In life, we can either let our experiences make us bitter, or we can channel that feeling towards being a good example in order to improve things.



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Sunday, December 11, 2005

My thoughts

I was at a judaica store near my house and I was listening to an album at the listening station thinking I wish I could download this song. However, I'm not into the downloading for free from kazaa thing and so I shrugged it off my mind. Later on, I was looking at the Sameach Music Podcast just to listen to something and I saw a post with a link to the song I wanted to download. Which is nice because I didn't really expect it, it was just a thought.
Plus, since it was just a thought, I wasn't really wishing hard. There are other songs on that album also that I like and so if I want, I could just buy the album.

Don't you love when you get something you like that you didn't expect to. What worries me though is the cliche 'be careful what you wish for'. Sometimes I have thoughts that I totally didn't mean to think and I'm afraid that I might cause something to happen to others by mistake. And so I try to think of something positive for them. For example, I'm walking down the block and I see someone and then these scary thoughts come and so I stop the thoughts and try to wish for something good. It's like the yetzer hara is puting it in my head and my job is to conquer it.
On the upside, keeping myself occupied helps me to concentrate on other stuff. And also sitting and relaxing somewhere. And so Baruch Hashem there's that. Plus, I'm working on controlling bad thoughts before they fully materialize by immediatly stopping them when I feel them coming, and saying I wish nothing bad or quickly saying some positive words.

9 comments:

A Frum Idealist said...

I have heard what you have described as the true meaning of conquering over our yetzer. It may be impossible to prevent that initial thought from coming into your head, but the question is what you do with it.

Pragmatician said...

It's certainly a good idea.
Songs from heimishe bands and artists I usually don't download.These poor guys don't sell that many cds as it is.

Unknown said...

I know that feeling, like doy I shouldn't have thought that. All in all though I think your happy thoughts got the song. i hope you enjoy it...

smb said...

Afi, that's true. I can only try and work on it as best I could. If the whole bad thought materializes, I think of something positive to cancel it. And sometimes I try and stop it when I sense it coming, and think of something else.

Prag, yea that's why I'd rather buy the album instead of going to Kazaa. but since that song I like is on Sameach's podcast, Sameach probably has permission from the singers in exchange for publicity.

Tanisha, thanks. My theory is that whenever I want something but don't expect to get it, I end up getting it.

FrumGirl said...

I know what you mean. Is it a self fulfilled prophecy? Do our very thoughts bring it into action? It is a circle... or cause and effect...?

A Frum Idealist said...

That's great, lvnsm, the area where chazal mainly discuss this is when it comes to jealousy. That is something that can just pop into your head, and you have to work to not focus on it. Chazal actually say that a good thing to do is to daven on behalf of the person that you had the negative or jealous thought about. It's hard to think negatively about someone when you are davening on their behalf.

smb said...

Afi, It's true that it happens to people when they're jealous or angry. But it even happens to me when I'm not. It just pops into my head and I didn't mean it to. I agree about davening and I pray for people I know and don't know. Either while davening or just wishing something good.

FG, good question

FrumGirl said...

Real Me: Ok, Not our thoughts but there is a reason they say 'Al tiftach peh lasatan' because the spoken word has more power than we realize... it starts the snowball effect... and that all orginates in our thoughts, does it not? Scary, isnt it.

smb said...

Yea I heard that while davening one should speak the words instead of just thinking them. This helps me greatly because if I just say it in my head, it would get mixed
up with other thoughts. But when I speak it, it's just those words alone.