Learning to overcome your nature is one of life’s greatest challenges. We are constantly drawn to comfort and pleasure, and the ability to control our impulses becomes a true superpower. But how do we master this power? Let’s delve into the depths of Jewish wisdom that reveals amazing secrets of managing and overcoming your nature.
The Main Principle of the Middle Path
Have you ever felt that your desires pull you in one direction, while your mind pulls you in another? This is not just your imagination. According to the teachings of the book “Tanya,” a real struggle is happening inside each of us between two souls: the animal soul (which pulls toward material pleasures) and the divine soul (which strives toward the spiritual).
“A great rule for those in the middle path in serving the Almighty: the most fundamental thing is to subdue your nature, which is in the left chamber of the heart, and to master it with the help of the Divine light that illuminates the Divine soul located in the brain.”
Who are these “middle” people? They are most of us – those who are not absolutely righteous, but who also do not sin. We are constantly in the process of working on ourselves, trying to overcome your nature and make the right choice.
How the Mind Can Control the Heart
Imagine that your brain is the steering wheel, and your heart is a powerful engine. When they work in harmony, you move precisely toward your goal. But when the heart pulls in one direction, and the mind understands that you need to go in another – an internal conflict begins.
The amazing discovery of the “Tanya” is that even if you don’t feel passionate love or fear in your heart, understanding and reflection alone are enough to guide your actions and help overcome your nature.
Through deep reflection about the greatness of creation, about the meaning of life and your mission in this world, a person generates awareness and awe in their mind, which helps them avoid wrong actions.
Two Types of Inspiration for Actions
What motivates you when you do good deeds or learn? According to “Tanya,” there are two sources of motivation that can help overcome your nature:
- Tangible love – when your heart literally burns with desire to do the right things. You feel emotional uplift and inspiration.
- Intellectual love – when your mind understands the importance of action, even if your heart is not overflowing with emotions.
The second type is also called a “good thought.” And here’s an amazing fact: even if you act only from intellectual understanding, without emotional fervor, your actions have enormous value.
What Happens When You Don’t Feel Inspired
Many of us face situations where we know we need to overcome your nature, but don’t feel any emotional impulse. For example, studying when we don’t want to, or helping others when we’d rather rest.
“Tanya” gives an amazing answer: action performed from proper understanding has special value. The Almighty Himself “connects” your intellectual intention with the action itself, giving it higher meaning.
Why Even the Intellect Must Fight Against Nature
Interestingly, even if a person is naturally inclined to study (for example, they find it easy to focus on books), their natural desire for bodily comfort can still get in the way.
“And even one who has a natural inclination toward intense mental activity, still naturally loves their body more.”
This means that even intellectuals need to apply “intellectual love” to higher values to overcome your nature and the natural love for bodily comfort.
Practical Steps for Managing Your Nature
- Reflect on great things. Take time to think about what truly matters in your life.
- Create intellectual motivation. If you don’t feel an emotional impulse, rely on your understanding of the importance of the task.
- Act consistently. Even if there’s no burning desire inside, do what needs to be done, relying on your mind to overcome your nature.
- Know that it’s valuable. Understand that actions performed from intellectual understanding have special value.
Wisdom Ahead of Modern Psychology
Amazingly, these ideas about how to overcome your nature, written down more than 200 years ago, are confirmed today by modern psychology, which speaks about the importance of “cognitive strategies” in managing emotions and behavior.
Modern research shows that our thoughts can indeed reprogram our emotional reactions. What “Tanya” calls “reflection on the greatness of the Almighty,” psychologists would call “cognitive reappraisal” – the ability to change one’s reaction through changing one’s thinking.
The Key to Inner Harmony
Ultimately, the teaching about the “middle path” from the book “Tanya” gives us a key to inner harmony – understanding that our intellectual efforts and reflections have enormous value, even if they don’t immediately ignite our hearts.
As the author of “Tanya,” Rabbi Shneur Zalman, said: “The sincerity of love is confirmed by loving those whom the object of your love loves.” This deep understanding shows how intellectual love can manifest in real actions of caring for others.
This article is based on the sixteenth chapter of the book “Likutei Amarim — Tanya” by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, one of the greatest Hasidic thinkers. This chapter reveals the principle of self-improvement for “middle” people and explains the value of intellectual service in helping to overcome your nature, even when it is not accompanied by emotional uplift.
Afterword: This text has not been approved by any sage, Torah scholar, or rabbi and is merely a simplified adaptation of the sacred text for general understanding. For comprehension of true wisdom and a deeper understanding of the original text, you should refer to the sources.
