My blood type is B-Negative. My natural inclination is to follow my blood type and “B-Negative” about life. However, I try hard to adapt to my wife’s blood type and “B-Positive.” Why? For starters, it is a much better mindset to live with. What is the point of being mired in misery when you can be positive and optimistic? Beyond that, positivity is also a powerful engine of productivity. But there is an even deeper truth about positivity as we will soon demonstrate.
What motivates me to stay focused on positivity? The Rebbe, his message, and the example he displayed with his approach to everything in the universe, from people to events to history to philosophy. A book called Positivity Bias articulates the Rebbe’s optimism. (More on the book at www.chabadneworleans.com/4382048.)
In a recent email exchange with a member of our community, we were discussing an article that conveyed the Rebbe’s analysis of how events in history reflect anecdotes in the Torah, and the same mistakes are made over again. My friend pointed out that all the historical facts adduced in the article, point to a pessimistic view, that we will continue to struggle with the same problems over and over, and that only by getting to the deeper layer and the spiritual values will any real progress be made.
I added that while there can be pessimism when considering the "rinse, lather, repeat" nature of history and our repeated failure to learn from it, the Rebbe refused to resign himself to that and continued to press for a reversal with real hope that it was achievable. This is one of the reasons that I am honored to be associated with Chabad and the Rebbe's work. The sheer force of his contagious optimism is very powerful and motivating.
The question is, is this positivity a pipe dream? Is it just a gimmick to keep us motivated? Is there a realistic element to positivity or is it just “offering hope?” The deeper truth that the Rebbe conveys is that “Positivity” is the lens through which G-d sees us and the rest of the world He created. As such, there is nothing more true or pragmatic than a positive and optimistic perspective.
It has been thirty years since we last saw the Rebbe. A full generation has been born and raised. Those kids are having kids of their own. Yet these young people are aflame with their devotion to the Rebbe, his message, and his call for each of us to play a role in revealing the inherent goodness and G-dliness in our world. Indeed, the Rebbe’s “Positivity Bias” has been victorious. We are about to cross over into the era that the Rebbe envisioned. He spent a lifetime communicating to us the integral role we play in bringing our world to a state of Redemption. That moment is within reach. May we experience the coming of Moshiach very soon.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Mendel Rivkin