When contemplating the plight of unfortunates, isn't there a danger that one might become depressed?
ANSWER:
If a person is seeking reasons to be depressed, he'll find them even without looking at unfortunates. Here's a person sitting in a million dollar palace, a billion dollar palace, and all around him are well dressed lackeys, everybody is in the best of health, he sees no sign of misfortune. And one day they find this prince dead of an overdose of pills: he took his own life. It happens again and again.
Why did he do it, because he saw unfortunates? Because life was not understood by him, he didn't begin to appreciate life! Therefore he was reckless on giving up life.
If a person seeks to utilize what life gives him, the presence of unfortunates certainly will arouse compassion, but he should understand their function also is to arouse happiness and gratitude to Hakadosh Baruch Hu that he's not in their shoes.
And it's just the contrary, I always told you, a number of times previously, if you ever are depressed there is an instant remedy; visit a cemetery. Stand outside for a few minutes, and you'll see that it will restore you to your composure, because the biggest happiness of all is being alive.
When people are looking however to be depressed, if a man goes to a cemetery for the purpose of being sad, he can save himself the trouble.
He can sit home and he's going to be sad anyhow.
Good Shabbos To All
This is transcribed from questions that were posed to Harav Miller by the audience at the Thursday night lectures. To listen to the audio of this Q & A please dial: 201-676-3210
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