Polar Vortex is the big word this week as a huge swath of Midwest and Central United States is hit with unusually cold frigid Artic temperatures. We have friends and relatives in Chicago and Detroit hit by daytime lows of 14 below Zero, with wind chills pushing the real time feel to 30 and 40 below! Schools are closed and in many cases people are advised not to leave their homes. Albany happens to be on the fringe of this, so we’re getting colder temps and wind, but nothing like what they are feeling in the Midwest.
Of course, for some this is not mere chit chat about the weather: for those without adequate heating or shelter, and for the elderly and those with compromised immune systems, and for workers who need to be outdoors in these freezing temperatures, this cold can be very serious business. And all of this of course brings up heated (pun intended) arguments both against and for Global Warming and Climate Change, and since so much digital ink has been spilled on that, and being that I have little expertise in these matters, I’ll leave that for others.
The Baal Shem Tov taught that one can and should learn spiritual life lessons from all of our experiences. What’s the message of the Polar Vortex?
Simply put, the Polar Vortex is a huge swirling mass of frigid air at both poles that most of the time is kept up there (by various wind systems and jet streams etc) where it belongs. Occasionally, a portion of this frigid air mass can slip out of its normal sphere, and reach into parts of Canada, and even sometimes (like now) if all the conditions line up, a segment of this Polar Vortex slip out of place and swirl south into large population centers in the United States. So, the Polar Vortex itself is perfectly normal, but when a part of it slips out into these regions is when it is considered “out of place.”
In many classic Jewish texts, from Talmud to Kabbalah to Chassidic thought, emotions are often referred to as “Ruach” or wind. Why are emotions compared to wind? Well, emotions can be fickle like the wind, constantly changing and in flux. And just as wind (cold fronts and warm fronts, high pressure and low pressure..) is a key determiner of weather, so too, emotions play a huge role in creating atmosphere and our environment. And like the wind, emotions are pressurized and passionate, filled with energy, gusto and thrust.
There are all types of emotions, and while the trend today is for people to express themselves and “be true to themselves” wherever and whenever – it’s probably not the wisest or healthiest approach. It may stem from a self-centered, almost narcissistic approach. As it says in Kohelet, there’s a time and place for everything. Laughter has many benefits but is usually inappropriate at funerals. Sadness has its time, but not at someone’s joyous moment. Not all emotion is best when shared with everyone. Of course, emotions shouldn’t be suppressed, but we are best served when they are channeled, focused and shared when appropriate with those most appropriate to share with. If a teacher had a rough meeting with the principal and lets it out on the students, or if parents are stressed about finances and let it out on their kids, that’s not good. Misplaced emotions may indeed be valid emotions that need to be expressed and dealt with, but they are currently in the wrong place.
Polar Vortex is when a normal wind slips out of its normal route. It’s good and important where it belongs but harmful and dangerous where it doesn’t. The Polar Vortex has its usual and normal place to be, but sometimes part of it gets displaced. Displacing our emotions can be harmful as well. Something to think about when it comes to dealing with our emotions.