Audio Version Of The Blog – 12/26/18
Posted on December 26th, 2018
Listen to an Audio Version of the Blog
Download:MP3 Audio
Listen to an Audio Version of the Blog
Download:MP3 Audio
Long economic growth with technology and population growth is giving way to a long recession in the economy, population, innovations, and global demand. Excess of production capacity and debt will exacerbate the decline. It will go on until a world war or the correction of humanity.
From Twitter, 12/26/18
Related Material:
My Thoughts On Twitter 12/25/18
My Thoughts On Twitter 12/24/18
My Thoughts On Twitter 12/23/18
A prayer is a desire that rises from creation to the Creator, from the lowest to the highest. The difference is that when the Creator gives to the created beings, not without a reason but at their request, it elevates them from the animate to the human level. Therefore, the revelation of a desire, prayer, request, gratitude—any appeal to the Creator—is very important. It determines all the corrections and advancements in spiritual work.
The power of prayer is enormous. We see in our world that even a small child can push a button and launch a gigantic system that can harm or benefit the whole world. Therefore, the prayer is crucial. After all, even the smallest desire included in a large system specifically designed to receive desires can awaken, shift the system, and cause massive changes.
In technology, such systems are called amplifiers: mechanical, hydraulic, electrical, and electronic. One can run large systems with a small action. This shows how important the input impulse is. Also, the more powerful, bigger, and wiser the system, the more subtle and sensitive is the impulse it requires, with a lot of preparation.
With the right prayer one can awaken the heavens and launch the system of all the worlds. After all, our impact on the higher system is transmitted up to the very world of infinity and causes a response.
Prayer has tremendous power. It is evident in material examples. Until recently, people used such simple devices, as bow and arrows in which the reaction was proportional to the strength of the mechanical action and was of the same nature. Recently, however, when humanity began to work with electric, electronic, hydraulic, and computer systems, we see how the weakest signal sent to the transistor, the minimum input impulse, opens a large electric current or valve for water flow.
If I understand how to open a faucet, I can water the whole world. This is the power of prayer. But a prayer is not just words; it is bringing oneself into conformity with the higher system, as it is written: “Make your desire as His desire.” And then, even my smallest desires will work: as much as I am small and the system is huge, my weak influence can awaken the forces of cosmic power.1
The most important thing is to understand what a perfect system I am in and how I can activate it, and then I will be the master of the world. The Creator gives me the keys to run the whole huge system of the universe. But this has to be done in complete darkness.
I try to give to society, but I find out that I do not want this and that I am incapable of such an attitude. No matter how hard I try, my good intentions are good for a second and then I forget about them again. After all my many attempts, it turns out that I saddle myself with an intolerable burden. I try to carry it and I think that it is possible, but each time I drop it.
I load this bag over and over again, and it all falls, and then I scream in despair. This is called a prayer that can awaken the upper force that will help me, support the bag, and do my work—I just need to ask all the time. If I feel that I cannot do this work, then the Creator will finish it for me, and my prayer will be true, awakening Him to help me.2
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/12/18, “Prayer”(Preparation for the Virtual Convention 2018)
1 Minute 0:20
2 Minute 8:00
Related Material:
What Is Prayer?
How Do We Organize Ourselves For Prayer?
The Importance Of Prayer
Question: Will we ever be able to replace words like “love” and “bestowal” for more practical terms?
Answer: No, but we will begin to understand them correctly. You cannot replace these words because in spiritual terms they express the truth. In our world, we distort them and use them completely incorrectly.
If a mother wolf is feeding her cub and caring for it, it is considered that she follows her instinct, not love. Love between a man and a woman is also instinctive. No matter what spectrum of relationships we talk about—mother and child, man and woman—this is instinctive love. True love is called bestowal, when you take the desire of another person and fulfill it.
Question: Wouldn’t it be easier to change this word rather than convince humanity that it is not love?
Answer: I think that humanity will quickly become disillusioned with its vocabulary and will start correcting it on their own. There is nothing to naming such words that are impulses, which relate to purely egoistic self-gratification.
The fact is that humanity never wrote about love, there were not even such songs. They appeared in the Middle Ages, from the Renaissance. Beforehand, love meant our relationship with the Creator or some special relationship between people that was other than physical. Such an understanding of the term “love” as we have today never even existed.
In terms of the world “unity,” that’s a different story. Here we mean the unity between people for the purpose of achieving the highest goal, of attaining the meaning of life.
[237724]
From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 8/5/18
Related Material:
Spiritual Love
Love Is The Fulfillment Of The Desires Of The Other
Love Without Conditions
Question: Why is a can of cold Coca-Cola more accessible than a glass of fresh water?
Answer: Coca-Cola is closer, more affordable, and more available to us than a glass of good pure water because someone profits from it.
Again, the egoism of a person, of a manufacturing company, pushes it to make its product more accessible to all. It cannot earn as much from a glass of water as from a can of Coca-Cola, so Coca-Cola promotes itself to make money from us.
However, if by means of planetary awareness, we realize what is useful for us, we use only good things for us and despise the rest, if we eliminate everything we do not need and use only necessary things, then of course, during the life of one generation, we would be able to raise a generation that would be disgusted with Coca-Cola and all sorts of unhealthy foods, endless sweets, etc.
Then, we will bring up a new, healthy generation without genetic food and without such poisons as Coca-Cola and such.
After all, if egoism disappears from the world, then no one will benefit from making poisonous foods. No one would feel any benefit from it. On the contrary, society should condemn all those companies that act this way. Society must take care to protect all its members from the distribution of poisonous food.
But since we do not love each other, we do not care about each other’s health. As a result, of course, there are those who sell poisons, advertise poisons, and there are those who under the influence of this advertisement begin to buy them, use them—they take this poison.
Our egoism pushes us to all bad things. Until we restrain it, we will drink poisons and will not achieve a healthy life.
[236166]
The Round Table Of Independent Opinions, Berlin 9/9/06
Related Material:
The Deputy Health Minister Vs. McDonald’s
Regarding The Harm Of Genetically Modified Food
Harmony That We Create Ourselves
Lesson Preparation
| [media 1] | [media 2] |
Lesson on the Topic “Revealing The Deficiency For The Greatness Of The Creator Between Us“
| [media 3] | [media 4] |
Talmud Eser Sefirot, Vol. 6, Part 16, Table of Answers for the Meaning of the Words, Item 204
| [media 5] | [media 6] |
Writings of Baal HaSulam, “The Teaching of the Kabbalah and Its Essence,” Title “Spiritual Expressions”
| [media 7] | [media 8] |
Listen to an Audio Version of the Blog
Download:MP3 Audio
The right suffering aims us toward the goal of creation, toward inclusion in the group. Without it, it’s impossible to advance correctly. Like in a radar system, the rocket is always adjusting, so we must check and adjust instead of perceiving it as suffering.
The degree of suffering depends on the greatness of the goal. As great as the goal is in my eyes and as far as it is, this is felt as suffering.
The magnitude of suffering propels me forward. If I see the goal and know that I have the method to achieve it …
I am sure that I am on the path of light. The suffering illuminates my path.
How do you use yourself for advancement?
When you are in the group and see that your qualities are against unity.
There’s not one quality that connects you to the friends.
You are absolutely different, pushing them away from you.
This is the opportunity to unite!
Carrying out the commandments means observing the conditions of unifying into one soul, Adam. It comprises many egoistic desires, which must create altruistic connections among them and in that connection become similar to the Creator, the quality of bestowal.
Until adhesion by intention!
In our world everything is ruled by money. It’s likewise in the spiritual world.
In Hebrew money is Kesef, from the word “Kisuf,” covering—to the degree egoism is covered by the quality of bestowal, a screen, Masach, Mehaseh—covering, ego—reception turns into bestowal …
… spiritual capital is earned—the light is revealed.
Wishing to replace the aim of the work, to give pleasure to the Creator instead of oneself, one needs faith in the Creator, attainment of His greatness. Because to that extent he will be able to bestow to Him.
Hence one must pray for the Creator to reveal His greatness, which gives energy to efforts with the intention for bestowal.
There is no energy for spiritual work since there is no sensation of the importance of serving the Creator. Since I don’t know Whom I am giving to. There is no knowledge of the Creator’s greatness, of what a joy it is to serve Him. I don’t feel His greatness…and there’s no energy to work. But to the degree of the Creator’s greatness, it is a pleasure to serve Him. If only we could get such forces!
To have energy to bestow with no reward, for the work itself to be the reward—one must have faith in the Creator, i.e., faith in His greatness. Without faith in His greatness, there is no energy to bestow. When feeling the Creator’s greatness, you work without any reward.
The reward is in the work itself, service is wealth.
The decline started a long time ago—but for now it’s removing the cream and not the bare skin off the elites. If Trump takes control of the Fed from the financiers, we will take the path closer to unity. If the financiers win, we’ll take the path of suffering.
In any case, the solution lies in educating the population to unite everyone.
Crisis in society shows in its mental state. The reason for the crisis is—that we are designed to live in society but isolate ourselves from each other. Instead of cooperation from an early age—competition, jealousy. Hence mental problems, drug addiction. Correction is in closeness!
From Twitter, 12/25/18
Related Material:
My Thoughts On Twitter 12/24/18
My Thoughts On Twitter 12/23/18
My Thoughts On Twitter 12/22/18
From My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 12/25/18
As we approach 2019, the world finds itself as if on a swing, but the ride is not of the soothing kind, with birds chirping around us tenderly as we enjoy the pleasant, balanced movement from side to side. Rather, we’re like a kid on a swing that lost its balance and we don’t know how to get off — socially and economically.
France has seen its worst and most violent riots in 50 years which have begun to spread to other countries, demonstrating the potential for a “European Spring.” A staggering 80% of U.S. workers report living from paycheck to paycheck, while their government was just shut down for an unknown period of time. Stock markets around the globe had the worst December in decades, and the International Monetary Fund made a pessimistic forecast of a global slowdown.
To enjoy a pleasant ride on a swing, two opposite forces should be swinging us equally from both directions. What is taking our swing further and further out of balance?
Until the early 1990s, the world was swinging between two opposite forces. Russia wanted to prove its power and success to the world with its communist regime, which acted as a counterbalance towards the U.S. and Europe. There was an underlying incentive for capitalist regimes to be as successful as possible, which also meant they had to work better for everyone.
Indeed, 30 and even 40 years ago, owning a house and a car was more achievable for U.S. workers than it is today. Paradoxically, U.S. living wages have stagnated for the last few decades while workers’ productivity has been continuously rising. Where did all the profits go? The rich have become exponentially richer.
As Soviet Russia collapsed, along with its communist hopes, there was no longer a force that would balance the ambitions of capitalism. In parallel, by way of nature, human egoism continued to grow and evolve to a higher level. As a result, today’s capitalism is dramatically different than what it was 30 years ago, and economic inequality has reached epic proportions.
In the midst of this extremity came Donald Trump, who identified the trend and was able to strike a chord with millions of Americans who felt discouraged and dispossessed from the little that they had. Trump won the presidency with a declared goal to “drain the swamp” and fight the bankers and Wall Street folks who make money from money while the majority of the public is struggling.
What’s more, Trump is working to minimize America’s sensitivity to global fluctuations by limiting connections with other countries, whether it’s through a trade war with China, raising tariffs, not cooperating with the EU and the G20 forum, and even his latest move of pulling out of Syria.
However, another force is shaping up to be the ultimate counterbalance in the current state of affairs, and that is the inescapable reality of global interdependence. If things in Europe, for instance, continue to escalate towards an economic crisis, the world will plunge into a crisis as well. In addition, most industries today have become very sensitive to borders, relying on the free movement of capital, materials, knowledge and workforce. Virtually all countries today are linked through import and export.
In other words, the world has become a globally interdependent economy, and by extension, a global society. This interdependence is a force of nature, growing stronger and tighter without our notice. If this force hits us in the face, we will experience a global economic crisis that will throw us harshly off the swing.
However, while we are still on the swing, we have an opportunity to balance it of our own accord. To do that, we cannot stop the human ego from growing, nor can we stop the growing interdependence. Rather, we have to educate ourselves about our connected world and change our values accordingly. This means that all people — from the tycoons to the protesters — have to go through a change of consciousness and recognize that our futures are inevitably connected.
When we upgrade the level of human connection, we will begin to see how to change the socioeconomic paradigm as well. Two opposite forces must be present to maintain balance. Therefore, my hope for 2019 is that we start a massive, global educational program, so that we can balance the growing ego with positive human connection. Then, we could aim for a pleasant ride on the swing.
Question: When you studied with Rabash, did you feel a lack of practice in the methodology itself?
Answer: I felt it because, in general, it was not yet developed. I did not know exactly how to apply myself, how to realize it, where to lower myself, and where to help.
This methodology is not comprehended immediately. It takes months and years. Therefore, we have been given our whole lives to realize it. For example, when studying math, you learn it with your mind and you do not change at all. And here, in order to turn the page in the book and understand the next one, you have to change, and then read the previous one. If a person is unable to change, then even by turning ten pages, he will not understand what is written there.
The practice is carried out only in a group. It is all clearly described in the articles of Rabash about the group. Take them all and implement them. There is no shortage of practical advice. Only the implementation.
[237849]
From the Kabbalah Lesson in Russian 8/5/18
Related Material:
Everything Depends On Realization
Test Yourself
Kabbalah Is Pure Practice
Daily Audio Version-MP3
Get the Weekly eNewsletter
Follow on Twitter
