The Invisible Scar

In 1980, at Dartmouth College in the United [music] States, an experiment was conducted that demonstrated just how much our brains are capable of deceiving us. The researcher seated volunteers in front of a mirror and using theatrical makeup painted a large and ugly scar [music] on each of their faces. The participants saw themselves and were startled. Their task was to go to job interviews with strangers [music] and then come back and describe how people treated them because of the scar. But just before they left, the researcher said, "Just a second. We need a little powder so the scar doesn't shine." They didn't know that there was no powder on the sponge, [music] but rather makeup remover. The researcher completely erased the scar from their faces. They went out with completely normal faces, but in their minds they were convinced they had a huge scar. >> [music] >> When they returned to the lab, their reports were shocking. They described discrimination, disgusted [music] looks, impatience, a sense of rejection, and even sarcastic remarks they heard. But it didn't happen. The interviewers behaved [music] normally. The participants created the rejection themselves because when they felt flawed, their body language became defensive, and every smile turned into mockery, and every glance into pity. Science discovered something powerful. We don't always respond to reality, but rather to our self-image. We project our internal scars onto the person in front of us and are convinced that they are attacking us. Friends, this happens to us every day. All of us walk around [music] with imaginary scars, insecurities, a feeling that we're not smart or successful enough, a fear that people will discover we're a fraud. We walk into the office, a meeting, or home convinced that everyone sees our scar, and then we get defensive, attack, [music] or get offended by every word because we think the world is judging us. Thousands of years before the [music] experiment, Judaism gave us a daily tool to erase these scars every morning. It's called the morning blessings. We thought it was just a ritual of giving thanks for the morning, but it's much more than that. It's a process of erasing [music] psychological makeup, an amazing gift that the creator gave us. In the morning, even before we meet another person, we declare, "Who crowns Israel with glory?" The creator places a crown on my head, and then, "Who provides me with all my needs? I lack nothing. I am whole." >> [music] >> In these blessings, we don't ask for anything. We look into a spiritual mirror, cleanse the imaginary scars, [music] and remember that we enter the world not as victims and not as damaged, but adorned with the glory [music] of royal children. So, next time we enter a room and feel that the world is cold, [music] that we are being judged, that we are not good enough, let's pause, take a breath, remember the morning blessings, and that the scar exists only in our mind. Let's erase it, stand tall, and suddenly discover that the whole world in front of us is simply smiling back at us.