The Battle of the Generation

Ch. 1

• We are living in unprecedented times. How to be excited about the challenges. "By now, the answer should be obvious: Hashem put us here to give us the opportunity to accomplish something that was never done before. By succeeding despite the challenges that bombard us daily, we reach monumental greatness. Of course, we will have to work harder to succeed than any prior generation, but it is worthwhile because we will be great forever. It is not supposed to be easy. Life is meant to be challenging!"
• Lessons from Palti

The Battle of the Generation Plan

[Ch. 13 and on]

• Staying alert: The first step of a successful battle plan is figuring out our upcoming tests and preparing for them. We must work on ourselves before we are challenged to stop our rational minds from falling asleep when our desires start up. Part 5 of this book will deal with that first step in the plan: awareness. By training ourselves to be alert, we will maintain our focus and be ready for any stirrings of desire. We will not lose ourselves, so we will stay awake and keep our ability to make the right choice. We will also be able to use techniques during the challenge that will help us win.
  • Ch. 14 - Talks about staying alert, staying focused on your goal. This is mostly related to Action.
  • Ch. 15 - Identify Triggers (once a week, think of triggers that you might have that week, and how you will deal with them). Visualize yourself succeeding. Use physical reminders (e.g. Tzitzis).
  • Ch. 16 - Dealing with urges (externalize the urge, write a CBA, think about Hashem)
  • Ch. 17 - Accepting the desire (deny the urge in a relaxed way)
• Motivation: Another vital part of the battle plan is developing the desire and excitement to defeat the yetzer hara. We can do this by contemplating how much we gain when we exercise self-control. We will discuss this in depth in Part 6: Wanting to Win. This is the most important weapon for battling the yetzer hara in any area, not just desire.
  • Ch. 18 - Developing right attitude to Nisyonos and feeling excited about it.
    • Ch. 19 - Even if it's a bit of shelo lishma
  • Ch. 20 - Perspective on the struggle. (The pinnacle of life is success in the face of challenge. • Each person can accomplish phenomenal achievements that cannot be attained by anyone else. • The greatest achievements come when the odds are stacked against us. That’s why we are so fortunate that Hashem gave us perhaps the most difficult challenge ever, the battle against desire in our generation — because by succeeding we can reach unprecedented greatness.)
• Willpower: The yetzer hara likes to attack us in “the gray area.” He tries to get us to commit actions that might make us uneasy but don’t seem overtly wrong. Even if part of us senses that these questionable actions are wrong, we lack the resolve to control ourselves because we are not thoroughly convinced. This makes it easier for the yetzer hara to get us to give in. Thus, another vital ingredient of our plan is the development of willpower strong enough to overcome the yetzer hara’s tricks. We must clarify that what he is telling us to do really is wrong, and we have to commit not to give in no matter what. Part 7 will be all about willpower.
• Calming our Desires: Finally, if we can weaken the pull of our desires, that will help us dramatically. The weaker the pull, the less the yetzer hara can blind, trick, and overpower us. Many situations that would normally spark a challenge will no longer bother us if we can weaken the intensity of our desires. Another benefit of weakening our desires is that it becomes easier to win battles that go on for long. Such battles are the most difficult challenges we face. Once our desires take hold, they grow stronger every minute while our self-control weakens. The longer the battle rages, the harder it is to hang on. Eventually, our inner strength cracks and the yetzer hara overpowers us. But if we learn how to stop our desires from getting out of hand in the first place, and how to calm them down if they do start up, we won’t be overpowered by desire. For these reasons, learning how to calm our desires is important. This will be the focus of Part 8. Our ultimate objective is to quiet our desires enough that rarely will we lose control over our emotions. This will make our battles much easier.