Opening The Eyes Of Humanity

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: The method of integral education for adults consists of theoretical and practical parts. I would like you to elaborate on the theoretical part of the course. What information should the package include so it becomes known to every person on Earth?

Answer: The main course is psychology.

However, the most basic course is dedicated to the evolution of humankind and the whole of nature in general. First, it explains the development of the universe, from the Big Bang or from a certain point, which we observe. We do not yet know what happened before.

The evolutionary development was carried out through a consistent, gradual complication of matter, when the elementary particles began to form the basic “building blocks,” and the building blocks formed “buildings:” gases, planets, stars, and other objects, which were gradually formed from these gases.

Then, our Earth and unique solar system were created. We have not found and will not find anything similar in the universe, despite the fact that we constantly discover new planets. This confirms that life, in the form we see it, is really unique.

And we have to solve it: What is this striking aspect in the entire inanimate universe, permeated by a myriad of forces, the idea of development, a certain design? Suddenly, this idea begins to develop not only in still objects, but also in the vegetative, animate, and human nature. It is an exciting and strange phenomenon to turn still matter into vegetative, animate….

A human being is an even less comprehensible phenomenon: How does it differ from the animal; where is this boundary, and why is he special? Of course, we can ascribe much to him, but in principle, we have not found an accurate, clear definition of the difference between man and animal. We must explain to all people on Earth the very concept of “life”: how matter develops, improves, goes through defined stages, which are similar to the entire universe in its development, all the great transformations and metamorphoses.

Then, most importantly, we proceed to the study of human society as it develops under the influence of the emerging and growing egoism: what ego is. There is egoism at the level of the preservation of species, a natural egoism, but there is egoism, which opposes itself to others. That is, at every level of evolution, our egoism compels us to develop. Why does it develop from its still level to the vegetative, and then to the animate and human levels?

When we come to the degree of “human,” who is, suppose, a hundred thousand years old, this person has already started to develop his inner being, which also experiences its own development through these four stages.

Egoistic desires that push us forward evolve from their still form to the vegetative, animate, and human forms. So today, we come to such rapid exponential development of humanity. Look, how we suddenly grew in the 20th century!

We need to explain the whole story, taking human egoistic development as its foundation. Namely, growing egoism makes us change constantly and develop technology, industry, public relations, social systems, family traditions, and culture. All of that is due to our egoism. The essence of egoism appears in every person and groups of people, gradually forming nations and civilizations.

The history of humanity itself is of great interest: why there are certain dramatic events, technological breakthroughs and revolutions. If all this is seen in terms of various forms of growing egoism, history receives a serious explanation. The human being suddenly begins to see his origin and to perceive himself differently, as an element of evolution. What is it for? This is the issue.

Today, we can answer this question because egoism, starting from the mid-20th century, ceased to grow, and a period of general depression has begun, not economic, which we are witnessing nowadays, but internal, when people start asking more and more about the meaning of existence. What used to be the lot of philosophers, but not even all of them, today has become the lot of an ordinary person who subconsciously asks himself this question. He does not feel the question itself, but feels emptiness, depression; hence, drugs, terrorism, discord in family, and the like.

We need to show how egoism, which first developed linearly, then exponentially, and afterwards reached the saturation point, brings us to what happens now; at the end of this saturation point, its integration takes place.

And here, we face a new, completely incomprehensible picture, when we feel integrally connected. It is the butterfly effect: All thoughts and all desires are transferred to each other. Naturally, the Internet, universal connection, and global communication are evolving. Egoism urges us to develop namely these technologies of connection between us. But we do not develop internally.

Interestingly, that same egoism does not apply to our inner connection, which means that it connects us to each other, but only at the hard level of nature. And it does not work there where we must be interconnected through our willpower. It is obvious that here we should add our own participation.

As a result, by studying the whole picture, we see that nature leaves us something like an empty space in our inner connection. And if we do not fill this space, we will resemble a massive integral mechanism, the analog system, in which everything is interconnected but its most important part—our conscious participation in connecting all the elements of the system—is missing. It turns out that the brain of the system is turned off. It is felt more and more in our times.

Instead of turning this part on, that is, uniting, creating among ourselves a general desire and common thoughts, we try to solve today’s integral problems by the linear egoistic methods of the past, that is, by playing at protectionism on the field of integral relationships, and that is why these two systems do not fit each other at all. Since recently, our decision making and its implementation constantly leads us to ruin, bankruptcy, general discord, and breaking.

Humanity begins to realize that it cannot succeed today and looks for reasons, but due to the same egoism, it is not ready yet to listen to any explanations and agrees to this with great difficulty.

Here, of course, we face a very big problem. Our first task is to explain this gradually, basing our explanations on scientific data and the opinions of respected scientists. We need to reveal the system of the universe, its movement, and our place in it. We need to show a person that work, that addition, which we ourselves, consciously through our participation, have to add to this system, complete it, bring it to closure, to harmony. This is the basic course.
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From a “Talk on Integral Education” 12/12/11

Related Material:
Egoism At The Finish Line
Ascending Above One’s Fate
Humanity In Transition

One Comment

  1. When will the first class in integral education begin? Will it be online or only in Israel? Thank you

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