Question: There is speculation that future generations will pay for the coronavirus. In addition to debt, we leave them two huge problems: looking after us when our pensions are left without funding and solving the problems of climate change, which we did not solve and passed on to them. On top of that, we have limited investments in their health and education. In short, the next generation will feel bad. We have robbed our children and grandchildren.

But in principle, I still keep thinking about my children and grandchildren. Why does a person suddenly become disconnected from this? They will live in some kind of environmentally dirty, broken world, with a supply of nuclear weapons, whatever you want. We do not even think about what kind of future we have arranged for them.

Answer: Nobody thinks that he leaves it to his descendants. Why should I think about it? This is natural for a person!

Question: To not think about future generations?

Answer: No. This is his real face, Homo Sapiens. “Knowing man”!

Question: Is this what intelligence is about, to think only of yourself?

Answer: Of course. To snatch for yourself as much as possible. I live while I am alive. That is it, nothing else! “After us the deluge.”

We can do nothing with our nature; it is higher than us. Nothing! There is no natural desire in us to do something with ourselves for the sake of our descendants. We know that we are putting them right under nuclear bombs, climate problems, whatever.

Question: How does one start a dialogue with nature so that it gives us a feeling of both guilt and responsibility that we must do something for future generations?

Answer: This can only be done through the realization of the evil of our nature and the way to get out of it; is there still a way out? But humanity is not suffering enough to seek this way out.

Question: But what is the solution?

Answer: Only dissemination of Kabbalah, which talks about how to correct human nature, reveals all the ignominy, all the improbability of this nature, its horror! It reveals the emptiness in a person, so that he realizes that he needs to fill it.

Question: What is this emptiness revealed in?

Answer: In hopelessness.

Question: Is there no future? Does my nature allow me no future?

Answer: It will not allow you anything. A man is the most terrible creature.

Question: Then why did the Creator create us in this way?

Answer: In order for us to realize our evil and correct it, to ask Him for correction. And then we will become participants in our new, spiritual development.

Question: If He simply did it without our request, then we would receive everything simply for free and would not appreciate it? And here we do have to appreciate it?

Answer: We should achieve it. And then we will feel that we received the opportunity to work with this new sensation, with these new forces.

People should know this. People should understand that they are faced with a very serious task to correct their own nature. We can do this.
[272999]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 9/7/20

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Question: There are several types of motivation: external and internal, positive and negative, stable (satisfying thirst, hunger, etc.) and unstable (quitting smoking, dieting). There are motivations that drive people’s actions (self- affirmation, respect, power, self-development).

What kind of processes occur in a person when he has motivation? What does he feel?

Answer: He has a clear direction: what he should come to, to what form, to what future, and how he imagines it. Motivation includes a clear vision of the future including solving the problem of how to achieve this future and realize it.

Question: Is it possible to trace the connection between the development of desires and motivation?

Answer: Naturally, because the development of desires is the development of motivations. If at first a person had a desire only to get food, then later, there is a need for procreation, building a family, and a home. And later, a desire emerged to rise above others, to fight for a more comfortable existence, and so on. In our history, we have been through all these facets, gradations, and degrees.

Question: Today internal motivation, i.e., self-realization, works more than external motivation. And external motivations, such as money and career, work less. What is the reason?

Answer: The fact is that as a result of our development, we are increasingly attracted to spiritual rather than material values. We are increasingly moving away from the animalistic state.
[273353]
From KabTV’s “Management Skills” 8/28/20

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Remark: When evil arises, and now there is a lot of evil in the world in all its colors, there suddenly appear those who want to correct it. They are called honorable people, they are given Nobel Prizes, etc. They come to correct this evil. They donate money for it and invest their strength in it.

The great Kabbalist Baal HaSulam, whose works we study, writes in the article “Peace in the World” about “The Weakness of ‘World Reformers'”: “This is the key to understand the weakness of world reformers throughout the generations. They regarded man as a machine that is not operating properly and needs mending, meaning to remove its broken parts and replace them with working ones.”

In principle, it sounds quite logical. That is, they want to operate the machine properly so that it runs smoothly according to their understanding.

“This is the tendency of all world reformers—to eradicate any harmful and bad in the human species… and it is true that had the Creator not stood against them, they would certainly have by now cleansed man entirely, leaving in him only what is good and useful.”

Answer: And that would bring the end of the world.

Remark: But it is written here that they would leave “only what is good and useful.” This would be good for the world.

My Comment: Well, of course! Try to suggest this and you will see that everyone will agree with you! Except the Creator.

Remark: And the Creator says, “No, I do not need the so-called good and beneficial. I do not need it to be the only thing that remains in the world.”

Further on, Baal HaSulam continues: “But because the Creator meticulously watches over all the elements in His creation, not letting anyone destroy a single thing in His domain, but only reform it and make it useful and good, all the reformers of the above-mentioned kind will vanish from the earth, and bad qualities will not vanish. They exist and count the degrees of development that they must still traverse until they complete their ripening.”

It is as if the Creator is saying, “I do not like these world-reformers. I do not like those who like to do good.” They want this evil to disappear, to replace the damaged parts in the car with good ones, and to make the car drive well. I do not want that.”

My Comment: That is correct. Who are Creator’s partners? Villains. They reveal evil in the world, as the Creator has said: “I have created the evil inclination…” That is, they are His accomplices who help Him and reveal evil.

They show us: “Look at what the Creator has created!” And the only thing missing here is the other side, where we need to take the forces of nature and build an opposite system that would compensate for this evil. Then through creating our own system of good that compensates for the evil, we will rise by both of these forces, on both levels.

Question: Does this mean that evil people are the closest to the Creator?

Answer: Yes. It is through them that the Creator creates the world.

Question: He creates the world and shows us that the world is created from evil. We see this, are horrified, and start fighting this evil.  Are you saying: “It is wrong to fight evil?”

Answer: We must learn to compensate for it correctly, to use it as the minus and the plus in electronics and other areas.

Question: So, the evil exists and I should not touch it. On the contrary, I must create a mountain of good. Here is a mountain of evil, and a mountain of good. Does this mountain of evil grow? And the mountain of good also grows? Is the main thing not to erase this second mountain?

Answer: You cannot erase them, you will only mangle all of nature.

Question: How do I build the mountain of good?

Answer: On the basis of evil.

Question: Seeing all of this evil, do I say: “This is not the right way, I should choose another way”?

Answer: Of course. Otherwise, you will be like those who destroyed sparrows, flies, and so on.

Question: So, do I build a mountain of good by looking at this mountain of evil?

Answer: According to it.

Question: Where do I get the strength to build this mountain of good?

Answer: Here you have to ask the Creator Himself.

Question: Is there no other way?

Answer: No. Then you will see why the Creator created evil. It is so that you would turn to Him and receive the force of good.

Remark: So, with material resources alone, with my abilities…

Answer: Will lead you nowhere. You will not accomplish anything. There is only evil in our world. Even the good that you see is also evil.

Question: And when they say: “This strong, charismatic, courageous, and determined leader will be able to lead us to good, to happiness,” and everyone starts voting for him, is it all a lie?

Answer: Sure. Today more and more people start to realize this.

Question: Is our task to build this good against evil, and all we need to do is ask for strength from nature, from the Creator?

Answer: To ask the Creator for the force of good to balance the evil and to ascend on these two forces as if on two legs.

Question: Will the world come to this?

Answer: Very soon! I believe that, perhaps, I will also get to see this. But we must lay the foundation.

Remark: This is definitely a turning point for a person.

Answer: We need to educate people! Basic concepts that we just need to lay out before them.

Question: We are talking about an ordinary person. Tell me, when one faces evil what should his first reaction be?

Answer: To balance the evil. If I want to destroy it, I have to balance it! In this way, I not only eradicate it as if reducing it to zero, but I employ it and use it for good.

As two forces in electricity: the minus and the plus. Any force that is revealed in this world consists of itself and of its opposite, its parallel. There is nothing else, only this. Therefore, regarding evil, we must find the expression of good and put them against each other, placing yourself in the middle. And you will see how to rise on these two streams of the fountain. That is how you will rise using both of them.

Question: So, are you saying that in order for one to rise in a good way, he has to be between good and evil?

Answer: They should push you from below like jets from a fountain.

Question: When I build good against the feeling of evil, is it called that I am in the middle? I see both good and evil.

Answer: Yes. We need to teach people how to use both forces correctly. For them, this is the revelation of the new world and endless possibilities.

Question: It means that we need to work on the first reaction of a person to destroy evil? So that the first reaction would be: “Oh!”

Answer: It depends on the support of society, on the environment.

Question: So, one way or another, a person should be searching, or he should be placed in the environment that thinks this way, right?

Answer: Yes. The environment will support him behind the scenes. And he will feel that he needs to perform certain actions. He will receive thoughts from the environment. The world is coming to this, there is no other way. This is how the world is arranged. The main thing is to move forward!
[272870]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 8/10/20

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Question: Everyone needs to be able to listen. Parents should listen to their children. Children should listen to their teachers who give them assignments. A manager needs to listen to his subordinates, and so on.

Most people consider themselves very good listeners. I read research that shows only 10% of people have the ability to listen to others. What is the reason? Why do people think they can listen, but we see the opposite?

Answer: Because one plays along with his ego, wants everyone to see how friendly, attentive, and responsive he is. In fact, he wants to listen only to himself, see only himself, and justify only himself. Therefore, it is very difficult for us to communicate with each other well. We cannot hear each other.

Despite the fact that today there are all kinds of methods of video and audio connection, we should check just how connected we are to each other. We have not become any more sociable. We can sit and listen to various programs that supposedly connect us to each other, but we cannot hear or see anyone but ourselves.

Question: There is a basic rule of interpersonal relations that says that the meaning of a message cannot be clearly understood. On a physiological level, we are unable to grasp this message.

In the research I read about, it was established that our audio perception is only 25% effective. Even in informal conversations with friends only 60 to 70% of the information is absorbed.

What is the reason for this gap? There are things that egoism is receptive to.

Answer: It does not matter what the ego is receptive to or not. Since everyone is wrapped up in self-love and wants to feel only themselves, whatever reaches us is still interpreted incorrectly and therefore remains somewhere in the air.
[272619]
From KabTV’s “Communication Skills” 8/14/20

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Confucius: “The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.”

Man must polish himself. Moreover, polish to such an extent that sometimes he literally rips off layers, egoistic layers. If only one would be able to endure. This is very painful.

Question: Can a person do it at all?

Answer: There comes such opportunity, such contempt, when you feel that anger and aversion to egoism is greater than the pain, and you want to erase it from yourself.

Question: Is this how the precious gem is revealed?

Answer: Yes.

Question: If man were able to go through this state, what would he reveal then?

Answer: He reveals the Creator within him.

Question: When you say “To reveal the Creator within yourself,” what do you mean?

Answer: I find Him there. It turns out that He was within me. I thought that there was some kind of egoism in me, an animal. But in fact, it was the Creator!
[272514]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 7/27/20

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Question: Should we understand that in this life we are bought and sold?

Answer: Not everyone, of course. Yet, the fact that this happens—yes.

Question: We are indignant, and nevertheless we are bought and sold. Why?

Answer: Because we are not aware that we are selling and buying, but we want to sell and buy everything in this world.

Question: What do we want to sell?

Answer: Everything that you can be a profitable deal.

The character Panikovsky, a petty criminal in Ilf and Petrov’s, The Little Golden Calf said, “I will buy and sell all of you, buy you, sell you, buy you, and sell you again, but for more.”

Question: So I sell it for a deal, for myself, to make a profit?

Answer: Yes. I buy what I can buy cheap and then sell at a profit. This is human. At every level! Every minute!

Question: What a low creature a human is! Do you see something at least a little elevated in humans?

Answer: In a person who lives in this world and by this egoistic world, there can be nothing else. Just to sell, buy, and sell for even more.

Question: Does one always want a bribe?

Answer: Only!

Question: How is it possible to rise from this state, in what way?

Answer: Through the recognition of evil, that although I exist within the framework of this nature, in the end, I act to my own detriment. To my own detriment! And, based on this, I already begin to think, “How can I do this differently?” Then I begin to understand that my evil and the evil of others are one and the same.

Question: Do I say that this makes me feel bad and start from there?

Answer: Yes, you should start from yourself.

Question: Will a person recognize now that he feels bad because of his “purchase”?

Answer: It is because he recognizes that he feels bad and begins to look for what to do that he will come to the conclusion that he must get rid of his egoism, of this “bad,” and perceive himself in a different way, in a different connection with others. If it is bad for others, then it is bad for me. There is no other way out.
[272644]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 8/31/20

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If a Klipa (egoistic desire) exists between us, that is where viruses can enter. But if there’s a space for holiness between us, a good connection to one another, then no harmful virus will be able to enter inside. That would be against nature’s law.

We must establish a connection between us around the entire globe. This will protect us, fill us with confidence and joy, and raise our immunity against the #Coronavirus and all other #diseases. No harmful agent will be able to get close to us, for everything depends solely on our connections.

We are born in this world, the worst of all the worlds. Let us rise to a better state! The Creator wants us to be in joy, so that, through unity, we would achieve absolute good, the upper world that is full of light and devoid of evil. The Creator draws closer when the group is brimming with joy and good connections.

We shouldn’t fear being distant or disconnected from the Creator. Even now we are in adhesion with Him, inside the Creator. So now, out of this state, let us build on the sensation of being close with the Creator, the desire to cling to Him with our hearts and minds, with all our thoughts. Nothing changes except for one’s conscious awareness.

We shouldn’t try to fight our desire—we’re never going to succeed in opposing it. We need only to ask the Creator, and everything will work out. We want the Creator to open within us the quality of bestowal, that is to reveal Himself. Then man will become like the Creator.

When the ego (desire) dies, I stop demanding for myself and become free. My eyes open, as well as sensations I hadn’t felt before, which were blocked, and I begin to sense the upper world. We need to rise above the ego through our unity, and ask the Creator to give us the force of bestowal to be in adhesion with Him.

We are eternal creatures! But we don’t feel it, as we’re locked in a tight cage that is this world. In all the universe, there is no place worse than the world we live in. Let us not be content with it. Let us awaken and look up! We must escape the authority of the ego—which aims to devour more and more—and reveal the true life.

When we find ourselves in the flow of the light of faith, it wraps us from all sides and transports us from state to state. We see other dimensions in the light of faith: not three dimensional coordinates, but an infinite number of dimensions. A round, integral world that has no end, above time and space.

There exists a spiritual reality above our world. We don’t feel it, don’t know it, don’t want to come to it. In our world, everything happens between egos-desires, with each pulling toward itself. In the upper, spiritual world, everything is the opposite: each tries to act for the benefit of the other. This is the antiworld.
From Twitter, 10/26/20

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Question: A study was conducted at Harvard for 80 years where scientists have tried to figure out the main factor for happiness in people’s lives. They concluded that relationships between people is most important.

On one hand, we really want to be happy, and we understand that the most important factor is relationships. We invest a lot of money in medicine, devote a lot of time to a healthy lifestyle even though we understand that the decisive factor even for human health is the relationship between people.

And still, no matter how much we invest, we cannot fully realize, even purely selfishly, that relationships between us are the most important thing. Why?

Answer: Because egoism is a helper against you. It does not just push you to do what is good for you. This is a very special assistant that leads you not to achieve the most comfortable animal state, but to achieve a higher state. Only in a special way.

Selfishness is built based on the fact that you abandon it and rise above it. It is constantly pushing for this, but in exactly the opposite way.

Therefore, in the material world there is no greater helper for our development than egoism although it constantly confronts us with ourselves. It constantly pushes us to struggle, to opposites, to contradictions, all in order to find out who we are, what we are, what we are for.
[272012]
From KabTV’s “Communication Skills” 7/30/20

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is the definition of altruism?“

Altruism is egoism’s opposite, and egoism is self-centeredness, or a desire to enjoy at the expense of others.

Altruism is thus giving from oneself to others, to what is outside of us—humanity and nature.

Egoism is an inward direction—a desire to receive—and altruism is an outward direction—a desire to give.

After the definition of altruism arises the question: How can human beings become genuinely altruistic?

Becoming altruistic requires participating in a supportive social and learning environment where we can learn how nature operates altruistically, and practice how to think and act similarly to nature, together with others.

Genuine implementation of altruistic attitudes in a certain environment awakens forces dwelling in nature that can instill in us an altruistic perception and sensation of reality. That is, by regularly influencing one another in a certain social setup with the greatness and importance of altruism—how it is a nature-based quality, and how our becoming altruistic can solve all of our problems and lead us to much happier and more secure lives—we can then invert ourselves from being naturally egoistic, to acquiring a second altruistic nature.

We would then become beings with outwardly-aimed thoughts, desires, actions, intentions and goals—opposite to our current inwardly-aimed egoistic operating system.

Preceding participation in an egoistic-to-altruistic transformation process is a conclusion that more and more of humanity is reaching: the understanding of our egoistic nature leading to no positive outcomes, and the realization of the need for a shift to altruism, that altruistic forces that could grant us secure our survival, and even more so, invigorate, energize and enhance our lives.

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Question: Is there a punishment for the sins of a generation? Is there a concept that children should pay for the sins of their fathers?

Answer: In general, yes. After all, we do not exist by ourselves, as we think. Usually, people believe that they can do whatever they want without realizing that they are within the framework of nature, which has its own laws.

We gradually reveal these laws at the inanimate, vegetative, and animate levels. But at the human level, we cannot reveal them. We can only assume that they exist.

The fact is that we look at inanimate, vegetative, and animate nature from the top-down, and therefore, we can understand it and somehow manage it. And we can only look at other people at our level. We do not have a “second floor” from which we can look at them. Therefore, on a human level, we constantly make mistakes. We have nothing to compare with, we do not have a second floor  to look from above to below.

According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, we must rise to the next level, called faith above reason, from which we will correctly see our earthly level and understand who we are and how we should behave.

Question: Where did the term “descent,” “decline,” or “coarsening” of generations come from?

Answer: We see that each generation develops in its own egoism, which is becoming more sophisticated, multileveled, and complex. Therefore, it pulls us down. We must necessarily balance it by striving upward.

We do not understand this yet. But in our time, we have already come to a state that allows us to understand how we can balance egoism and more or less influence our existence.

Question: Can we say that it is precisely the different level of egoism that is the cause of conflicts between generations?

Answer: Naturally. We are all selfish, but each one in one’s own way.
[269951]
From the TV program “The Post-Coronavirus Era” 5/21/2020

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