Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is it in your life that calls you to be bigger than what you think is possible?“

I understand that humanity is in the midst of a crisis. This crisis envelops humanity: depression, drug addiction, the disintegration of the family unit, terrorism, and the global ecological threat. Constantly, from one day to the next, this disaster in humanity continues increasing, and the conflict between civilizations also deepens. According to scientists’ opinions, humanity has little time left to somehow stop the crisis’ development in the direction of a third world war.

However, as doctors say, the correct diagnosis of a disease is already half of its cure. This is why we need to reveal this crisis to the world and stop silencing it. By doing so, we only bring ourselves closer to an irreversible state. If we reveal this crisis to humanity and simultaneously, all of us together, try to understand its cause (our ego) and its cure (the ego’s correction)—by doing so, we will discover a peaceful and harmonious life.

Humanity needs to undergo this transformation. Therefore, this vision pushes me even to things that are beyond my abilities, in order to use all opportunities possible so that I can explain this to the world.

Based on a Q&A with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on September 9, 2006. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Comment: A strong politician will say that he always stands up for the weak, the less fortunate. All election campaigns are based on this. And when he comes to power, he quickly forgets about it.

My Response: This is natural. Where have you seen politicians who care about the masses? A politician is also an egoist, only bigger. Until he reaches the top of the pyramid of power, he must destroy and trample over hundreds of people, and only then does he become president or head of government.

Therefore, it is impossible to demand some kind of pity for the masses from them. They do not have a single thought about it. They think only in terms of government strength, power, and money. This is how they are; otherwise, they would not be at the top. It is naive to expect any benefits from them.

Of course, they will do something for the masses but as a populist method, nothing more. They use these techniques to improve their ratings. Politicians will give up everything for power. Neither spending money nor losing one’s good name will stop them, nothing. The main thing is to attain power. Someone wants to achieve some scientific discoveries and only that is important for him. For someone else neither politics nor a good opinion of oneself is important, only money. Everyone has their own goal. And everyone achieves what he wants as much as possible.

But the fact is that our constantly developing egoism leads us to a state where we do not receive fulfillment from our desires and achievements. I strive for money. Why? To feel confident, fulfilled. It does not happen! I strive for knowledge. And what do I need it for? I acquire it and I remain empty. I achieve power and suddenly I find that it does not give me anything but emptiness.

It is obvious today that no matter which desires I realize, I remain empty. What can we do?

And here lies the problem in the social pyramid: the top disappears. People used to strive for this top, but now this striving has disappeared. Today, the elite feels that they have nothing. Today, you do not see rulers who can say: “I know how to steer the future and I must show it to you, I must.” There is no such thing. There are no people or parties who would say: “There is such a party! Let’s go!”

Some key point is lost. Earlier, egoism developed from small to large, from large to even larger and larger, and this built some kind of a line, a reference point. And today, egoism has reached a dead end; it does not show us anything. On the contrary, we find that there is nowhere to go. And we do not find bigger desires than the ones have today. Desire for what? Consume something? And what will I consume, the whole world?

A person discovers the limitation of his egoism and then he begins to fuss: “What to do next?” He has nothing left but antidepressants and drugs.

And at this very last stage, in this feeling of emptiness, a desire arises for the next level of development, a higher one, the realm we have not yet existed in. We must reach the next level of development. And this is a new desire, not our egoistic past, but a new property with which we will live in a dimension above egoism.

This is now beginning to manifest itself in people, and they come to the science of Kabbalah that helps them reveal that part of the world that exists around us but is hidden.

Question: So, suffering is good?

Answer: It is not that suffering is good, but it gives us the opportunity to rise above egoism as the cause of suffering. It allows us to get out of trouble. If I see that something is causing me suffering, I begin to hate it and I try to push myself away from it.

We are at such a stage of development today when we will gradually begin to perceive our egoism as evil. Another state will come when people will realize: “If we do not unite, we will destroy each other.”
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From KabTV’s “Close-Up. Hope for Peace” 9/9/09″

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Will reparations for slavery actually help end racism?“

Definitely not. There will be no end to all kinds of people starting to demand what they supposedly deserve. More and more people will start whetting their appetites against one another. It is foolish to rethink history in such a way.

I am in favor of reinterpreting history as the development of our egoistic inclination, i.e. the desire to enjoy at the expense of others and nature, through various stages. Today, when we realize the ego’s insignificance, perniciousness and inferiority, we start shifting to the next degree of our development where we will need to realize a positive connection to each other, supporting, encouraging and caring about each other with no complaints about the past.

If we start engaging in digging into the past to make reparations, then we enter an endless process of looking backward in order to demand what we supposedly deserve.

Such a revision of history is based on egoism. We cannot buy the past with money, just as the future cannot be built with this money. We should only seek to understand how nature and human nature works, and how we can use this knowledge to start a new process of positively connecting to each other.

The more we discover our tightening interdependence in today’s age, the more we will reveal the faulty and detrimental nature of our egoistic nature, and the need to correct it by developing altruistic connections above it. We will not correct our ego by the approach of “Pay me, and I’ll be nice.” It is simply a defective approach.

Based on “News with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman” on July 8, 2021. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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The Book of Zohar, “Lech Lecha” Item 97: The first extension is the light of Nefesh, the force from which the body is built …

A spiritually born person is called Ish, and the spiritual force that animates him, the force of his existence is called the light of the degree of Nefesh.

[It]…extends by the force of the progenitors’ light of Nefesh. This is so because by the force of the great desire of the progenitors, which is a strong agreement from their light of Nefesh, they extend the light of Nefesh of the newborn from the spiritual world of Assiya, and it clothes in the semen that they produce, and the newborn’s body gradually builds out of this spiritual light.

Just as a person is born from the mother and comes out into our world, but before that he was inside her, so we are born into the spiritual world from within. Therefore, the uterus in which we are now is a preliminary place for birth in the upper world.

The world of Assiya is the lowest of the worlds. The first spiritual birth takes place in it when our eyes and feelings open. I am called Ish in it, and my energy, my understanding, everything that animates me is called Nefesh.

Assiya is the world of action because I do not understand anything yet, I do not know, I just develop via my instinctive actions.
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From KabTV’s “The Power of The Book of Zohar” #18

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Question: How can we unite? For an ambitious, naturally strong person, there is nothing more hateful than social equality.

Answer: He can remain as he is. Nobody takes anything from him. Who forbids him to be rich? Who forbids him to realize himself in politics, in art, in science, in anything? Why should he sink to the middle class? He does not have to do that.

We are talking about social equality. But it is not that everyone will be equal. We are not created equal by nature either. We are equal in that everyone should understand their place in the integral system and interact with the rest.

There are those among us who belong to the head, the hands, the body, or the legs of the common body of our society. Each of us is different. This difference will continue to apply in the future. A cook (an unqualified person) will not run the state. She will not be able to do this, and there is no need to force her to do it.

And people who can lead will lead. And they will be proud of it! The fact is that the one who stands at the top and wants to rule receives pleasure or fulfillment from it.

Give him this opportunity, just teach him how to manage correctly. And then beside this, he will receive fulfillment from everyone else.

A person needs inner fulfillment. Even his millions in the bank just give him the feeling that he is full, a feeling, nothing more! Give him this feeling from his work, from creativity.

Politicians love to create because politics is the same art. However, like science, finance, and everything else, people do this so that they feel like creators in this life.

This interests them. And zeros in the bank or graduate degrees simply speak of what they have done in life. This is an assertion of their “I.”
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From KabTV’s “Close-Up. Hope for Peace” 9/9/09

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We cannot conquer nature. Nature has brought us to a special stage of development, and we must fulfill its demand to get closer to each other, to be more united as one nation, and end all disputes. If we do not do that, it will get even worse than it is now. I warned at the very beginning of the pandemic that it will not end quickly,  three years, five years, it will last for years.

Until we fulfill the law of nature that requires us to truly connect as one person with one heart, we will not be able to be healthy and free. The restrictions that we now feel from nature show us that we are not allowed to come close to one another because of our bad attitude toward each other.

The distance between us cannot be less than two meters, which is a reflection of my attitude to others. I do not want to feel them any closer and this feeling is now being broadcast into the distance between us.

Do you want to live without physical restrictions? Then cancel the internal restrictions. Try to be closer to each other, eliminate all quarrels and disputes among the people of Israel, and you will see that the pandemic will immediately subside. It would seem that there is no connection between our relationship and the virus. But this is how it works.

If we do not do this, we will spend millions of shekels and dollars more on medicines and vaccinations, but the problems will grow bigger and we will not be able to get rid of them. We want to be bailed with money just not to change our hearts. But this will not work. Money cannot buy love. And it is a great closeness and love that is required of us.

Of course, love is not given for free. It must be earned. However, this is an eternal acquisition, the most reliable action that guarantees us health, strength, peace, serenity, and lifts us above life and death. There is nothing stronger than love; it is the upper force.

Yet, we are not ready to trouble our hearts with love and instead try to cover it in hope of finding peace. But there is no way out. We will only prolong our suffering for a few more years until we become smarter. The Creator will not abandon his plans. He will persistently and tirelessly force us to love others as ourselves.

It is not enough just to become a little kinder to each other, it is necessary to really come to universal love so that only love will rule in the world.
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From KabTV’s “A Conversation with Journalists” 11/29/20

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Preparation to the Lesson

Lesson on the Topic “Faith Above Reason” 

Writings of Baal HaSulam, “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah,” Item 35 

Selected Highlights

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If the Jews begin to unite, the nations of the world will accept it with joy because they will see that through this unification they can get closer to the essence of creation. With that very point, with that desire from which Anti-Semitism is now growing, they will feel that the right movement has begun because they will start receiving an illumination upon this Reshimo.

Anti-Semitism is the deficiency in the nations of the world, the need to receive the light through the unification of Jews. It is the biggest Anti-Semites who will be the first ones to join the Jews. And we have already seen such dramatic upheavals in history.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 1/3/20, “”The Jewish Choice: Unity or Anti-Semitism,” Chapter 1

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Question: The screen is an anti-egoistic force that a person acquires in the process of studying Kabbalah. How would you define it? Is it property, a feeling, some strength, a state?

Answer: The screen is the ability to feel the world outside, above our egoism. What we feel in our egoistic desire is called our world. What we can feel above it is called the upper world or the spiritual world.

By acquiring the screen, a person acquires the ability to abstract from his I, from his personal benefit. He begins to perceive everything around him in a completely different form, not related to himself, but as it really is. This is its advantage.

That is, he is no longer a slave of his desires and aspirations, and he does not engage in conscious and even subconscious calculations for his own benefit. He precisely sees the objective picture of the world.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 8/20/21

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