Entries in the 'Egoism' Category

Man Is More Dangerous Than An Animal

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: A person who uses and suppresses the other person is not in balance with nature. But isn’t it natural for him because it is his nature?

Answer: It is natural if you use something only for your biological needs, within the limits of your beastly egoism, as the wolf eats the lamb in order to live and nothing more.

But the human being is willing to enslave all the people on earth. And this is unnatural because, according to his biological potential development, he is just an animal, and his human part he should use on a completely different level.

In his physical (animal) body, a person has to receive a certain amount of energy. Every animal can use the environment for this. It is located in a particular biological niche, which is its home—where it eats, reproduces, and so on. This is the way any biological creature exists, from a small insect to elephants.

That is why our protein state needs energy and for this purpose you can use the environment like animals that attack each other, kill, and eat within this framework. In this regard, people in the past were the same as animals.

But besides attacking, animals have a special way of protection. If for example, tigers are fighting with each other, they do not harm each other but just threaten, determining who is stronger, and the weaker one obeys and leaves. It happens to all kinds of animals: No one ever harms the other because it does not eat its own species.

However, there are cannibals among human beings. Animals do not exhibit this; they never use their own kind as food, but feed in a certain pattern: They kill and eat only certain kind of animals and only in the quantities necessary to replenish life energy. If a lion lies with a full belly, you can walk next to him; he will not even look at you.

The human being cannot get enough. His egoism, besides the animal type, is also human. And because of this additional human egoism he is willing to subjugate the entire world.

In the past, egoism was on a simple level. Then, throughout the millennia, it has developed in us more and more, and lately it has soared exponentially. Now, it begins to become round and changes from individual to integral, to global.
[105629]
From KabTV’s “The Medicine of the Future” 4/7/13

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The Source Of All The Problems Of The Universe

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What can motivate a doctor to change? It is clear for a patient that he wants to become healthy, but for a doctor? How can a doctor and a patient be encouraged to become closer to each other?

Answer: I was born and grew up in a family of doctors. My mother is a gynecologist, my father was a dentist, and my aunt and uncle were also doctors. If suddenly someone fell ill, at once there were a phonendoscope, medications; everyone knew what to do, you got treatment, and everything was fine, no problems. In this regard, the entire Department of Health was at my home.

The same feeling of one family should be between doctors and patients; otherwise, there is no trust towards a doctor. But today, a doctor cannot afford this. No matter how many gifts you give him, he is still swamped by patients.

So, it must be a completely different system, with the emphasis not on medications but on the attention to a person, as in ancient Chinese medicine.

That is, the health care system should include the entire life of a person. This is a technology of life: How you are born, what you breathe, what you eat, the impact of your environment, how your body reacts to all this (like a biological system to the surrounding system), and how you live your life—getting married, giving birth, getting old, and dying.

But all this should be viewed as a system that is in equilibrium with nature. And for this, a person has to be organically, integrally connected to nature, to abide by its laws, understanding what it required of him, and how he has to attune himself to a mutual interconnection.

Just as harmony and balance within us means the health of the body, the balance in nature means the health of the environment, so there should be homeostasis between us and the surrounding environment. We disrupt the balance of nature, upset the balance within ourselves, but most importantly, this disturbs the balance between us and the environment. Here, we do not correspond to it at all.

It is known that the surrounding nature acts according to the law of self-stabilization: You give as much as you receive. Thus, homeostasis is sustained and balance is preserved. But we are in absolute disparity with nature because we savagely consume all of it and give nothing in return, just pollute it.

It all depends on a person’s education, on his environmental education in the first place. But we call this integral education because, in order to change human attitude toward nature and society, it is necessary to change a human being himself.

We live in a society that constantly affects us in a negative way, and we do the same, being driven by our egoism: To consume, to suppress the other, to earn as much as possible—or better yet steal—without giving anything in return. Thus we have to correct both a human being and the entire society.

As a result, we come to a single conclusion: Man needs to be changed. The only source of all the problems in the universe is the human being. Unfortunately, no attention is paid to this issue.

So now we can see how, on the one hand, the crisis puts pressure on us—and it will cleanse everything, but by its firm hand. Nature knows no doubts, it puts pressure so that some species become extinct, and this is what could happen with humanity—everything is heading toward this. We will have to face the “Ice Age” and other environmental and social problems. We see that our imbalance with nature leads us to nothing good.

On the other hand, we have the method in hand that shows how we can nevertheless change the human being and make him an integral part of nature. Then we will be able to see the entire nature: still, vegetative, animal, and speaking like a single organism. By the way, this is also the view of Chinese medicine that treats a human being not as a separate part, but as being integrated into the general system of nature.
[105632]
From KabTV’s “The Medicine of the Future” 4/7/13

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From External Hearing To Internal One

Dr. Michael LaitmanTo the degree that a person feels the importance of the goal, he is ready to forego everything that prevents him from reaching it. But it takes time until he begins to hear what is being said because the heart is what hears and not the ears. He can go over what is written in articles many times, yet he doesn’t hear. Then he begins to hear, but doesn’t understand. After that he begins to understand something, but doesn’t absorb it. After that he begins to absorb it, but meanwhile it does not touch his desires.

When it finally penetrates into his desires, he begins to compare what he had with what enters his desires now. He begins to calculate and decide what to do, to clarify which desire is preferable: Which is more worthwhile, eternal, equal, and so forth. So, he decides whether he is able to abandon his current self, his ego,whether he can empty a place for another within himself—is he obliged to do it, does he want this or not?

After this he already begins to act on his choice, wanting the external environment to influence him as much as possible so that he can make a calculation within his heart regarding the good of the other and not his own good. All this has to be with his agreement, by his free choice, above his previous egoistic desire. In this way he advances towards the goal.

Therefore, we see many people who learn are allegedly together with everyone, but they still hear only with “external hearing.” It may take years before this enters them. Some begin to hear only after 10 – 15 years, and others much faster. There are all kinds of reactions from the soul for essentially it has to do with its correction.

So until a person realizes the need to transform his private inner essence to the collective  much time will pass. This constitutes the hardest part of our work, the most difficult first step. After this a person only increases the desire to bestow, but first he needs to establish and consolidate it, to put it on top of the mountain, above his ego, and this requires great work. One can only ask here for patience and a little submission, which is what helps us.

Thus, we have no basis to be angry at people who hear about this method of integral education yet don’t know how to implement it, to explain it to people. It’s not yet the time for them to absorb it internally. There is a difference between an ability to hear and the ability to carry it out.
[105651]
From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/21/13

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The Embryo Of The Next Phase

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Why does spiritual advancement always come through feeling a greater burden, although we work in the group and on fulfilling the method?

Answer: How can you advance if you don’t feel a greater burden, if you don’t have the ego, if you don’t feel that you must correct something? How will you ascend? Where is the mass that you must correct, the mass of which you must sculpt your form that is similar to the Creator?

This means that the ego that was given to us at birth and that grows on every level is the matter from which we form the soul. The soul is the same ego that is made in a form that resembles the Creator. If instead of swallowing everything into the ego, I try to pass the upper Light through me to everyone else, the ego becomes spiritual matter, a Masach (screen) and the Reflected Light. It is then that the soul is formed from it. We learn about this in the “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah” and in Talmud Eser Sefirot.

The Creator created desire so that we can work with it correctly. The desire falls into the egoistic intention. By changing the intention to the opposite, altruistic, intention with the help of the Light, we use this desire in order to bestow. It must constantly develop in us so we ascend all the time and become more similar to the Creator. So, without the constant “falls” into the ego and the corrections that follow them, we cannot ascend.

Just as we walk on two legs, stepping alternately on the left foot and on the right foot, there is also an action and an opposite action in our work. It cannot be any other way in our world. It is because the one force and the other force can only be opposite to Him. How can it be made similar to the Creator, meaning to bring the created being to a state to which it is on the same level, of the same status, as the Creator? This is why the created being was created from matter that acquires the Creator’s form, His image, from the form opposite to Him. A person’s descent is the same as an ascent; it is already the embryo of the next level.
[105849]
From the Virtual Lesson 4/21/13

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Terminology And Life

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Contemporary social sciences don’t provide suitable terms for defining our next state, when we all become connected. What’s the way of conveying this phenomenon through the scientific language?

Answer: You shouldn’t use old terms since they will be understood conventionally. Here, we have a chance to “shine” and develop a new language.

Question: What can be “new” except integrity? Scientists have a hard time understanding the terms “integrity” and “commonality” since they sound rather abstract to them.

Answer: Back in Soviet times, I used to constantly hear the word “commonality.” It’s a very adequate word! We gradually rise to benevolent good connection between us, reciprocal inclusion into each other, merging and establishing contacts that allow us to make one big picture (a mosaic) comprised of each of us. Every one in this mosaic is a separate part preoccupied with how to match with the “protrusions and concavities” of others, how to complete others correctly.

Perhaps “integrality” is too abstract of a notion. On other hand, “inter” and “enter” are prefixes that are used on a constant basis; we just have to get used to them. “Integrality” can be replaced by some other words. I am using it because it seems to me that it defines very well the upcoming state that the world will be in soon.

Question: The main disparagement brought up by the scientists is as follows: “How can a psychological state of mind lead to financial well-being or to the disappearance of diseases?”

Answer: Let’s refer to statistics. Where does financial instability come from? Isn’t it originated by our egoism? Aren’t all banks usurped by a small elite group that “gobbles up” everything and yet doesn’t take good advantage of what they have? All “greenery” that they collect just deteriorates.

Why is our healthcare the way it is? It’s because it’s much more profitable to sell medications and create diagnostic devices than to cure illnesses. It allows selling more medications, thus generating more profits. In other words, even the healthcare system is just about increasing somebody’s profits.

Should we even mention the education system? It’s a complete failure. The same applies to family values, upbringing children, arts, culture, etc.

When scientists study all spheres of our life and explore many social phenomena, they see that the cause of negativity is human egoism. It spoils everything. Have a look at our culture or science! It has nothing to do with science anymore; rather, it’s a source of finances. Nowadays, everything is for sale and purchase.

In other words, egoism consumes everything there is in all countries, all over the world.… Everything is subject to “cutting” and “sawing.” Isn’t it clear that we have to correct ourselves rather than the external world?

And what can be corrected in the surrounding world?Something that we’ve managed to distort? But then again, we don’t know how to approach these issues since we lack these sensations and don’t know how to fix things. Let’s try to “repair” ecology. It will take us forever since so much has been already destroyed. Where shall we start? Where shall we get money? Who will give it to us? Who will allow us to act? Who cares? “I’ll die tomorrow, but I am still alive today…”—this is how our egoism works.

We will never be able to correct what has been already damaged unless people start regarding themselves differently and see the entire world from a different angle: through integrity, reciprocity, harmony, consideration, and at least some elements of complicity. This explains why the world continues to roll downhill. That’s why integral education is our foremost and most urgent task.
[105215]
From a Talk on Integral Education 4/2/13

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Once Upon A Time There Lived A Husband And A Wife…

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Today people feel the gap between real life and their psychological well-being. I remember our grandparents didn’t experience this discrepancy. Meanwhile, for a contemporary person (even if he has a family) a good psychological atmosphere is separated from the material well-being. Is there a way to demonstrate that these things are nevertheless connected?

Answer: It doesn’t matter if they are strangers to each other or a family. They still have to attend the same seminars, listen to the same explanations, thus rising above their egoism.

Before, our egoism was not as big as it is now! Once upon a time there lived “a husband and wife”; they had a “hen” (meaning a household, a home, a vegetable garden, etc). A husband worked, his wife took care of the home. It was an old-fashioned household arrangement. The family life revolved around the home, community, children, and so on.

Today, it’s nothing like that. At this time, we all work for somebody else, for some society, for something unintelligible. In the morning, we take our kids to kindergartens, then we rush to our jobs, and after we are done for the day, we head to supermarkets…. From there, we run back home, quickly warm food, feed everybody as soon as possible, wash the kids, and go to bed. The next day, we repeat the same pattern.

Is it similar in any way to the previous way that family life was set up? Before, people used to have a home, a household. Today, we only call it a household. Everybody has individual possessions; even spouses have separate bank accounts.

So, we have to teach people at our seminars to rise above their egoism and unite beyond it. Otherwise, family will cease to exist since our egoism cuts us off from others, pushes us aside, while we take no action in response. And the state officials cannot do anything here. Two egoists cannot be forced to stay in one territory.

Why do I need a family? I go to work and earn my own money; I don’t need anyone! If I need to, in the evening I can bring home whoever I want. I can go to a supermarket, buy ready-made foods, warm them in microwave, and eat them for dinner. The whole arrangement serves the purpose of allowing everybody to live separately. Manufacturers of consumer goods get maximum benefits if there is only one person in the household since two single people will buy more of everything: refrigerators, TV sets, and washing machines.…
[105212]
From a “Talk on Integral Education” 4/2/13

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Escaping The Ego’s Prison

Dr. Michael LaitmanEvery person possesses all the attributes: “the nations of the world,” meaning his egoism and “Israel,” meaning the corrupt altruism that for the time being also works for the ego. So it says that every person is under the control of the ego and even our good motives and intentions are in egoistic attributes. This is called being in the “captivity of Egypt,” “in exile.”

A person has to imagine that all these attributes exist in him. He has to identify all of them within himself, arrange them, and start feeling through them. The same is true with regard to the world then he will see that all this exists around him in the world.

This theoretical picture gradually becomes clearer. When you apply it to the entire world, you suddenly see how it operates. It really operates in a lively manner and is constantly fulfilled.

If a person tries to organize himself that way internally, then through his internal organization he begins to see that the world is organized that way. Then the picture of the world becomes clear, and he begins to understand everything that happens in the world: how it flows, what, and why.
[105423]
From KabTV’s “Secrets of the Eternal Book” 2/18/13

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The Choice In How To Prepare For Action

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What characterizes our free choice in the work?

Answer: True free choice, as opposed to all “false free” choices, is possible during preparation for, and not at the time of the deed itself. When the action is taking place, then it’s no longer possible to influence it. Some kind of state comes from Above and only in the beginning can we establish how we will accept it.

Nothing depends on us other than this. The plan of creation already exists and cannot be changed. We can only hasten our development. Besides this, we still don’t understand our connection within the entire great system. How could it be that I will advance faster than others if we are in a single system in which all components have to develop in harmony? It follows that all of us depend upon each other.

But if you want to know what our free choice is, it’s in the preparation. I have to isolate that single datum that I’m able to influence and work to change it. All of this change depends solely on how I raise the society so as to succeed in evaluating every state as given by the Creator, by “there’s none else besides Him,” and the “Good that does good.”

Only the environment that I organized for myself will determine how much I will succeed in rising above the forces of separation that deny the unity of the Divine Providence, “there’s none else besides Him,” and the darkness that opposes the “Good that does good.” Then I can see whether or not I can justify every state both personally, internally, and also in general, in the entire group.

Suppose that some general problem, a great trouble is discovered. Here we can check whether we are prepared to deal with it and overcome it all together. Have we prepared for it or not? So accordingly, everyone must check himself, how much is he joining with everyone and strengthening them all.

All this depends on preparation and on the recognition of our evil, the clarification of our egoism, and the aspiration to do good. Here we also examine the person: Is he really controlled by his ego or does he feel the importance of the environment, group, which is above all of his personal, egoistic evaluations? This is our entire preparation, meaning our free choice.
[105261]
From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/17/13, Writing of Rabash

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Treatment Through Education

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Our task today is to think how we can help a person understand what he needs to change to feel better. How can we do this?

Answer: People should be treated by means of education. Their brain is affected, their system of perception, the system of analysis, conclusions, the system of realizationall this is affected by the terrible malignancy called “egoism” that eats on them from the inside.

First of all, we need to identify what kind of  terrible new growth this is, which we didn’t observe within ourselves before, or if we did, it wasn’t to such an extent it could be defined as fatal.

We need to understand the depth and breadth of the problem. After all, this is not a private issue of a certain country: Doctors are bad, patients are bad, or medical services are poor. This is a problem with a general health care system that follows the same principle as the rest of the world.

The same thing is within the economy, trade, and industry. For example, in a supermarket we are sold what spoils quickly because it’s advantageous for producers that we shop as often as possible and they want us to stay attached to the system. We are trained to use certain products. The same thing occurs at work, on vacation; everything is managed.
[105635]
From KabTV’s “The Medicine of the Future” 4/7/13

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The Differences Between The Light And Darkness

Dr. Michael LaitmanThere are many “waves” of desires within us. Where does this separation into many parts, levels, sides, forms, and so forth come from? The fact is that the Light, which is pure bestowal, enters into desire, whose nature is reception.

The Light and darkness were connected together through opposing characteristics at the time of the shattering. As a result, all the Lights are incorporated into all the individual desires and form countless combinations. The differences and facets in understanding, perception, and analysis, the wide spectrum of colors, sounds, tastes, and smells are derived from this. Everything comes from the various combinations formed through the conjugation between the Lights and desires.

It is precisely thanks to this multiplicity that we discover the Creator. We would otherwise feel ourselves at the bottom of the still level in Malchut of the world of Infinity.

This variety makes it possible for us to peel away layer after layer, to clarify the essence, and to distinguish differences between possible combinations of the Lights and the vessels. So, we begin to discover the Creator in contrast to the creature: We transition from “existence from absence” to “existence from existence,” “format” the vessel and the Light, light and darkness. This is our work. So, in spirituality in every moment we carry out billions of corrections, reaching the smallest details.

This is similar to the classification and clarification of matter in our universe. It seemed an impossible task to perform at the time, but it wasn’t  Mutual integration enables us to work in all directions simultaneously so that even one small action produces billions of results in the entire Malchut.

Today, this picture is still concealed from us, yet as we continue, we will clarify and identify more subtle and deeper components. This will be possible for us when we begin to distinguish between bestowal and reception in every part.

I am able to comprehend in its spiritual form only a corrected desire, as one of the 613 desires, into which the Kli is divided. Until correction I face only an “egoistic monster,” Pharaoh, which can’t be separated into parts, in which nothing can be clarified. As long as the Light has not arrived, I will not be able to feel any desire and see how to activate it for the sake of bestowal above my ego, I will not be able to discern its separate facets. The only thing that I feel in Egypt is the ten plagues.…
[105460]
From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/18/13, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar

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