Medium published my new article “Who’s Afraid of High Unemployment?”

We’re not returning to business as usual. China’s air pollution is back, as the factories are running full steam again, but shoppers will not return to the pre-COVID days. Bankruptcies and higher taxes are in store for America says Larry Fink of BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager; Europe is likely to raise taxes to cover their “grants for post-COVID recovery,” according to Reuters, and the global luxury market is “headed for 18 per cent drop,” writes the South China Morning Post.

“As people learn about the importance of solidarity, mutual responsibility, and other social assets, their self-esteem will grow as they become active members who realize these values in practice.”

So we’re not returning to business as usual. But it’s not only because of higher taxes and unemployment. We are not returning to the way we were because the way we were got us into where we are — coming in and out of lockdowns, anxious about the future, unsure about the present, and generally stumped. Many people simply don’t want to go back to their previous lives; they weren’t that great.

Since unemployment will remain high and many people will be stressed for cash, and since those who are employed will also not jump giddily back to the days before the virus, many businesses will not survive. And if we still have any extra cash, the rising taxes and bankruptcies will stifle the little drive we have left for going out or shopping.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Despite all that I just wrote, I am very happy about where we are right now, though I wish we’d gotten here in easier ways. Be that as it may, we have finally come to the inevitable state where the authorities must address the problem. Unemployment benefits and food stamps will not solve anything. Tens of millions of people are permanently out of the job market, and the prediction is that the numbers will only grow.

This requires an overhaul, a complete rethinking of the structure of society. The only way to avoid a total social collapse, eruption of violent riots, installment of martial law, and who knows what other catastrophes, is to do two simple things:

1. Provide every person entitled for government benefits with a scholarship that will replace all other benefits. The scholarship will be sufficient to allow for respectable — though not lavish — living. Food, clothing, housing, health care, education, and some recreation and vacation must be a given for every person. These are basic human needs, not luxuries.

2. In return for reception of the scholarship, each person will attend courses that will provide information about the world we live in, both in terms of governance, basic finance, and other life skills, as well as more inclusive information about the situation of the world today following the coronavirus crisis.

The goal of the studies is not merely to educate people, though that, too, is important. The goal is to help them connect socially and emotionally to one another, to their families, their city, and their country. People who feel that they are where they belong don’t go out and destroy their own cities or countries, especially not if their personal finances are secured.

Over time, graduates of the program will themselves become teachers as more and more people find themselves permanently out of work. But unlike today, where unemployed people often feel degraded and lose self-esteem, the social contribution of the studies program will be so substantial that people will gladly get on board.

As people learn about the importance of solidarity, mutual responsibility, and other social assets, their self-esteem will grow as they become active members who realize these values in practice. Just as today we offer social services and regard it as important, people engaged in these studies will become so connected, so caring, that they will change the whole atmosphere in their neighborhoods and communities. Their immense contribution to the cohesion of society will be so substantial that they will become the pillars of society, the basis for building sustainable and happy communities.

If this bright future seems obscure to us, it is because we haven’t fully grasped the depth of the transformation that COVID-19 has done to all of us. It has changed us forever. When we come out on the other end of the plague, we will be thankful for it, and perhaps regret only that we needed a pandemic to show us the obvious.
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From My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 5/22/20

People’s pockets already face the impact of the biggest economic shake-up since the Great Depression. The distress is real and tangible and has brought about attempts for a speedy return to routine, back to what we have all known from the recent past: full employment, a culture of consumption and shopping spree, and of-course, rapid economic growth. But the financial system crumbled very easily. We should now aim at building a more sustainable and solid economic model.

By mid-March, around 39 million people in America had already lost their jobs. The crisis has stretched beyond the capacity of both governments and central banks to aid businesses, employees, employers, the self-employed, everyone. US Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell notes the unparalleled response to the equally unmatched challenge of recovery, “there is no precedent in post-World War II American history that’s even close to what Congress has done. They have passed $3 trillion in stimulus… It is vastly larger than anything they’ve ever done.”

Getting the economy back on track is the hope of everyone, from economists and policy-makers to the common worker. I fully understand them and share their sorrow, but we have to recognize what is happening around us so we know how to face it properly. Otherwise, what we are witnessing today, the confusion and failures in dealing with people and the market, will only increase when further blows from nature appear on the horizon, and they certainly will—as science warns— because there is a corrective purpose behind them.

Building on Solid Ground

The pillars upon which the present economic system is based have been shaky for some time. The future of the welfare state and the safety net of Social Security are foggy. The spending patterns of the younger generation are not living up to the expectations of economists as they refuse to accept the equation of a baseless American dream, and rightly so. The COVID-19 crisis has greatly accelerated such disillusionment, and for good reason.

The present crisis constitutes an opportunity to implement a change in the developmental trajectory, as proposed by the World Economic Forum in a recent essay, “Building Back Better”: It suggests the creation of a more sustainable economic structure. However, in order to generate a solid and real change, we need to consider the underlying goal of a new economic system which must serve man instead of man serving the system.

Even before the epidemic, many were conscious of the defects of the present economy which is based on cruel competition, where one man’s gain is another’s loss. The outworn economic model brought about unprecedented inequalities between people and caused great damage to man, society, and the planet. But this realization was not sufficient to redirect the wheels of change.

Today we can see clearly how, over the last decades, the state of the world has degenerated. The situation of man has changed, but the economy has remained stagnant and out of sync with the world, which has become globalized and connected, a world where each person is dependent on the others in everything. We can already understand that there is no other field in man’s life and society more crucial than the economy but the current model has become anachronistic and remains on life-support by the establishment.

In order to better understand our situation, imagine two people who strive to succeed in their business through merciless competition with each other. Suddenly, a woman shows up and says, “You are unaware of it but you are both my sons; you are brothers!” Clearly, the brothers would immediately change their behavior and attitude towards each other. This is exactly what is happening in the world today—nature has appeared and knocks on the doors of our world saying, “You didn’t understand it before, but you are all one family.” This change in the perception of mankind and his relations with others must be the basis for a new economic system.

Therefore, we can clearly understand that our economy, which is built on exploitation, and lack of consideration for others, must change. We have to construct a new economy founded on a more socially constructive and humane model. The problem is that we do not know how to accomplish that task, which theory to follow. Ruthless capitalism has failed and so has socialism, because every past economic model was built on coercion, corruption, and false promises. Thus, we have to reconstruct it ourselves on a firm foundation of correct relations among us, relations of mutual support and responsibility.

The global integral world demands a new economy based on the premise that we are not separate from one another. If one of us is hurt, it hurts all. When we understand the reciprocal system that exists between us and nature, the correct answers will come from within.

The Change Is UP to Us

Our new attitude will teach us how to behave and produce only those things that are necessary and beneficial for all. And at times of economic distress, the nation will be able to provide every person with a package of services and vital products that will enable him or her to maintain an acceptable standard of living. This will weave an advanced social safety net that is destined to focus on the development of man as the ultimate goal, and will liberate the individual from the yoke of the present egotistical economic system.

People understand and feel the overwhelming pain caused by the present economic framework and the advantages of a new type of economy. If we take the correct attitude upon ourselves, we will discover that COVID-19 is not a blow, but rather a push forward. And finally, the positive change will arrive.

Our new era of meaningful development must take place in our time. In all the previous generations there has never been such a significant need for change, and we are fortunate now to live and participate in an era of worldwide economic and social transformation.

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Comment: You talk about a spiritual revolution. But it cannot be denied that at the same time there is a massive revolution in the economic system of all countries.

Answer: Of course! I talk about this a lot. The economy is impossible without ideology and ideology without the economy. We are not dreamers.

Naturally, the whole system of the human structure in this world will change. Unnecessary professions that we specially invented to earn by using others and nature will wither away. Only what is essential for our existence will remain. It is clear that we will not return to caves. But only what is strictly necessary for a correct, healthy, normal life will remain and no more.

We will begin to understand where we should make our efforts and where we shouldn’t. We will have a lot of free time, and people will begin to engage in their development by understanding nature.

This was stated in Kabbalah and programmed 5,000 years ago. Therefore, we have nothing to fear about what will happen. It is just that you do not have to do unnecessary things, burn fuel in vain, throw combustible materials into the atmosphere, and so on—this is only to the detriment of the environment, to our detriment, and does no good to anyone. See how the atmosphere and water have become cleaner now because we have involuntarily stopped spoiling nature.
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From KabTV’s “Fundamentals of Kabbalah,” 4/5/20

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New Life 1224 – A New World Order
Dr. Michael Laitman in conversation with Oren Levi

Nature is requiring all of humanity to become integral, like one person with one heart. We must develop love for everyone who comes into the world. We must make the existing, global connection network altruistic. Viruses will continue to attack us in all kinds of ways until we internalize the fact that only a good connection between us will neutralize them. The viruses will show the world that there is no more room for developing weapons and showing off to each other. The coronavirus epidemic is not just biological, it is also spiritual. The more we try to fight it, the more we will understand this. A new world order means we need to correct the relationships between people until we feel like we are together in one room, as a family.
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From KabTV’s “New Life 1224 – A New World Order,” 4/16/20

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Medium published my new article “COVID-19 Will Heal Our Hearts and Then Our Bodies”

One of the most remarkable phenomena surrounding the coronavirus is characteristic of our time: conspiracy theories. There have been countless theories about the origin of the virus, the effectiveness of various medicines, the strategies of dealing with it, and just about every aspect of the war against COVID-19. What’s more, they all seem to come from reliable sources. As for me, I doubt that anyone knows the answer to any of the questions, including those who are certain that they do.

From my perspective, the virus isn’t even our biggest problem. Were it not for the virus, we would be suffering from something else and people would still be dying in droves. Worse yet, they would not even fight against their suffering or stop to think about its reason; they would simply accept it as an act of fate and miss out on the opportunity for change.

Luckily, the virus has stopped us in our tracks. It made us question our civilization.

Luckily, the virus has stopped us in our tracks. It made us question our civilization. Everything has been put to the test, from food supply to work, education, entertainment, religion and faith, governments and governance, and human relations. When we emerge from the coronavirus crisis, we must embrace only those elements of civilization that are truly necessary, and truly make our lives better.

Anything that does not improve our lives makes them worse, and must therefore be dumped. If we scrutinize ourselves sincerely and boldly, we will come out the other end of the scrutiny as a strong and confident humanity. If we avoid the chance to “clean up the mess,” a second, harsher wave of germs will strike and we will still be forced to comply.

Under our noses, the rules of the game have changed. Capitalism isn’t working anymore. It cannot work when every person is dependent on every other person in the global village. Ruthless competition and a dog-eat-dog economic policy do not work when one sick person shuts down the entire world. A different policy is required, which takes all of humanity into account, or the domino effect seen with COVID-19 will take the whole system crashing down.

Today’s rule of thumb should be unity. Every regulation, directive, law, and act must begin with questioning its contribution to global unity. If it does not, it is certain to do more harm than good and must be struck off from the agenda. Today my words may seem like fantasy, but tomorrow we will find that they are the only possible reality.

And what is true for all of humanity is true for all of nature. Just as we have been fighting against one another, we have been fighting against nature. We have tried to harness and exploit it for our purposes. We have trampled every living creature and every piece of land and water. We have left nothing clean or healthy. Is it any wonder that finally, nature is sending us diseases? It would probably be more sensible to ask why it had not done so before!

Yet, nature isn’t trying to destroy us. The coronavirus is not a threat to the existence of humankind. If anything, it will make us and our environment healthier and cleaner. We want nature to be kind to us, yet we mistreat and abuse it wherever and however we can. Can we expect it not to set us straight?

In order to avoid nature’s painful teachings, we must realize two things: 1) Everything is connected to everything else. Whatever each of us does impacts the entire system. 2) To mend our relations with nature, we must work on our own nature. We cannot be kind to all the trees and at the same time mean to all the people, but if we are kind to all the people, we will also be kind to all the trees, animals and all that exists.

The coronavirus will not let go of us, so we will not think that we can come out of it in any way besides mutual connection. This is where our easy and pleasant existence is found. These positive connections are the cure for COVID-19 and for any other virus. If we change our hearts toward each other, no virus will sicken our bodies.
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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How will the threat of the coronavirus have a major impact on the worldwide economy as it spreads across the globe?“

The economy needs a major impact because it has been failing to provide for our needs. Instead, we have been providing for the economy’s “needs.”

The coronavirus pandemic has illuminated the question about what is essential and nonessential in life.

In the face of crisis, life’s essentials—food, housing, healthcare and education—were extracted from the dark alleyway we had them in before the virus struck us, while we focused the spotlight on growth, production, consumption and trade surplus or deficit.

The coronavirus then came along and reminded us about what is essential in life.

During this period, we have a chance to revise the way our lives are headed, and in the process, upgrade our economy to make it suit our needs.

The irony of our era is that the modern work force works more hours than slaves did in the past.

Today, we think that we have more freedom and security than the slaves of the past, but the coronavirus highlighted that, in a moment, our entire infrastructure can overturn.

A period of social distancing and stay-at-home conditions put the housing and even food that many take for granted into question.

Today’s office jobs, which provided many with a sense of security, showed themselves to fall short when it came to providing many people with the safety net that they envisioned.

While we still try to recover from this blow that the coronavirus struck on the economy, we have some time to revise the idea of work in general.

As we head into a future where technology is expected to replace much of the work force, and we will discover that we need not work all the hours we currently work in order to provide for what we need in life, then we can expect that:

Governmental allowances, such as Universal Basic Income, will become the way most people will receive their income.

Job titles will lose their value as markers of social status.

In order for society to not stagnate and grow in an age where our job titles cease to mark our value in society, we will need to mark social status according to the contribution we make to society.

Such a change would be possible if we provide basic income in exchange for participating in programs that let people develop and express their contribution to society.

In other words, the economy we are headed toward, and which the coronavirus period has hinted at, is one where we will need our life’s essentials covered, and one where we will shift our focus to strengthen and grow human society—social happiness, health and well-being—instead of each of us trying to build our personal empires.

In such an economy, we will place much higher importance on cultivating positive human relations than we do today.

As more and more of today’s professions will show themselves to be unnecessary for the world we’re headed toward, we will need to replace all the effort we place into educating and training ourselves into such professions, with education and training of a different kind: one where we will train ourselves to relate positively to each other and contribute to others above our growing divisive drives.

Above photo by Daniel Lee on Unsplash.

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Question: Today, the coronavirus is not only taking thousands of lives, it is also having a huge impact on the world’s economy.

Each country reacts differently to this situation. Unprecedented measures are being taken in the USA and Europe to support employment and consumer demand. In particular, the United States Senate decided to allocate two trillion dollars to stabilize the financial system in support of businesses and the public.

At the same time, national currencies are collapsing practically all over the world. It turns out that the whole world is financing the inflation of the dollar bubble in the United States, causing a contradictory picture.

In addition, Donald Trump announced his decision that the quarantine regime in the US would soon be weakened and subsequently completely abolished. It is as if he wants to raise the country through employment, through the economy, to give people confidence so they will feel this and support him in the upcoming elections.

What is your attitude toward the big picture? Who would you support in this situation? What do you consider most correct in this diverse kaleidoscope of solutions?

Answer: I believe that the most correct approach is for man to form the right attitude toward the world, the society, and himself. Only this can save us. Otherwise, if not this virus, another one will appear.

We are in complete opposition to the single integral system of nature; as we destroy it by all possible methods, we get such a reaction. Naturally, all this will not pass without consequences.

What is Trump doing? Everything he can as a businessman and as a person who has very few options and possibilities ahead. Or, he can completely surrender to a system that freezes all industry, all businesses, and then, of course, America will become a desert.

Can you imagine what this means to the leading and the most important country in the world?  The powerful industry, scientific and technological center, and suddenly, everything completely freezes! It is like freezing the whole world and bringing it to the level of zero.

Or, continue everything at full capacity. Half measures will not do anything. Trump will be criticized either way.

Therefore, I believe that, in principle, his decision, with his capabilities, is the only right one. He cannot stop a country like America.

Remark: Most Americans like this decision because now there will be a massive distribution of money, support for enterprises, demand, and so on.

But in the country itself, within the elite, within society, the media, there are great contradictions. As always, an unprecedented exacerbation of all problems is escalating before elections. And it is as if emphasizing that Trump is putting the fate of the American people at stake and they may suffer as a result. His decision may be risky, but it will lead to some kind of dynamics.

My Comment: I believe that this is also correct because it will help him make decisions with the resettlement of Hispanic people and all the rest. He will be able to close the borders where necessary. He can do anything. Because on one hand, there is an exacerbation and the virus, and on the other hand, people still get the opportunity to work and earn money.

In principle, at this point, he can modify as he wishes, and no one can blame him for anything.
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From KabTV’s “Coronavirus Blows up the old Economy” 3/6/20

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From My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 5/14/20

Often, when I say that COVID-19 is educating humanity, people wince a little, as if I said something inappropriate. People don’t like to be educated; they like to be on top, and education means absorbing knowledge from someone else, which puts the educator above and the student below. But what if you knew that the teacher wanted nothing but what’s best for you? What if you knew that the teacher loved you and wanted you to succeed and have the best life you can have? Wouldn’t you learn gladly?

Our whole problem is that we think we are at war with nature, so we’re trying to dominate it. But nature created us; we can’t be above it or win against it, however hard we try. Moreover, nature has no desire to harm us. It is harmonious, and maintains all its components in harmony with one another. Humans are the only element in nature that resists this harmony and wants to be on top.

By impelling us to quarantine ourselves, nature showed us its beauty, brought itself to our doorsteps (often quite literally), cleaned the air and the water, and educated us about the harm we have been causing to ourselves and our surroundings all along.

Now that we are coming out of lockdowns, we can choose to maintain harmony with nature, or dump it and resume our self-indulging festivities. If we choose the former, nature will reward us tenfold. We will be far healthier, safer, and happier than ever. If we choose self-indulgence, nature, like a vigilant teacher, will punish again, but more severely, since we wouldn’t learn the first time. The choice, as always, is ours.

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From My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 5/12/20

The world has changed; we don’t know what to do. We’re unsure about the future, if we’ll have jobs tomorrow, or if there will be any jobs tomorrow? What will become of us, of humanity?

In the wisdom of Kabbalah, the highest quality is called Keter [crown]. This is the quality of giving. This quality created the world and has sustained it ever since. It keeps everything in healthy balance and allows all things to flourish.

Human society is the only element in reality that is built on selfishness and inequality, where the strong take not all that they need, but all that they can. As a result, imbalance is ingrained in human society, and now it is collapsing.

Symbolically or not, Corona Virus (the crown virus) is the harbinger of the crown age in humanity. Now the quality of giving, Keter, is emerging. We are insecure because within us, there is a battle between egoism and giving, and the world is teetering between the two. In the end, Keter will win, but until then, we will afraid and insecure.

Yet, there is a lot we can do to end the insecurity. We can embrace the quality of giving and practice it among us. Clearly, it will not be real giving since there is no real love between us. Nevertheless, it will advance our acclimation to the new reality of Keter. Just as lion cubs play hunters because the games develop their hunting skills, we must play givers to develop our giving skills.

The Crown Age is here. The economy that was based on self-centered products has been shut down and will not return. An economy of giving will emerge instead, which will allow us to befriend each other, trust each other, and stop exploiting ourselves and our planet. The sooner we embrace it, the better.

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Comment: Over the past 70 years, the entire financial system has been built on the fact that there is one world currency, the dollar, and all other currencies are actually tied to it: prices of oil, natural resources, computers, everything. All our calculations are tied to the dollar.

My Response: Frankly, I do not know what will change. Will there be gold instead of the dollar? Anyway, they will do something.

Comment: Now there are studies of alternative options taking into account the very large isolation of countries from each other. Such national isolation of countries was predicted before even without the virus.

We see that the European Union practically does not exist. Each country makes its own decisions. The same thing is happening all over the world. By the way, even in the US, governors of each state make their own decisions in relation to the situation.

And what happens? If the currencies of the whole world are depreciating, then, say, China and several neighboring countries, including Russia, want to create their own currency economic zone relying on their own economic potential in order to introduce the third world currency after the euro. And then the whole world will balance between several economic and financial centers.

Is it good for the world? Will it cope with this? Or do we still need to stay within the framework of one single monetary system? What is your point of view in this regard?

My Response: My point of view is very simple: nothing will help the world.

Nothing will help! Because all these confrontations run counter to the general law of nature—the integral connection of all humanity in a common integral system.

By means of all sorts of problems, viruses, and downfalls in all kinds of areas, nature will anyway force us to accept the general plan. And this plan is simple: You are one single humanity, and you must create one single system. You cannot conceal yourself, hide yourself, from each other, and use each other.

If rulers of the world understand this and begin to more or less move toward this, then the one who will move more, will win. Such is the upper government of mankind on the side of nature.

It changes qualitatively; it forces us to be integrally united in one single system. Those who will be more similar to this system, will benefit. This is what Kabbalah says. I think we will see this in the near future.

But on the other hand, what is happening is commendable. Imagine that there were no such closed system, that there were no understanding of what was happening in the neighboring countries, what would China do with its people who were hit by this virus? It would abandon them until they all die.

Question: And in this way it showed the world an example of how to effectively succeed using large resources of the country?

Answer: Of course. It has kind of rehabilitated itself in front of the world.

Comment: Despite the fact that we are all connected with each other, the process of separation of each country and the construction of its own models is taking place now.

My Response: The coronavirus will bind us together anyway. This virus is a positive force that connects absolutely everyone. Until we get to complete mutual connection, mutual assistance, and mutual understanding, the virus will simply torture us.

Question: What would you wish for people who are now in completely different countries locked within their state borders? What can be offered to them so that they can feel that their current state is not just pessimistic or unpleasant, but enables a person to do something new in his life?

Answer: I would certainly advise them to watch all our programs and reveal the science of Kabbalah in any form, in any language. And then people will find out that there is a method that talks about the general system of the world, about how we can get to the very best, comfortable, safe, and confident state.

We are open to all. Please, use what Kabbalah has been saying for thousands of years. You will find out that there is a real system of recovery, the correction of all of humanity from its egoism and the renewal of all of humanity to the very best state.
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From KabTV’s “Coronavirus Is Changing Reality,” 3/26/20

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