Doug Weinstein: What Fuels Your Fire

“Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” – Chinese proverb

This Hanukkah, as I light the candles each night, I will think about how I can improve myself, my family, my friends and my community through action. Realizing that sitting in the darkness cannot change anything, I will be working to improve myself and my condition. Understanding that complaining about others will not make anyone’s life better, I will reach out to friends and family to better our relationships through empathy and understanding. Rather than look glumly upon the current state of our country, I will work in my small corner of our community to do all that I can to practice tikkun olam. As Hanukkah is about remembering the rededication of the Second Temple, this Hanukkah for me marks my own rededication to seeing a better home, community and country.

Doug Weinstein is a patent attorney with the law firm Cantor Colburn.