Licensed to kill

We are all potential killers.

The world is made up of a few things. A solid foundation, a lot of confusion and uncertainty, some truth, lots of opinions, trial and error. But mainly, the world is made up of potential. Anything can happen. The choice is half up to us, and half up to G-d. There is a 50-50 chance every time you make a decision.

G-d gave us free choice, but He also knows the outcome. How does that work? G-d is not an entity, He does not exist, live. He is past, present, and future all in one. He is above the physical, and detached from the world. Even though He ultimitly knows the outcome, we have the potential to change it.

A baby is born into the world a selfish being. They eat, sleep, and cry all day long. They are a taker, they don't have the ability to give back. They have survivel instincts, and are dependant on other people.

A baby is the epitome of pure. We are all born with a clean slate. A baby has tremendous potential. He might become a brilliant rocket scientist one day, and make amazing discoveries. Or he might live on a park bench, and beg for charity. His future depends on a lot of things. The family he was born into, the talents G-d gave him, but what he will choose to do with those talents is entirly up to him. There are no excuss you can bring for why you didn't reach your full potential. You can blame your circumstances, you can blame the world, but it is entirely your fault.

In tanya, the Alter Rebbe writes, before a baby comes down into this world, "he must swear to be a tzaddik, and not to be a rasha." If so, why are there evil people in this world? Why are we not all tzaddikim? After all, we swore to G-d, and a promise to G-d is unbreakable.

The answer, in short, is that we all do have the ability to become a tzaddik. Potentially, we can all reach that level. The long answer is, learn tanya and you might actually get there.

Life is all about breaking your nature. In the same place it tells us to be a tzaddik, it also says, 'don't be a rasha.' G-d is giving us an out. If you can't become a tzaddik, the least you can do is not become a rasha. Go against your natural instincts to sin, and be a better person.

We have a perfect example in our history. Avraham our forefather was born into a family of idol worshipers. His father served idols. According to the natural course of things, Avraham too should have been an idol worshiper. But he broke his nature. At the age of three, he destroyed his fathers idols, and found G-d. Though that is a very extreme example.

A baby was born to a poor family,ad both parents died when he was very young. He lived on the streets and raised himself. He grew up, got a job, put himself through school, got married, and turned out to be a decent person.

How was that possible? He was doomed to a life of a child delinquent from the moment he was born. But he didn't let nature take over. He took control.

A child born to an abusive family gets married and never raises his hand to his children. A poor boy goes on to become a millionaire. A kid from a dull family becomes a brilliant phillosopher. Every day there are people breaking the odds, and becoming someone that nobody expected them to become.

Every day we are breaking our nature. When a person picks up a gun and decides to shoot someone, we say there is something wrong in his brain. Something snapped, or went out of place. But what if it is in his make up to kill, and his whole life he was holding himself back? What if by killing another individuel, he is being true to himself and his will?

If a child is constantly told that he is bad, then he will unltimitly do bad things, free of guilt, and claim that he is living up to his nature. because that's what was expected of him. If a child is taught that he can accomplish anything if he just tried, then that is probably what he will do. But on the other hand, if the child tells himself, I will propve everyone wrong, then the so called 'bad' child may turn out to be good, and the second child may be lazy, and not accomplish anything.

Every Jew posesses two souls- an animal soul, and a G-dly soul. We are born only with an animal soul, which caters to our physical needs and desires. Our G-dly sould we get later on, at the age of bar or bat mitzva. If so, it is easy to blame G-d, or circumstance, for our mistakes. After all, we didn't even have the ability to do good until much later on in life.

A killer will tell G-d, you put it in my nature to kill. You put the gun in my hands. So I am not responsible for my actions. But we all know tis isn't true.

If a child says, I only hit him because he bothered me, so it's all his fault, we punish him anyway, because he is responsible for his actions.

We are naturally selfish people. It's a quality that carried over from childhood, and we are constantly fighting it. A child doesn't want to share his snack, but is told he must. A kid doesn't want to be in a group with a certain child, for the simple reason that he doesn't like him. teenagers hurt eachother all the time with stupid gossip, cliques, groups, secrets.

Someone says a mean thing to me. I feel like cursing her out, and returning with an insult. But it is the right thing, and sociably accepted thing, to keep quiet, and not respond. By not responding, I am going against my nature.

A miser hoardes his money and doesn't want to give even a penny away. The one time, that he gives one penny to one person, he is breaking his nature.

That's what G-d wants from us. He doesn't demand a lot from us. He just asks you to go against your natural instincts. Be a tzaddik, and don't be a rasha. We have so much potential, and the choice is in your hands.

If G-d puts a gun in your hand, and your worst enemy is tied up in front of you, and all you have to do is pull the trigger- put the gun down and walk away.

Don't give in to whim or will. Rise above it, be a better person. Go against your nature.