The Individual And Community

Dr. Michael LaitmanUnity is not equalization, but mutual inclusion. The method of education is based on this idea as well: Everyone is unique, and hence children develop through discussions that allow them to learn other children’s opinions no matter how numerous these opinions are.

Thanks to this method, each child absorbs from the others, becomes imbued with their way of being, and grows to be even more unique. The child receives from everyone else and grows on that, developing his own properties.

This is what we want to achieve with our method of education. People unite correctly, making a contact, communicating with each other, and build a human society themselves, a society which is based on mutual inclusion of each into all and all into each. As a result, everybody’s uniqueness flourishes even more.

To do this, children conduct discussions, which we direct and manage just a little bit. Meanwhile, everybody has an opportunity to speak out, experience the role of a judge and defendant, advocate and prosecutor. We develop a human being in each child only through mutual inclusion.

Then, from year to year, children will grow more different from each other. The difference between them will strike one’s eye every time, but so what? Namely this will give power to the following unification. That’s the entire point: Without suppressing the individual, we build a community from great personalities.

Thereby the method of Kabbalah allows us to use the entire creation. Otherwise, we simply destroy a person, reducing him to a cog in the machine, whereas in fact, each detail, conscious of its indispensability, should put this machine into action.
[42866]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/12/2011, “Peace in the World”

Related Material:
Can Different People Be Equal?
Be The Chief Of Unification
Fathers And Sons: Who Lacks Understanding?

Can Different People Be Equal?

Dr. Michael LaitmanBaal HaSulam, “Peace in the World”: Thus you find that the attribute of truth has no practical ability to organize the path of the individual and the path of the collective in an absolute and satisfactory manner. Also, it is completely insufficient for organizing life at the end of the correction of the world.

The Creator seems to be playing with us. On one hand, He says that everything needs to be done according to the attribute of truth: Everybody has to give as much as possible and receive life necessities, according to his nature which he did not choose. At the same time, bestowal, even wholehearted, also depends on the innate qualities and differences.

It means that everyone is unique in reception and bestowal. How do we solve the problem and remain in the category of “truth”? What criterion should we use? Working hours or output are not suitable because everybody is different. The Creator created us so that we are simply unable to draw comparisons between ourselves. How can we establish the correct interconnection between us?

For example, I may spend hours to get a smile from someone, while someone else smiles right away. Everybody has his own character, habits, mood swings, and a thousand other internal parameters. How do we work with each other?

Does the Creator “trip us”? “You have to be equal,” He says. But we are different! How is it possible to evaluate a human according to a benchmark? Where would a suitable criterion be found?

It is time for us to build a human society in which all of us will be connected like cogwheels. Nobody knows how he is supposed to rotate in relation to others. What example can be used? How would it be realized? The task seems simply unreal, and this is a very big problem.

All of humanity has to understand the difficulty that lies here and its cause. Today, we already understand that we have entered a new epoch and must unite in an amicable way. There is no other choice: We have to reduce consumption, limit our evil inclination, our egoism, to begin to decrease the standard of living in one region and share the released surplus with the other. But how?

Each of those who succeed in economy, industry, science, culture, and so on can stand up and say: “I have achieved everything with my own hands. I worked on my success, so let them do the same.” And it would sound fair.

In other words, a person says: “Go to the Master who created me. He put me in such conditions, and I have achieved everything.” That is, direct all your claims with respect to our inequality to the Creator. It is He who created people different and requires them to achieve unity, without which it’s impossible to continue our existence.

This is the problem we have yet to resolve.
[42892]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/12/2011, “Peace in the World”

Related Material:
Correction Of The World, Part 1
A Social Agreement To Cease Hostilities
Man In The Final Stage Of Development

Correction Of The World, Part 1

Dr. Michael LaitmanDefining the problem: The free fall of the world into a global crisis and a threatening lack of natural resources (oil, water, and so on) make it necessary to transform the global economy into an economy of reasonable consumption.

Many people, including businessmen, economists, politicians, and others agree with this conclusion. However, no one can imagine the possibility of human existence without competition, according to the principle of “to each according to his needs.” It’s even more difficult to envision a peaceful, coordinated transition to reasonable, limited production and consumption.

The future appears to be a society of reasonable consumption created by a few survivors of the world war. Is a peaceful transition to the practice of reasonable consumption an option?

The solution to a peaceful transition to a reasonable consumption: We need to create a critical mass of intelligent people who realize that the current system no longer works. The role (cause) of the crisis is to radically increase the number of people prepared to assess the real problems wisely and sensibly.

The main task during this period is to maximize the number of people who are conscious of the problem, explaining the actual mechanisms that operate in the world so that their attitude to the world will be objective, constructive, and based on the correct value system. This period ends when the number of people comprehending humanity’s problem correctly becomes large enough to produce a significant impact on society.

Development of a model society of reasonable consumption, ensuring its normal development: The model consists of economic and spiritual parts. Spiritual development and fulfillment have to compensate for the human need for economic growth beyond what is necessary.

Implementation of the model:

  1. Creating and improving an education network. Teaching about life according to the developed model of a society of reasonable consumption.
  2. Actual implementation.

Urgent tasks:
Today, we are in the middle of the first of the four phases:

  • The development of a network structure that would explain the critical state of humanity and the only sustainable model of the future society to the adult population. Defining the principles of integral education of children, which are necessary for providing them with survival skills in the new (integral) conditions of nature.
  • The development of an economic model.
  • The development of a spiritual model.
  • The promotion of the economic and spiritual models to the world through the network structure.
    [42711]

Related Material:
A Time Of Change
Globalistics
The Lessons Of Natural Disasters

Daily Kabbalah Lesson – 05.15.11

Writings of Rabash, Letter 25
Download: WMV Video|MP3 Audio

The Book of Zohar – Selected, Chapter, Mishpatim,” Lesson 16
Download: WMV Video|MP3 Audio

Talmud Eser Sefirot Vol. 1, Part 1 Histaklut Pnimit,” Lesson 14
Download: WMV Video|MP3 Audio

Rav Yehuda Ashlag “Peace in the World
Download: WMV Video|MP3 Audio

A Prayer For The Society Is A Prayer For Oneself

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Does a prayer for the society always mean that I pray to complement them to perfection?

Answer: Yes, but you have to complement them only in your eyes. Society does not lack anything. Except for you, everything else is corrected. Everyone judges according to their own flaws. A person sees the world through the prism of his defects. If you were corrected now, you would see that the entire world is corrected.

Hence, a prayer for the society is a prayer for your society which exists within you. This is the place of your Shechina, the “place” where you reveal the Creator. This is what your society is. After all, you never see anything outside; rather, within your desire, you see your broken vessel, desire.

“I pray for the society!” Except for you, nobody needs your prayer or all the beautiful words falling from your mouth: “I work for the sake of the society!” All of it only seems like work.

You don’t even know how much you are closed inside yourself. You have to correct only your inner desire. This is called “society,” “world.” It is all within you, as it is said: “A person is a small world.”
[42671]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/10/2011, The Zohar

Related Material:
To Change The Upper One Or To Transform Oneself?
The Place Where The Creator Is Revealed
Whom Do We Pray For?

Kabbalah Moments: Why Do We Incarnate?

Learning Isn’t For Us, Is It?

Dr. Michael LaitmanIn truth, humankind has not made a single real step in pursuit of happiness. Since I aspire to happiness, I have to first of all understand what it is. What is that happiness in nature that I must reach? I should understand that everything is programmed in such a way that all the resources and laws of nature are at my disposal. All I need is to use them correctly and I will achieve happiness.

Instead, however, humankind sets artificial targets and attempts to act at its sole discretion, like a child who just “wants” something no matter what. We don’t study the laws of nature or wish to abide by them, and we are not willing to accept the existence of a single global system. We recognize physical laws and other facts of the natural sciences, but the laws of human interrelationships are nonsense for us. We deny them indiscriminately.

Family breakdown continues and depression advances. However, we are sure that the matter has nothing to do with the laws of nature: “I didn’t drop it; it fell down.” People can barely reconcile themselves with the fact that they are in a system that works on them and binds them with thousands of shackles. And we have no other choice but to study the laws of nature. The better we can follow them, the more we can achieve. When people comply with all of them fully, they reach the point of harmony and perfection. However, a person doesn’t want to listen: “I will do it my own way; learning isn’t for me.”

Troubles will teach us anyway. In this sense, humankind is not smarter than a stubborn, unruly child. Thirty years ago, international forums warned about the need for urgent changes in society and our attitude towards the environment. However, nothing has been done since then. The child is stubborn by nature; he still lacks understanding. But the “mighty of the world” who seem to have grown up, on the contrary, demonstrate their narrow-mindedness….
[42767]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/11/2011, “Peace in the World”

Related Material:
A Round World
Living For The Sake Of The Moment
What Hides Behind The Illusion Of Progress?

Life Is Change

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How is it possible to attain the true reality if a “researcher” and all his measuring tools keep on changing?

Answer: What difference does it make whether I investigate the world which is changing all the time, while I am not, or the world which is constant, while I am always changing? If neither changes, I will be unable to tell anything about the world since I won’t have the means for measuring it. After all, measurement is only possible between two changing parameters, on the basis of their relationship to each other.

I determine a relationship between them, and it becomes a unit of measurement for me. I use this unit to measure all the rest. There are two parameters unequal to each other, two points in space. I measure their relationship, which determines the difference between them, and accept it as a unit of measurement: for example, a degree of temperature or ten centimeters. Then I use this unit of measurement to measure all other occurrences.

I begin by saying that I found some sort of distinction. Now using it as a basis, I am going to measure all other distinctions between properties, forces, places in space, and desires. It doesn’t matter between what and what, but I always measure the difference, the changes. If there are no changes, nothing can be measured; I simply lose all sensations.

If no changes were happening now, the world would appear still to me. It would die, and I would lose all understanding, awareness, and sensation, as if nothing existed.

Our life is not an experience of some state, but a sensation of change from one state to another. And if the changes between states are called life, it turns out that I can have two forms of life: One is when life changes outside of me, and the other is when life changes inside of me.

If I assume that life goes on and changes outside of me, this is called life in this world. Life that changes inside of me is called spiritual life, the life of the future world. Life always means change; everything depends on where I notice it.
[42693]
From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/10/2011, Talmud Eser Sefirot

Related Material:
A Simple Formula Of Reality
The Only Degree Of Your Freedom
Revealing The Giver Of Life

310 Worlds As Your Reward

Dr. Michael LaitmanTalmud Eser Sefirot, Vol. 1, Part 1 “Histaklut Pnimit,” Item 7: Our sages have said, “The Creator is destined to bequeath each righteous 310 worlds.” …

It is like a person who says to his friend, “Work with me for just a minute, and in return I will give you every pleasure and treasure in the world for the rest of your life.” There is indeed no greater free gift than that, since the reward is utterly incomparable with the work, since the work is in this world, a transient, worthless world compared to the reward and the pleasure in the eternal world.

Question: So is there reward after death or not?

Answer: After which death? If the animate body dies, it gets buried. But if the egoistic desire dies, then that’s not the end. After that it is necessary to “revive the dead”—the dead desire.

First it is necessary to “bury” the egoistic desire, to read the commemorating prayer over it (Kaddish), to bless the Creator for the fact that my egoism has died. I say, “You have killed my egoistic desire and I am very grateful to You for that! Now let’s continue working. Let’s revive the dead and give it the intention for the sake of bestowal!”
[42869]
From the 2nd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/12/11, Talmud Eser Sefirot

Related Material:
Commemoration Or Gratitude?
Life On The Degree Of Bestowal
The Most Materialistic Approach

Growing On One’s Own Volition

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: When I work in the group and search for the connection with the common net, I use my senses. Would making the senses more sensitive facilitate the formation of a sixth, spiritual sense?

Answer: We perceive the world with our animal senses in order for us to be free of spirituality, both in its positive and negative manifestations. Indeed, the evil inclination is just as spiritual as the good inclination. All of this is the Creator’s forces. The situation is intentionally arranged in a way that allows us to be free from spirituality and develop independently.

This is the preparation phase, intended for us to prepare an independent point. Afterwards, when we ascend above the Machsom into the spiritual space, this independence will manifest in us taking on the Creator’s quality, His form. This is why man is called “similar” to the Creator.

As for our present perception in the animal senses, it is merely the preparation to ensure that we become independent from the Creator. Upon revealing in practice that everything comes from Him, we can oppose it and sway ourselves on our own volition, and not because nature forces us.

It is written: “No matter how high one rises above others, the evil inclination rises above him.” We are always given an additional desire to resist, balk, and stubbornly hold our position before the Creator. Otherwise, we would simply “melt away,” having lost our very essence in spirituality.
[42895]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 5/12/2011, “Peace in the World”

Related Material:
Life Is Change
A Remarkable Journey Into The Unknown
The Accelerating Human