Audio Version Of The Blog – 9/2/22

Listen to an Audio Version of the Blog
Download:MP3 Audio

“Alone Is Not Always Lonely” (Medium)

Medium published my new article “Alone Is Not Always Lonely

It seems like social media, pandemics, and modern life have made us isolated people, more alienated from each other than ever, and enjoying mainly our own company. People’s conversation time has been declining for nearly thirty years, and even video calls cannot reverse the trend. It appears that communicating with other people is simply not appealing to more and more people. But considering the fact that we are growing increasingly narcissistic, this trend should not surprise us. In the future, we can expect it to continue, and even accelerate.

I, too, feel that I would rather stay in my room and spend my time the way I like to than to socialize with people who largely do not interest me. I have my books; I have science news and other news that I watch; and I have various other interests.

I can sympathize with people who feel they do not need other people to satisfy their social needs, since we are all becoming increasingly focused on ourselves. The need for reciprocity, for approval from society, is diminishing in many people.

However, it is not that people are becoming increasingly anti-social. They are becoming increasingly fastidious, and do not want to waste their time or energy on futile connections that bring them no real benefit.

People are indifferent to other people because they are becoming more goal-oriented. They choose their goals in life and exert themselves to achieve them. This is a positive development that will lead people to pursue their life’s purpose.

As for me, despite my reclusive nature, my life’s purpose requires that I connect with as many people as possible, and on the deepest possible level: in my heart. To achieve my goal, I am willing to connect with any person and embrace any person. But were it not for my goal, I would still be happily secluded in my room as I was before I began to disseminate the wisdom of Kabbalah around the world, which is my life’s purpose and for which I will happily make any sacrifice.

And as I am, so are many other people becoming increasingly goal oriented. It is an evolution in humanity, and not regression. In the future, we will see more and more people connecting around common goals and avoiding casual interactions, which will seem pointless to them. They will be living on two levels: On the superficial level they will appear aloof or reserved, but on the deeper level they will be deeply connected to those who share their goals.
[302318]

“Mikhail Gorbachev – a Personal Impression” (Times of Israel)

Michael Laitman, On The Times of Israel: “Mikhail Gorbachev – a Personal Impression

The passing of Mikhail Gorbachev reminded me of a brief conversation I had had with him. Even before I met him, I had the impression that he was truly a different kind of politician. He was not inherently bad; he understood people and felt close to the regular folk. In the impossible framework where he operated, I think he did his best, and in everyone’s favor. Had he not been taken down from his post as the leader of the Soviet Union, he would have done more good for his country and for the world.

By the time I met him, in November 2005, he had been out of office for nearly fourteen years. Nevertheless, he was still trying to help make the world a better place. We met at a conference in Tokyo, Japan. At the time, I was a member of the World Wisdom Council (WWC), and he was an honorary chairperson of the organization, which was headed by Prof. Ervin Laszlo.

In that event, the Goi Peace Foundation, located in Japan, had invited the WWC for a conference in Tokyo, to participate in its initiative titled, Creating a New Civilization. The highlight of the event was a series of speeches in a hall in downtown Tokyo before an audience of 5,000 people including ambassadors and other officials from 46 countries.

The night before the event, the members of the WWC met for a social gathering with a more casual tone than the formal discussions. That evening I exchanged a few words with Gorbachev. He was very friendly and informal, the last thing you would expect from a former president of the USSR.

In our conversation, I told him that I appreciated his efforts to make the world a better place. He replied that he appreciated my understanding of his intent, and said that he was still active and trying to help wherever and however he could.

I think that considering the circumstances under which he operated, coming from a Soviet, communist background, the reforms he had carried out were astounding, inconceivable until he actually began to make them. In that sense, he was truly a pioneer and deserves the world’s respect for his contribution to humanity.

Creating a New Civilization Conference in Tokyo (2005) Credit: Michael Laitman

[302264]

“Is globalization reversible?” (Quora)

Dr. Michael LaitmanMichael Laitman, On Quora: Is globalization reversible?

This question came up recently when one of my students mentioned the German government’s preparation for an energy crisis following a reduction in Russian gas supplies. Germany’s Minister of Economy discussed gas as a scarce resource and called upon the Germans to save as much electricity as possible, with the government reactivating coal-fired reactors in the meantime. As a result of this situation, the student could not believe how Europe’s most developed country was asked to save energy, and he thought that we should wake up from the dream of globalization where everyone supplies everyone with everything, and that every country should return to producing what they need for themselves.

Globalization, however, is irreversible. If we returned to each country only providing for itself, then we would find much greater costs across the board, for electricity, cars, food and so on and so forth. It becomes much cheaper for everyone if we provide these supplies to each other.

I understand the constant risk in this situation: All it takes is one government in this globalized connection to make problems and everyone suffers the consequences. For that very reason, we need to make sure that we sustain positive relations. While it might seem impossible, as there is always the ability for one to burst out from a general balance, we nonetheless need to invest in building positive relations. And even if a certain country breaches the balance here and there, it will nonetheless remain much cheaper and more sustainable than if each country supplied all their own needs from beginning to end.

Globalization should lead us to a state where we understand the need to work on positive connections among all people and nations. In such a state, we will have no negative thoughts about each other, and people will not think about exploiting each other, otherwise we will simply end up without our life’s essentials.

Based on the video “Is Globalization Reversible?” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Oren Levi. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

Unless the Lord Builds a House, Its Builders Labor in it in Vain

935It is said that “Unless the Lord builds a house, its builders labor in it in vain” (Rabash, “What Is, ‘There Is No Blessing in That Which Is Counted,’ in the Work?”).

This means one should not expect that a person can build his own soul, Temple, or house of holiness in which he will reveal the connection with all creatures, with all souls, and with the Creator who fills them in order to return to the state of one soul—Adam HaRishon, to one Kli, and to one light where all are merged together and support each other.

If the Creator does not build this structure, does not arrange it, does not fill it, and does not support it, then a person has no hope of making any progress in this.

I, individually, am not able to build a spiritual Kli out of my uncorrected desires, but at the same time I say: “If I don’t help myself, then no one will help me.” Only if I make every possible effort and eventually despair, only then will I be able to ask the Creator to build me a house of holiness and say that “Unless the Lord builds a house, its builders labor in it in vain.”

To build a Temple means to correct all the qualities of a person in similarity of form with the Creator. And then, according to the similarity of their qualities, the Creator will fill this house, the human heart.

When we really make every effort, we see that we are unable to connect with each other for the sake of bestowal, so that we can relay to each other and to the Creator all together. We are not able to build a Temple, meaning, a connection suitable for revealing the Creator in us. Then we shout: “Unless the Lord builds a house, its builders labor in it in vain”! And we get help from above.

The Creator does it. He does not help any one individually, but only all together; building the connection out of all of us, which is called the house of holiness, the structure of the soul, within which, according to the strength of our connection, the Creator, the internal light, is revealed.
[302190]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 8/30/22, “Unless the Lord builds a house, its builders labor in it in vain”

Related Material:
Building the Third Temple
It Is Impossible To Build A Spiritual Partzuf Without Uniting The People
A Temple That Is Built In The Heart

An Invitation to the Celebration of Connection

229If you look at the entire history of mankind, it is clear that people have always strived to improve the conditions of their existence in human society; meaning, they were looking for how to exist together.

Wars ended and peace was established for a short time, but then they started again. And until now humanity does not understand how to come to a good life, peace, harmony, and rapprochement between nations.

It is clear to everyone that if we give up mutual claims and reach mutual understanding, then life will be better. But we are not able to do this because of our egoism. Within everyone there is an egoist with his desire to enjoy that opposes his connection with others.

After all, connection presupposes my willingness to help another and his willingness to help me so that we are like one person with no calculation of what benefits I will receive and what he will receive, but only to make sure that it is good for everyone.

This formula is not clear to us, and we are not able to implement it to even a minimal extent. Therefore humanity is constantly looking for ways to approach the state of universal connection in which everyone will support each other and provide everyone with a good and safe life—children, women, and men. With this agreement, the globe will be able to provide all of us with its resources; it will only be necessary to distribute them correctly and kindly so that everyone has enough.

Subconsciously, humanity understands that it would be better for everyone. But at the same time, for thousands of years we have been increasingly disconnected and do not think at all about how to fulfill this natural condition of living in brotherly love as one person.

But more than once over thousands of years of ordeals, humanity has had this idea of how wonderful life would be if we could get closer, unite, and take care of each other. How much it would spare us suffering and the exhaustion of strength and resources. All the work could be done together easily and with pleasure, confidently and joyfully.

Mankind has been talking about this and thinking about it for a long time, and in fact at some point in ancient times, in different parts of the world, there were such communities that acted together as communes. They existed until egoism exploded in each of these communes and destroyed all harmony and unity.

Today we are at a stage when all these attempts have already been passed and discarded: extreme right-wing ideas and extreme leftist, radicalism, capitalism, socialism, anarchism, etc. In all these formations, there was not a single principle that we could keep so that it would more or less satisfy everyone.

And that is why, since the end of the twentieth century, the science of Kabbalah has begun to be revealed to mankind, and it is being revealed especially decisively today. Before that, Kabbalah, in contrast to all other methods, was hidden and banned for distribution. Kabbalists carefully concealed it and waited for the time when humanity would understand that existence is possible only if it rises above its egoistic desire, its nature.

Today we can already say that we have tried all the methods and all the techniques, attempted to implement them, and we are convinced that it is impossible. What remains is only to follow the science of Kabbalah. Only a little involvement is required on our part, but in the end all corrections must be revealed from above, which means from nature itself.

That is why we have gathered here in order to try, through our connection, to achieve the joy of awakening, in which all the dreams and hopes that have accompanied humanity for the many thousands of years of its life in this world are realized in the optimal, best form. Then humanity will see that we are finally coming to the right decision.

The upper force, the upper light, the Creator, shines on us and we feel His impact since the closest to Him according to the nature of creation, the root of our soul, is the so-called “point in the heart.”

Therefore we are obliged to approach the Creator and help the process of development from our side so that it comes not only from the side of the upper force, which wants to bring together and unite all the parts of creation, but also on account of those parts of creation itself that are awakening in our time, which is why it is called the “last generation.”

These are not only select individuals as it was for thousands of years in previous generations. A lot of people have been awakened today, both men and women. They are ready to work on their internal changes in order to raise the whole of humanity from its current degree, where it has existed until now in suffering and troubles, to a sublime beautiful state, to understanding and awareness, to a huge revelation of the perfect state, to attainment of the nature of the Creator.

There is no other force except Him, the good who does good, who loves everyone. And we have to get closer to this love and become incorporated in it. This is what we need to learn so that love reigns between us, and then the Creator will reveal Himself between us.

I hope we are close to this revelation. Everything depends on our efforts. It is necessary to reveal love between us so that it fills up all the space between us. And then the Creator will manifest within this love, which we are preparing for His revelation. Go ahead and good luck!
[302157]
From the World Kabbalah Convention “Celebrating the Joy of Connection 8/28/22, “Deriving Joy from Unity with the Creator,” Lesson 3

Related Material:
Blessed Are Those Who Work Together
A Big Family
The Greatest Means Of Advancement

Energy of the Upper Light

294.3Know that before the emanated beings were emanated and the created beings created, an upper, simple light had filled the entire reality. …

It refers to the light that expands from the Creator Himself. Know that all the names and appellations that appear in the wisdom of Kabbalah are not at all in the Creator Himself, but only in the light that expands from His self (Baal HaSulam, Study of the Ten Sefirot, Vol. 1, Part 1, Chapter 1, “Restriction and Line“).

The Creator is the source of all there is. What is emanated from Him is called light.

It is not about our physical light, but about the emanation that comes from the Creator. When a person begins to feel the influence of light on himself, the light acting upon him gradually makes him similar to the Creator. That is, light carries a special energy, a special quality and the one it influences turns into some semblance of the Creator.

This is expressed in the qualities of a person, which he suddenly begins to feel in how he changes and in how he depicts for himself the surrounding space, our world, the upper world, and so on.

These are the qualities of bestowal and love that he receives from the influence of the upper light.

Question: Does it mean that he gradually begins to love everyone?

Answer: Yes. He begins to feel absolutely all the universe around him and feels that he belongs to it because one single light creates all this. A person who attains the upper light reveals everything as one single work of light.

His love, first of all, is directed to the source of light, to the Creator.

Question: So, when a person studies TES, will the quality of love for the Creator eventually be revealed in him?

Answer: Possibly. This is how it should be, but not right away.
[302026]
From KabTV’s “The Study of the Ten Sefirot” (TES), 8/14/22

Related Material:
The Light—Intelligent Energy
The Diverse Influence Of Light
The Influence of Light on a Person

Focus on New Values

560Question: How were the interconnections in ancient Babylon arranged? What were the people doing there?

Answer: It was an ordinary, primitive society. They lived very simply. Babylonians ate mainly fish, as they lived in a valley at the confluence of two rivers: the Tigris and the Euphrates. They grew buckwheat and some wheat.

In principle, the birthplace of wheat is Israel. But the very first time it appeared was in ancient Babylon, as noted in the documents. The Babylonians baked barley bread, ate fish, garlic, olives, and olive oil, and drank water and wine. That was enough for them.

Question: And what did they do in general? Did they exist like animals?

Answer: Man did little in general, except for the last hundred years when he suddenly began to work according to the current system.

In those days there was a lot of unproductive work and everything flowed slowly and calmly. This was the case in all countries. And what did Indians do? What did Asians or Africans do?

It is nowadays that everything goes by minutes and charts because it is even better if the mechanisms work without stopping, and therefore, the problem of unemployment has naturally arisen. It had never happened before because people did not work at such a pace.

Even 150 or 200 years ago, what did man do? How much could he produce in a day and at what pace did he work? Naturally, in the world there was no such abundance and overproduction (with which it is not clear what to do) as there is now.

Comment: I remember that back in the days of the Soviet Union, there was a very narrow assortment of goods. And then American, Chinese, and Turkish products appeared, the range expanded.

My Response: It was all very good and attractive for a time. And today, both men and women are dressed in “rags,” walk in sneakers, and no one pays attention to beautiful, decent clothes. It even becomes somewhat provocative because it shows how empty you are inside if you are so dressy on the outside. Even at all sorts of diplomatic receptions, everywhere.

A university teacher gives lectures almost wearing shorts. Where is this polish, jacket, tie, and white shirt? Not to mention the students at all. In the 50s and 60s, there was no such thing as a student not wearing a suit and tie. I remember myself! I had to dress like this. And today…

But all this is correct because the focus is changing for different values, from external to internal. Now a person is not judged by appearances.
[302066]
From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. Ancient People and Cultures of the Past” 3/8/13

Related Material:
A New President, A New World, New Values
New Values
Rebuilding the System of Values

Fruit Means Knowledge

962.5Question: What do you mean by fruit?

Answer: In our world, in order to get the fruits of plants, it is necessary to grow a tree for a long time, to perform certain manipulations on it, to care for, to fertilize it, to water it, and so on. And when we reach the full ripening of the fruit, then we can use it.

In the spiritual world, the fruit means real knowledge. Spiritual knowledge is knowledge about everything that surrounds us, about external and internal forces, and most importantly, about their source—the Creator.
[302019]
From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 8/21/22

Related Material:
What Does the Fruit of a Tree Symbolize?
“Tree” in the Spiritual Sense
The Fruit Of The Tree Of Knowledge

Moving Away From The Matter

610.2Comment: If you look at how society as a whole has developed, then, in principle, people have always been busy plowing fields, etc. They always engaged in physical labor.

My Response: And now the work is different; it flows into spiritual work. We can do everything else effortlessly with the help of automation, machinery, 3D printers, etc. so much so that it will not be difficult for anyone.

People move into a completely different environment, into a different production process—a spiritual one.

If we can do everything for ourselves with the help of information, media, all kinds of volumetric printers, interaction with each other, and everything else, then can you imagine where our development is pulling us? In general, we are moving to a completely different way of existence. We are moving away from matter.

Soon this matter should disappear altogether. Everything will pass into the world of forces. You will live at the level of the forces that bind you to others. And all kinds of material volumes will not take up space in your senses. The sensory organs will become more and more aware of the power manifestations of interconnections at the level of forces, not at the level of objects.
[302037]
From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. If You Lost Your Job” 3/13/14

Related Material:
Will Artificial Intelligence Replace People?
Japan: Robots Are Replacing Farmers
Surgery Performed By A Robot