists. Atheism is an absence of belief in higher and greater power. You would think that an atheist would live their life to enjoy every moment for the current and now, as they don’t believe in an afterlife or in a higher power.
Yet you see a great deal of atheists spending their time money and energy fighting to push their “belief” which is “their right NOT to believe” in a higher power as if they need to convince the world to change from the natural in born desire to live for the something greater than themselves.
Everyone deserves to love and be loved. The world thrives on love. While most people find someone to share their life and love and share their experience with close friends and family, there are those who spend their time, money and energy demanding the world accept the person they chose to love.
Instead of focusing on developing their loving relationship with their partner, these people are united in their mission to force the world to accept their relationship. Instead of going to a bakery that will be happy to make them a beautiful wedding cake, these people try to force someone who opposes their view, to bake it, to the extent of giving up their time, money, happiness and energy fighting for others to accept their beliefs in court.
You likely heard the saying “don’t hate another person for sining differently than you. The Torah does not allow שנאת חינם baseless hatred, nor are we allowed to judge others. That being said, the Torah is very clear that this is not to be done and in Parshas Acharei 18:22 states
ואת זכר לא תשכב משכבי אשה תועבה הוא
You shall not lie down with a male, as with a woman: this is an abomination.
In Parsahas Kodoshim 20:13 it says:
ואיש אשר ישכב את זכר משכבי אשה תועבה עשו שניהם מות יומתו דמיהם בם And a man who lies with a male as one would with a woman both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon themselves.
Many causes throughout history are entangled with the belief that if someone has a belief that is different from that of what you believe in, those “non-believer” do not have the right to exist or that they are a danger and that the world needs to be cleansed of them.
We see this concept often on social media. A person has a “cause” that they pour their heart and soul into. If someone comments and disagrees with their cause, the account holder will block the commenter and very often report the “offender” to the social media boss in hopes that their account is closed so no one who has an opinion outside theirs exist.
Such people surround themselves with only like-minded people who make them feel good with positive comments in support of their cause which then leads them to live in a false reality believing that everyone thinks just as they do.
Why does the human race have such a great need to believe in something bigger than them?
This is because Hashem created the world with the need to belong to something greater than oneself, this way we can serve Him.
Hashem created the world with choice in order to reward those who chose to follow His commandments and to serve Him.
Hashem gave us the right to choose where we want to put our effort and beliefs. This right to choose give us the need to belong to a greater thing than ourselves.
Just as we have the right to chose our thoughts our and actions, we can choose to tolerate others who chose differently than us even when it is contrary to our beliefs but not contrary to the commandments of the Torah.
It is always worth to listen to the other person and to hear their side. Find where this topic is discussed in Hashem’s Torah, so you can make an educated decision what your opinion is, based on the Torah values.
If you are finding yourself looking to begin or being the leader of a specific “cause” that causes negativity in your life, you may do some soul-searching and see what the reason behind this would be.
Have you been disappointed in your life, or in the way your children turned out? After all you did for them, they are leading a very different life than you wanted and envisioned for them.
Are you disappointed in your marriage after all the work you put in to make it work?
Are you fining yourself at a cross road in life, and you feel the need to accomplish more before your time in this world is over?
If so, instead of looking outward towards a greater cause, you need to look into yourself to find what your personal relationship with Hashem is.
As it states in the Torah in Parshas Netzavim chapter 30 pasuk 19
העידתי בכם היום את השמים ואת הארץ החיים והמות נתתי לפניך הברכה והקללה ובחרת בחיים למען תחיה אתה וזרעך
This day, I call upon the heaven and the earth as witnesses [that I have warned] you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. You shall choose life, so that you and your offspring will live;
Ibachartu bechaim and you shall choose life in order that you will live, you and for your future generations, thus leaving an amazing and great impact in the world by following Hashem’s commandments.
