Is Changing the World a Good Idea?
One of modern Israel's most popular songs is called "Ani v'Atah." That Hebrew phrase means "You and I."
The lyrics imagine the way you and I can change the world. "First, you and I, and then all will follow us," the song goes.
The melody is catchy. The words are uplifting. But is the message a good one? Should we strive to change the world?
On one hand, of course we should. We want to pass on a better world to our children. New medicines, technologies, art, and much more can improve life.
But is change always good? Does it always make the world better?
No. Sometimes change moves us backward rather than forward.
You've heard of the law of unintended consequences. It happens more than we know. What we think will help ends up hurting us.
So should we still try to change the world?
The best answer is captured in a simple Hebrew phrase: Chadesh Yameinu K'Kedem. It means "We renew our days by returning to what once was."
Renewal and restoration are the same thing. We change so that we can restore. We change so we can become who God originally made us to be. Real change is not just innovation. It is revival.
Consider the Jewish understanding of the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden symbolizes perfection. It is the template for the ideal world.
The Garden was where we were intended to live. But we had to leave. History ensued. But the story has not ended.
Ultimately, we will return to the Garden. That is the Jewish vision of the messianic age. The Garden is our origianl spiritual home, and our future is a restoration to what once was.
Perhaps the poet T.S. Eliot had this rabbinic teaching in mind when he wrote in the Four Quartets,
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time."
Rabbi, I, too, believe that mankind will return to its true self. D
Thank you, Rabbi Evan! Change usually makes us hungry for more change that will lead to elusive “happiness”. I often think back to the 1970’s. I was making around $5 an hour, but I could afford a brand new car. I got married, we bought a house(with help), we had children, etc. - until the need for change that would create more... until need surpassed ability. As a United Methodist pastor, I have been part of helping change happen, that lost sight of “Garden memory”. I am also seeing the inability to accept change that can restore a clearer “Garden memory vision.”
Blessings to you for good fruit!