Angels vs. Humans - The Inner Struggle
Published in the Tri-Valley Herald on Friday, August 18, 2006
Inner struggles, personal conflicts, obstacles, hurdles. Sound familiar? These, and so many other humps, seem to constantly hinder and stunt our inner growth.
Couldn’t life have been simpler? If God is good, couldn’t He have given us an easier ride through life?
The following story might shed some light and insight:
A teenaged boy once visited the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson (1902-1994), expressing anguish that his life contained much struggle and disappointment. "Why can't it just be simple and easy?" the boy asked sorrowfully.
"Because human beings are not angels," the Rebbe replied. "Angels are flawless, always on target. Human beings, on the other hand, are fragmented and dualistic, vacillating between extremes and shaken by conflicts. Because of man's multi-dimensional and dichotomized personality, he must struggle throughout his entire life in order to come to terms with his soul.”
The teenager continued to probe the heart of the master. "But why did God create us in such a complicated fashion?" he asked. "Would God not have enjoyed us far more if we were like the angels?"
Apparently, this teenager had a knack for drawing. He loved art and made it his hobby. As a good educator, the Rebbe responded to the pain of the young adult by drawing on a reference from the student's own world.
"Let me ask you a question about the difference between a photograph and a painting," The Rebbe began his response. "A photo captures any given scene far more accurately than a painting can ever hope to. Yet while a photo will cost you a few dollars, the inaccurate painting of the identical scene may sometimes sell for millions of dollars. Why?"
The boy explained to the Lubavitcher Rebbe that most photographs were inanimate and lifeless items, capturing the technical properties of a particular scene, yet lacking a soul. A painting, on the other hand, in which a scene is relegated to canvas via the mind and soul of the artist, contains the depth of human emotion and creativity, and the subtleties of human imagination. That is what gives a painting its value.
"Very well said," came the Rebbe's reply. "Here you have the answer to your question as well. Angels are photos; human beings are pieces of art," the Rebbe said with a smile.
Angels are flawless and faultless creatures, perfect shots of the spiritual realities. Yet it is precisely the fluctuating drama of human existence, the perpetual conflict between our inner light and darkness, and the human void searching for meaning and truth — that can turn our life into a piece of art.
Only in the tormented chambers of the human heart can God discover genuine, awe-inspiring artwork. It is the goodness and spirituality that emerge from human doubt and struggle that bestow upon humanity a dignity and splendor that the highest of angels can never attain.
So the next time you’re in a pickle, at a decisive moment, or feel torn in every direction remember: It is precisely this inner struggle and conflict that makes our good deeds and acts so valuable and precious.
