If you go to the U.S. Capitol, you will see twenty-three marble relief portraits over the gallery doors of the House Chamber depict historical figures noted for their work in establishing the principles that underlie American law. You'll recognize only a few of the names. Among them, you'll find portrait of Moses Maimonides (1135-1204). Maimonides was a physician, a philosopher, a theologian, a commentator, etc. --a Renaissance man whose life pre-dated the Renaissance. (Would that make him a pre-Renaissance man?) One of the books he wrote which is still being read today is A Guide for the Perplexed. (Wonderful title! It could be used today as a subtitle for a wide number of books on any topic. The Internet: A Guide for the Perplexed. Modern Life: A Guide for the Perplexed)
A few years ago, I came across the text of a letter Maimonides wrote to a scholar who sought an audience with the He wrote the letter to dissuade him from making the trip to old Cairo to meet him. Instead of merely saying "I just don't have time to meet with you", he tells the scholar about his day. You can find the text of the letter at: http://www.jpi.org/rambam.htm - scroll part-way down to see the part I'm referring to. His day is so jam packed full of the demands others have for his time. He manages to squeeze in some study and write. He barely has time to eat. Part way through the letter, he states: "When night falls, I am so exhausted that I can hardly speak. " Even as night falls, his studies are interrupted patients and visitors. The Sabbath brings little relief. He died when he was 69 - a ripe old age, I suppose, at the time. If all his days were as chock-full as he describes, it's a miracle he lived that long!
I think of Maimonides' letter when I feel there are too many demands on my time and energies. It puts my experiences into perspective. As a child, I heard adults complain about the stress of the modern world and a longing for the "good old days". I don't think things have changed so much through the ages. There's always something new, some change that causes us concern or distress. Even when the good stresses that add sweetness to our lives come our way, they leave their marks on us. At times. it seems that the only humans who always embrace change are babies- and that's just when the change involves their diapers! The trick to dealing with stress seems to be discovering how to handle it, finding out what matters most, and benefitting from lessons learned.
