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| The Mentschcraft Manual: 13. CONTRACT FOR TIKKUN |
Somewhere in the back of your mind, a voice is arguing against Mentschcraft. This is the voice of doubt. It is natural, healthy, and not to be ignored.
Doubt reminds you of past errors, past failures, old habits that are just too hard to break. Doubt says: Don’t get your hopes up, you’ll only be disappointed. Doubt is trying to save you from the frustration and embarrassment of failure. Not a bad voice to have. But not a good voice to listen to when being a mentsch.
Mentschcrafting does not eliminate doubt; it just doesn’t allow doubt to dictate behavior. Don’t wait for your doubts to disappear; they may never disappear. Rather do justly here and now, and let the doubts fend for themselves.
Make a deal with yourself right now. Give yourself, with all your doubts, six months of mentschlich living. For six months, use the Three Principles of Mentschcraft as a guide to your actions. For six months, work to enhance yourself by enhancing others. For six months, pay attention and give thanks to the ordinary wonders of everyday living using the One-Minute Mentschcrafting Tools. For six months, regularly ask yourself before you act, What Would a Mentsch Do? and then act accordingly.
Six months from now, look and see if your life isn’t a little richer, a little more loving, compassionate and just. It may not be a huge difference, but mentschcrafting is not about radical change.
Mentschcrafting is about making today a little better than yesterday. Six months—it may be a lot to ask, but you won’t be disappointed. The effort is its own reward. |
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