Entries in the 'Egoism' Category

Are We In for a Conspiracy of Machines?

204In the News (CNN.com):Elon Musk warned in a new interview that artificial intelligence could lead to ‘civilization destruction,’ even as he remains deeply involved in the growth of AI through his many companies, including a rumored new venture.

“’AI is more dangerous than, say, mismanaged aircraft design or production maintenance or bad car production, in the sense that it is, it has the potential — however small one may regard that probability, but it is non-trivial — it has the potential of civilization destruction,’ …

“Musk said Monday night he supports government regulation into AI… . Once AI ‘may be in control,’ it could be too late to place regulations, Musk said.

“’A regulatory agency needs to start with a group that initially seeks insight into AI, then solicits opinion from industry, and then has proposed rule-making,’ Musk said.”

Question: What do you think about it?

Answer: He deals with it. Obviously, we should at least listen to him.

Question: Do you think it is possible that a machine would suddenly turn against a human?

Answer: Of course. We may not even feel it, but it will be perhaps directed against us.

Question: So, do you think there could be a conspiracy of machines?

Answer: Not in such a crude form as a “conspiracy of machines.” It is hard to point to anything that we invented that was only positive.

Question: Because we invented it?

Answer: Yes, we did. And we always turn it to the negative side.

Question: You do not find much positive in a human, do you?

Answer: Man is an egoist. I do not find anything positive in it at all. We see in ourselves how uncontrollable we are. And artificial intelligence will also eventually be uncontrollable. Whatever man invents, it is still for his harm.

Question: What can be done and how can we make man invent something for good? In order to squeeze something positive out of us, what needs to be done?

Answer: There will always be something negative about it. Always. Look at what humanity is doing to itself.

Comment: Yes. It goes little by little…

My Response: To self-destruction.

Question: But it will not come to it, right? It will not happen?

Answer: I don’t know if it will come to it. It seems to me that there is a possibility of it, and a big possibility that we can begin to self-destruct.

Question: Yes, but can we rely on the upper force to somehow bring us to our senses? You always talk about upper management.

Answer: The upper force is not ultimately the higher intelligence that we mean. The higher power is something that may be above our egoism, and we have absolutely no contact with it. We have no connection with what is higher than our egoism.

Question: And before this abyss that is right in front of it, can we suddenly slow down and realize that we must rise above egoism, that it was it that brought us to this?

Answer: How can we know this?

Comment: It will come from above somehow. There is no other way, you say.

My Response: I have no idea.

Comment: You don’t want to give us a small chance.

My Response: I would not give man a chance.

Comment: After all, it is God’s creation.

My Response: No, no, we are not God’s creatures, and we cannot hope that the Creator will always protect us and always somehow separate us. I personally do not hope so.

Of course, He is ultimately good that does good. But maybe we achieve this good through huge, huge failures, suffering, and wars.

Comment: We see that this is indeed the case.

My Response: But that is not all. What the Bible says and so on could be much worse.

Question: But the reason that things could be worse, maybe it will still somehow enter us?

Answer: No, we see that this does not calm the human.

Question: I am always trying to find some way out of this situation from you. And you say that a human is still a negative system?

Answer: Yes, of course. Man is a negative system, and is constantly moving toward self-destruction, and before that, practically nothing can stop him.

Question: Can we attract positive things? We can at some point, right?

Answer: We hope so.

Comment: Another idea about artificial intelligence is that it will lead to humanity not having to work.  Then the main question will be the search for the meaning of life. That is, we will come to the meaning of life from boredom, from the fact that we will not have a job.

My Response: Is the meaning of life now to work?

Comment: Yes, it looks like it, correct. 🙂

My Response: It is not clear: now the meaning of life is to work, and then the meaning of life will be not to work.

Question: So you do not accept this logical connection?

Answer: No.

Question: Are you saying that we need to look for the meaning of life now?

Answer: We must develop in such a way as to understand that work itself also has meaning. And we definitely need to make our work as high as possible, that is, one that would raise man, turn him into a reasonable human. It is true.

Comment: In principle, work to earn money, work to support the family…

My Response: No, no. It is all going to go away soon.

Question: And if, let’s say, the work in which I had the meaning of life ends. How do I not lose the meaning of life with this job ending?

Answer: When you feel that you do not need to work in order to live, then you have the opportunity for another goal in order to live.

Question: So if I grasp the goal, then any changes taking place at a lower level are no longer important. I do not work or I do work, it does not matter. The main thing is to grasp the goal. What is it about?

Answer: I think that this work will be so that we rise all the time and get closer to the Creator in our unity.
Our job will be in how much each of us will refine ourselves every day to rise above ourselves.
[322371]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 11/9/23

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We Are Suffering because of the Tower of Babel

115.05Arkady writes:

Dear Michael Laitman,

As I understand it, the Tower of Babel is the root of all troubles. There was one nation, they built a Tower, and the Creator broke it and mixed their languages.

What for? All the terrible things that are happening today are from there.

Please explain these actions of the Creator. You keep saying that He is good. Why did He break the tower, mix the languages, and cause a quarrel between everyone? What for? It all started so peacefully.”

It is written in the Torah (Bereshit, Genesis, 11:4): “And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered upon the face of the entire earth.”

This is how it all started. What is wrong with that, please tell me.

Answer: There is nothing wrong. The Creator did not want it to be like this.

Question: Later it becomes clear that He did not want it to be like this. But what was their transgression? They wanted to build a tower.

Answer: They wanted to be all together, build, and live, be one commune, respect and love each other, and so on. But the Creator wanted it to be according to His conditions and not theirs. This is why He disrupted it all.

Question: What is the Tower of Babel in the spiritual sense?

Answer: It is an egoistic elevation of corporeal life, which is elevated to the state of love for one’s neighbor based on egoism.

Question: Are you saying that this is the main mistake?

Answer: Of course! They do not need the Creator, they do not need anyone: “neither God, nor king, nor hero.” Just us, the common people.

Question: In principle, was this construction of the Tower of Babel by and large at the heart of communism and all revolutions, “peace to huts, war to palaces,” that is, “we will manage?”

Answer: Yes.

Question: When does a person build this inside himself? He is building a career for himself, he is making money, is this when he is gradually building the Tower of Babel?

Answer: Yes, but this is to a small extent. This is not the highest goal. Because in the case of the Tower of Babel, they built it for themselves forever. But here, even though a person is building a career and everything else, he knows that he will die.

Comment: And there, if they could do it, then, as they say, we will reach the heavens.

My Response: Up to heavens, yes. This “up to heavens” is a big problem; the main one. That is, you can build a tower, but do not touch the Creator. You will not reach Him.

Question: Arkady further asks: “What is it that the Creator does not like here?”

“And the Lord said, ‘Lo! [they are] one people, and they all have one language, and this is what they have commenced to do. Come, let us descend and confuse their language so that one will not understand the language of his companion.’

“And the Lord scattered them from there upon the face of the entire earth, and they ceased building the city” (Bereshit, Genesis, 11:6-11:8).

That is, Arkady believes that all the problems began with this.

Answer: Yes. That is, they will not be able to come to a common egoistic result. This result should be: we are all together and therefore we all feel good.

Comment: When we say the phrase: “United nation, we are together, and we will defeat everyone. One nation is invincible”…

My Response: No, this is not enough to defeat egoism. There is also a need for a Creator here. This is the desire of the Creator.

Question: Then on what basis can a tower be built so that it does not collapse?

Answer: Bestowal and love for each other and for the Creator.

Comment: When you say “and for the Creator,” this is difficult. A person does not see or feel Him.

My Response: No, “for the Creator” does not mean some kind of God, somewhere there, so high up that he is not visible. “For the Creator” means a connection between us that we raise above ourselves.

Above yourself, that is, “love your neighbor as yourself.” Then above all this, you raise the ideal of the Creator, who created all this above our egoism.

Question: That is, my nature is “I, and everything is for me,” and here, on the contrary, I want to rise above this so that everything is different, everything is for the other. Is this called building a real tower?

Answer: Of course. Then it will stand forever.

Question: Why do we build towers all the time? After all, it collapsed a long time ago, historically speaking, and we continue and continue to build these towers.

Answer: Humanity needs this. Towers, pyramids, mausoleums—all this is necessary, a person needs it.

Question: Even though they are all falling apart and will definitely fall apart?

Answer: Yes, but we are still building.

Question: Why do we have this in us?

Answer: We need this symbol. We are building a house for our egoism.

Question: So we need a symbol that we can pray for all the time. Is this what they call “praying to other gods”?

Answer: Yes. It can be temples, it can be pyramids, no matter what form it takes.

Question: In what case will we stop building them?

Answer: Only when the Creator is revealed to us.

Comment: At the same time, we do not know when He will be revealed.

My Response: We do not know, but only in this case. Revelation will completely cover our dreams, plans, future, and everything! That is, when He is revealed to us, we will understand that all this was complete nonsense and that we built it all in vain.

Question: You say that the Creator is mercy, kindness, and love all the time, and so on. Why is this such a cruel mercy that it lasts for a long time, that blood has been shed for centuries? Wars have been going on for centuries, but He still does not reveal Himself. Why?

Answer: He is revealed under certain conditions! What do you want from Him? He must be revealed in the state of His absolute unity with people. But it does not exist. And so far, there are no inclinations for this.

Question: The unity of the Creator with people? In which case?

Answer: If we are similar in qualities to Him, that is, if we are like Him, He will be revealed.
[320892]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 10/30/23

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The Correction of the World Is in Our Hands

227Comment: Igor asks questions about Baal HaSulam’s article “The Freedom.”

Somehow this quote does not quite match with what you are saying. It is written in the article: “It turns out that there is no such thing as selfishness in the world, since no one here is free or stands in his own right.” How is there no egoism? You are saying we are all egoists.

My Response: No, this egoism is not ours, it is not our choice. It is our nature that is imposed on us. And of course, we have to seek ways to get rid of it and correct it.

For this, the science of Kabbalah exists. And if we gradually correct our nature, we will see that there is a way to rise above egoism and live according to different laws.

Question: So, when it is said that there is no egoism in the world because there is not a single free person here, does it mean that we should want to approach freedom? Otherwise, if you stop a person on the street, as you’ve been saying all along, and say, “You are an egoist,” he will say, “What do you mean, I am an egoist?” He has no awareness of evil.

When does this awareness come?

Answer: To achieve this, you have to start studying Kabbalah. And gradually, over the course of just a few months, a person begins to understand that selfishness guides him and he cannot escape from it anywhere, he is enslaved by it, and therefore the only one to blame is the Creator.

Question: Not myself, but the Creator?

Answer: Yes! Who created the ego?! So, it is said:”I have created the evil inclination, I have created the Torah as a spice.” So, the only thing we have to do is to reveal our nature as selfish and to reveal the method of correcting our nature as Torah.

Question: Meaning that when I feel bad and I understand that this is because of my egoism, I blame the Creator for this and not myself?

Answer: You can blame the Creator. But, in principle, the Creator does not run anywhere from this responsibility. He says: “The light in the Torah reforms him; the Torah is the light of Torah, which reforms a person,” and why I have made you egoists; and for you to correct yourself, you must study yourself and agree that it is precisely this attitude toward the world as evil and the opportunity to correct the world that are in your hands.

Question: Why does it take millennia for humanity to get to this form?

Answer: It does not want it. It does not want to look in this direction.

Question: It does not want to look within itself? And millennia of wars, suffering, blood, everything, everything are needed?

Answer: All of this is part of the correction process. It is us who count everything by days, hours, weeks and so on, but the Creator has no time.

Question: So, you are saying that there is no history as such? History does not exist?

Answer: There is, but all of it eventually is connected to the general correction nonetheless.

Question: Meaning, it is a force that accumulates? And only for this one solution: The evil is in me and I should correct it?

Answer: Of course, and nothing else is needed besides that.

Question: It is amazing of course! All historians and archaeologists are engaged in history, archaeology, and sciences digging out how we came to be: the Big Bang.And, in essence, it turns out that everything converges to one point.

Are all these sciences necessary, in your opinion?

Answer: No. If we had right away engaged in what is necessary, correcting ourselves and uniting, then we would not have needed all of this.

Question: In other words, we don’t really need all the knowledge?

Answer: No. We would have learned everything from nature itself.
[321183]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 11/6/23

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We Have to Get Out of the Sandbox

272For thousands of years nature has always been giving, but we have evolved as egoistic beings, constantly taking. And this is normal, as according to the program of nature, we were supposed to be like that and to develop egotistically.

It is like a growing child that you feed and give everything to, he develops egotistically, and you are pleased with that. And then he grows up, and suddenly you tell him: “That is it! Now go to work, pay for yourself, do everything for yourself, and take responsibility for yourself. And look, if you do something wrong, you will be punished.”

That is where we are today: we developed and developed like little children, and then we reached adulthood, the world has shrunk, become global, and integral, and it forces us to be adults. Being adults means being in the right connection with each other.

Just as an adult at the age of 20 to 25 begins to work, build himself, his home, and connect with the world as a doer, now humanity has similarly reached the age when it has become an adult.

We are being shown our place of work now. We must connect with each other and build a new society that is not like it was before.

Previously, we egoistically grew for thousands of years, and now we must connect with each other according to the law of mutual guarantee, mutual responsibility, and mutual concessions. You do not want to? You will receive blows from nature because you do not conform to it. This is where we are now; we are becoming adults.

I understand that we do not want this. Who does? When I am a child, there are no claims against me. When I misbehaved, broke something, or played around, I was treated like a child. But when I become an adult, it obligates me. But we do not realize this yet.

We are resistant to it and opposed to it; we want to play with some toys. I look at these supposedly strong, great, wise people of the world, and they are like children in a sandbox who do not want to crawl out of it even though they have already outgrown their age.

When you tell them this, they get offended and think you are an unrealistic person: “Look at this world! You can play in it as much as you want: stock market, money, cars, wine, movies! And what are you suggesting here? That is not what we want at all! Be responsible for something—why do we need that? We have enough small toys around us and need nothing more.”

This is a big problem. But still, we will have to get out of the sandbox.
[321428]
From KabTV’s “I got a call. Reasons for Cancer and AIDS” 10/29/11

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The First Murder in History

253Arkady writes:

I have never heard such an explanation of the Torah as you explain it. Everyone talks about human laws that are described there, and you say that this is instruction on how to get out of egoism. Everyone says that Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses were people, but you say they are powers.

I beg you to explain, what is this story with Cain and Abel? I am sure it is important for everyone to know what happened there because it was the first murder in history, and it gave impetus to all the murders on earth.

As you know, Cain and Abel were the children of Adam and Eve. Cain was a tiller of the soil and Abel was a shepherd of flocks. The Creator liked Abel’s sacrifice more than Cain’s. And then it is said that out of envy one killed the other. Cain killed Abel. It is even written: “And while they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and slew him.”

Can you tell me what this is talking about?

Answer: It is about the fact that a person follows his egoism and fulfills all its demands.

Question: Who is Abel and who is Cain? What is it in a person?

Answer: These are two directions, two forces, in our development. Abel is a relatively good path. And Cain is a tougher path, one who believes that everything can be achieved by force. So they quarreled among themselves. All this is inside a person.

Question: So this strong path, Cain, prevailed? And is this what humanity has become as a result? Is what we see today all the consequence of Cain in us?

Answer: Yes.

Question: It is said everywhere that this happened because of envy. What is this in us, Cain as envy?

Answer: I would say that they both have envy. The only difference is in the implementation of this envy. Cain’s implementation is forceful while Abel’s is diplomatic and peaceful. That is, envy also came to us from the collision of two forces. That is why all these periods are called forefathers.

Question: The story about Cain and Abel says that the Creator, before this murder, said to Cain: “Why are you so vexed, and why is your face downcast? After all, if you do good, you will be forgiven, and If you do not do good, sin lies at the entrance, and you are attracted to it.  You rule over it.” These phrases have become known worldwide, everyone repeats them. What is it like when they tell you: “Come to your senses. Sin lies at the entrance. You must rule over it.” What does this mean?

Answer: It means to rule over your sin, over your impulses, over the Cain in yourself. And, of course, it does not work out.

Question: And what is it that the Creator says to man? Where does it come from? How does this manifest itself?

Answer: This is the inner conscience, this is the inner strength of a person which, in principle, tells him that this is not the right thing to do. But, as you can see, this does not help to this day.

Question: Yes, this does not help yet. Does everyone have this inside?

Answer: Everyone has it, of course.

Question: So the very last scoundrel has an inner conscience?

Answer: It is much easier to kill and bury.

Question: Exactly! This is so relevant!

Why was this done? Why was this released into the world? This is about the basics.

Answer: It is so that a person can be convinced that the only correct path is the path of love for each other. But it is very difficult!

Question: So the foundation is still love?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Does this show us that this path is wrong? But humanity has followed this path.

Answer: This is our nature.

Question: How can we return to the path of love, which is at the foundation of everything?

Answer: Realize it. Now we need to realize that the path we have taken in our development over thousands of years is wrong.

Question: To do this, it was necessary to go through suffering, murder, and now everything continues?

Answer: Of course. But we do not know how deep it is. How much of a revolution this must be within a person’s entire system, his relationship with himself and with others.

Question: So what should happen between Cain and Abel?

Answer: They should understand how to treat each other. And they should correctly divide among themselves what they received from the Creator.

Question: So, if the Creator preferred Abel, then what should Cain have done?

Answer: Break himself. But I cannot imagine how it is possible.

Question: Although, this phrase is said: “Sin lies at the entrance. You must rule over it.” So this is the main phrase here?

Answer: Yes.

Question: And we cannot do this?

Answer: No.

Question: How can we do this? We could not to this day!

Answer: I don’t know. Killing the root of evil in you is impossible. This is how the Creator created us. But we still have to ask Him.

Comment: This is an instruction from Him, “You must rule over it.”

My Response: I want to rule over myself, over my original sin, but You must help me with this. This was practically Cain’s mistake.

Question: And now it is the mistake of humanity, which does not find Cain within itself, by and large?

Answer: Yes. Look how everyone justifies themselves.

Question: What should we do to find the Cain, the murderer, the envious person in us?

Answer: Our most important task must be the truth! Rise above our nature, above egoism. Today, this is absolutely a fantasy!

Question: Why is it getting worse and worse?

Answer: Man is developing. These are all layers of development; they accumulate and cover each other, and eventually become…somewhere there, in their depths, even their original cause is not visible.

Question: Yes. We do not see that we are like that. We do not see that Cain is at our core.

What needs to happen so that love and truth suddenly prevail in a person?

Answer: This is called awareness of evil.

How can we get there? I don’t know. To do this, we need the Creator to reveal to us that we, all people are relatives to each other, so that like my little child, or grandson, anything, let’s say that is as the most precious thing I have, I can see that it is in a stranger. Somehow we need to understand this.

Comment: That is, I can still somehow see this in my child, but I need to see it in a stranger.

My Response: In someone else’s child, in a stranger, you should see something so close, so dear and beloved that is higher than you. Then maybe it will work out.

Question: Is this possible?

Answer: If the Creator shows our connection between us, our dependence, where truly a stranger becomes closer to you than you are to yourself.

Question: Anyway, we should come to this prayer?

Answer: Yes.

Question: And then, perhaps, He will show. But will He show?

Answer: I am sure of it!

Question: Do you have hope only in Him, generally?

Answer: Of course! Certainly. There is no hope for anything anymore. Only if the Creator does it for us. Let’s hope.
[320105]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 10/19/23

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Lack of Harmony in the Material World

738Question: When we look at the nature of our world, we see that there is still harmony at the inanimate, vegetative, and animate levels. Is the manifestation of egoism observed mainly at the level of human nature, at the level of society?

Answer: No, egoism affects all the lower degrees too. Are animals not egoistic? Are plants not egoistic? They have an egoistic intention to act only for their own benefit; it is just that it is not as complex as ours.

Question: So there is no harmony at all in our earthly nature, at all degrees?

Answer: No. In nothing.
[320345]
From KabTV’s “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah” 10/10/23

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Manifestation of Shattering In Our World

222Question: How is the shattering of the single system of Adam HaRishon manifested in our world today?

Answer: It is manifested in the fact that all of nature is egoistic, built on so-called materialistic laws, and we live in it according to the same laws.

But the wisdom of Kabbalah is gradually being revealed and explains that there is a completely different nature that we do not see in our world, an altruistic one, based on properties of bestowal and good mutuality.

Now we are approaching a state where we have no other choice but to begin mastering this second nature—the nature of bestowal and love; otherwise, we will not be able to exist.
[320253]
From KabTV’s “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah” 10/10/23

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Why Is It Necessary to Be an Ugly Duckling First?

294.2Question: It often happens that the higher the result, the more it does not promise anything good during the stages of growth.

The sourest fruit becomes the most delicious, and you already thought of cutting down the tree. The genius was failing at school; they wanted to kick him out of school, and he became Einstein.

The beautiful swan was once an ugly duckling. We know this story. The question is why is this so? Why is it necessary to be an ugly duckling first?

Answer: It is because such is the path of development of opposites that nothing can develop in a straight path but only as it is written, “through its opposite.” That is, there is a direct phenomenon, but its opposite consequences occur before it.

We need to respect a person in any of his states because they all do not mean anything. How many such examples have we had in history when completely useless, unnecessary children grew up to be geniuses and vice-versa.

Question: Then the question is how to recognize them?

Answer: There is no way! You cannot recognize it in any way. We just need to give everyone the opportunity to develop.

Question: Where can a person get the patience from? He sees that nothing will grow out of it. Nothing will grow out of this weed. Where does one get patience?

Answer: How does he know that nothing will grow out of it?

Comment: But you say yourself that we cannot know.

My Response: This is why he has to stop himself. Because nothing is created in vain, and every object in our world has its purpose. It is not up to you to decide what it should be now, and what it should be in the future. Therefore, just stop yourself.

Question: What if we give such an opportunity? Let’s say we restrain ourselves and let everything develop.

Answer: Give everyone the opportunity to develop correctly. Let him develop in him all the qualities that the Creator embedded in him, and you will see.

Question: Thus, it turns out that I am changing—the one who wants to destroy all this. Is this my ascent above my nature?

Answer: Absolutely right.

Question: Is this the most important thing by and large?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Now the question is, is our world today like an ugly duckling? A lot of people also have this state. The Internet is full of these phrases: “May it burn down! Yes, I wish that this world would not exist! Yes, we all need to start over!” And so on. What is this ugly duckling developing into?

Answer: To the fact that we recognize evil, our evil, what we have brought the world to, and give it the opportunity to develop correctly with our new attitude to it.

Question: Is that why we see this world so corrupted?

Answer: Yes.

Question: So are you saying that I am the one who is corrupted?

Answer: Of course.

Question: Does everyone have to come to this?

Answer: I do not know about everyone. But basically such a thought and such an attitude should be dominant.

Comment: But I see that they do not come to this. Quite the opposite.

My Response: They will come to this.

Comment: You are an optimist here saying that we will come to this.

My Response: The fact that we will come to this is definite. But the question is through what kind of blows.

I think we need to understand that the world is ready for the best state. We need to think about why we do not let it be like that.

The fact that we see it so sour and bad today is the result of our attitude toward the world.
[320348]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 9/21/23

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The Biblical Serpent Is Not What We Think

115.06Timur writes: I have listened carefully several times to your explanations of what the Torah is. I realize that the Torah is instruction for correction. I realize that the serpent is in me, and it is always egging me on. I even feel that I cannot stop and therefore I spoil the relationship with my wife and friends even though I do not want to do that. My first question is: How do I crush this serpent?

Question:  He understands that it is his ego, his pride, that is spoiling his life. Can this serpent be crushed?

Answer: In general, a person himself can try to do this all his life and fail. Although a lot of people are doing this and want to be better, but it does not work out directly this way.

It will work only in one way; if we create an external environment, that is, a human society, that will put pressure on everyone, impose on everyone in the right way, in a good way, how to behave with each other, then it will work.

But so far, it has not worked anywhere. So, of course, everything is fine, but for some reason it always turns out very badly.

Comment: You just said this: it will not work individually if I just want to crush it in myself. You think this is doomed to fail. But if we want to sort this out, then you say that such an option is possible here.

My Response: “We” means the group, a society. Let’s try.

Question: Will it, this serpent, our egoism, be crushed? What will happen to it?

Answer: Such a “tapeworm” lives inside us.

Question: Will it keep living?

Answer: There is nothing we can do to it.

The only thing we can do is just agree among ourselves that we will all oppose it and thereby strangle it in ourselves.

Question: But not to death, you are saying?

Answer: No, it is impossible to strangle it to death. This is no longer our work. We just have to want it to quiet down so much that it kind of ceases to exist. So that it does not speak but huddles in a corner somewhere and stays there.

Question: Timur has a second question: “Is there something good about the serpent? After all, I know that in our world snake venom is used as medicine.”

Answer: There is a lot of good in the serpent and, in principle, there is nothing bad about it. Nothing! It is only to the extent that a person cannot fight his serpent that he discovers that the serpent is evil. But he detects this only in order to work with it correctly.

In general, the serpent is a creation of the Creator. It was created in order to correct a person and lead him to absolute goodness.

A person cannot fight the serpent; this is clear. But he can ask the Creator for this.

Question: How did humanity figure out that it is possible to use snake venom for medicine? This is some kind of reverse thought. Poison on one hand, on the other hand, medicine.

Answer: Any poison is a medicine. There is nothing bad or evil in the world. Nothing! Moreover, the venom of the snake, which seems at the first glance designed to kill everything, is precisely a great medicine.

Question: Timor’s third question is: “Is it possible to live in peace with the serpent?”

Answer: If we manage to control it, the serpent that is in us, that evil (envy, jealousy, hostility, and pride), then, of course, we will be able to use the whole serpent for good. It will be with us in an embrace, as with Adam and Eve.

Question: His fourth question is very interesting: “Why do we see the serpent in the Bible only at the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, and then nothing is said about it? After all, it exists. You said that it is in us until the very end.”

Answer: It is an eternal creature, an eternal being, an eternal nature, that will be with us all the time until we correct it at the end through our serious, long–term work.

Comment: But really, when reading the Torah (the Bible), we see that the word “serpent” ends there.

My Response: Yes, it is at the beginning, at the very beginning of the sin, at the foundation.

Question: But where is it later? Are all these, roughly speaking, evil heroes its personification?

Answer: Everything evil that happens in people and between people, all of this is the consequence of the serpent, called by other names, but this is it.

Question: Let’s finish about the serpent globally. The serpent, what is it?

Answer: It is not the serpent we imagine. It is what lives inside us and is our egoism that wants to exist only by itself, in spite of others, hates everyone and everything, and wants nothing but to rule over everyone.

This serpent is in us. There is no other serpent in principle. Its future lies in the fact that we will define it as the only evil inclination of the entire nature, which we must necessarily exterminate from ourselves.

Question: Exterminate, after all?

Answer: Yes. To exterminate it from ourselves means that we must understand where it is, in what form, and how we can deal with it. That is, the serpent is a purely spiritual substance.

Question: When you say “exterminate,” does it mean to conquer, put in a cage, or what?

Answer: Do whatever you want. Tie it into a knot and do not let it stick its head out of you.

Question: Recently you said that it is necessary to project warmth and love. When you say that we should approach each other with kindness and warmth, does it mean that we are going to conquer this serpent?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Will it at the same time become stronger?

Answer: After all, we must understand that the fight against the serpent is a work for all times until complete correction.
[319405]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 10/18/23

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The Beginning of a New Historical Development

222To unfold world history along an axis, you would need to take approximately 200 axes in parallel, and on each of them draw what happened in 200 different regions of the world, and explain this by focusing on the progression of egoism, which transformed in such a way in these parts of the world, in the environment, and in the people themselves.

But to describe our entire history in this way, imagine it in myself, yet it is impossible to even begin to verbally express this entire huge picture. We need to take some fragments and describe them. But what for? We will not learn anything from them! We do not need this at all!

We now need only one thing—to understand that we are in a different world, in a different connection with each other, where all these regional and egotistically developing axes have united together into one circle, into one scheme and complete dependence on each other!

We have no idea what this system of complete mutual dependence is telling us—that we are unable to do anything! Not him, her, you, or me; nobody!

What can we do then? The only thing we must do is connect with each other, like this system, which is now manifesting itself before us and inside of us.

Connect with each other?! But can we?! No we cannot do it ourselves. We must only make attempts and then nature, which in the language of Kabbalah is called the reforming light, will begin to unite us. That is all it will do.

And everything else, no matter what we do, is completely in vain!

We must take care to feed ourselves. After all, we humans consist of an animalistic part (body, flesh and bones) and of our inner part, a spiritual part, which must be developed in connection with others.

Therefore, the animalistic part needs to be fed and properly taken care of for everyone. In this, we are absolutely equal. And in the spiritual part, we must connect with each other.

Today we have practically no other task and no other opportunity. This is it; that one-person, egoistic world is over!

We need to understand that the problem is in us; we must change ourselves to be like nature. Just as it is all interconnected, so must we enter into it consciously interconnected with all its other parts.

All previous history was the history of egoistic development. Now begins the story of our mutual development—mutual concessions, mutual support, and mutual attention, up to mutual love.
[318202]
From KabTV’s “I Got a Call. The History of Human Development” 10/31/11

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