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the perfect world

The world is perfect if you don’t look too close. The world is perfect if you only consider you and yours. The world is perfect as long as you are part of the favored group. And so was my world and then I woke up.

The world is so far from perfect. Granted we have come a long way and I am grateful to HaShem for that. But there is still so far to go.

I once saw everything as “perfect”. We have a justice system that puts the bad guys in jail and keeps us all safe. We have plenty of places to work. There are home for everyone. We all have plenty of food. And on and on my perfect list went.

But my perfection was inversely proportionate to my humanity. As long as I chose to not see other’s suffering “my” world was perfect. But my world was also so very small. I only looked at the people I associated with, of the races I favored, of the locations I lived in, of those I got along with, of…, of…, until there were very few people left.

And then I woke up

I started seeing those for whom our justice system is far from fair. I started seeing those for whom a job is an ever distant hope, regardless of their skills or greate work ethic. I started seeing those that are homeless out of no fault of their own. I started seeing those for whom food isn’t just a simple matter of going to the store.

NO, our world is so far from perfect. We have so many that need food or a place to work or live, or so many other basic needs. We have a world of “haves” and “have nots”. We have a world of privileged and those that are locked out. We have a world that needs a LOT of work.

I am still so very frustrated by it all. I want, need, to do so much more than I am, but I don’t know what that is. There is a hurting world out there and I need to help. I need to make a difference. But I have yet to find what, or where that difference is. But I will. I have to.

For now, I do a lot of praying about it and do the little things I can. We Jews say we are here to “repair the world,” I think I finally understand what that means.