One of the ideas associated with his framework is that your life is not an accident.
You enter this world with a purpose.
You are not here to live someone else’s life or copy someone else’s mission.
You are here to use your own personality, choices, relationships, and circumstances to reveal goodness.
The purpose of life is to learn how to live before the Creator with awareness, awe, trust, appreciation, love, and responsibility.
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Why can low self-esteem become a spiritual problem?
This is also why low self-esteem can become a spiritual problem.
Low self-esteem does not only sound like:
“I am not important.”
It can also sound like:
“My choices probably do not matter very much.”
“My relationship with the Creator cannot really matter.”
“What difference could someone like me make?”
But a relationship with the Infinite does not depend on you being powerful or impressive.
Your choices matter because the Creator chose to create a world in which your choices matter.
Does responsibility mean you are worthless?
That means responsibility is not evidence that you are worthless.
It is evidence that your life has meaning.
You are finite, but you are still someone the Creator chose to place inside a real relationship with Him.
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Why does this relationship begin with awe?
The Alter Rebbe explains that this relationship begins with awe.
Awe is the felt awareness:
“I am living before the Infinite Creator right now.”
That awareness contains wonder, because His wisdom and the depth of creation are far beyond what you can fully understand.
It contains humility, because you are not the Source, you do not see the whole story, and reality is not under your control.
And it contains healthy fear, because your choices are real and matter.
That is awe.
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How does appreciation deepen awe and love?
Then appreciation can deepen both awe and love if you trust He is good.
You begin noticing not only the greatness of the Creator, but His goodness.
You notice life, beauty, ability, relationships, opportunities, and the wisdom built into nature.
That can bring joy because some of His goodness is already revealed.
And that intimacy can also contain sadness because you want more of that goodness revealed.
You may feel:
“I want to know You more.”
“I want to feel Your closeness more clearly.”
“I want more of Your goodness revealed in my life and in the world.”
That sadness can become desire to accept more responsibility.
And desire is one of the raw ingredients of love, so it can lead to love deepening.
Sadness can also deepen awe because it makes you look more carefully at the Creator, His purpose, and what your choices can help reveal.
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Why can studying nature matter spiritually?
This is why studying nature can matter spiritually.
You are not only looking at something beautiful.
You are training yourself to notice order, wisdom, power, and depth that you did not create.
The more carefully you look, the easier it can become to feel wonder.
Wonder can deepen into awe when you remember:
“This has a Source.”
“I am living before that Source right now.”
“And my choices inside His world matter.”
That is where philosophy becomes relationship.
And that is where a finite life begins to feel connected to an Infinite purpose.
“To comprehend the greatness and goodness of the Creator, one has to give a lot of thought to the wonder of nature”
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Guides were recently updated:
“If everything that exists were dependent on something else for existence, nothing would ever exist.” — Maimonides
The only Healthy spiritual beliefs for the nervous system, it’s not atheism or Buddhism: Beliefs are not only an idea in your mind
Psychology of prayer explained: Why emotional numbness is often not emptiness
Why is suffering built into creation? The Infinite Creator wants creation to be full of revealed goodness
How to relate to the Creator in a healthy way: The word “G-d” is a descriptive name
Questions people ask
What does Rabbeinu Bachya’s framework say about your purpose?
One idea from his framework is that your life is not an accident. You enter this world with a purpose, and you are not here to copy someone else’s mission. You use your own personality, choices, relationships, and circumstances to reveal goodness. The emotional skills this asks for are awareness and responsibility.
Why do your choices matter to the Creator?
Your choices matter because the Creator chose to create a world in which they do. Low self-esteem can sound like “my choices probably do not matter” or “my relationship with the Creator cannot really matter.” But responsibility is not evidence you are worthless — it is evidence your life has meaning. The emotional skill here is self-worth.
What does awe mean in Chassidus?
The Alter Rebbe explains that this relationship begins with awe. Awe is the felt awareness that you are living before the Infinite Creator right now. It holds wonder, humility, and healthy fear together, because your choices are real and matter. The emotional skill is noticing, practiced by paying attention to Who you are living before.
What can studying nature teach you about the Creator?
Studying nature trains you to notice order, wisdom, power, and depth that you did not create, not just something beautiful. The more carefully you look, the easier it becomes to feel wonder, and that wonder deepens into awe when you remember nature has a Source. The emotional skill is curiosity.
Explore the NextSelf Blog. Start with this post explaining the world of souls. And my Youtube.
The blog lists all the difference patterns to study, understanding patterns is how one can develop 'Daas' [felt knowing].
Update: As awe, trust, and love deepen, they can allow greater openness and intimacy with the Creator. That intimacy can include sadness when you notice how much more of His goodness can be revealed.