What is the common denominator of the various problems in the frum community: Drinking, gambling, drugs, obesity, excessive gashmiyus, machlokes, shalom bayis problems, children off the derech and a lot more??
Emotional issues. That is the ROOT of everything.
Among the numerous problems with our upbringing and our educational system is that we are not taught to be in constant touch with our feelings. We should be constantly asking ourselves how we feel - fear, joy, sadness, anxious etc. etc. etc. All day long we are feeling and we are rarely self aware anough to be in touch with our feelings. If we know how we feel when things happens then we have a guide what are needs are and we can go about filling those needs. We also know what hurts us, what makes us anxious etc. etc. and we can try to discover why to learn more about ourselves. It starts with us and then we expand to focusing on the feelings of others.
When someone asks "how are you feeling?" it is almost always a question about your body and not your soul and psyche [unless it is your therapist...]. People are very comfortable sharing their physical issues but not their emotional ones. When you go to shul in the morning, EVERY SINGLE PERSON is dealing with emotional issues and you don't know about any of them [unless they are obvious, like when a person walks into shul and starts throwing chairs and tables and screaming like a maniac - he has anger management issues...].
Our whole culture is focused on what is OUTSIDE [that darn phone again!!:-)] of us but not what really matters - what is inside. If we would be focused on fixing what is inside and be focused on fulfilling the emotional needs of ourselves and others - many of our problems would be solved.
I promise. The solution to society's problems - begins with the individual.
Meaning - you.
Today.
