If you get disappointed

To the editor:

There's no doubt that the outcome of our election will bring crushing disappointments to many. Eight centuries ago the Jewish philosopher Maimonides offered guidance for the anyone sorely disappointed. In his "Guide for the Perplexed," Maimonides taught that evil has no positive existence. Rather it is simply a lack of the good, and it does not come from God.

Modern psychologists recognize that emotional devastation is sometimes the result of severe disappointment. Like Maimonides, therapists recommend that those of us who are experiencing deep disappointment should take time to reorient or recenter ourselves. We can do that through moments of lamentation and quiet meditation. After that, we can seek comfort in our relationships with friends, even if it's by Zoom or by telephone. We can remember the good times.

Like most of us, I sometimes struggled with deep disappointments while growing up. Whenever that happened somebody would remind me that "life goes on." It was good advice. From my mother I learned to retreat calmly in order to consider carefully the lessons I could draw from what had just happened. Then I could think more clearly about the future. "Wait 'til next year" became my bounce-back motto. I learned to let tough lessons drawn from my disappointments shape my planning. Then I signaled to those around me that my temporary retreat was over and that I was ready to move on. I found that by living into the future with joy and renewed optimism a person can resist inevitable, self-defeating temptations to seek revenge or to collapse in despair.

Maimonides' counsel remains relevant today. Whenever we are shaken by disappointments we can benefit by taking the time necessary to breathe, meditate, learn and plan. Then we can move forward with renewed confidence -- always being guided by our better angels.

Gary Davis

[Posted November 3, 2020]