Question: The idea of the interaction of two opposites rarely went beyond the limits of purely philosophical exploration and cultural discourse. You revive it again, although humanity is tired of the attempts to implement it.

Answer: The person asking this question is probably a philosopher, so here is an excerpt from my new book: “The very idea that the course of evolution is defined by the interaction of two opposites emerged a long time ago. Suffice it to recall a dual opposition of yin and yang in Chinese mythology and philosophy, the Love and Strife philosophy of Empedocles, a conflict between Good and Evil in the Abrahamic religions, and the Hegelian Dialectic.

In scientific evolutionism of the second half of the 19th century, Herbert Spencer based his theory on the opposition of differentiation and integration. Throughout each era, this universal idea received new additions, a new meaning, depending on the level of human spiritual development.

Therefore, it is important that in modern evolutionism, a new theory of coevolution emerged. According to this theory, the development of the inanimate and animate natures is determined by the interaction of two principles: “cooperation” (coevolution) and “competition,” and what is more, the focus is placed on the first, but not the second principle.

It should be noted that coevolutionary processes—the reciprocal development of systems (or elements inside a system) with mutual selective demands—had long been detected in biology. However, they were considered “peripheral,” minor, and were limited only to various types of symbiotic relationships (parasitism, protocooperation, commensalism, mutualism, and so on).

In recent decades, the term “coevolution” went far beyond biology, acquired a much wider, essentially, philosophical meaning, and provided a basis for the formation of a new scientific cognitive model that has a significant impact not only on natural sciences, but also on humanitarian thought and is included in the study of processes occurring at all the levels of the animate and inanimate natures, from the sub-atomic and molecular-genetic to social life and the coevolution of ideas.

This idea has considerably undermined the established stereotypes of competition as the main driving force of evolution: The coevolutionary approach destroys the old image of Nature as “the war of all against all” and a ruthless struggle for existence.

In fairness, it should be noted: Charles Darwin warned that he used the concept of “the struggle for existence” “in a large and metaphorical sense, including dependence of one being on another.”

This principle extended to social life. “A tribe including many members who, from possessing in a high degree the spirit of patriotism, fidelity, obedience, courage, and sympathy, were always ready to give aid to each other and to sacrifice themselves for the common good, would be victorious over other tribes; and this would be natural selection.”

Nonetheless, for a long time, the words “the struggle for existence” were taken literally and found its extreme expression in Social Darwinism, insisting that the strongest wins. And the fact that the role of coevolutionary processes and cooperation is realized nowadays is significant.

This is an indicator of important transformations in the consciousness of a modern person, in his system of values. Even if competition is not giving way to the ideals of cooperation, mutual help, and solidarity, it is visibly losing ground and is no longer perceived as the fundamental law of Nature, justifying ego-centrism in all its manifestations.

It is no accident that proponents of the coevolution theory believe that its dissemination will help to rebuild the relationships between humans and nature and even create a new type of civilization based on cooperation, nonviolence, and dialogue.”
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Opinion (Steven Staples, President, Rideau Institute on International Affairs, Canada): “Economic inequality is growing: more conflicts and civil wars are emerging. It is important to see a connection between these two situations.

Proponents of global economic integration argue that globalization promotes peace and economic development in the Third World. They assert that ‘all boats rise with the tide’ when investors and corporations make higher profits. However, there is precious little evidence that this is true and substantial evidence of the opposite….

Economic inequality between Northern and Southern nations has worsened, not improved. The mainstream media frequently oversimplify the causes of war, with claims that they are rooted in religious or ethnic differences. While such differences are made use of in conflicts, a closer examination reveals that the underlying source of most conflicts is economic in nature….

Globalization is driving a global war economy and creating the conditions for tremendous loss of human life. Many writers and researchers have documented the decline in human rights, social justice, environmental standards, and democracy caused by globalization.”

Comment: Globalization in itself is not a breakthrough but a demonstration of unity in our world, its complete mutual dependence. But a union of robbers (countries-egoists) is evil, both for them and for the entire world. That is why the crisis continues. Globalization shows that there is only one solution: a change of our nature by educating an integral human being. This will lead to changes in the global economy and the entire social order.
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Opinion (Lester R. Brown, World on the Edge: How to Prevent Environmental & Economic Collapse): Can we change direction before we go over the edge? The world is in trouble. Plan A, or business as usual, is not working. Changes must be implemented at wartime speed to avert multiple catastrophes that feed on each other as each one tips the next one over onto a path of no return.

My comment: He wrote about it a few years ago, but in the meantime nobody is listening to him, although he is a famous publicist. Evidently, only shocks will force people to pay attention to it, but will it not be too late—not for the total destruction of civilization, but for reaching complete correction in a peaceful way?
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Opinion: (Billionaire investor George Soros, Ekathimerini.com): “We are on the verge of an economic collapse which starts, let’s say, in Greece, but it could easily spread. The financial system remains extremely vulnerable.” Europe is in a crisis, centered around the euro and that the authorities are only engaged in buying time, but that time was working against them.

Europe faces a choice to look for solutions at a national or European level. The survival of the euro is “vital for all.” There must be a European solution.

Over the long term the euro was bound to fail unless a political union was also established. While the eurozone had a common central bank, it had failed to set up a central treasury and had no common fiscal policy. “The euro had created divergence, where it had been expected to create convergence,” he said comparing the levels of competitiveness in Spain and Germany.

My comment: The great financier continues to solve problems using the old methods, but they no longer work. Nothing can be rebuilt without changing social relations; adjustments are not going to work.

For some reason, financiers do not see people behind papers, do not realize that the economy is a copy of social relations and that an economic crisis erupts specifically because they need to be changed. Therefore, financial crisis can be solved by social changes only.
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Opinion (Anatole Kaletsky, one of the leading commentators on economics, formerly Economics Editor and now Editor-at-large of The Times): “There are two possible solutions for the Greek crisis: The first solution would be for Greece to default on its debts and leave the euro…. The second would be for the EU to accept collective responsibility for roughly half of Athens’ debts….

This second solution is much more likely, because a break-up of the euro is unacceptable to the German and French governments – and a break-up would surely follow a sudden Greek default. If Greece found itself unable to borrow in euros and devalued its citizens’ savings into a new currency, the Irish would fear similar treatment and immediately transfer their savings to German banks, destroying Ireland’s banks and forcing it to exit the euro. That capital flight, in turn, would pose a mortal danger to the membership of Portugal, Spain, Italy, Belgium and even France.

In the end, the creditworthy euro members will have to accept collective responsibility for about 500 billion ($681bn) of Greek, Irish, and Portuguese debts if they want to ensure the single currency’s survival…”

But egoism stands in the way: “The creditor countries do not want to accept an additional euro-federal debt burden, while the debtor countries are even more resistant to the loss of national sovereignty and democratic self-determination…. The implication is that both the creditor and the debtor countries will resist the only possible solution to the euro crisis until they have exhausted every possible alternative.

Ironically, therefore, a continuous threat of crisis is the necessary condition for even temporary financial stability in Europe. As for the “quantum leap” to fiscal federalism that Trichet has rightly identified as the key to the crisis, the logical requirement for this to happen is that the crisis must get even worse.

European leaders hope, by contrast, that the crisis can be resolved gradually, avoiding the need for radical measures, because conditions will improve through the passage of time…. There are, however, two much more powerful ways in which time works against the euro’s survival.” The debtor countries are aware of their strength: Germany, France, and the EU are willing to pay anything, just to appease Greece or Ireland, if they threaten to default.

“If Europe’s politicians genuinely want to save the euro, they must make the quantum leap to a fiscal federation – and do it soon.”

My Comment: These schemes appear very simple if we translate everything that happens into the two forces: the egoistic forces of people, countries, and the world and the altruistic force of the Creator or Nature. They are in conflict, and Nature patiently teaches people the irreversibility of the development process and the necessity to make mutual concessions and come to an agreement, unity, mutual guarantee, and love.

Thus, two camps, the weak and the strong, teach each other concessions, demonstrate how much they need each other—to the point when they realize the necessity to unite fully, above all their differences. Nature will force them to do it!
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In the News (Centre for Economics and Business Research (CERB)): “New forecasts released today mean that it is almost certain that the Eurozone will break up within the next five years and probably by 2013.

The combination of austerity packages, exports held back by the overall value of the euro and the structural impact of low tech exports facing massive competition from East Asia means that the prospects for growth for Southern Europe in the Eurozone are bleak.”

My Comment: So the EU is not a community, but a bazaar, a farce, so to speak, but not a commonwealth. Although the EU is no more than a union of egoists, built to strengthen itself against the whole world, its collapse will lead to the degradation of the member states because any estrangement is against the forces of nature.

It will be similar to Ancient Babylon, which ceased to exist during the division of society into separate parts at the time of Abraham and Nimrod 3700 years ago.
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Opinion: Sean O’Grady (Economics Editor, the Independent): “In an updated and expanded version of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has identified five “global shocks” that will destabilize the world economy with increasing frequency in coming years.

Rather than the traditional perils of conquest, war, famine and death, the OECD identifies viral pandemics, cyber attacks, financial crises, socio-economic unrest and geomagnetic storms as the five “global shocks” that will have to be endured….

The financial crisis of 2008 was the first such episode.” The OECD explains the increase in frequency of crises by “increasing inter-connectivity” of the world economy.

My comment: When individual, uncorrected (egoistic, narrow-mindedly focused only on their own profit) people, nations, and countries turn into a single, whole body, an inter-dependent system where every one is doing only what is beneficial for them, the chances of such system experiencing a shock increase greatly and unpredictably.

Inter-dependency creates unpredictable combinations of causes of any future state. Whereas we lack knowledge of this system to comprehend and estimate it. To do it, we need to start sensing it as our own. And this is feasible only if we ourselves become integrally connected with each other.

This is possible only if we ourselves assume its qualities and properties by correcting ourselves with the help of the method of Kabbalah, which is called revelation of the Creator to the created beings. After all, relative to us, the Creator is the revelation of our corrected properties within us. This is why He is called Boreh or “Bo,” come, and “Reh,” see, reveal it within. …Or you can take the book of Prophets and find out what awaits us if we do not appease Nature with our balance with it.
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In the News (From bog.com): The Boston Consulting Group reports that despite the global crisis, “millionaire households grow in number and wealth. They represented just 0.9 percent of all households but owned 39 percent of global wealth, up from 37 percent in 2009. The number of millionaire households increased by 12.2 percent in 2010 to about 12.5 million.” In other words, there is one millionaire for every 500 people on Earth.

My Comment: The tendency toward the growing number of millionaires indicates a rapid movement toward the realization of evil, inequality, that goes against total balance, the main law of nature. But how will we realize it: through catastrophes or reason? How will we become so aware of it that we will introduce one law of unification and equality in reasonable consumption?
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Modern technologies allow for the provision of all our necessities in a 3-4 hour work day. But egoism forces us to strive for greater revenue, which means producing more and imposing unnecessary products and services on consumers.

This is why almost 60% of the cost of the product is its promotion. We are habituated to acquire and consume, to walk around in huge superstores instead of parks, and to replace “old” with new since broken things are not supposed to be fixed, need to expire in a certain time, and be replaced with new items. This leads to the exhaustion of nonrenewable resources and keeping people at work for eight hours a day.

If we were to refuse to produce all nonessential goods, if we stopped producing items that are intentionally made to expire quickly and cannot be repaired, then up to 80% of the manufacturing industry will free up to provide all the world’s population with the necessary level of existence.
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Question: Suppose I want to buy a fancy car that’s twice as expensive as a regular car. How am I doing anything bad to other people by that?

Answer: We are all in a global, integral, limited system of nature which is interconnected into a single “sphere” that you cannot break out of. You are obligated to be in this sphere and to be connected with others very precisely. There’s nothing more or less than this.

Therefore, when you buy a car that’s twice as expensive, you become a cancerous cell because in that case you are not buying it to lead a normal life and to serve others but in order to “snatch another bite.” The more you “consume” beyond the necessity, the more of a malignant tumor you become.

The common organism is built ideally: Every person in it has to receive the vital necessities and in every other regard to think only about others. The Creator made the desire and its fulfillment. So why are you suddenly taking more than your due?

All desires are united into one. The Light fills them and gives them life in the single form. But suddenly you are “pulling the blanket to your side,” wishing for more. As a result, your excess will definitely come at someone else’s expense.

Today we are being shown this clearly: A billion people are at the brink of starvation, and in the meantime the earth’s resources are reaching an end. Soon we will use them up and will be left with nothing.

We are reaching the end with all of our consumerist production. And what will happen next?

Therefore, if you want to reach life within the boundaries of vital necessity against your will, that’s what will happen. Everything is finite, limited, and used up. Everything has an end, and it’s getting closer.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/22/11, “Matan Torah (The Giving of the Torah)”

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