By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin
PIKESVILLE, Maryland — How can we deal with anxiety?
The world is currently experiencing turmoil. Two large wars have sparked riots in the streets. Some people are satisfied, but many are not. They are anxious.
The second biblical portion of the Book of Leviticus, Tsav (6:1-8:36), states in 7:26, “You may not eat blood, wherever you reside, neither of flying creatures nor quadrupeds.”
I understand that the Torah regards blood as a vital life force and a powerful symbol of life. We are prohibited from eating it to emphasize our respect for all living things.
How should we respect all living things? How can we respect other humans when we are anxious about them, even consider some our enemies?
We need to learn how to deal with anxiety. We need to decide that we will treat others, even those who cause us anxiety, as we want them to treat us.
But how do we do that?
Ryan A. Bush wrote an easy-to-read 127-page book entitled The Anxiety Book. It is free on Amazon Kindle. He offers excellent advice on overcoming anxiety and cites numerous authors who provide valuable insights. Here are some of the quotes.
“If you imagine anxiety as a huge wave that builds up intensity to a crescendo and then starts to recede, the best way to cope is to simply float on the wave. You don’t have to fight the wave or stop the wave or modify it in any way. Instead, simply allow the wave to pick you up and allow it to gently place you back where you were when it passed.”
“Every person experiences continual shocks and threats to his existence. (But this is good.) Self-actualization occurs only at the price of moving ahead despite such shocks.”
“To get out of a maze, you must go forward to meet the experiences when they come. Do not try to avoid them. Merely accept them and be prepared to let time pass until you can face them without suffering.”
“Anyone can conquer fear by doing things he fears to do.”
“We need to understand that anxiety is not dangerous. As soon as we stop fighting our obsessions and instead ridicule them, our problems diminish. Worrying about our problems does not solve them.”
“Nature loves courage. You must make the commitment, and nature will respond to that commitment by removing impossible obstacles by hurling yourself into the abyss and discovering a featherbed.”
By adhering to the biblical command and these quotes, we respect all living things and know how to do it.
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Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin is a retired brigadier general in the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps and is the author of more than 50 books.