Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Is nationalism racism?“

Nationalism and racism share the same root. They both stem from an event that we study in the wisdom of Kabbalah called “the shattering of the common system of Adam HaRishon,” where we broke off from feeling that we all belong to a single system, and became different parts.

The purpose of our lives, while we are alive in this world, is to reconnect these parts and discover the complete system that is above our current perception and sensation of reality.

What exactly these parts are, how they differ from each other, and even how they should connect—is all fruitless knowledge that fails to serve our progress to our goal. In other words, focusing on and examining our differences gives us nothing.

It is important, however, to realize a sincere desire to connect above our differences, where on one hand, we each maintain all kinds of differences to each other, but on the other hand, we rise above them and discover our sublime and harmonious connection as a single whole.

Based on the talk “Communication Skills. Communication Difficulties,” on October 14, 2020.
Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Question: In Kabbalah, there are very important symbols such as hands, the mouth, and distance. Now, during the pandemic, it is necessary to wash one’s hands. According to Kabbalah, hands are the desire to receive. It is necessary to wear a mask so as not to spread the various nasty things that we say to each other. And, of course, distance is a restriction. Is there a connection between these things?

Answer: No. We are just starting to correct our attitudes toward each other involuntarily through all sorts of not very pleasant states, which will slowly, methodically teach us how to interact with each other correctly.

I hope that, gradually, humanity will come to this outcome. I would not like to see this as a blow of fate, correction through wars and all sorts of disasters. Although, this is not impossible.

Let us hope that, not only the virus, but all of nature, will teach us how to properly interact and come together in spite of our characters and qualities that cause egoistic rejection between people.

Question: Could we say that these are signs of how nature teaches us? I have to wash my hands, that is, I don’t get more than I should, from society, for my own sake. I must not slander, so we wear masks that make it difficult to speak and breathe. And, most importantly, everyone has to keep their distance. Aren’t these signs of the beginning of correction?

Answer: No. These Are acts of nature so they cannot be called corrections. Correction begins with the realization of our egoism.

We have not started working on our egoism yet. I hope that, in the near future, we will be able to explain this and people will begin to understand that the problem is only in our egoism.

The fact that you wash your hands and wear a mask, this, you do for yourself. When you do it for the sake of others above your egoism, put on a mask so as not to infect others, then the correction will begin.
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From KabTV’s “Communication Skills” 10/30/20

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Remark: You say that connection between people is the cure for viruses. But we see, on the contrary, that the cure is to maintain distance, to quarantine.

Answer: Quarantine is not the cure for the virus. Instead, the treatment for the virus is a warm connection between people, when we prevent the virus from settling between us, between our feelings, between our relationships. By striving to be like one person with one heart, we leave no room for the virus between us.

But for now, we are in a transitional state. Such states teach us what is good and what is bad, whether you agree to change or not, what will happen if you do this or that. Here we cannot yet draw the right conclusions.

But there is no doubt that in the near future humanity will begin to understand that personal, correct relationships between people heal society.
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From KabTV’s “Communication Skills” 10/30/20

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Question: The altruistic force of love is the most important force in nature since it contains a creative and generative energy that begins, forms, emanates, and creates systems. Why is it called the force of love?

Answer: In our world, love is the attraction of a person to something from which he feels fulfillment, satiation, or something pleasant. He could be attracted to color, sound, shape, or anything else but people. And it’s the same in people.

Question: Very often, we hear from you as well as many philosophers that nature loves us. I am not even talking about the concept of the Creator, which is from the point of view of Kabbalah identical to the concept of nature. What does it mean that nature loves us and that we need to love nature?

Answer: Love is a law of nature. The mutual attraction to perform some type of common function makes it possible to continue oneself, etc. Particularly, we call offspring and reproduction the consequence of love.

Question: Human love is not built upon the good of another, but on one’s own good through the good of another. It is clear that there is no such thing as altruistic love. There is a huge difference between altruistic love, when you think only about the other and how to fill him, and human love. People cannot love just like that, without some self-benefit.

Frequently, our love turns into hate. If I love someone and all of a sudden he cheats on me, then my love turns into hate. Why is there such a small distance between these feelings?

Answer: Because you want to be fulfilled with this object and instead of pleasant fulfillment you get the absolute opposite from it in the end. That is why hatred appears instead of love.

Question: What should happen to a person in order for the feeling of absolute love to manifest in him?

Answer: If you rise above yourself so that no matter how others treat you, you will treat them equally well, then absolute love is possible.
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From KabTV’s “Communication Skills” 10/23/20

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Question: What properties should a person who speaks publicly have?

Answer: He should simply know his subject and what he says should be useful to people.

Question: There is a saying: “A good teacher reveals one portion and covers two portions.” What does this mean?

Answer: This is a spiritual principle. It is difficult to apply it in the ordinary world.

Question: What skills do you develop in working with an audience? Do you work on this in a certain way? Do you use any technology?

Answer: No, I do not use any technology other than the computer to transfer information, pictures, and sounds.

Question: How can we check whether we are influencing the audience or not? How can we be sure that we have influenced them well?

Answer: I see it from the questions and answers, from the workshops.

Question: What are the advantages and disadvantages of giving lectures one-to-one and in pairs when one complements the other?

Answer: I don’t know. This is your experience. But I think it is interesting.

Question: There are different techniques on how to develop the voice, the tone and volume of the performance. It is said that it greatly affects people, especially the timbre. What do you think?

Answer: This must be learned. But I cannot do that. My speech apparatus can no longer be used in that way.

Question: What determines the success of a speech: the topic, the speaker, the needs of the audience?

Answer: All of it.

Question: What inspires you to do so many public speeches?

Answer: I feel responsible. But now I am starting to gradually cut down on all kinds of conversations, and I want to reduce them to almost zero except for conversations with my writers and journalists.

Question: Do you have any specific techniques for different audiences? Is it important to you who is sitting in front of you?

Answer: No, but I must see who I am speaking to: young people or old people, uneducated people or scientists, etc. This is the difference. But nothing more.

Question: How do you tune in to the people in front of you the you will speak to now?

Answer: I am not tuning in, but I simply try to convey to them what kind of science it is that I am knowledgeable of.

Question: What funny things happened to you during your public speaking? Was there anything out of the ordinary?

Answer: No. The most important thing is that people who come to the lecture have an idea of what will be discussed.

Question: What advice do you have if the audience starts to get distracted and stops listening?

Answer: We need to round-off probably. You cannot do anything.

Question: Are you against frontal speeches?

Answer: I don’t really like them because it is a problem working with an unprepared audience that does not understand what and how. But, on the other hand, you cannot do anything. Until recently, I traveled a lot around the world and gave lectures and speeches everywhere: radio, television, in large halls, etc.

Question: Are you afraid that you will be asked a question that you cannot answer?

Answer: No. On the contrary, I really love sharp questions.

Question: How can you measure the success of your performances?

Answer: By the number of new students.

Question: Nowadays, virtual learning is gaining more and more popularity when practically one person or several teachers can teach the whole world. What will this trend lead to?

Answer: Only good teachers will remain.

Question: How can you stimulate listeners to ask questions so that they do not just sit behind the monitor?

Answer: I ask: “If you have questions, ask.” There are no special evasions or patents here.

Question: They say: “Do not place an obstacle before a blind man.” What does it mean?

Answer: You should present the material in such a way that everything is clear to the person, pleasant and in a way he would be interested in it.

Question: Should the speaker only say what the person wants to hear?

Answer: Yes, what he wants to hear, what he needs. But in such a way that it interests him, and he takes it with him.
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From KabTV’s “Communication Skills” 8/14/20

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Question: The term “multiculturalism” appeared in the late 60s in Canada, and was officially recognized in the 71st year of the last century. It involves the exchange of ideologies, ideas, political views, practices, and cultures. Multiculturalism means integration but without assimilation where everyone maintains their own culture.

Do you consider this to be positive for human development?

Answer: Everything that is done ultimately manifests itself as a movement forward. True, sometimes not in a very good way, but still, this is considered to be a promotion.

Question: Maybe, for the purpose of communication between people, it would be better if there were only one common culture?

Answer: This is impossible. Each nation has its own environment and its own history. By themselves, they are each created differently.

Comment: If at least one country had a single culture, after all, it is very difficult to maintain different cultures from an economic point of view.

My Response: No. We cannot do this. On the contrary, we need to invest in the development of cultures and move forward with all kinds of diversity.

Comment: The basic principles of multiculturalism include, first of all, cultural diversity that enriches the society and makes it viable. Secondly, they include the right to cultural difference and unity in pluralism.

It turns out that people by themselves cannot unite above their differences. Here, we need clear state laws that are backed by rights and, of course, education.

My Response: We see that the state is gradually introducing laws that support multiculturalism.

Comment: The fact is that when this ideology gets intermingled with politics, the politicians begin to manipulate it, which tears the country apart. In homogeneous countries with one culture, life is much easier.

My Response: You cannot do anything. In Scandinavia, for example, there is more or less uniformity. What France was like 40 years ago in comparison to today is day and night.

Question: It is clear that this is a natural process. But where does it lead?

Answer: To the outcome that the entire globe will be mixed and there will be a single culture that will include all possible forms of multicultural communication. And, it will not bother anyone!
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From KabTV’s “Communication Skills” 10/16/20

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Question: What is your position regarding the death penalty from the point of view of morality?

Answer: In certain cases, it is necessary.

Question: There are a lot of ethical arguments for and against the death penalty. Society is divided. There are countries in which it is accepted as the law and there are those who are against it.

Answer: If we can prove that we have no other way to correct a person and to protect society from him, then society has the right to sentence him to death as he is absolutely harmful to it.
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From KabTV’s “Communication Skills” 10/9/20

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Preparation to the Lesson

Lesson on the Topic of “Concealment”

Selected Highlights 

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We are all connected by the ultimate, perfect bond. It was created from the very beginning, but this connection is revealed to us only in a corrupted, broken form so that we would yearn to see ourselves connected, dependent, helping each other, and working in a perfect, integral system.

We ourselves must want this, and then we will reveal the light from the darkness, and a perfect system will be revealed to us according to our consent, desire, and inclination for correction. We only need to make the correction within ourselves and nowhere else. Nothing needs to be corrected except our perception.

If even one part of the machine is not working properly, then the entire machine does not work. Therefore, each of us needs to correct his ten according to the advice of the Kabbalists. If we correct the connection between us, we will find our connection with the Creator. We ask the Creator to correct us and see whether He has connected us or not.

By establishing relationships with each other and correcting the general system, we come into contact with the Creator. After all, we must always turn to Him and ask for help. Thus, we are more and more connected with the Creator, and this is the most important thing! The main thing is not the connection between us but that we need the Creator for it and that we connect with Him. This is the whole point!

By correcting the connection between us, we essentially reveal the Creator, discover that the upper force exists and determines everything, that everything depends on it, and that we only need to ask. And I am also not myself but what this upper force dictates to me. And my attitude toward my friends and my friends’ attitude toward me is also determined not by me or by them but by the Creator.

Thus, we see that only the Creator exists in the whole of reality and there is none else besides Him.
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From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 12/23/20, “I Dwell Among My Own People”

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