Ahh, to be Free

The holiday of Passover that we celebrate this month is also called the holiday of freedom, when the Israelites became free from their slavery in Egypt.
What does freedom mean? The answer changes from time to time and from person to person. The author Jonathan Lockwood Huie said:” I am a being of free will, and I choose each and every action I make, every thought I think, and every emotion I feel.”
These days, with our social isolation due to the Coronavirus pandemic, it could be a perfect time to reflect; Time to turn off the noise and reflect upon our dependency on devices. Those gadgets make us forget how to truly connect with one another. It’d be nice if we could also free ourselves from our slave mentality. A slave’s mentality acts out of fear and hopelessness during stressful times. It acts with a dog-eat-dog world mentality, blaming, acting selfish and greedy like there is no tomorrow. In dire times, some people reduce themselves to fighting over toilet paper and sanitizers. Won’t my neighbor’s clean hands affect my health too?! Realize that the hole in the boat is not only your neighbor’s problem. We’re all in the same boat and all of our lives are at risk.
The flat Matzah bread we eat in Passover, reminds us to have humility. It’s good to get rid of the Hametz- leavening yeast that makes the dough rise, as the inflation of the Ego. Perhaps, now, we can learn to go back to basics. No need to supersize everything in our lives. Replace greed with humility.
Since we’re all born in God’s image, we need to relax and remember who sustains us daily. Act with that same Godly kindness toward one another. With the free will we’re born with, we have the freedom of choice to do the right thing for ourselves and others. The way we think and feel towards one another affects everybody. Take time to develop conscious, better social values of respecting and understanding one another.
Of course, finding a cure for the Coronavirus is necessary but as free people with free choice, it’s up to us to bring healing. We may not choose the circumstances but we can choose our behavior. Choose to free your time from devices and connect with your loved ones instead, even your neighbors. Choose to feel gratitude for all the good you have. Have no fear, have hope and faith that this too shall pass. Let only the chains of compassion bind us together, and kindness spread and become a pandemic. The world will heal faster. Sending y’all a virtual hug.
Naomi Young is an educator of Jewish studies and a Bar/ Bat mitzvah tutor in Santa Clarita for 37 years. She’s also a published writer and an artist. Contact her at naomiyoung7@yahoo.com Visit her art website at www.naomiyoung.com.