“Since encountering Epictetus, Massimo Pigliucci has become one of the best and prolific popularizers in Stoicism. His latest is A Field Guide to a Happy Life: 53 Brief Lessons for Living. This book is a remix of Epictetus – it includes ideas from the original ancient Stoics and advances Stoicism into Stoicism 2.0. …

“It begins by focusing on the most important ideas:

• The dichotomy of control
• The 3 disciplines: judgment, desire, and action.

Have you ever been on a cruise? If so, you will know that when you are allowed ashore you may entertain yourself by looking around and doing some shopping, but you should always be aware of when the ship will depart, lest you end up stranded where you don’t belong. The same goes with life…You should always keep in mind at some point the voyage will be over, since it does not last forever. When the time comes, be ready, and make sure that you look back and do not find that you have misspent your shore leave. (A Field Guide to a Happy Life)
(Stoameditation.com)

Question: How do you feel about this point of view? Do I need to look back and check how I spent my life?

Answer: I think that a person should live with it all the time, not when he is already dying and makes some kind of calculation: “What do I have, how can I now account for the results?”

One has to live with it. I must be constantly aware that there is a ship that has to sail at a certain time, and I have to catch it, and I am leaving. I should be in this in such a way that I meet the day of death almost calmly, with joy, and sail forth.

Question: What is the purpose I live for every day?

Answer: To rise above myself, above my egoism.

Comment: But I must realize that I am an egoist.

My Response: Of course. This is the most important thing. This is the first point: recognition of evil.

Question: How can I understand this?

Answer: If you are among the right people who are also working on themselves and want to reach this state, then you see that you are in your egoism and cannot get out of it. You must demand, ask, and fulfill some conditions in order to rise above it.

Question: So, should my life initially be in searching for such an environment? For those who want to rise above their egoism? Does it mean that I go ashore in order to find such an environment in this life?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Who will give me this initial thought that I need to rise above egoism, that I should live my life like this?

Answer: This is given from above, by the Creator, who gives a person such a feeling, such a state. This is called “the embryo of his soul.” The fact that a person develops this state within himself is already the development of the soul.

Question: Can it be developed only with the help of the environment? Is there any other way?

Answer: No, what other way?

Comment: By myself somehow.

My Response: What will you be comparing it with? How will you change yourself? There is no other way.

Question: Does it mean that I “went ashore,” I lived through this life, and again I am going back on this “ship”?

Answer: Of course.

Question: Is death my sailing off?

Answer: Yes, and you “sail” further. Like in Dante.

Question: Every day I live my life the way I should, and where do I “sail” next?

Answer: Hell, purgatory, heaven.

Question: Could you briefly explain these three concepts: hell, purgatory, heaven?

Answer: Hell is when I begin to feel my egoism in which I have existed all the time and in which I still exist now, like in hell.

Purgatory means that I must get rid of my egoism. Absolutely, completely, and unconditionally replace it with bestowal and love. Then I feel heaven in these corrected states. It is all very simple.

Question: Why do we not want to go to heaven? Why does He not illuminate it for us? Can He just illuminate it a little and we will run there?

Answer: No, no, no! We are lured only to hell.

I wish all our listeners not to forget that a “ship” is waiting for us.

Question: The one that in the end will take us to heaven?

Answer: Yes, in the end. In the end it will take all of us.

But let’s begin even now to free ourselves from our vile, egoistic state.
[285583]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 6/28/21

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In the News (News European Parliament): “Parliament approved a new law banning single-use plastic items… .

Question: Do you think it is possible to stop this damage with such a ban?

Answer: I do not know, and what will replace it? How do we get rid of all these plastic bags etc.?

Question: Why is it that something that is made to be so convenient is almost always harmful?

Answer: Anything that does not come in its pure form from nature is always harmful.

Question: Are you saying that all technological progress is harmful?

Answer: Of course! We still need to learn and understand all this.

Question: All this path of technological progress, technical revolutions, and all the Nobel Prizes received for them, did that harm humanity?

Answer: All of it! Everything is only in order to realize the evil in it.

Until a person correctly understands why he needs something, do not put anything in his hands! Not a little thing, not an atomic bomb.

Our whole life is only to neutralize all possible negative effects of this progress on us. We are only engaged in neutralizing its negative consequences.

All our progress is just to allow us to act egoistically as we please, to act egoistically and at the same time without suffering.

Question: When is this technological progress useful and necessary?

Answer: Only to the extent that it helps us to be in greater closeness to one another.

We have no idea where our egoism drives us when we are engaged only in it. Everything that comes from it is ultimately harmful, and in the end, it will have to be stopped. I am not in favor of suddenly giving up everything. I am talking about the general course of humanity.

Do not give up on anything. Only treat nature correctly. When you can act according to the laws of connection, kindness, love, and so on, then do it. Everything else, put aside. You will see how everything presents a different picture.

I am for reasonable progress, which consists of combining the egoistic and altruistic principles of nature and their acting together. Both the left and the right line are needed. But there must be a middle line that drives them forward.

Question: And then based on this, will the resulting process be correct? Precisely from this connection?

Answer: Yes. But somewhere on the way we jumped off this correct attitude toward nature and started a single-sided development: only for the sake of egoism.

And that is why we ruined not only ecology, but also humans.
[286340]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 7/8/21

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The Nature of Man: Studies in Optimistic Philosophy, Elie Metchnikoff:

To modify the human constitution, it will be necessary first, to frame the ideal, and thereafter to set to work with all the resources of science.

If there can be formed an ideal able to unite men in a kind of religion of the future, this ideal must be founded on scientific principles. And if it be true, as has been asserted so often, that man can live by faith alone, the faith must be in the power of science.” “To change human nature, first of all, one must be aware of the ideal to strive for, and then use all the means provided by science for its implementation.

If we think of an ideal capable of uniting people in some kind of religion of the future, then it cannot be grounded otherwise than on scientific data. And if it is true, as is often said, that one cannot live without faith, then the latter cannot be other than faith in the omnipotence of knowledge.

My Response: Of course, we must strive for real faith, which is absolute knowledge, when a person changes himself so that he becomes closer to nature. Then a transformation takes place in him, and he begins to feel the inner pulse of nature, its movement and himself in it, as one harmonious general whole.

Question: If what he does brings him even a drop closer to nature, then is this the right direction, and if it moves him away, then the wrong one?

Answer: Yes. And also according to the motto “a sound spirit in a sound body” The healthier you become, the closer to nature you will be, because you are a part of it.
[286437]
From KabTV’s “Meetings with Kabbalah” 7/29/21

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Preparation to the Lesson

Lesson on the Topic “Lowliness and Subjugation” 

Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Item 31

Selected Highlights

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My new article on Linkedin “Education for Global Awareness”

The integral reality where we are raising children today is very different from the one where we grew up. In order for them to thrive in an interconnected world, they must be conscious of how connected we are, and the sooner we begin to teach them this, the better.

We should explain to them that we are living on planet Earth, and show them what Earth is like. Not only its round shape, but the soil, the plants, the animals, and the people, and how we are all connected in one system.

Subsequently, we should tell them about our solar system, how the sun and the moon affect the Earth, how seasons change, and how natural forces shape our lives. We should also show them that when civilizations and nations are disconnected, they become hostile, and when they feel close, they help each other.

The main point we need to show is the union among all of nature’s forces in a single, integral mechanism, and how it influences us. We need to come to see that even if we are connected through a mobile device or a computer, and we are living in the virtual realm, we are still connected in the physical world, and not only to other people but to everything.

As a result, children will grow up knowing how important it is to nurture good connections with their surroundings—with the people around them and with all of nature. They will feel that if they do not care for the environment, both social and natural, it will mistreat them, too. That way, they won’t have to suffer the consequences of ignorance, as is happening to us today.

When we think of our treatment of others and of Earth more in terms of a relationship, it is easy to see that reciprocity is necessary. It is clear that a successful relationship requires consideration from all sides, and that the benefits of having friends and loved ones far outweigh the efforts. When we cannot see that we are all connected, we have no impetus to be considerate.

Unlike animals, who do not want to harm others intentionally, people are born with a built-in ill-will, as in, “The inclination of a man’s heart is evil from his youth.” Therefore, we cannot let children grow without cultivating reciprocity and mutual consideration, as is happening now. We must educate them, and educate ourselves to see the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things, and conduct ourselves accordingly.
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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “When will the Messiah come?“

The wisdom of Kabbalah explains that the Messiah, (Mashiach in Hebrew) is a force of salvation. It pulls us out of our ego and brings us to love and mutual connection. The Hebrew word for Messiah, Mashiach, comes from the word “to pull,” Limshoch. This force, which pulls us from bad to good—from an egoistic reality of prioritizing self-benefit to an altruistic reality where we prioritize love and positive connection among us—will appear when we want it to, and the reason it has yet to appear is that we have yet to desire it.

It is written that the Messiah will arrive on a white donkey. The Hebrew word for “donkey” (“Chamor”) comes from the word for “matter” or “substance” (“Chomer”). The matter or substance of creation is the desire to receive pleasure. When this substance becomes white, the Messiah will come. By no means does this relate to colors in any physical sense, but internally, if we wish to get rid of our egoistic quality, which is represented by black, and to turn it into the white substance of bestowal upon humanity, then the Messiah will come.

The Messiah is not a person or an imaginary figure. The Messiah is the inner desire that awakens in us such that we will want to pull ourselves out of this evil that stems from our ego—the competition and unfounded hatred between us. This force, when we want it to govern us—is called “Messiah.”

Naturally, we await the Messiah.

Based on a talk “An Inside Look” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Oren Levi. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Question: Soon you will be 75 years old. You are a very cheerful, positive, and pleasant person all the time. One can see that you have good internal energy. Do you have any tips on how to wake up being cheerful and in a good mood?

Answer: I cannot give advice because I have a special job. I wake up at half past one in the morning and starting from three in the morning I officially give lessons over the Internet to thousands of students around the world.

Question: Why does this happen at night?

Answer: So no one interferes and distracts people from classes. Plus, it’s not night everywhere. My students literally live on all continents and they all connect to us. Perhaps, it is convenient for some and not very convenient for others. But it has been established this way from generation to generation that Kabbalah is taught at night.

Question: When do you rest? Sleep is a physiological need and you have to do it.

Answer: After the lesson from six to seven in the morning I sleep for about an hour, sometimes maybe even an hour and a half. And then I go to bed between eight and nine pm. After many years I have adapted to such a schedule and I cannot do it any other way.

Comment: Your example shows that if someone engages in doing something and understands why he is doing it, he can adapt to any sleep pattern. And he does not lose health and remains in excellent physical and mental shape.

My Response: I am still young. I am only 75 years old.
[286257]
From KabTV’s “Meetings with Kabbalah” 7/29/21

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Question: Does a person feel his spiritual prenatal state?

Answer: We must begin to feel that we are all inside the Creator, as it is written: “There is none else besides Him.”

If I put myself in the feeling that I am inside the womb of the spiritual upper mother, the so-called Elokim, and this is the property of Bina, which raises me, fully cares for me, and determines all my feelings, thoughts, properties, and actions, and I try to hold on to her with all my might, this means that I adhere to her, to her womb, and want to act only in harmony with her. This is how I develop.

Try to think about this all the time: “There is none else besides Him. And all this is only in order to develop me in the right direction. He is good and doing good.” If I keep thinking this way all the time, then I adhere to the upper one and begin to feel that I am inside the spiritual mother.

After passing through several such stages, I am born, meaning I begin to understand her even more, to feel her, to see her. This is how the birth process takes place, perhaps, not very pleasantly, somewhat dramatically, but relatively briefly.

And after that, a different connection with the upper one is realized that flows constantly, only on a higher level, when you already understand more, know more, babble, smile in a spiritual sense, and feel a different reaction.

You have a connection, but not on an inanimate level where the main thing for you is to grasp, and you still do not feel anything. It is like an insensitive mother who does not really react to you because you do not have the corresponding feelings of perception yet.

And then, by developing your perception, you see her in a different way, like a child who begins to feel his mother.
[286735]
From KabTV’s “The Power of The Book of Zohar” #18

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Comment: In India, scientists have discovered a deadly virus in bats for the first time. It is transmitted both to humans from animals and from an infected person to other people. The mortality rate from the disease is 40-75%. There is no vaccine or medicine for it. (World Health Organization)

In Australia, after a drought and forest fires, a new adversity has hit the country: mice. Millions and millions of mice have entered farms and cities. They are not affected by poison, floods, or the cold weather. (The Guardian)

The most dangerous species of termites in the world has been discovered in Israel. They eat everything they come across: buildings, trees, and plastic. (The Times of Israel)

It feels like animals are attacking us today. Nature has begun to press us very hard.

Question: Can you give your comment on this?

Answer: We oppose ourselves to all the forces of nature by our relationships with each other. The most important thing is between people and generally with regard to nature, our consumeristic attitude toward it.

As a result, nature learns from us to treat us the way we treat it. There is nothing you can do about it! Is there a greater pest in our world than man?! He is the only pest! Everything else is environmentally friendly. If necessary, something eats something, but all this is within the framework of general interdependence, ecology, and so on.

Man, however, indiscriminately like a flamethrower torches everything and does what he wants.

Question: It never happened before, why is it happening now?

Answer: We have already reached the beginning of the finish line. This is the beginning of the end. The unbridled egoism of a person begins to manifest itself and in such a form that it is really impossible to restrain it.

Look at what we are doing with mutual hatred, what we are doing with weapons, armaments. Why do we need so much?! Billions and billions of tons of TNT-equivalent nuclear charges and so on. What for?! Why do we need more and more?! A person simply cannot stop.

Therefore, as a result, we violate all the equilibrium that could exist in nature and exceed this by egoistic disequilibrium by billions of times. And nature begins to react.

Question: Why precisely through animals?

Answer: They are the closest to us! Inanimate, vegetative, animate, and then human degrees. If we ourselves scramble down from the human degree to the animal degree, then we bring all our egoistic disequilibrium there. Therefore, the animate degree becomes so unbridled and irrepressible that it is also ready to devour everything.

Question: How can we understand that they are urging us to do something?

Answer: They by themselves do not urge us to anything. There is no reasonable answer there. It is an instinct that reacts to our incorrect interference in it. After all, we are breaking this entire balance at our level. When it passes to the animals, there is already such mayhem going on.

Question: You are saying that the pyramid is like this: human, animal, vegetable, and inanimate. Does it mean that we have descended from the human degree to the animal degree because of our hatred and lack of love for each other?

Answer: Instead of raising ourselves and them together with us and creating a general balance in all of nature and bringing it from this pyramidal state into a round one, so that everything complements one another, we instead lower all of nature by descending to the animalistic degree and even to the vegetative degree.

We do not want to consider anything, except our egoism. We also consider our egoism only to the extent that it is convenient for us.

Comment: You once said that humanity has already adopted some kind of round state.

My Response: We are given such a state as our goal from above, and we are completely opposite to it from below.

Question: Is the mutual interconnection of humanity, interdependence, a goal that is given to us from above?

Answer: Yes. Nature treats us as one single whole. Look, all kinds of diseases, viruses, fires, hurricanes, and so on are descending on us. All this is generally given to all of humanity and not to any particular part of it or even to one main land. Yet, we react to this absolutely one-sidedly. That is, it does not matter to us where and what, the main thing is me.

Instead, we need to react in such a way that through our correct relationships we could eventually make the world balanced and round.

Question: Who will whisper this to us? Animals will not do that.

Answer: We could whisper, but no one hears either whispers or screams. In this case it means suffering. I hope that suffering will quickly lead us to understanding, and understanding will lead to the correct decision.

Question: So that we ourselves will shorten the period of suffering?

Answer: Yes. It depends on the dissemination of the method of Kabbalah. Only it speaks about what can be done in this state in our world.

Question: To bring the world to balance?

Answer: Yes, there is no other possibility.
[285420]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 6/28/21

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