The Sign on the Beltline

The joys and oys of life dominate our minds and hearts. Life is filled with challenges; at work, at home, with family, with friends, with finances, and with health.

Life is also filled with happy times; births, birthday milestones, graduations, little accomplishments, first bike, big accomplishments, first promotion, weddings, vacations, good books, and the list goes on.

Often times it seems that this is the way life is. In fact, we may come to believe that if we just accept that life has ups and downs, you win some and you lose some, we might just be able to find our equilibrium. As my brother in law likes to tell me; “don’t ride the highs too high and don’t ride the lows too low”.

I saw this sign the other day while running on the Beltline; “If the architecture is any good, a person who looks and listens will feels its good effects without noticing”.

It struck me that this is the real power of Hashem in this Universe. The architecture of our world is so good, so perfectly designed, that we can go through life concluding that this is just happenstance, it’s just the way of life to have ups and downs and maybe we just need to ride it out without giving deeper meaning to the journey.

In fact, that is the greatness of the architect that we don’t have to see the nuances of the good effects of G-d’s masterplan. It surely doesn’t mean that the building came into being by itself. Or that there isn’t a purpose in everything we experience.

So the next time you are thinking about not riding the highs too high or the lows too low (which you perhaps shouldn’t) remember that there is a captain to the ship, an architect to the architecture and a purpose in everything we encounter in life.