(Author: Charlotte Cohen, Vol. 64, No. 2, Rosh Hashanah 2009)
The conversation was intelligent and stimulating. Spoken quite casually, and despite the fact that I had never heard it used in a sentence before, one word seemed to fit perfectly. The word was ‘anthropomorphic.’
Upon asking what it meant, the explanation I was given was that, in that context, it was: “when God is described as a human being”. The dictionary confirmed the explanation: “attributing human form or personality to God”.
I wondered whether I would ever have occasion to use such a word. The opportunity arose at a conference, when I used it to introduce two favorite stories to illustrate the topic of the day.
The first story concerns an old man who pleads in his prayers every day: “Please God, let me win the lottery! Please God! Please! Let me win the lottery!”
This continues day in and day out for ages and eventually one of the angels goes to God and says: “Why don’t let him win the lottery? After all, he’s been praying like this for years, and he’s already 87 years old; and really, how much longer has he got to go?”
“Look,” says God, “I’d like him to win it. In fact, I want him to win it. But he never buys a ticket!”
The second story finds us at the scene of a flood – a man is standing chest deep in water.
Someone floats by on a log. “Take my hand” he says to the man, “I’ll pull you onto the log.”
“No, says the man, “I have faith. God will save me.”
When the water is up to his shoulders, a small boat sails past.
“We’re throwing you a life-belt!” shouts someone from the boat, “Swim towards it and we’ll pull you up on to the boat!”
“No” says the man, “I have faith in God. He will save me.”
With the water already up to his chin, a helicopter flies by: “We’re lowering a rope-ladder! Grab it and we’ll haul you up!”
“No!” gurgles the man, “I have faith! God will save me!”
Eventually the water rises over his head and he drowns.
“I don’t understand” he complains bitterly to God, “I led an exemplary life. I obeyed all Your commandments. Why didn’t You save me? Why did You let me drown?
“What’s the matter with you?” says God, “I sent you a log and a boat and a helicopter!”
What these stories illustrate is that, besides the fact that we often don’t make the opportunity; we don’t even take it when it presents itself. Furthermore, many of us fail to even see the opportunity. However, what is worse, even when actually presented with the opportunity, we do not trouble to make use of it.
A large sign in that conference room read: “We are all faced with great opportunities – often disguised as impossible situations or hard work.”
They say some people make things happen, some people watch things happen and some people wonder what on earth happened. Success stories repeat themselves constantly: Luck is where preparation and opportunity meet.
An opportunity suggests something better in the future, but needing some sort of immediate change. To make an opportunity requires vision and ingenuity; to take one, needs courage and hard work. Sometimes, even while recognising the opportunity, we are too frightened to take advantage of it – scared of failing or making fools of ourselves..
Many of us are inclined to think of opportunity as a rare occurrence, a chance in a million, a ‘once in a lifetime’. We miss the fact that every single day is, in itself, a miniature lifetime in which we are presented with countless opportunities – to make a friend, find a new interest, gain a new perspective, experience something which will enhance our life or discover something which will add dimension to it. Or to right a wrong
In an ‘anthropomorphic’ sense, opportunities are like receiving personalised gifts from God. How would you feel if you gave someone a really valuable gift and it was never used (our talents also appear on that list of gifts)? How would you feel if your gift were never even acknowledged? Or the wrapping not even removed to see what was inside? A diamond ring does not always come in an elegant little box. It can also be wrapped in old newspaper.
We know for certain that the Jewish religious calendar gives us, with faithful regularity, a very special opportunity every single year. Every Jewish New Year allows us another opportunity to re-connect with our past, re-affirm and re-evaluate our present and re-assess our future. It provides us with the opportunity to reposition ourselves and to renew our values It gives us an opportunity for introspection between the New Year and the Day of Atonement to think things through, to hold out a hand of reconciliation and to put right mistakes of the past.
It gives us the golden opportunity to apologise for things we may have done (inadvertently or not) which may have hurt someone; to show contrition for being over-critical or judgmental; and to make peace with ourselves, our fellow-man and with God.
The only thing we do not know is whether this opportunity will be the last we will have.
There is a philosophy that truth is only perception. If, for example, I stand in front of a sculpture of a head and you stand behind it, I will see a nose, eyes and mouth, while you will see the only the back of the head. Were each of us to describe exactly what we had seen, it would be hard to believe that we had been looking at the same object!
Given different backgrounds, influences and experiences, we reach conciliation when we try to see things from another standpoint – instead of insisting that our view is absolute.
Used by many spiritual and motivational groups as part of their credo, are the words: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.”
It takes more than a little courage to admit one was wrong, to apologise, or simply even to make the first move. One risks a rebuff. Some people who hold on to old resentments feel empowered by continuing to ‘punish’ those who, wittingly or not, caused them any pain or embarrassment.
In fact, putting the boot on the other foot, it may be you who has held fast to an old resentment resisting any overtures.
From a prayer-book comes the line: “Don’t ask God for forgiveness until you yourself have forgiven your neighbor.”
And then there is a third foot (as there is no boot for it, but given that there are three feet in a yard, let us use that as a yardstick.): If you have already made an approach, if you have tried to reconcile, and the response has been unrelenting, remember “to accept that which you cannot change” with equanimity. At least, you had the guts to try!
But if you have not tried, now is the golden opportunity to do so. Now is the time to break the ice; to express what you are feeling; to hold out a conciliatory hand …..
The results might exceed your expectations!
If God is “sitting in judgment” deciding whether you should be “inscribed in the Book of Life”, you will surely be given a gold star for having made use of this precious opportunity! If you do not wish to look at it as anthropomorphic, give yourself the star! Whatever the outcome, your endeavor deserves it. This is the time when the words Carpe Diem (seize the day!) become even more meaningful.
This is the time to translate them into the magic words: “Go ahead, make that call!”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Charlotte Cohen is a frequent contributor of essays, poems and short stories to a wide range of South African publications, both Jewish and general.
