Choose the Good Inclination to Find Life

Life is full of choices.

To live is to choose life. And to die is to choose death.

Simple concept to grasp.

It is by design that we get to choose to do good or evil.

In Hebrew thought, there is a duality between our inclinations.

The yetzer hara, the evil inclination, and the yetzer tov, the good inclination.

The concept isn’t found in the Bible, though one could make a case that it’s there if you glean meaning from the purpose of the commandments.

It’s from Rabbinic discourses on the faith, often found in the Hebrew Talmud. I’m neither endorsing nor condemning those who find wisdom in the Talmud.

I see it as commentary, not command.

I’m a fan of sticking to the Bible alone, not mere opinions. And if I’m mistaken about something, I will gladly correct myself.

God tests us in this life, so that we can find eternal life from ages to ages.

It’s often even the little things.

“I know this took me fifteen minutes, but I’m going to bill them for an entire hour.”

The good inclination says to charge for the quarter hour.

The evil inclination says my fifteen minutes equals an hour.

“My mental health isn’t the best right now, but I’m going to avoid getting the help I need.”

The good inclination says a healthy mind is caring for the mind God gave you.

The evil inclination says don’t worry about it, and spiral down into the abyss.

“A white lie is a good thing.”

The good inclination says to always be honest, even if it hurts.

The evil inclination says deception is a sweet fruit and what they don’t know won’t hurt them.

These examples are easy enough to understand.

Yet the human condition is a complex thing, with many facets.

We should be the best people we can be in the best way we can.

Staying humble, not seeking things out of pride, and certainly not mowing others down over mundane issues.

We all have important choices to make.

But a single choice can be the difference between life and death, whether figurative or literal.

You wouldn’t bungee jump without a bungee cord, that’s just jumping.

You wouldn’t sky dive without a parachute, that’s just suicide.

We choose safety and stay within the lines for our good.

Our bad side sometimes gets the best of us.

But we must overcome it, not let it rule us.

We must deflate the ego, not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to.

But the good inclination also says to make the best choices in all aspects of our lives, as easily as the evil inclination says to ruin every aspect of our lives.

Foolishly drinking alcohol and then killing innocent people because of one’s own negligence is the fate of a person without control over their actions. They’re giving in to the evil side, the side that says what I want is what I want, and that’s it.

Not considering things before committing to a relationship is also wrong. You’re only hurting the other person, because of the yetzer hara. If someone’s values and standards don’t line up with yours, then it’s best not to go forward with something. Ten years down the road, something might come up and decimate everything you thought you knew about someone. Sleeping with someone outside of a marital covenant is trashy and lacking in class. The yetzer hara says, “But I want this.” The yetzer tov says, “Waiting is God’s will, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

Follow the good inclination to the tree of life. The fruit tastes much sweeter, even if it takes longer to grow. I’ve learned to be a patient man. Patience is refreshing to the soul, even if waiting for something good to come takes a bit of time and can hurt so much.

Not being who you truly are is also a turn in the road to the yetzer hara. We shouldn’t prop ourselves up as something we aren’t. I’m not saying not to have self-worth and confidence in yourself and your gifts. That’s important.

But pretending to be someone else is essentially lying. Sometimes people put up a shell, but that shell may not be you.

You should be free to be yourself, not trapped behind some façade of who you are. If you have flaws, then accept them. If something needs to be fixed, then fix it. But every broken part of you, every curve in the road of your life, it’s all part of your story.

Make good choices, for the sake of your future and the sake of everyone else around you.

Toxic relationship? Get out of it.

Bad job? Leave it.

Thinking you’re worthless? See your value within yourself.

You’re worth more than the trappings of the yetzer hara.

Love yourself enough to see that you’re worth so much more than sticking with something that isn’t good for you.

That doesn’t always happen quickly. Sometimes it takes careful planning and many months of self-discovery.

It’s just as evil to make a bad choice, or less than what you deserve choice because of fear or comfort. It’s evil to seek that which isn’t God’s best for you. Because if you think it over for even a half-second amount of time, it’s like you’re spitting in His face and saying: “I know better than You do.”

Choose God’s choices, not your mistaken paths.

Choose to honor the light, not the darkness.

If you say you’re never going to use AI to draft your books, you’d better take that fountain pen or laptop and hone them like weapons and fight back against the machine.

If you say you’re going to do honest work while on the clock, then do that.

If you know someone’s not right for you, don’t make a grave mistake and take the plunge without consulting the Father of Lights.

Need time to recharge and refresh your mind?

Take that time and make sure you come back to life 100%.

Overcome evil with good, and you’ll have an excellent life.

It might take a bit of time, but I promise the journey and destination are so wonderful and worth every moment.

Take the hard road and don’t give in to impulses.

Learn from your mistakes and correct them where necessary.

Master yourself, and both sides of your nature.

You are special and every difficult day apart from where you need to be is worth it to find the light on the other side.