How do you celebrate victories? The vid below of the Pats in the locker room after the game offers an inspirational personal lesson for all.
WE ALL HAVE TESTS in our lives. Hopefully we win more than we lose. For some it is a daily battle against anger and temper management, for others it is struggling to stay healthy by battling desires for toxic foods or sometimes even worse, for drugs. In every human being rages the most epic battle of good vs. evil. Each person slips up from time to time and succumbs to the “dark side” so to speak.
The Duties of the Heart offers us an incredible parable to understand how we should celebrate our victories. The 14th century sage of all times, Rabenu Bachyay, explains how an exceptionally pious person was walking through the forest when he found a group of soldiers sitting and enjoying the spoils of a battle which they recently won. The Pious person advised them, “You won this battle, but a greater battle awaits on the road ahead. Now is the time to prepare for the greater battle.”
When the New England Patriots won last night, their celebration in the locker room reflected a team on a mission who is well aware of the battle ahead. Of course, the mishnah explains, “Greater is one who defeats his base desires than one who conquers an entire city.” Every one of us have a greater battle ahead. More than any NFL football team could fathom. But we can certainly learn the concept of staying focused on passing our own personal tests and hitting our own unique potentials from one of the winningest teams in the NFL, the New England Patriots.
Enjoy and wishing you all continued success!