Joy is our natural state, hence even our "birthright". But the fact is that so many people are far from this state, caught in various degrees of "darkness".
I've come to a firm conclusion through both formal study, on which I'll elaborate a little below, and my own lived experience that what dims this "light" are egoic thoughts: labeling everyone and everything we see, regrets about the past, and worries about the future. This, in turn, leads to the failure to fully live in the present moment, which is the only reality.
I had been entrenched in this triple mind-made prison for many years, perhaps since my mid-teens, until anger - one of the results of mental labeling - destroyed itself and liberated me from this incarceration. Until then, I wasn't even aware that I had been a prisoner!
Before this full liberation, I was granted a glimpse of "light" when I began learning traditional Ashkenazic dance back in Jerusalem. While dancing, the incessant flow of my egoic thoughts stopped completely. Of course, when I was dancing, I didn't think about my not thinking. ;-) Only afterward, when the usual flow of thoughts returned, did I realize how totally absent they had been during the dance.
But it was not until after the self-destruction by - and of - anger that my natural state began to be restored gradually but surely. My outburst of anger destroyed something very dear to me, which in turn destroyed my anger itself. Since then, the only anger I still feel is that I don’t get angry. ;-)
Seriously - as if I were not serious ;-) - I still do feel anger, but only justified and necessary anger when I witness social injustice caused by the collective ego.
I was fortunate to encounter Chassidus in general and Chabad Chassidus in particular right after this traumatic experience. In retrospect, my inner vessel was not ready for the "light" of Chassidus until this experience shattered my ego and made me humble enough.
Since then, I have studied Chabad teachings - first by myself, then formally for three years at a special school in Jerusalem, and again on my own. If I were to choose three teachings that had the most profound and life-changing influence on me, they would be:
- "The body is the book, the soul is the author, and life is the story."
- "Everything is good."
- "A little light dispels a lot of darkness."
These teachings fundamentally changed how I perceive myself, the world, and the way both can be transformed for the better.
I've also tried to internalize other teachings in my daily life. This restoration of my natural state has been deepened by non-conceptual practices: listening to Chassidic music, and singing and dancing to its melodies.
Quite early in this process, I felt that my transformation was irreversible, that joy would remain my constant state. With that realization came a strong urge to help others shine. That is what I've been doing for several years - first as a Jewish life coach in Jerusalem, and now as a teacher of Jewish life wisdom in a new country since about two years ago.
It's true that there are not only individual but also sociocultural differences in the degrees of "darkness". Yet I now notice more commonalities than differences among people from diverse backgrounds - their differences are more quantitative than qualitative.
In addition to helping others shine professionally (or even as a mission), I've also begun doing so privately in the place where I live. Naturally, I do this spontaneously - by talking to strangers on the street and telling them my spontaneous Jewish-flavored jokes. The results have surprised even me - this is not a joke. ;-)
This way, I make at least a few people laugh every day, and I already have a number of returning "customers" who start smiling when they see me from a distance, anticipating my jokes.
One of the "rewards" of helping others shine - both professionally and privately - is that their new "light" helps me shine even more in return! This, in turn, encourages me to keep helping them shine brighter - a positive loop at its best. "A little light dispels a lot of darkness" - and their light dispels some traces of darkness that still remain in me, too.