Audio Version Of The Blog – 11/27/22
Posted on November 27th, 2022
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Michael Laitman, On The Times of Israel: “Family – the Next Gen”
A new documentary in Israel discusses a growing trend in Israel: open marriage. The film presents couples that express feeling stagnation in their marriage and wish to “vitalize” their relationship. Open marriage is only one facet of a much broader phenomenon of accelerated disfiguration and dissolution of the family unit in an attempt to “freshen up” people’s relationships and “revitalize” their lives.
I can understand where the need is coming from. Humans are dynamic beings. As such, they need constant changes and innovations. This has nothing to do with whether or not we are inherently monogamous.
The current perception is that people have families, raise children, bring them to independence, and pass away. We expect this to continue for eternity, but this is not our vocation; it is the vocation of animals, and we have within us something that does not belong to the animal kingdom: We not only live, we ask about the purpose of life. Whether we know it or not, our lives are dedicated not to living, but to understanding why we live.
In most people, the question about the purpose of life is still dormant, but in many others, and in many more people every day, it has awakened and demands answers. For such people, nothing is a given; they challenge everything and need to understand why they do what they do. It is not a desire to ruin, but the urge to understand, to comprehend everything that happens on the deepest level.
This drive is the reason for the shattering of our traditional social institutions. You find it not only in our homes, but in every aspect of our lives. We question education, economic systems, forms of government, religion, and family.
Even if we cannot find answers, there is critical value in questioning existing systems. Distrusting and shunning them liberates us from the shackles of tradition and moral restraints, and the sense of freedom allows us to develop something entirely new, which is not anarchy, but healthier and more fulfilling relationships. Such a society will be one where everyone is willingly and voluntarily committed.
In such a society, people are committed not only to their families, but to the entire community, and eventually to all of humanity. Moreover, they are committed to the same extent, and even more than they are currently committed to their families. However, they must choose this commitment freely, and they cannot be forced into remaining committed should they choose to leave. Perhaps it is hard to imagine such commitment at the moment, but humanity is headed toward it nonetheless.
In such a society, where everyone is committed to everyone else, everyone cares for everyone else and the natural feelings of alienation and suspicion no longer set the tone in society.
Family ties in such a society will be very strong and solid, but not because people are forced to remain monogamous. The whole purpose of the relationship will change, making issues of monogamy and fidelity irrelevant.
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Medium published my new article “The Climate Is a Matter of Attitude”
Ministers deliver statements during the closing plenary at the COP27 climate summit in Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, November 20, 2022. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany
The two weeks of climate discussions at the COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, ended in disappointment. As CNN wrote, “The world has failed to reach an agreement to phase out fossil fuels … an attempt to address the biggest source of the planet warming emissions that are causing the climate crisis ended in a fiasco after a number of nations, including China and Saudi Arabia, blocked a key proposal to phase out all fossil fuels, not just coal.” While the members reached an agreement “to set up a ‘loss and damage’ fund meant to help vulnerable countries cope with climate disasters,” it will not reverse climate change or solve our major problems.
If we want to change the climate, we must change it on all levels, and first and foremost the social climate we have created. As long as it is negative, aggressive, and heating up, the global climate will reflect it.
We may be able to assist with local climate crises, but we cannot change the global climate with our current attitude. If we want to change the climate, we must change it on all levels, and first and foremost the social climate we have created. As long as it is negative, aggressive, and heating up, the global climate will reflect it.
The reason we hold global climate conferences is that the climate is a global issue. Everything we do, in any country, affects the global climate. Therefore, without global mutual consideration, humanity will not be able to resolve the climate crisis.
Regrettably, to work in global mutual consideration, we must develop empathy toward all of humanity and rise above the narrow interests of each country. We are nowhere near such an attitude. On the contrary, each country tries to impose decisions that serve its own interests on the rest of the world, and the result is a climate world war where everyone loses.
As is the case with every war, the rich and powerful countries set the tone. They continue to burn fuels that pollute the air and accelerate climate change, and nothing will stop them unless natural disasters become so extreme that they will force all of humanity to change.
As is the case with every war, the rich and powerful countries set the tone. They continue to burn fuels that pollute the air and accelerate climate change, and nothing will stop them unless natural disasters become so extreme that they will force all of humanity to change. In the meantime, as lip service, or perhaps to buy the world’s consent, they set up “loss and damage” funds to “repair” the damage. Such funds do not solve anything, and everyone realizes this.
Besides extreme weather and climate disasters, the climate crisis has another adverse impact: Icebergs that have been frozen for thousands of years, and often far longer, are thawing. And buried in the ice are countless viruses that have been reawakened, and for which our bodies have no immunity. Scientists are already warning that the next pandemic may actually come not from wild animals or human errors, but from melting icebergs. A paper published two years ago aptly named it the “permafrost pandemic,” and warned of “the risk that deadly diseases from the distant past may return.”
Indeed, if you look at all the crises plaguing the world today, you will find that none of them are local. Covid is a global issue, climate change is affecting the entire planet, rising energy prices and interrupted supply chains are affecting all of humanity, and even a local crisis such as the war in Ukraine has serious consequences for the entire world. The interdependence already affecting all of humanity will only intensify until we are unable to make a single movement, to take a breath, without affecting the entire world.
On the positive side, none of our problems are insurmountable. In every single crisis, if we only work together rather than against each other, it will disappear as though it never existed.
All that is needed in order to fix our every plight is to change our attitude and put humanity first. Since reality is global, so should be our order of priorities. Prioritizing humanity will not only help the entire world, but every single individual, precisely because we are irrevocably interdependent. If we continue to impose a narrow vision on an expansive reality, we will continue to collide with one another and with all of nature. If we change our attitude, we will change the climate, and we will change the world.
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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What was the result of NASA hitting the asteroid?“
Indeed, NASA managed to hit a giant asteroid and divert it from its orbit, and NASA’s director stated that NASA is trying to be ready for anything that the universe might throw our way.
I think it is a positive development, but I also think that the universe is not throwing any asteroids at us to begin with.
If we seek a true sense of security on our planet, then we need to acknowledge the existence of a higher force in the universe that is hidden from us. It is a force that encompasses and manages everything and everyone, and through this force, we can manage the universe.
We connect to this force in our desire, when we want to come closer to it: to make our desire as its desire. What is its desire? Its desire is for us to operate it toward everybody’s benefit, and that everything will connect as a single system. In other words, the general force of the universe is waiting for us—human beings—to activate it in a way that is good and benevolent toward everyone. When we realize the higher force’s desire toward us in such a way, then we also alleviate the blows that we receive from the universe, and will instead feel a major embrace, as if it is hugging us—a sensation of eternity and perfection.
Therefore, if we adjust our inner force—a small desire within us—to adapt to nature, we can then manage the universe and feel secure without the need to create devices that crash into asteroids.
In the wisdom of Kabbalah, there is a saying, “Make your desire as His desire,” and then He—the higher force—will make His desire like yours. The higher force, or general force of nature, is also called “the Creator” in Kabbalah. If we wish to come closer to the Creator with a positive intention, then He will do the same toward us.
In practice, coming closer to the higher force of nature means exerting a positive influence over all people. If we do so, then we will start feeling that we can organize the forces around us in nature, on our planet and in outer space harmoniously.
Based on the video “NASA Hits an Asteroid – A Kabbalist’s Response” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Oren Levi. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
Michael Laitman, On The Times of Israel: “Free Iran”
The World Cup games have barely started but already, we have seen one of the most memorable pictures: Iran’s soccer team staying rebelliously silent while their national anthem is playing before the beginning of their match against England. There have been other protests in Iran against the regime of the Ayatollahs, but this one feels different. They are no longer only against the government’s treatment of women, but have become a demand to transform the regime altogether and open it up to the rest of the world. Despite killing more than 400 peaceful protesters, the demonstrations are continuing in full force.
The Iranian government is hostile not only toward Israel and toward its own people; it is hostile toward the entire world. Its stated goal is to impose Shiite Islamic law on the entire world, and it will not rest until it achieves it, however long it takes.
Unfortunately for them, the Iranian people do not share the goals or dogmas of the regime; they want to live as people live in the free world, where people can do what they want, live how they want, and say what they want within acceptable limits. In short, the Iranian people want to be free and feel free.
I have said before that Iran is a very ancient and very intelligent nation. I believe that if the will of the people triumphs, Iran and Israel will not be enemies and will resume the warm relationship that the two countries had cultivated before the Ayatollahs overthrew the Shah and set off a dark chapter in the country’s history.
Oppression stymies development. Only free people can grow and change and develop, and change is intrinsic to human nature. If not this time, then perhaps next time, but in the end, the Iranian people will free themselves from the regime that wishes to oppress them and bind all of humanity to its yoke.
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Michael Laitman, On The Times of Israel: “No One Wants War, but We Are Always Fighting”
A few days ago, Norma Livne, the host of the show El Mundo (“The World”), dedicated one of the shows to answering questions from my students. One of the questions was about the war in Europe. More precisely, the question was why, if no one wants war, do we always fight against each other?
Indeed, people cannot live without war. At any given moment, there is an active conflict somewhere on the planet.
If you think about it, it makes no sense. If you ask people if they believe that violence can settle differences, they will agree that it cannot. If this is the case, then I, too, would like to ask, why are we fighting? Is it to show who is right? But if this is the reason, it means that the stronger one is also the right one because he won the war. This is clearly the wrong answer.
In fact, it is not only wrong, it is deplorable and immoral. How can anyone believe that if you are aggressive and crushed your dissenter, then you are right? This is not justice; it is bullying. We are not even animals; we are worse than animals!
Yet, this is human nature. This is how we have been behaving since the dawn of time, and it will not change until we change human nature. When we decide that we are fed up with our egotism and want to try a different way to live on this planet, we will be able to think of more agreeable ways to live.
When we decide to give up our self-centeredness, we will discover that opposites do not cancel each other, but complement each other. Opposites do not threaten each other’s existence, they secure and support it.
Complementary opposites exist not only in nature, but also in humans. Just as spring has no meaning without autumn, capitalism has no meaning without socialism. The same applies to liberalism and parochialism, and globalism and isolationism. Each concept is meaningless without its counterpart, which helps define and clarify it.
Yet, the truth lies on neither side. The truth lies in unity and cooperation. Truth is what enables life. The heart and the lungs, for example, perform very different, almost contradictory functions. The lungs saturate the blood with oxygen and the heart streams the blood throughout the body and distributes the blood to the organs. In terms of oxygen saturation, these are contradictory functions. Nevertheless, only when both the heart and lungs function properly can we have a healthy body. The “truth,” if you will, is neither that the blood must be full of oxygen, nor that it must be devoid of it. The truth is that when the heart and lungs operate properly, there is balance, health, and vitality.
Truth, therefore, is balance, not subjugation. If we maintain a balance where all parts of society contribute their respective and unique shares to society, we will have a balanced and healthy society whose members are safe and satisfied. If we try to eliminate any of society’s organs, we will condemn all of society to instability, dissatisfaction, and ultimate disintegration.
Norma Livne, the host of the show El Mundo (“The World”) and Michael Laitman
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“My soul shall weep in secret,” meaning when one comes to a state of concealment, then “My soul shall weep,” because one has no other option (Baal HaSulam, Shamati 18, “My Soul Shall Weep In Secret”).
Question: What does it mean that the soul is crying?
Answer: When a person would like to give everything to the Creator and cling to Him but sees that he is not yet able to achieve this, he feels that his soul is crying.
In the spiritual world, as in our world, there are many different states: the soul is crying, the Creator is crying, the children of Israel are crying. But all this happens within one person.
In principle, in spirituality, as in our world, there are different tears: tears of happiness, grief, and so on.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 11/6/22
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The living conditions of the last generation require every member of society to know how this society operates, for what purpose it exists, and in what form it should exist.
He must understand that there is no other way than the way nature advances us and affects us from all sides, and our duty is to consciously move toward the right goal of our development, without making mistakes.
The very first thing a person should learn and explain to others is that peace in society, peace on the planet, and peace in each country depend on each other. We see the shattering that the world is in today, what conflicts countries are involved in, and how it affects every person. There are still people who are dissatisfied with the country and are trying to change the government in it.
We need to understand that there is only one way to fix the world; otherwise, we will face the same problems and wars all the time. Therefore, it is so necessary to spread the wisdom of Kabbalah, which explains the structure of the world and the purpose of its existence and discusses the possibility of achieving this goal in the only way: increasing mutual connection between all people.
Only in this way will we be able to come to a good life and not just live comfortably until the end of our days, and after us through the flood, but to achieve eternal life. No one dies, because there is no death; there is only a change in the form of our existence. Time after time, our form is renewed in many cycles of life.
People have always dreamed of eternal life. It is only out of desperation that a person tries not to think about how short life is and how much suffering there is in it. We have to start getting closer to each other; otherwise, the world has no future.
In this sense, a person is more unhappy than an animal because the animal does not know that it will die and does not make any plans for the future. A person knows that death is ahead and still continues to live and move toward it—a completely disgusting state.
What a relief it would be to know that life does not end and that there is life after death. Our universe is infinite and eternal. It is time to say goodbye to the communist idea that a person has nothing in life but an animal body. The animal body of course will die, but everything else in us, human spirit, will remain. We have the opportunity to correct our soul, our inner part, the non-disappearing human self, and belong to eternity.
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From the 3rd part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 11/7/22, Writings of Baal HaSulam “Peace in the World”
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Question: It is said in The Book of Zohar that the Creator sheds tears into the great ocean. Is it because He cannot make corrections for men? How can we understand that the Creator sheds tears?
Answer: Tears are Ohr Hozer, reflected light, i.e., those properties that a person must express in order to clothe the direct light of the Creator in his reflection. Then the light of the Creator is clothed in the light of man, and a good, normal, direct contact arises between them.
Tears are like those remnants (Odafim) that a person cannot correctly perceive and clothe the direct light in them. Therefore, they are thus distinguished and expressed.
Comment: As far as I understand, a person should wish to correct himself, but he does not want it. And the Creator, as if, suffers because of this.
My Response: If we speak from the side of the Creator, then yes. The upper Partzuf sheds tears.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 11/6/22
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Question: On one hand, you talk about faith above reason. On the other hand, there is no faith at all in Kabbalah but only attainment. What does it mean?
Answer: Faith above reason is attainment. Faith is the quality of bestowal, the quality of Binah. Bestowal above egoism is called faith above reason. With the help of this condition, a person discovers the upper world by himself.
There is nothing you can do about the fact that the concept of faith has been distorted in our world. Everything in our world is distorted.
Only a person who has risen to the quality of bestowal can we say is a believer.
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From KabTV’s “Fundamentals of Kabbalah” 9/24/17
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