On Passover, Jews commemorate the Exodus from Egypt and the end of slavery. In the Hagaddah, the ceremonial book that is read from on Passover in Jewish homes, the deplorable conditions of slavery are recounted, as well as the consequences that the Egyptians suffered. Many thanks and praises are sung to the L-D, who removed one distinct nation from the domination of another. An exhortation is made to Him to destroy and punish all of Israel's enemies.
So what can we take from this tradition as beta males?
(1). We can refuse to be enslaved by the alphaganda. That unbinding and unenacted piece of de-facto legislation cannot be held over our heads by anyone. It does not govern our thoughts or our actions, it does not limit our movements, and it does nothing to limit or force our decision-making. Although this blog rails against this system forcefully, freeing yourself from it surprisingly easy. It doesn't even require you set forth the lengthy rants on display here. All you need to do is decide that it does not own you, and you've just parted the Red Sea without even getting wet.
(2). We can decide not to rage against our would-be taskmasters if it can't spur us into action. Yes, the alpholes have ways of not being good to us and ways of avoiding consequences for their actions, but simply being angry at them doesn't free us.
On this blog, we minimize them, expose their weaknesses, and sometimes bash them, for one and only one reason: to prevent us as beta males from enabling them further. To stop us from buying into the alphaganda, which tells us to kowtow and abdicate to the alpholes as if they were our taskmasters. To perform a global iconoclast, and make way for conquering heroes.
But we do NOT minimize them in order to make us all hate-filled and bitter. If we must rage against them, and demand that they suffer for their misdeeds, we can only do that from a position of strength. In the meantime, the rage should be re-directed and converted into passion, drive, ambition, and self-confidence. One way of doing that is by reinforcing the fact that our adversaries are not the indestructible juggernauts they claim to be, and not by providing a "Two Minute Hate" from 1984. Otherwise, anger for anger's sake does nothing but corrode and decay us.
One interesting moment from the Seder is when the door is opened for Elijah the Prophet, forerunner of the Messiah. At that time, the following prayer is uttered:
"Pour out Thy wrath on the nations that know Thee not, upon the
governments which do not call upon Thy name. For they have devoured Jacob
and desolated his home. Pour out Thy wrath on them; may Thy
blazing anger overtake them. Pursue them from under the heavens
of the L-D."
For the scholars among us, these are several verses taken from Psalms and Lamentations, and it does demonstrate an example of the "Old Testament G-D" known for imposing severe consequences for improper actions. For the rest of us, it is a reminder of where our boundaries lie. Because we do not live in a comic book or a Stallone film, we are not obligated to seek revenge for every slight, insult, or offense against us. There is someone far bigger than the rest of us, more powerful than us, and able to actually seek vengeance against the alpholes in ways we are powerless to perform. He's a lot better than it than we are, and there is no chance He would screw it up. Vengeance belongs to Divine Providence, karma, and natural consequences, and not to us beta males. The Almighty is saying, in effect, "everybody chill out, OK? I got this."
Remove the desire for revenge you seek, no matter how justified it really is, and kiss it up to Him. If these alpholes truly deserve a crushing demise, they'll get it.
(3). We can leave situations that drain us, harm us, or force us to be something that we're not. Sometimes it means you'll say things that hurt others, but that cost pales in comparison to the benefit of achieving the freedom you need. It is far better to be free and walk alone that it is to be constantly surrounded by taskmasters.
(4). We can get rid of habits that don't make us better. Watching TV is fun if the show you're watching makes you laugh, shocks you, or gives you and your friends something to discuss afterwards. Otherwise, you're wasting precious time. Drinking a fine glass of wine or a cold beer is a treat and a luxury. But when ingested to an extreme, it weakens your internal organs and shortens your life span. Engaging in any type of fantasy role-playing game (and I'm covering a lot of ground with this one) is fun, in and of itself, but if left unchecked, we stop playing the game known as reality, and our "avatars" stop looking like winners.
(5). We can dispose of the self-doubt, guilt, and fear that block the path to self-actualization. This means we can forgive ourselves for every mistake we make and learn from it, instead of engaging in pointless self-flagellation. This means we can stop telling ourselves that it's not possible because it's difficult, and start telling ourselves that it's difficult and possible. This means that we can meet challenges head on, risky or otherwise, even if it makes us uncomfortable. Believe me, nothing is more enslaving than comfort, and nothing keeps us tied down more than complacency. Break those chains and you'll be free for life.
(6). We can control situations instead of letting situations control us. We can say "no" or "later" to people who interrupt us from what we need to do. We can arrange tasks and events by priority, and not by how annoying someone else is. We can decide what gets our time, attention, affection, love, blood, sweat and tears, and what doesn't.
And so gentlemen, there are many paths to freedom. Some of those chains may be tighter and heavier for some than others, but if you want to break them, you're halfway there. Although you don't want to be slaves, there is still work involved in gaining freedom. If you're willing to do your part to bust loose from all of the oppressions that I've described, then you'll make it.
For those who celebrate, I hope you have a Sweet Passover. I hope you find a way to break free from whatever or whoever is enslaving you. Better yet, I hope you can find a way to break free from the meanest, cruelest, most sadistic taskmaster you know . . . you.
The Exodus tells us about a nation that grew and changed from a conquered and enslaved tribe into a huge and powerful people. It tells about a former nobleman who fled in exile, and reluctantly and humbly led that nation, and then became someone more wise and powerful than he ever dreamed. I hope you can find some kind of parallel between that most momentous event and your own life.
Night All!
(2). We can decide not to rage against our would-be taskmasters if it can't spur us into action. Yes, the alpholes have ways of not being good to us and ways of avoiding consequences for their actions, but simply being angry at them doesn't free us.
On this blog, we minimize them, expose their weaknesses, and sometimes bash them, for one and only one reason: to prevent us as beta males from enabling them further. To stop us from buying into the alphaganda, which tells us to kowtow and abdicate to the alpholes as if they were our taskmasters. To perform a global iconoclast, and make way for conquering heroes.
But we do NOT minimize them in order to make us all hate-filled and bitter. If we must rage against them, and demand that they suffer for their misdeeds, we can only do that from a position of strength. In the meantime, the rage should be re-directed and converted into passion, drive, ambition, and self-confidence. One way of doing that is by reinforcing the fact that our adversaries are not the indestructible juggernauts they claim to be, and not by providing a "Two Minute Hate" from 1984. Otherwise, anger for anger's sake does nothing but corrode and decay us.
One interesting moment from the Seder is when the door is opened for Elijah the Prophet, forerunner of the Messiah. At that time, the following prayer is uttered:
"Pour out Thy wrath on the nations that know Thee not, upon the
governments which do not call upon Thy name. For they have devoured Jacob
and desolated his home. Pour out Thy wrath on them; may Thy
blazing anger overtake them. Pursue them from under the heavens
of the L-D."
For the scholars among us, these are several verses taken from Psalms and Lamentations, and it does demonstrate an example of the "Old Testament G-D" known for imposing severe consequences for improper actions. For the rest of us, it is a reminder of where our boundaries lie. Because we do not live in a comic book or a Stallone film, we are not obligated to seek revenge for every slight, insult, or offense against us. There is someone far bigger than the rest of us, more powerful than us, and able to actually seek vengeance against the alpholes in ways we are powerless to perform. He's a lot better than it than we are, and there is no chance He would screw it up. Vengeance belongs to Divine Providence, karma, and natural consequences, and not to us beta males. The Almighty is saying, in effect, "everybody chill out, OK? I got this."
Remove the desire for revenge you seek, no matter how justified it really is, and kiss it up to Him. If these alpholes truly deserve a crushing demise, they'll get it.
(3). We can leave situations that drain us, harm us, or force us to be something that we're not. Sometimes it means you'll say things that hurt others, but that cost pales in comparison to the benefit of achieving the freedom you need. It is far better to be free and walk alone that it is to be constantly surrounded by taskmasters.
(4). We can get rid of habits that don't make us better. Watching TV is fun if the show you're watching makes you laugh, shocks you, or gives you and your friends something to discuss afterwards. Otherwise, you're wasting precious time. Drinking a fine glass of wine or a cold beer is a treat and a luxury. But when ingested to an extreme, it weakens your internal organs and shortens your life span. Engaging in any type of fantasy role-playing game (and I'm covering a lot of ground with this one) is fun, in and of itself, but if left unchecked, we stop playing the game known as reality, and our "avatars" stop looking like winners.
(5). We can dispose of the self-doubt, guilt, and fear that block the path to self-actualization. This means we can forgive ourselves for every mistake we make and learn from it, instead of engaging in pointless self-flagellation. This means we can stop telling ourselves that it's not possible because it's difficult, and start telling ourselves that it's difficult and possible. This means that we can meet challenges head on, risky or otherwise, even if it makes us uncomfortable. Believe me, nothing is more enslaving than comfort, and nothing keeps us tied down more than complacency. Break those chains and you'll be free for life.
(6). We can control situations instead of letting situations control us. We can say "no" or "later" to people who interrupt us from what we need to do. We can arrange tasks and events by priority, and not by how annoying someone else is. We can decide what gets our time, attention, affection, love, blood, sweat and tears, and what doesn't.
And so gentlemen, there are many paths to freedom. Some of those chains may be tighter and heavier for some than others, but if you want to break them, you're halfway there. Although you don't want to be slaves, there is still work involved in gaining freedom. If you're willing to do your part to bust loose from all of the oppressions that I've described, then you'll make it.
For those who celebrate, I hope you have a Sweet Passover. I hope you find a way to break free from whatever or whoever is enslaving you. Better yet, I hope you can find a way to break free from the meanest, cruelest, most sadistic taskmaster you know . . . you.
The Exodus tells us about a nation that grew and changed from a conquered and enslaved tribe into a huge and powerful people. It tells about a former nobleman who fled in exile, and reluctantly and humbly led that nation, and then became someone more wise and powerful than he ever dreamed. I hope you can find some kind of parallel between that most momentous event and your own life.
Night All!
