Question: Baal HaSulam writes that the foundation for the future society will not be education and public opinion but something more serious. After all, education and public opinion only will not be able to convince egoists to become altruists. What can it be?

Answer: It will not just be education and public opinion. In such a system, everyone must consider what contribution they need to make to the common fund and receive from it only what is absolutely necessary for them.

Entire organizations will work on this, ensuring that each person gives their share into the so-called common pot.

Question: Baal HaSulam also says that a higher value, the upper force, can become such a basis. As we know from Kabbalah, the upper force is the quality of bestowal and love. It will become the highest ideal for humanity, and everyone will agree with this. How can this happen?

Answer: It is very simple, because people who feel that they are bestowing because they want to help others, to fulfill them, they will in turn receive a spiritual fulfillment, which will bring them to a higher level of existence.

And so, society will gradually elevate itself with all the controlling bodies, all the calculations, and will reorganize itself in such a way that there will be no need for police, overseers, or anything of the sort. Instead, there will be voluntary and honest accounting by each individual.

In other words, humanity will reach a state where it will feel the upper force. Working for it, manifested through working for others, will essentially become the fuel for a person.

Question: You are talking about some ideal state when people feel this. But what if a person does not feel that?

Answer: If a person is on such a level that he does not feel spiritual actions at all, then he needs to be engaged in them. Society must embrace him and show him: the more good he does, the more goodwill society will show him; the more evil he does, the less society will tolerate him.
[333281]
From KabTV’s “Era of the Last Generation” 8/8/24

Related Material:
What Will Help Change a Person’s Ego?
The Educational Process Is in the Hands of the Creator
What Could Be the Standard of a Correct Society?

Filed under: Children, Education, Society, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

In the News (BBC): “Dr Caspar Addyman from Goldsmiths, University of London is an expert on why babies laugh and author of The Laughing Baby.

“At Goldsmiths’ InfantLab, he leads an exciting branch of child development research designing laughter experiments, talking to parents around the world and even monitoring viral social media trends. …

“It’s actually in the second month that you will likely see your baby’s first real smile. …

“By about 3 or 4 months old, you may find that your baby starts to smile at the sound of your familiar voice. …

“Most of us think the starting point for laughing is a funny joke or action, but actually it’s a way of connecting to the people we’re with.”

Question: What does this indicate?

Answer: Children want to receive positive stimuli from their environment. Therefore, if people around them are smiling and laughing, it excites them in a positive way.

Question: We grow up, and all this fades away. We start to take pleasure in the misfortunes of others.

What happens to us? Where does that baby, that infant, go? Where does all of it disappear?

Answer: We sense the state of another person and rejoice in their problems. This instantly reassures us. We understand that it is not happening to us, and so we feel happy.

Question: At what point does this absolute and complete shift in thinking and consciousness?

Answer: When our egoism is aroused. We immediately start to orient ourselves around it.

Question: Now many would disagree and say they are not such egoists, but are quite the opposite. Many write to us saying this is not true, that they are giving, loving people, and so on. When does a person start to recognize this critical view of themselves? What is that moment?

Answer: This is already the next stage.

Question: So the first stage even for an adult is: “I am not an egoist, others are.” And the second stage is?

Answer: Is when they look at themselves.

Question: Will we ever return to that infant state when we are happy for the happiness of others?

Answer: If we create such an atmosphere among our friends, in a group, and so on, then we will return.

Question: So in principle a person should seek friends who look inside themselves?

Answer: Yes.
[329965]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 4/8/24

Related Material:
Why Do I Feel Good When Others Feel Bad?
Why Love The Other?
Are We Worthy To Be The Crown Of Creation?

Filed under: Children, Education, Egoism, News, Q&A - No Comments →

In the News (NPR):

“On March 27, 2013, John Sweeney, a plumber from Ireland, started a Facebook page called Suspended Coffees. His message was simple: Buy a cup of coffee for a stranger, because an act of kindness can change a life. Eight hours later, the page had attracted more than 20,000 likes.

“Suspended coffee, or caffe sospeso, is a tradition that comes from Naples, Italy, and dates to at least the turn of the 20th century. When customers buy coffee, they also pay in advance for a cup to be given to somebody else — usually someone who otherwise couldn’t afford it. …

“One challenge to making kindness through coffee a staple of American culture is that ‘we’re a society that isn’t very comfortable, culturally, with asking for help,’

Question: Is it possible to come up with such harmony for humanity so that those who have money and opportunity would present something without their names and others would use it without humiliating themselves at the request? Would it bring us closer to harmony or not?

Answer: Partially, yes.

Question: What is the most important element here? That it is offered up and is anonymous?

Answer: That is natural, no last names, nothing. Neither who gives nor who receives. That is how everything exists incognito.

Question: Is there harmony in this?

Answer: Sure.

Question: Does the fact that I give something of mine away without demanding anything in return make the world warmer, better?

Answer: Partially. Our egoism will not allow us to do this every day. You can do this for a week or so but not all the time.

Question: So it cannot be a process of upbringing that leads to this and we would live like this all the time?

Answer: No.

Question: There must be ups and downs?

Answer: Otherwise it will be like some kind of tax and so on.

Question: It would no longer be an effort?

Answer: Yes, and there must be an effort.

Question: It is clear that this is a process of education more for someone who suspends, that is, for a rich person. And for the one who accepts, what is here? Is there any kind of upbringing for him?

Answer: He must understand that someone has thought of him. And therefore, when he gets the same opportunity, he will have to do it too.

Question: It is beautiful! Is a mutual upbringing process taking place?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Is it possible to do this?

Answer: This is a mutual agreement. This can, of course, be done.

It is possible to come to this through education. A person becomes educated and then it becomes a habit. And he thinks about it, does not forget, and does it. Or it could be under pressure, like some kind of tax.

But there is no other way because egoism in us is constantly growing and requires that we feed it.

Question: So a person will somehow adapt to these efforts?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Can we say what the final way to harmony is?

Answer: The final approach to harmony is when we do not feel our egoism would force us to do something. It is when we rise above it and are truly free. This is, of course, aerobatics! But it will happen.

Question: You slowly lead into a mini-dead-end, and then suddenly you say: “But it will be.” Do you want to calm us down or will it happen?

Answer: I am sure this will happen, and humanity must come to this. It is written in our genes.
[330496]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 5/13/24

Related Material:
The Happiest Moment in the Life of a Billionaire
Empathy Alone Is Not Enough
Are We Ready To Pay For Happiness?

Filed under: Children, Crisis, Economy, Education, Globalization, News - No Comments →

We told each other even before getting married that we did not want to bring children into this world. We are two lonely souls who found each other and who understand that the world is terrible. We decided that we would live for each other. But now I am writing to you being five months pregnant. It is too late for abortion. We agonized over the decision, whether to go through with it or not, and now I will be giving birth. Yet, we both do not understand how we got here. (From a letter to Dr Laitman)

Answer: You were brought to this.

My first question is: how could this happen to us? We clearly did not want this.

Answer: Many people would not want children, but life itself pushes them to conceive a child.

Question: When you say “life itself,” are you hinting at someone or something?

Answer: I am hinting at the fact that nature made us this way, and that is why we end up here.

Question: So resistance is futile?

Answer: There are people who consciously, even excessively, build such boundaries around themselves saying “We do not want this and that is final.” There are societies like that too.

Question: Who forces a person to cross this boundary? Is this, in principle, also something that happens from above?

Answer: Yes.

Question: So you do not understand how it happened, but that means you were closed off in that moment?

Answer: Yes.

How can we protect our future child from this world? What can we do, how can we raise him so that he is not touched by this dirt?

Answer: I don’t know. Raise him well and give him a good education, a reliable profession. That is all.

Question: When you say “raise him well,” what do you mean by that?

Answer: Raise him well means knowing how to relate to people in a way that elicits positive reactions from them. That is it.

Question: Is that what you mean, not education, but upbringing specifically?

Answer: Yes, upbringing.

Question: What advice can you give to a couple who finds themselves in a situation where their decisions and plans have changed and they are expecting a child?

Answer: Solve all these problems together.

Question: And go for it?

Answer: Go for it. How else? Work through it together and support each other. And they will see that this shared child actually connects them and gives them a new chapter in life, in existence.

Question: So this becomes their new life, right?

Answer: Yes.

Question: What is the best way to deal with anxiety about a future child? This is more of a general advice for others. There is anxiety about a future child, not wanting to give birth. How do you deal with this anxiety?

Answer: This is natural. You need to give birth, you need to raise the child and do everything you can. And gradually, you will see yourself one day as a mature person, a grandparent.

Question: What practical steps can be taken right now during pregnancy to create a safe environment for the child? Because this is something that worries them constantly.

Answer: The most important thing is for the child to understand life. This means understanding why a person exists, how they should behave, which people to avoid, which to get closer to, and so on. In other words, teach them how to interact correctly with this world.

Question: You are giving some very simple, vital, wise advice. Stay away from certain people, get closer to others, try to love others so that they love you. Is that the main thing in upbringing?

Answer: Of course! What else could there be?

Question: How is it that nowadays there are so many people being raised completely differently? That is, people who are filled with hatred…

Answer: You should not raise your children that way because it will only make their lives harder. Hatred eats away at a person.

Question: You do not watch much television, I know. But today, all these channels, YouTube and others are full of fights where people hit each other hard, on the back of the head, wherever. Then, all these movies are packed with strong people who twist others and so on. That is, there is a completely different process of upbringing, more and more, not to love and be loved.

Is this a demand today? Do people want this, do they watch this?

Answer: I think it is not so much a demand as they are being pumped full of it. And of course, this will only make things worse for people.

Question: If we’re talking about raising a child, is it advisable to keep them away from this?

Answer: Yes.

Question: To the point of shielding them from seeing it?

Answer: Of course. What is the point?

Question: There is no point?

Answer: None.
[333226]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 7/29/24

Related Material:
I’m Sorry I Gave Birth To You
Why Give Birth To Children In This Horrible World?!
A Baby Boom Won’t Happen

Filed under: Children, Education, Man and Woman, News, Q&A - No Comments →

Question: In his notes “The Last Generation,” Baal HaSulam says that nothing can be done by force, it must be through public opinion. He explains why the altruistic system did not work in the Soviet Union. That social system collapsed because it lacked an element of the upper force. How can this be explained to people so everyone has a common understanding?

Answer: Only through gradual learning.

Comment: Baal HaSulam says that education will not help either. We saw what positive education there was in the Soviet Union.

My Response: No, it should be different. Education should be based on what people feel, where it leads, and how all layers of society support it.

In other words, education and public opinion are tools. But there must be a higher value: why we want to build such a society.

We must understand that humanity’s development has a purpose, which, as Baal HaSulam writes, is to achieve adhesion with the Creator. That is our work. If we do not explain this to people, we will not be able to accomplish anything.
[333545]
From KabTV’s “Era of the Last Generation” 8/8/24

Related Material:
Society Based On The Laws Of The Creator
The Law Of Life In Society Of The Future
The Main Goal Of The Last Generation

Filed under: Children, Education, Society - No Comments →

Question: What role do children play in the relationship between spouses?

Answer: Children should see that everything is fine in your family, that you understand each other, and live in harmony.

Question: We often have different views on how to raise children. But you say that our life together serves as an example for the children.

Answer: Of course. For example, if you are at home and your wife is at work, the children should see that you clean the house, wash the dishes, or do something else before she comes home.

In other words, each person should understand that they can do something nice for their spouse without being prompted or reminded.
[333034]
From KabTV’s “Man and Women” 7/30/24

Related Material:
Under The Parent’s Wing
A Child Learns Everything on His Own
What Should Children Learn First?

Filed under: Children, Education, Man and Woman - No Comments →

Question: Baal HaSulam writes that education will not help to teach 90% of the egoists to take care only of the most necessary things for themselves and spend the rest of their time taking care of others, since education does not change the egoistic nature of a person.

What will help to do this if not education, not the opinion of society?

Answer: Disseminating the idea itself will. Show all of humanity its historical path, its foundation, its roots, and the goal that it must achieve.

Thus, it will be clear to everyone in what state they are, in what nature they exist. This will help humanity to begin climbing out of the egoistic pit in which it finds itself.
[332162]
From KabTV’s “Era of the Last Generation” 7/11/24

Related Material:
How Can We Overcome The Ego?
The Greater The Ego, The Greater The Correction
The Light Of The Soul Breaking Through The Fence Of The Ego

Filed under: Children, Dissemination, Education, Society - No Comments →

Entering any world, the period of adaptation to it, the accumulation of initial knowledge with which we further develop, is the same in our and in the spiritual world. It is the same nature.

There is nothing unnatural about it. On the contrary, it is as natural as the development of infants to the level of little people. We are just the same. We have no other way but to learn from them.

Here he lies, just born: people start cooing to him, and he responds; they try to stir him up somehow, and he gradually responds; the adult smiles, he smiles.

He learns literally everything. And in this way, he programs himself from the adult, because in fact he is an empty desire in which there is nothing yet. He needs to be filled with knowledge, skills, impressions, and to create some connections inside. You can make anything out of him.

Similarly, with our desire for spirituality, we free up a certain area for ourselves and say: “This is the area I want to program now and fill with spiritual impressions, not of our world.” And if you want this, you have to act like a newborn baby who hasn’t become a little human being yet.

This is precisely what Kabbalah offers us. And we can do this because you don’t need to be smart here! You just need to understand that in this way you will enter the upper world.

Therefore, it is necessary to consciously go through the stage again that you went through in this world unconsciously when you were born. Nature pushed you there. And now nature demands that you consciously do so, consciously place yourself as a newborn relative to the upper world, and want to adopt all the impressions and properties from it.
[329944]
From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. We Are Thinking About Our Friend!” 3/11/10

Related Material:
A Baby’s Efforts Accelerate His Birth
The First Breath Of Life
The First Breath

Filed under: Children, Education, Spiritual Work - No Comments →

Question: What are the stages of recognizing the evil of our egoistic nature? Is it a cumulative process and recognition comes suddenly? Or is it happening gradually?

Answer: The recognition of our egoism occurs gradually. It is not present in newborn children. As they grow, we gradually teach children in kindergarten, at school, and further in life that egoism harms them both when in contact with other people, in mastering skills for some kind of work, and so on.

It turns out that on the other hand, egoism helps us. It corrects us and forces us to be better than we really are so that we do not show ourselves as complete egoists in relation to other people. After all, in that case they will treat us the same way.

Question: How does the recognition of the harmfulness of our egoism occur? Look how many wars, how much suffering is there. Where is this recognition? Do we see how the ego harms us?

Answer: We see it and slowly abandon it. People have no other choice. I cannot go out on the street and rob others.

Question: In principle, yes. For this reason, society has created such laws.

Answer: Society must continue to create all kinds of restrictions on human behavior. We see that each generation assumes other obligations—new, better ones. In this way, we gradually rise above our egoistic nature.
[331718]
From KabTV’s “Era of the Last Generation” 6/27/24

Related Material:
A Healthy Growth Of The Ego
The Degrees Of The Growing Ego
Our Friend, Egoism

Filed under: Children, Crisis, Education, Egoism, Globalization - No Comments →

Question: Can people realize the evil of their egoistic nature without knowing about the upper force that created this evil?

Answer: Of course. This information is not necessary for some people. They can simply receive a proper upbringing under which influence they will change.

Comment: But it is said that the Creator created evil and the Torah as a means of correction. It turns out that one cannot manage without the Torah.

My Response: The Torah is the upper light, the highest altruistic force, which we must draw to ourselves. Then it will correct us. Without this, it is very difficult.

Comment: So without the Creator, it is impossible to recognize evil.

My Response: Generally, yes.
[331829]
From KabTV’s “Era of the Last Generation” 6/27/24

Related Material:
The End of Egoistic Development
Distinctive Characteristics Of The Future Society
The Influence of the Upper Light on Man

Filed under: Children, Education, Spiritual Teacher, Spiritual Work, The Creator - No Comments →