WATCH THE GRASS GROW
By Rabbi Raymond Beyda
A New York City bond broker, trying to take advantage of the downturn in
stock prices, is running a series of commercials on the radio. The owner of
the firm tells a story about people who were enthusiastic about
skyrocketing stock prices that refused to listen to any discussion about
investing in conservative, slow moving bonds. They said buying bonds was
about as exciting as "watching the grass grow". "Watching the grass grow is
better than watching the house burn down", was the quick-witted reply the
broker gave to his prospective clients.
In today's world everyone is speed oriented. Snail mail, the traditional
written word delivered by the postal service to one recipient at a time has
dropped drastically in volume because so many people prefer e-mail, which
is 24/7, multi-address capable. Production schedules for new products have
been trimmed to the bone to meet the demands of impatient customers.
Hospitals have reduced the allowable time for a stay to a day or less in
most cases. Even our educational institutions offer accelerated programs to
complete degree requirements in less time than what could have been
imagined just a few years ago.
When G-d created the World, most things were created in a mature fully
grown state. Then the reproductive process began with each creation
producing an immature offspring that took years to develop. Trees grew from
seeds, elephants from infants, giant eagles from small eggs etc. Each
creation grew from inception to maturity. The growth was a slow, day-by-day
progression imperceptible to the human eye. Even if one watched the grass
one could not see it grow. People have to learn that there are things that
need time in order to develop properly. There must be a process to ferment
grape juices into wine rapidly but even so It will not produce wine as fine
as the old fashioned technique. Some things just have to develop slowly.
Many people are robbing our youth of the time they need to grow into mature
adults. Exposure to media, pushy parents and educators and social contacts
push our children into the fast lane and prevent growth in the natural
imperceptible way. G-d could have made it so that newborns were fully
developed but He did not.
Today, when rushing at the speed of light in your business, in your
personal growth or in your training of your offspring -- stop. It only
takes a minute to put on the brakes -- ever so lightly -- to give your
charge the proper amount of time to develop. Sit back and watch the grass
grow.
CONSIDER THIS FOR A MINUTE
Your patience will grow if you look at things from the other person's point
of view.
Raymond J Beyda
www.raymondbeyda.com
Text Copyright © 2004 Rabbi Raymond Beyda and Torah.org.
