Weather and Politics
There’s an old joke attributed to various Nineteenth-Century American writers that essentially says, “Lots of people talk about the weather, but they never do anything about it.” The humor lies in the fact that while the nastiness of a New England winter, or the heat of a South Carolina summer, may be brutal, for all the time people spend discussing it, they aren’t getting anywhere because they can’t change the weather.
The humor of the quip presents this as a failure in willingness, when it’s truly a lack of ability. At the same time, the underlying message is that when you see something that CAN be fixed, you ought to fix it. Ironically, though, many people spend so much of their time focused on things they can’t change. For example, politics.
Nobody’s Listening
While you may be able to influence some people to vote a certain way, there’s no guarantee you’ll get the elected politicians to see things as you do. At least, not the vast majority of us. Despite this, people will pontificate for hours at a time what the correct path to peace in the Middle East might be, how the President ought to handle a specific problem, or how the world should stand up to dictators. Go ahead, but nobody who can do anything is listening to you.
I had a Rav once who said, tongue in cheek, “My wife and I split responsibilities. She worries about the little things: what we’ll have for dinner; who’s coming to us for Shabbos; how we will pay the mortgage; I focus on the big issues, like crime and world hunger.” Sure, the pundits providing their approach to solving the world’s issues may have a point, but they don’t have the power to change things, least of all the minds of people who think differently than they do.
How about sports? So many people say things like, “We need to get this player; fire that coach; focus on our running game.” That’s great, but guess what? Woody Johnson isn’t going to listen to you any more than he listens to his coaches and managers. All your insight is wasted not just on a game, but on a game you’re not influencing.
What You CAN Do
I have some die-hard sports fans in my family. Sometimes I check the scores to see what’s going on as the games are played. But then I realize that I’m not influencing the game and it doesn’t matter to me whether I find out whether they won or lost afterwards, or if I spent my time taking the journey with them.
But you know what? There are so many things we CAN do things about. There are myriad opportunities to make a difference and put our ideas into motion for the benefit of Mankind. You can complain about the high prices of restaurants, but if you patronize them anyway, you’re wasting your breath. If, instead, you try to find ways to feed people who can’t pay their grocery bill, you’ve done a lot more.
If you see someone struggling with an issue, maybe even one you can’t solve, but you can spare some time to listen to them, you are actually doing something about the problem. Talk is cheap, but it depends what kind. If it’s someone going on and on about how they would do things differently if they were in power, then yes, it’s rather valueless. But if someone is focused on providing suggestions to better the lives of others in ways that can be implemented, then it’s a very different story.
Redirect the Rain
Let’s say you have a brother-in-law who is a deadbeat. He has no ambition, no drive, and he just mooches off everyone else. Talking about it is not just lashon hara (evil talk), but it’s a waste of your time and energy. Instead, move on to things you can take action on. Maybe you can find a way to motivate him, or ensure that someone else doesn’t end up that way. There’s no trick to complaining about the rain, anyone can do that. But if you can find a way to redirect it to make things grow, then you’ve done something about it.
Don’t complain about people who aren’t doing the right thing. They won’t listen to you anyway in most cases. Sure, it may frustrate you, but what does that get you except more frustrated? Sharing the misery with others – again, still bigger than the biggest of sins – just makes everyone else miserable. Please. When it rains, do something about it. Be the silver lining; be the bright sunshine that banishes the clouds. Winter is coming, and there will be enough gloominess and dreary gray skies. You can’t help that. But by focusing on what you CAN change, you and those around you will be able to weather any storm.
By Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz
Rabbi Gewirtz (Operation Inspiration) welcomes comments and feedback. Write to him at info@JewishSpeechWriter.com to share your thoughts. You never know when you may be the lamp that enlightens someone else.
