Can The Death Of George Floyd Lead To Positive Change?

Dr. Michael LaitmanFrom My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 6/9/20

E Pluribus Unum,” the US motto displayed on the official seal of the United States, is particularly relevant in today’s America in the wake of the death of George Floyd at the hands of police. Its meaning, “Out of many, one,” represents the ultimate goal of any society, and the only cure to racial tensions such as those currently suffocating the US and numerous cities around the world. Is it possible to envision a future positive state from where we are, with society’s wounds still bleeding? Indeed, there is no other alternative.

Socialists, communists, capitalists, rich, poor, people of all the races, colors, backgrounds, and walks of life make up America’s melting pot—a modern-day Babylon with the same internal divisions and struggles that characterized that ancient civilization.

Humanity’s history has been wrought with intense wars and social struggles that erupted due to inequity, discrimination, racism, and xenophobia. All these ailments have one common root: human nature with its intrinsic desire to belittle and even annul the other for self-benefit. From generation to generation, as humanity developed, our egoism swelled until the gaps between us became pronounced and complex.

Today, we have reached such high levels of mutual hatred that if we do not pursue unity to compensate for our hostility, we will destroy ourselves. And based on our life experience, we know that transformational change is difficult because it requires that we leave our comfort zone against the protests of our ego which clings to the familiar status quo. Habits of prejudice tie us down and we resist change.

Because we always extrapolate from the past to envision the future, it’s difficult to imagine a bright tomorrow ahead of us. But if we view our current conditions as a fertile ground for a deep transformation, we will find an invitation at this challenging time to abandon our destructive past and move into a whole new level of coexistence.

Humankind is a family living in one household called Planet Earth, where we are entirely dependent on one another. Thus, we have no other choice but to come to an agreement and cultivate good human relations above anything that divides us—gender, race, religion, ideology, background, or interests. The goal should not be to erase our differences, but to use them as the means to reach a higher state where we complement each other to reach peace, understanding, and support.

In our day and age, hate cannot be cured by separation, and vice versa—separation will never lead to love. Hate can only be cured with love. Such terms as “love,” “inclusion,” and “unity” may sound delusional since no one truly wants to connect. It is against our nature—to receive for ourselves. Therefore, nature is pushing us from behind in the direction we need to go, pushing us the hard way to observe its laws of mutual responsibility and learn from them how to solve our predicaments.

When we look at nature, we see that despite the constant struggles for survival, its elements maintain an overarching balance that fosters growth and prosperity. Moreover, the struggles actually contribute to the healthy evolution of species. The interdependence of everyone and everything in a closed, round world, stimulate and advance the principals of equality and connection as in a close-knit family where every member is different and complements each other. That is the only way to maintain and ensure harmony and vitality for all.
The pressure of our globalized world represents the first time that nature demands from all of us, without exception, to understand who we are, the world we live in, and the urgency of harnessing the force of love between us. Even small steps toward unity and rising above our differences will make a huge positive difference toward becoming “Out of many, one”!

Why Kneeling Won’t Prevent More Killing

Dr. Michael LaitmanFrom My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 6/9/20

It’s very impressive to see the public displays of remorse as police officers, celebrities, politicians, and regular white folk kneel before African-Americans and ask for their forgiveness. But looking at the past tumultuous two weeks in the US, has there been any real rapprochement? Are the factions any closer? Are the gaps narrower? No, not really. The gestures, as genuine and impressive as they truly are, will not quell the hatred.

Violence degrades the victim; kneeling degrades the offender. Neither achieves equality. And without equality, the power struggle will continue.

Achieving equality requires something else: a new goal that the vying parties feel is higher and more worthy than their loyalty to their own faction. If the sides could, even slightly, shift their attention from themselves, and see the harm that the struggle itself causes to all of society, they would rise above their distrust and join hands in building a better society for everyone!

COVID-19 and the protests over the killing of George Floyd indicate that local solutions do not work since the society has become interconnected and interdependent throughout the country and throughout the world. Realizing this fact is the first step toward finding a sustainable solution.

Acknowledging the interconnected nature of the world we live in requires a conscious effort to learn. We must learn that human ethnicities and races are not above or below one another; they are varieties that together form the beautiful fabric of human society. Just as all of nature would be dull and unsustainable were it not for the myriad creatures that make up the global ecosystem, humanity would be deficient and lame if even one of its elements were missing.

We need to change our approach from seeing the other as a hindrance, to seeing the other as an asset. If we consider what is best for humanity, we will realize that what the other can contribute to humanity, I will never be able to contribute. But because that other person, race, or color, gave this to humanity, I, too, can benefit from it. In the end, my happiness and sense of fulfillment depend on the happiness and sense of fulfillment of every person in the world. If only we had realized it sooner…

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“Why Love The Opposite Specifically Now” (Linkedin)

My new article on Linkedin “Why Love the Opposite Specifically Now

(Takeaway from the June 7, 2020 show, “Global Perspectives”)

At a time like this, when hatred raises its ugly head and fills the streets with malice, who wants to talk about love? But if we don’t talk about it now, when will we talk about it, when we feel love? If we don’t talk about it now and work on it, we will never feel it.

But what the other person, the one I hate, can contribute to humanity, I will never be able to contribute, precisely because I am different.
The hatred at the center of events this time is racism. This hatred is so deep that in order to resolve it, we need a whole new outlook on life.

Because we are inherently self-centered, we like only those who are similar to us. Anyone who is different from me, I instinctively want to put down because that makes me superior. With such an overt difference as skin color, the impulse to patronize, put down, and generally belittle the other, immediately comes into play, even before I am aware of it. This self-centered impulse causes us to wish bad things for others, demonize them, and idealize ourselves. As long as we remain in that perspective, we will never truly love anyone who is not our immediate family, and even within our families, love is already declining.

But what the other person, the one I hate, can contribute to humanity, I will never be able to contribute, precisely because I am different. So if I loved humanity instead of myself, I would love that other (currently hated) person, precisely because of the ability to give what I cannot. The very cause of hate would become the very cause of love. And the more different that person was from me, the more love I would feel.

So how do we change our perspective? We think about it. The ability to focus our love on humanity exists within us. Otherwise, we would not even imagine that such a thing exists. If we think about changing our focal point from “me” to “we,” and try to bring it to life, we will feel that it is possible, precisely because we thought about it. And the more we think about it, the stronger our ability to care for others will grow.

If we do that, we won’t need to worry about racism; it is exactly the differences between us that we will celebrate, embrace, and love. And now we need it more than ever.

“What The Protests Tells Us About Ourselves” (Linkedin)

My new article on Linkedin “What the Protests Tells Us about Ourselves

The death of George Floyd and the protests it excited put a mirror before us. They are showing us how we relate to one another. If we don’t acknowledge what we see in the mirror on the wall, we will suffer much worse punishments than shattered shop windows.

Both the violent protests and the more peaceful demonstrations, where there were no agitators to provoke violence, stem from the same root: the need for warm human connection. But there cannot be any warmth between us as long as we think so negatively of each other.

Bad thoughts make bad things happen. And the worst thing there is, which makes the worst things happen, is human nature, or as it is written, “The inclination of a man’s heart is evil from his youth.” We will not solve the many social problems in America (or anywhere else for that matter) because we don’t really want to solve them. We enjoy looking down on other people so we want there to be people with a lower social status than ourselves. Even if we’re unaware of it, we constantly compare ourselves to others. When our ego detects someone who is in some way better than us, it invariably makes us feel uncomfortable and we cannot rest until we either find a way to feel superior to that person, or drive that person out of sight and out of mind. Malicious envy is the evil inclination, and it will not let anything good happen in our society until we overcome it in our hearts.

If there is one thing we should be thankful for in all this malice that is bubbling up to the surface these sorrowful times, it is precisely that the malice is bubbling up to the surface. Now we can look at ourselves, acknowledge our true nature, and start working together on overcoming it and forming a truly united and caring humanity. It can happen, but only if we work on it together.

What Prevents Us From Uniting?

laitman_259.02Question: In order for our consciousness to change, i.e., the feelings and mind, consistent upbringing and education are necessary. You say that it is necessary to start with realization of a person’s motivation. He must first understand the benefits of being united with others.

In order to create motivation, values in society must change. We were originally created as social animals and society influences us. What will be the motivation for people to change their priorities?

Answer: In order not to perish and to achieve the right, gracious level of existence.

We need to rise above the level of earthly existence and while still alive in this world begin to feel the next level, the so-called upper world, the level of eternity, perfection, and infinity. Therefore, Kabbalah says: “Understand your world while living in this world.”

Remark: Today in different areas, there are a lot of studies about the benefits of uniting. We see that people who are somehow simply united are more socially protected, they have better health, less depression, and are happier.

But although people specifically see that uniting helps, something still bothers them. We cannot create a society that cultivates bestowal and love.

My Comment: Egoism prevents us from doing that. It is specially created in such a way that in the end, we learn to bestow, to be connected with each other, to unite, and to restore a single network of the interaction of all people, a single network of nature. We have to do it!

It is said that man, as it were, creates the Creator. So, it says: “You made Me!” After all, we must create this network by our efforts, by our understanding of how it should be, how much we must be interconnected. This is our real job!

Precisely thanks to the coronavirus, the crises, and other emerging problems that we must understand that we need to work only to properly feed ourselves, to dress, to put on shoes, and nothing more. Let the rest be done so as to correctly unite with each other. Then in our right unification, we will begin to feel a higher existence among ourselves.

Question: Are the Creator and nature one and the same?

Answer: The Creator is nature in its ideal, correct interaction revealed to us.
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From KabTV’s “The Post-Coronavirus Era,” 4/2/20

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Egoism: Disease Or Help?

Laitman_115.05Comment: Kabbalah studies that the world is a single organism and all its elements are interconnected. Today, there is a lot of research on this topic. That is the first point.

The second point is that nature has created an element called “human,” which is opposite to this unity. It specifically created our egoism, which manifests itself in various dramatic situations. Not only the current coronavirus, but all the problems of humanity are the result of our egoism. It turns out that egoism is a real disease.

My Response: I would say that this is not even a disease but our faithful assistant that leads us forward and shows us where we are not in integration with nature. This is where the ego manifests itself, indicating exactly where we are ill. Therefore, egoism is help for us.

Question: Is it as if showing us the opposite state of what we need to come to?

Answer: Yes. It is even called “help against you.”

Comment: But the problem is that we do not see the director of this script.

My Response: Why? Nature around us is the director. Its inner qualities, inner plan, thought, everything is within it, only we cannot recognize them. We are like a little child who looks around and sees only a very small fragment of this picture.

Question: Does each one interpret all natural phenomena in their own way?

Answer: Of course. Each one does this to the extent of one’s egoistic development. Egoistic! Therefore, no answer can be correct.

Comment: It means that on one hand, there is egoism that separates us, and on the other hand, nature pushes us to integration, to connection.

My Response: Yes. It requires that we consciously move to a society of connection, an integral society.

We need to understand that this is what we need in the post-virus state, and we must ascertain all the common and private problems that will arise in building society after this blow when we start slowly getting out of it. I wish everyone good luck. And it depends only on our correct interaction. I am really counting on it.
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From KabTV’s “Post-Coronavirus Era,” 4/2/20

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New Life 1229 – What Has The Coronavirus Changed In Us?

New Life 1229 – What Has The Coronavirus Changed In Us?
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi

The relationships between us are being upgraded by the coronavirus. Internal changes are happening within people due to the time spent at home with family. Each one is clarifying and examining their goals at work and in life in general. Future employment will only exist to provide us with our basic needs and for the development of a connection between people. In principle, there is a need for everything except for armament because it causes destruction to humanity and to nature. Managers and employees must change their attitudes and work on developing an integral connection. Our mission these days is to introduce a question mark in each person regarding life, the world, and everything: Where are we going?
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From KabTV’s “New Life 1229 – What Has The Coronavirus Changed In Us?” 4/28/20

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Did Our Employment Bring Benefits?

laitman_547.05Question: We are now experiencing a very interesting moment when almost the entire world is trying to return to the old life. People hope that everything will be the same and life will somehow get better. But at the same time, the International Labour Organization predicts that one and a half billion or more people will be out of work altogether.

We hope that the country will provide them with the necessary social support. But the question is, how can such a huge mass of people exist without their usual work? What will they do? How can a person realize his or her human qualities if they are not in business, not in demand, and not satisfied with anything?

Answer: What did a person do before? Absolutely unnecessary things. Just to sell something to someone, buy something from someone, and that is it. In this case, it is more useful if he does not do anything rather than harm the environment, the atmosphere, the ecology. Nobody needs his job!

Nature will not stand for it anyway. It strives for a clear integration of all its parts, and even more so of the human. So, we come to the conclusion that the coronavirus has shown us we are an integral system in nature and are inside it. We cannot do anything, because nature will still urge us, push us, to take our serious, normal niche, and work in it.

This niche has only one way out. We cannot always exhaust Mother Earth and produce unnecessary goods because this leads to a huge overproduction.

The fact is that thanks to modern technologies, we can feed and serve the entire population on the planet, but we only exhaust it. Therefore, we need to look for a different way, another way of development: what to do, what to develop, and in which direction to move.

I believe that there is only one answer in the direction of spiritual, social, cultural self-realization, but in no case technical, not material.
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From KabTV’s “Unemployment in the World After Coronavirus,” 5/5/20

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Professions Of The Future

laitman_560Question: What employment structure would be optimal? What can be recommended to young people and those who can still be retrained? What should they prepare themselves for in terms of what professions?

Answer: Absolutely everyone will be engaged in spiritual, social, and cultural work. And only a small part of the population, or the whole population but to a very limited extent, will work in factories or in agriculture so that we can feed ourselves, get dressed, put on shoes, create the necessary equipment for this, etc.

All of mankind will understand that it needs to squeeze its egoism and not produce anything superfluous. And this should be the only criterion with which we approach the post-viral state.

Question: Can humanity count on some kind of support from nature to feel this as a favorable reaction to the right actions?

Answer: I am sure of that. As soon as we begin to enter into a mutually correct relationship with nature, we will immediately feel its help, its support, and we will be able to feel happy, harmonious, and integrally developing in it.

And all the seas, oceans, forests, air, the whole flora and fauna will rejoice at our presence, and not shrivel at the sight of us. I wish us all the best of luck!
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From KabTV’s “Unemployment in the Post Coronavirus World,” 5/5/20

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