Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is human history?“
We can view human history in two ways: either as an earthly path of development or as an evolution driven by our expanding desires. We witness it in front of us, displayed on a kind of three-dimensional spherical screen known as “this world.” Inside and all around us, it unfolds like a live movie in which we actively participate.
Yet, it resides within us.
Our entire world is projected through the lens of our desires. We merely observe it from an external vantage point, not within ourselves. The distinction between outside and inside becomes inconsequential; it is all an extension of oneself.
However, we must set aside the fallacy of our perception, for we instinctively divide the universe into what is inside and outside of us. This is the result of our egoism, our inherent desire for self-gratification at the expense of others and nature. Such a perception has shaped our worldview thus far. When we rise above our ego, we will realize that we share a common “self” with everyone, and we will experience everything within, not outside of us.
Our egoistic desires have evolved from the Big Bang through nature’s inanimate, vegetative and animate levels.
The human level of nature surfaced around 50,000 BCE, and from then until 5,000 BCE, a primitive communal society emerged, characterized by equality and shared possessions.
Initially, desires operated at an inanimate level, but the pursuit of wealth developed in the 5th century CE. The following era witnessed rapid human development, marked by the advent of pioneering technologies.
From the 5th century BCE until the end of the Middle Ages in the 15th century CE, there was a relentless quest for power. Concurrently, the Renaissance, notable discoveries, the invention of the printing press, and other milestones ushered in an era of scientific progress and enlightenment, which persisted until the end of the 20th century.
In the 21st century, we find ourselves in an entirely new era where a new desire emerges within us that wishes to surpass nature’s limits and aim for a higher level of existence where we harmonize with nature’s laws. Of course, we cannot identify the goal of this new desire as clearly as just stated when it first appears, and during this transition to a higher developmental level, we find ourselves completely ignorant as to the demands of our current evolutionary process.
There are several theories and opinions regarding how and why we should lead our lives, yet none offer complete satisfaction for everybody. However, by observing how nature compels us to constantly increase our surface-level, technological and economic interconnectedness across the globe, we can surmise that nature demands that we reach a new level of unity, interdependence and interconnectedness in our connections to each other. This concept aligns with the Biblical principle of “love your neighbor as yourself.”
Based on KabTV’s “I Got a Call: The Real History of the World” featuring Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on January 21, 2012. Edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman
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