Good Shtuff

Today I have two things to blog about. As Avraham Fried says, "This is gonna be fun." Truth is, I think we're gonna have more fun, because he had to sing with Shalsheles. Poor guy.
Anyway, I've been having some deep discussions with my fellow Shluchim, and the other Bochurim, who together make up the wonderful symbiosis that is the Yeshiva High School of the Twin Cities, Kashrus issues not withstanding. They say that they have problems learning certain things because they were didn't go to the right schools, have the right teachers, or have the right motivation. I say that this is nonsense. If a person really wants, then nothing in the world can stop them. And if they don't want, then nothing in the world can make them succeed. They say that this is depressing. Why? Because I, unfortunately perhaps, get rather critical when I see people complain about this or that. So yes, they have a point, perhaps I should moderate my rhetoric a bit. But like our friend CCL, I get so frustrated when people blame their problems on external factors. The only problem is you. Only you have the power to change yourself. I can help, but only if you're willing. This, by the way, is the message in every self-respecting self-help book. So I've just saved you significant cash. Is the check in the mail? My perspective is an empowering one: I believe in the power of every single person, regardless of race, color, creed, nationality, gender, intelligence, appearance, or even likability, to succeed. Does every person have the same capability's? No. Can we all achieve the same things? No. Is this depressing? It could be. My standard answer is, "Achieve all you possibly can, and then we'll talk."
Once a person reaches their ultimate, they'll realize that it's not so depressing after all. Will they still struggle? Of course. That's the whole point of life. As the Alter Rebbe says in Tanya, and I paraphrase heavily here, perhaps that's why he was created. To struggle. To work. To succeed. I believe in you.
All this segues nicely into my next topic, today's Tanya. It deals with the complete Rasha, the guy who never feels bad for anything, the guy who rejoices in the death of anyone, the guy who is completely evil. We talk not of the ignoramus here. Atheists, for example, are of little concern. As the famous line goes, "The G-d that you don't believe in, I don't believe in either." We are dealing here with people who know G-d, who know right, who know what is good, and go against it with all their might. Standing opposite him on the righteousness scale is the complete Tzaddik, the guy who has no Yetzer Hora. My question is, which is harder, to have no good, or no evil? This doesn't only mean in thought, deed, and action; that's regular. The question deals with essence. We really have no connection to either. Just like we could never be perfectly good, we could never be perfectly bad. So it's a moot point really. Interesting nonetheless