Every Friday morning, there stands near my post office a
beggar. He looks like a beggar, he smells like a beggar but
there is an aura of gentleness and holiness about him, a
nobility which makes me feel certain that he is Eliyahu
Hanavi.
This Friday, I went to the post office and I was first in
line. As the door opened, a woman gets in front of me. I
said, "Excuse me, but I was first," (That's actually a first
for me because I'm usually not so polite when that happens).
She said, no she had been waiting for twenty minutes but had
stood off to the side because she was afraid of the
beggar.
I had `seen' Eliyahu Hanavi; she had seen a potential Jack
the Ripper.
This gentleman is rather older and supports himself with a
cane. It appears that it takes all his energy just to stand
there. I doubt very much that he could attack anyone even if
he wanted to and I doubt very much whether the thought has
ever crossed his mind. He seems quite even-tempered and
gracious. Of course, I must admit that as much as I'd like to
believe I'm giving tzedaka to Eliyahu Hanavi, there is
that slight possibility that it's not him.
Wherever the truth lies in the range spanning these two
possibilities, it's noteworthy that she and I saw two
completely diametrically opposing things, looking at the same
person.
Now, I don't know what has happened in this woman's life to
make her fear itinerant beggars and I'm certainly not
especially deserving of seeing Eliyahu Hanavi more often than
at a bris or Pesach but this episode certainly
illustrated the principle that reality very much depends on
our point of view. That everyone has his or her own
perspective which is to a large extent a reflection of
themselves, their thoughts, feelings and experiences.
We are each other's mirrors and we create the world as we see
it. Each one's interpretation creates his or her individual
universe.
When we talk about the psychological notion of "reframing,"
we are basically referring to changing our usual way of
looking at the world. While I was annoyed at what appeared to
be this woman's superficiality or weakness, (though perhaps I
need to look at her differently myself), I was inspired by
the hope inherent in this incident. And that is that to make
the world a better place, all we have to do, is change our
perspective.
