New Study Finds Power Of Imagination Changes Reality

our-imaginary-reality-is-created-by-two-mechanismsIn the News (from Washington University):Imagine this: study suggests power of imagination is more than just a metaphor” A new study from psychologists at Washington University in St. Louis suggests imagination may be more effective than we think in helping us reach our goals. “The imagination has the extraordinary capacity to shape reality,” suggests the study’s co-authors, psychology professor Richard Abrams and doctoral student Christopher Davoli.

My Comment: Baal HaSulam praises materialistic psychology for being based on practice and experiments, unlike philosophy which studies abstract notions. Like the natural sciences, psychology leads us to the recognition that there may be another reality.

Kabbalah gives us the opportunity to enter this spiritual reality, and to then see that our world is unreal, merely rendered to us by our limited, earthly imagination.

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Ecologists’ Debate: Is Man Any Different From Yeast And Rabbits?

munichThe renowned ecologist, Prof. Victor Dolnik writes the following about the transition from egoism to altruism:

The public consciousness has made an amazingly quick transition from a blasphemous, sacrilegious attitude to Nature to one of superstitious worship. The latter is now called “ecologism.” But ecologism is not very beneficial, as it’s founded on the same anthropocentrism as before – “The general good is the good of man.”

If ecological thinking is to be authentic, rather than “ecologistical,” it must become biosphere-centric: “The only thing that can be good for man is whatever is good for the biosphere.”

And here is what he said about the two possible ways of managing the creation (the path of Kabbalah and the path of suffering):

I would really like to know the answer to the question: what kind of species do we belong to? Is it really a species that’s regulated by nothing but primary factors? Are we no different than yeast and rabbits, which procreate until obstructed by the primary factors? Or are we a species that can change its strategy upon receiving warning signals from the biosphere?

Most ecologists attribute man to the former. Their main argument is: man may have lost the necessary genetic programs completely. And even if these programs are not lost, they are not functioning in the present conditions, which are completely different from the primal ones.

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The Market Rise Is Like The Calm Before The Storm

calmA question I received: Over the past two weeks the NASDAQ has risen by 20%, which seems to suggest that the crisis is over. What do you think?

My Answer: The stock market is a game. It can jump up without any realistic basis or cause. Did the pyramid schemers stop building up their schemes? While everyone’s thinking that they are going bankrupt, they’re actually devouring the billions of dollars that the governments are giving them, and they continue building up their pyramids, only in a more subtle way.

For the time being, the ego celebrates victory. But there’s been no real cure, no correction of any kind. The ego continues on like before, cooking up the next disaster. So, if you think that everything is fixed and back to normal, you’re in the worst possible state. It’s like failing to see an enemy that’s surrounding you, getting ready to attack.

You can be sure that in the end, the ego will emerge on top and the situation will be even worse than before. But for now, it seems like everything is fine. In the end, everyone made a profit and no one lost anything.

The fact is, there is no regulator for people’s growing egoism. Economics is not a science – it merely follows man’s egoism. Thus, the whole economy is based on me giving you the least I can while getting the most I can, and if possible, I’ll charge you without paying you. So, the economy is more like legalized thievery. Just think: what is the agreement that exists between us? You and I exchange goods only because I can’t take them from you by force. I have to give you something in return because I have no choice.

The economy is a reflection of our egoism, and our egoism is always growing. It is unwilling to unite with anyone, and it spurns us to exploit everyone. So what regulator can there possibly be?

The way to create a regulator for egoism, for human relationships is to observe two rules: “Don’t do unto others what you don’t want done unto you,” followed by, “love your neighbor as yourself.” But this is certainly not the direction economists are currently taking when seeking a regulator, which is why they won’t find it. Meanwhile, the next disaster will be far more qualitative. It won’t necessarily come from the financial system, the stock market or the banks; it may come by way of epidemics, climate anomalies and so on.

The fact that we’re experiencing a respite, even though we haven’t corrected anything, indicates that the next disaster is approaching. This isn’t a break or the end of the problem, but it testifies to the speed of the process, which means that the second wave of the crisis is not far away.

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The Crisis Brings A Rise In Violence

laitman_2009-03-02_w1In the News (translated from Lenta.ru): The VCIOM (Russian Public Opinion Research Center) reports that Russians are worried about the rise in crime. Most say that life in their areas has become more dangerous.

My Comment: This is reminiscent of some Hollywood movies about the future civilization, where ragged gangs and outlaws roam the wrecked cities looking for food…

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Businessmen Want Archbishop To Act As Guarantor Before Signing Deal

specialIn the News (translated from Interfax): The Archbishop of Yekaterinburg said, “Two entrepreneurs came to me asking me to be their guarantor. They were afraid to sign a deal because each feared the other would cheat him. If we have come to such a point of distrust, then what we can say about our economy?! We have numbed our hearts so greatly that people desire unlimited wealth without making any effort. The lack of integrity no longer allows us to do business.”

My Comment: This situation won’t last long either: the businessmen still believe that the Archbishop is an authority for the other. But what if this is not true, and one of them decides to cheat the other and disappear? Will the Father step up and assume this person’s responsibilities?

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