Good Environment – 08.11.11

My Good Environment – Dr. Laitman’s Advice and Principles for the Week

The Whole World Is Standing Beneath Mount Sinai

Dr. Michael LaitmanIn order for the study to become an “elixir of life” rather than a “deadly poison,” it has to start with the intention to attract the Light that reforms. We have to study and open the book only for the sake of our correction.

Kabbalah and all the other holy books, regardless of what language they are written in (for example, the Talmud and Mishna use the language of hints and allegories) are descriptions of our connection with the Light, our spiritual states. All of these books, written by sages, Kabbalists, over the course of our entire history, talk about the spiritual world, our higher states.

If a person studies with the aim of attaining the states and spiritual degrees that the Kabbalists tell us about, like a child who wants to grow up, then first he reaches the revelation of his own evil. It is written, “I created the evil inclination and in addition, the Torah, the means for its correction.”

As long as we were “in exile,” all of that was concealed, but now we are starting to come out of the final exile. And just like during the exodus from Egypt, today we are again standing before the reception of the Torah if we desire to become “as one man with one heart,” to attain mutual guarantee just like by Mount Sinai.

A mountain of hatred is being revealed in front of us (Mount Sinai comes from the word Sinnah – hatred). But even despite that, we unite with the help of our points in the heart, the upper quality, the Moses in us who pulls us upwards and leads us through the desert, through the “preparation period” towards entering the “land of Israel,” meaning the desire for the sake of bestowal.

That is how all of humanity is standing before the mountain of hatred today. It is becoming revealed to us as one for all and is called the global crisis. We are all in the same state, but not everyone understands it fully yet, similar to how that crowd of people included different people as well—men, women, the elderly, and children who barely understood what was happening.

Yet, everyone is already starting to feel this state. It’s just that some already understand that the cause of all of it is our ego and the hatred that divides us, whereas others still experience it as a bad financial situation. Every person feels some kind of lacking depending on his qualities, his environment and needs: one person lacks an apartment, another cottage cheese, a third something else, and so on in all of humanity, every person.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/11/11, Writings of Rabash

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The Whole World Under One Umbrella

Dr. Michael LaitmanBeing a person in this world, I am built to automatically and constantly think about myself: What is most profitable for me to do, and how? That is how the Creator created me, as it is written, “I created the evil origin.” I only reveal this evil more and more and I already understand that I think only about myself, and I decide that this is evil. And that is already a special state.

Now I want to turn it into goodness because I hate that egoism. Goodness means thinking about everything and feeling everything as if it belongs to me. It means relating to everyone as an inseparable part of me.

But if we erase this “as,” then only “I” will remain once again—just a more egoistic I! Suppose I were to suddenly reveal that all the people around me are my children and I love them infinitely, with my entire heart.

What did I accomplish by that? Now I truly treat everyone as myself, but egoistically! After all, I consider them my own. They are the same as me, like my baby.

Therefore, I say, “No! The hatred and separation stay!” And “Love will cover all sins.” Otherwise you won’t have the opposition, the screen, the force of overcoming. What will you overcome? I don’t overcome anything in relation to my baby—I am ready to give him everything because my natural love obligates me to act that way.

When we say that we want to perceive the whole world as ourselves, we do not understand what kind of opposites are juxtaposed here and what kind of approach is built. I do not eliminate the repulsion, but build love upon it.

That is why a very special state is being revealed in the world now. There are struggles, arguments, collisions, and differences being expressed all around. The whole world is in disarray and no one is able to live together with anyone in peace. And they won’t be able to. The quarrels will continue flaming up more and more until we understand that all of the sins have to become revealed and we have to unite above them.

We shouldn’t be afraid when they become revealed, but on the contrary: When they become revealed and show you your weakness, that is exactly when you will understand that you need help. You will see that you cannot do anything by yourself and that you need the Light that reforms.

That is why we are seeing so many differences, forces, and goals collide, and no one understands anyone. Above all of this, we have to build one, large umbrella—the mutual guarantee.

In the meantime, all of these differences and disagreements will remain on the inside. This is a miracle that we do not understand! But the miracle is that they remain together with the umbrella that is created out of love and mutual guarantee rising above them.

We love one another despite all of our contradictory differences. We are so different because that is how Malchut has been revealed from above. And I do not want to change another person. I only want to explain to him that it’s worthwhile for us to have a kind attitude to one another, and I suggest to him, “With both of us keeping our own position, let’s unite with each other above that.”

If we received such opposite qualities from above, from the Creator, and if we are so different by nature, then apparently, it is precisely by virtue of the difference between us that we can express the harmony of creation. It is impossible to play classical music on one musical instrument. There have to be different sounds: minor, major, all kinds of instruments, and everyone has to play together. This is what produces harmony and creativity.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/10/11, Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah

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Join The Work

Dr. Michael LaitmanIt’s high time for us to create the first version of our “declaration of intentions.” We will quote different scientists in it and explain humanity’s current affliction and the correction.

When I spoke about the crisis some five or seven years ago, no one agreed with me. Until recently, people laughed at “speculations” of that sort. A year ago it was “decided” that the crisis was over, but very soon it became clear it wasn’t true. The collapse continues, and even the US is beginning to sink.

And this is why we need to prepare a clear declaration of our world-view, to show that the essence of the affliction is human egoism, and the cure is unity and the mutual guarantee. Nature is forcing us to be together in one desire as it manifests itself in the current integrated reality.

We need to clearly spell out our steps along this path. We are building a proper society, starting with a small organization which expands more and more, turning into a giant world union, a very diverse one, but very united. This way we will cure ourselves of our affliction.

I’m asking all of our friends: If you have special skills or ideas, if you are able to express this message in writing, video clips, songs, art, and so on, please send us your work so that we’ll use the united force of the mutual guarantee to create the method.

Out of our love for humanity, we must try with all of our strength to present them with the remedy before the affliction fulminates. All of us need to work hard to help people understand what is happening.
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From Lesson 3, the Germany Convention 8/6/2011

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Who Are The Protesters, And What Are They Protesting For?

Dr. Michael LaitmanIn the News (From themarker.com): “An Israeli start-up trendIT, which developed the technology that provides real-time demographic data…, believes that not less than 280 thousand people came to the demonstration in Tel Aviv [last Saturday].”

  • Among them, 70% belong to the 40% of the wealthiest Israelis.
  • 25% of the participants have income higher than 80% of the population.
  • Only 8% represented 40% of the low income class.
  • Almost 60% of the protesters were residents of the central part of the country: Tel Aviv (39% of protesters), Gush Dan, and Ha Sharon region (the most affluent areas of the country).

My Comment: Right was “the Egyptian paper Al Youm al Sabeh [which] headlined its report ‘the plague of Arab revolutions reaches Israel.'” (Source: Haaretz.com)
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Suicide Boom In Japan

Dr. Michael LaitmanIn the News (from rt.com): “A triple disaster on a scale the world has never known caused damage, destruction and uncertainty, forcing tens of thousands of Japanese refugees to leave their lives behind and seek shelter anywhere they can.

”Some people do evacuate,’ says Komae Hosokawa, a nuclear sociologist. ‘But the problem is they are the minority and they have been accused by their neighbors, by their classmates and of course by official personnel that they are causing unfounded anxiety among people, which is not good.’

“Though primarily a move towards self-preservation, this idea of desertion is defined by many as characteristically un-Japanese and has earned those who have evacuated the dishonorable title of traitor….

“’We hear some organic farmers committed suicide, because you know for organic farmers soil is everything,’ says Komae Hosokawa. ‘They nurture the good soil after many years of hard work and it is just contaminated in one night or two you know. So some farmers committed suicide, and I am very sad to hear the news. And many other farmers are also very much depressed.’…

“’The rate increases not in the epicenter, disaster epicenter, but in the peripheral areas,’ said Dr. Hirohito Hirose, a disaster psychology specialist, ‘Because survivors who have to reconstruct their life, they have no time to [contemplate] suicide.’

“This disaster has certainly taken its toll on Japan’s economy and such constant reminders of an intense topic can harm the collective psyche of the people who live here as well.”

My Comment: Perhaps, it seems heroic, but is it not an escape from certain problems, which they have no strength to solve constructively? A human being is a vulnerable creature, a small desire for self-preservation, fulfillment.

That is why a lack of fulfillment, a feeling of emptiness, is felt as suffering which one wants to get rid of, possibly, by an escape from existence itself.
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Calculation In The Corrected Heart

Dr. Michael LaitmanThe instruments with which we work in our world are our corporeal mind and heart that are in conflict with one another. Developing one, we seem to prevent ourselves from advancing the other. Usually, we can see a person’s tendencies already in their childhood: whether they are scientifically or artistically inclined. It can be accurately determined based on a person’s preferences and characteristics.

We say: “Don’t succumb to the feelings, use reason.” On the other hand, we add: “You don’t feel it yet; when you do, you will understand.” In other words, feelings help to acquire reason, in order to assess one’s feelings. After all, thought derives from sensation. And yet, our mind and feelings constantly argue.

As to the spiritual world, there, feeling and the mind are one. Sensation is the key since it begets a thought and helps in understanding and attaining one’s feelings. The real spiritual vessel is the unification of a feeling and the mind along the phases from 0 to 4. And when we reach the final one, phase 4, we get to understand what we are feeling in full and make decisions accordingly. At this point, the conflict between mind and heart no longer exists.

This points to an enormous difference between the corporeal and the spiritual worlds. This is why spiritual existence is called perfection. After all, there, a person doesn’t get torn into two opposite directions as in our world when he has feelings and lives at the mercy of his sensations, acting like a fool, as if he has no brain. His mind says it is wrong, while he still follows the heart.

Hence, reason and feeling in this world are out of balance, which makes us suffer and causes us to err and fail. The problem is that in our world, we cannot unify our mind and heart since our egoism stands between them.

Mindful egoism and sensual egoism oppose each other. It happens ever so often when we understand that our action is unreasonable from the mind’s point of view, while we still succumb to the heart since we desire to receive pleasure, and so we act and suffer for it afterwards. In fact, in the end, we have to pay the price according to the mindful calculation for all that we have done while listening to the heart.

And there is one single solution to it: correction of man since only in the spiritual world feeling and the mind become one—“above reason.” It is written: “The heart understands” because the understanding derives specifically from a spiritual sensation. And then we stop making mistakes and make a right calculation!
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/8/11, Shamati #45

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Learning To Live Within The Means

Dr. Michael LaitmanOpinion: (А.Turkov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Richford Group, abireg.ru): “The European Union is a very strange formation. …a single currency without a common fiscal policy is impossible. Greece is destroying the foundations of European integration with their unwillingness to live within their means…. It outrages the thrifty citizens of Benelux and Germany….

“They will not let Greece go bankrupt, but once the world economic crisis is over, they will stop bothering with it….

“Virtually all developed countries face a difficult situation with their public finances. Japan’s debt is more than two GDPs, the US debt equals its GDP.” Belgium and Italy are immersed in problems.

“The majority of countries will soon start learning how to live within their means.”

My Comment: Countries and nations will discover more and more unwanted interdependence. And no action to move away and be independent of each other will help them. It will be the other way around. They will discover increasing interdependence. They can’t go back to being isolated!

They can, however, go forward, toward improving the quality of their relationship, understanding what is happening, learning the natural social phenomena, and consciously realizing communication laws in the modern integral society. Study the sources!
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Everything Is Achieved In Unity

The “Mutual Guarantee” movement participated in a mass rally “For Social Justice” that took place last Saturday in Tel Aviv.

Today it is obvious that “social justice” is not so much a political, but a humanistic task shared by all of humanity, and it can be achieved first and foremost by virtue of a mutual guarantee, unification of the entire society.
This is the idea we carried into the masses: urging them to put mutual guarantee above all differences. Otherwise, instead of uniting, we are destroying our own home. Real unity is above politics; a true alliance is reached in the hearts.
We tried to convey this message in our banners and speeches.
And when all participants sang “Hineh Ma Tov Ve Ma Naim,” a song of brothers who unite above hatred in love, perhaps at that moment, a mutual guarantee was not just empty words for us.

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Why Are You Rightist, Mr. Laitman?

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Since recently, I was surprised to find out that you are rightist! How can you explain your digression?

Answer: I do not digress from anything or anyone. I have my own line, and it has nothing to do with conventional political lines. I measure everything only by the effectiveness of one or the other action with respect to the correction of the world.

To correct the world, we need a strong Israel, and therefore, I am for it. (See the article “Introduction to The Book of Zohar,” Item 60 until the end of the article). Neither I nor our organization has any connection with any party or political movement. We do not desire to limit ourselves.

We have only one obligation: to provide the world with the method of correction and to show an example of its realization. As all the Kabbalists write, this is possible only from Israel outwards. That is why we are so obviously against all the forces that threaten the very existence of Israel as the center and source of correction. As Baal HaSulam writes, the Light of correction will flow to the nations only through Israel that corrects itself.

Therefore, we, Kabbalists, are in favor of its existence. Moreover, the opponents of this destroy themselves, and their decline is predetermined because of their attitude towards Israel.

Since all the correction of the world depends on the realization of connection between people, bringing the world to one global and integral whole (as it was before the breaking of the soul into separate souls), then everything that is against integration, everything that separates us is against the tendency of nature, its plan to bring the world to balance with it. That is why Kabbalah is only for unity above all differences.
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