As posted on November 2, 2012 by Sam Blustin on Soup for the Neshama
“Reb Nachman of Breslov told this story:
A prince once took ill and thought he was a turkey. He refused to wear clothes and lived under the dining table, eating crumbs that fell to the floor. The king called upon the finest physicians, but none could find a cure. A wandering sage heard of the case and offered his services. The king agreed, and the sage removed his clothes and lived with the prince under the table, introducing himself to the prince as a fellow turkey.
After several weeks, the sage asked to wear a robe.
‘What are you doing?’ asked the Turkey Prince. ‘Turkey’s don’t wear robes.’
‘There is no law saying we turkey’s cannot wear robes,’ the sage said, handing a robe to his friend. The prince thought for a moment, and then he, too, put on a robe.
A few days later the sage, dressed in his robe, had a complete meal served under the table.
‘What are you doing now?’ the Turkey Prince asked.
‘There is no reason why we turkey’s must live on scraps and crumbs when an entire meal is waiting for us.’ The prince joined the sage in his feast.
A week later when dinner was served, the sage chose to eat at the table sitting in a chair. Anticipating the query of the prince, the sage said, ‘There is no law prohibiting us turkeys from sitting at the table. Besides, it is much more comfortable to eat this way. Come and see for yourself.’ The prince did, and in time he recovered fully from his illness.”
The mind is powerful thing. Our thoughts start deep down in the depths of our sub-conscious, and they make their way up to the conscious part of our brains where they take form. By the time we are conscious of those thoughts, it’s too late to stop them.
However, we are endowed with free will, and as such, we are able to control our thoughts, or chose to let our thoughts control us. But it is a choice. When we are able to transform our thoughts into actions that are for the betterment of ourselves and this world, we are successfully channeling our thoughts to live the way we want to live, and the way we are meant to live. This isn’t always easy, especially when our thoughts aren’t in line with what we think is right to do, or what we want to do.
But as I said, thought is a powerful thing. If you’re not currently happy with the situation you are in, then think differently. If you feel you are unlucky, start thinking you are lucky, and you’ll become lucky. If you are constantly down on yourself for things you do wrong or screw up, start thinking about all the things you do well and focus on them until you start appreciating yourself. This isn’t just my opinion. Science has proven it time and again.
When I came to college, I really disliked social gatherings, especially larger ones. I wasn’t terribly outgoing, and frankly didn’t really care about getting to know others in the superficial way that those events sometimes tended towards. But I knew that it was a skill that I needed to learn, and that ultimately it would be beneficial for me in my life, so I forced myself into those situations. I went out of my way to be friendly, welcoming, and pushed away my fears and apprehensions about the whole situation. Now, I don’t only not mind those situations, but I enjoy going to those types of events, and meeting people of all sorts. It’s all in the mindset you bring to a situation.
This Shabbos, I encourage all of us to look into our lives at something that we want to change about ourselves. Take it as a challenge, and change your mindset towards that feeling, attitude, action, and force yourself to give it a try. And if you fail, try, try again.
“You can’t fulfill you dreams unless you dare to risk it all.” -Staff Sergeant Michael Levin, American born lone soldier in the I.D.F.
What other lessons do you take from the story? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Shabbat Shalom,
SB
This song is awesome, and it’s worth listening to the intro as well.
(Story taken from “Chasidic Tales” by Rabbi Rami Shapiro)
