Order, Lon Walton

The beauty of Mussar practice is this: regardless of where one begins, which middot one chooses to consider, daily practice seamlessly connects each middah to the whole picture; weaving and reweaving an endless rubric that inches us closer to balance. There is no ending, only beginning, no stasis, but a continual fluid movement towards recalibration. 

In his chapter on Order, Morinis emphasizes the need for a well-ordered life to facilitate effective awareness. This takes multiple forms, from ordered physical surroundings to scheduling. In the end though, what I’m struck with is his caution against rigidity, equally effective in preventing spiritual awareness, and I think, Aha! It seems I’m guilty of both extremes, back to the drawing board for a deeper understanding: Order vs. control, my needs vs. those of others. This nudges me to the middot of Humility and Moderation. Each adds awareness and adjustments in behavior.  With each comes a smidgen of greater clarity, a strengthened ability to step back from reactivity and judgment (‘the condiments of emotion’). Every small insight alters my road map and pushes me on to another middot before circling back for more changes. Studying in community with others we are privileged with their thoughts, further informing our perspective, tweaking our understanding, encouraging us to continue.

Quoting Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, Morinis tells us; we are ”all placed between wholeness and deficiency with the power to earn wholeness.” I’m human, it's unlikely I’ll get there but I have a map.