Gun control is once again front and center in the national conversation after the horrific attack in Orlando earlier this week.
I’m not going to comment on gun control because no matter what I say someone will be upset with me :) Rather, I’d like to focus on the “right to bear arms” and all our other rights for that matter.
We often confuse rights with being entitled to. But the Bill of Rights is not a Bill of Entitlements. It is actually more about the limitations and responsibilities of the government then it is about our rights.
Take for example the right to the pursuit of happiness. This does not mean that I am entitled to happiness; it means that the government cannot intrude on my ability to pursue happiness. I am not entitled to happiness. No one owes it to me.
The entitled attitude produces a self-centered society. The world owes me. My mindset is, “I deserve to be served by others” rather than “I am here to serve others.”
It also produces an angry, bitter and depressed society. If I am entitled to certain things rather than see them as gifts to cherish I take them for granted and get angry or sad when I don’t get what I “rightfully deserve”
I don’t think this is the type of society that our founding fathers envisioned.
The truth is, that we are not entitled to anything. Not even life and definitely not a good life. Nowhere in the universe is it written that I am entitled to a good life. No one owes it to me. It’s all a gift.
When I see everything as a gift, rather than something that I am entitled to, I am able to fully appreciate and enjoy all that I do have and not get so angry about that which I don’t have. The “gift mindset”, as opposed to the “entitled mindset”, is the gateway to happiness.
Each morning, immediately upon awakening, we recite the Modeh Ani, thanking Hashem for granting us life. We recognize that we are not entitled to life, but rather it is a gift and should not be taken for granted, and therefore we thank Hashem. With this attitude everything we receive throughout the day; our health, family and livelihood is seen as a gift and becomes a source of tremendous joy. So many gifts in one day :)
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Benjy Silverman
PS. Join us on Sunday morning 10 am for the Gratitude Seminar