Achieving in a meaningful way and feeling that we matter is that “something missing.” We want to become significant and reach greatness. We want to feel that we are making a difference. This is what we long for. This voice is the one we must follow, because it will lead us to happiness and greatness. That is how we can walk around feeling that life is amazing! The thrill of living such a life far surpasses the cheap enjoyment of physical pleasures. Nothing can compare to it.
Obviously, this voice won’t be satisfied by cheap thrills. But ironically, it plays a part in every desire we feel. This voice latches onto any urge we experience and makes us hope that receiving the given pleasure will also quench our longing. Nevertheless, the only way to satisfy this voice is to accomplish and then to contemplate the significance of our accomplishment. This yields an electricity that cannot be matched by any pleasure or possession.
On the other hand, giving in yields but a short thrill that we know is cheap even while experiencing it. Then, after it quickly concludes, it leaves us feeling empty and low. We don’t feel special and proud, which is what we really wanted. Instead, we feel empty and disappointed in ourselves, which hurts so much.
The Ramchal (Mesillas Yesharim, Chapter 1) cites Midrash Koheles (6:7), which illustrates this point with a parable: If a princess would marry an ordinary villager, anything her husband would bring her would be insignificant to her because she is a princess. Any trinkets and wooden “jewelry” that he would toil for weeks to make for her are worthless compared to what she had when living as a princess. It would not impress or satisfy her at all.
The Midrash explains that this is the meaning of the posuk in Koheles (6:7): “the soul won’t be satisfied.” Even if a person would bring his soul every pleasure in this world, it would be meaningless to it. The pleasures would not provide his soul with what it seeks because it is from the upper worlds. It seeks much loftier experiences than the cheap physical pleasures of this world.
This is why physical pleasures won’t satisfy us. We will always long for more, because that voice within us wants something more and this isn’t it. The voice is our essence and is impossible to ignore. It will just continue longing for something, which means we will continue longing because we are that voice. We won’t be happy no matter what possessions and physical pleasures we bring ourselves because these things do nothing to fulfill this drive.
To satisfy ourselves, we must achieve meaningful accomplishments that we will have forever. This is the way to live a thrilling life. Forget the great experiences that await us in the next world; this is the best life in this world! By giving us the opportunity to live such a sweet life, Hashem gave us the greatest gift of all time! He even created us with this voice, the compass that ensures we live the most meaningful life! If we listen to the voice and spend time thinking to spark this excitement, our lives will be incredible!
Ask yourself: “What will I have? If I run after this pleasure, what will I be left with? I will have nothing. But if I win, I will have something valuable forever and my life will be exciting!” We need proper perspective to feel this, and it takes a lot of thought. But your time and effort will be worth it. Who wouldn’t want to live a thrilling life and to satisfy their longing? Who doesn’t want to feel great about their accomplishments and be happy?
We must think about the cheapness of pleasure for a few minutes every day. Think about how short it lasts and remember that the future will come. You know that fulfilling this pleasure won’t satisfy you tomorrow. It won’t matter at all then. You realize that pleasure won’t even provide you with what you really want today! Thinking about this before we are challenged will radically transform our battles. Rather than feeling forced to act against our will and feeling we are missing out, we will win happily.
Though it is an advanced technique, calming down desires works wonders. It weakens our challenges and makes it easier to say no to the yetzer hara. Let’s use this weapon to ensure enduring success in the battle of the generation.
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