From My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 4/12/20

Apprehension and uncertainty over the coronavirus have triggered a situation as contagious and widespread as the pandemic: conspiracy theories.

Since the surge of the global disease that has virtually paralyzed the planet, the blame game started between countries while people speculate about the origin of the crisis as a hidden and Machiavellian agenda implemented by powerful interest groups. By that, we do what humans know best: look for responsibility outside of ourselves. If we want to tackle the actual problem, we need to focus on its root—our selfish and uncaring human nature.

America faces its “Pearl Harbor, 9/11 moment,” warned the US surgeon general as the coronavirus death toll increases. Claims that the fatality numbers have been inflated by health officials to grandstand the current administration have invaded social media. But the conspiracy theorists have also been busy with other speculations such as the alleged link between the rollout of 5G wireless technology and COVID-19. Others hypothesize that the virus was created as a biological weapon by the elites and international organizations to reduce population and establish a new world order. The list goes on.

All this is nonsense. Alas, the initiator, the “conspirator” behind the epidemic, is far greater and more powerful than any suspected perpetrator: nature itself. This supreme force secretly knits the ultimate plan to generate a positive shift in the world. Although invisible and beyond comprehension, nature’s plan is for us to replicate its characteristics of love and giving. Its sole aim is for us to finally recognize that we are inextricably bound to an ecosystem which is integral, and this and all other crises plaguing humanity stem from our harmful attitude toward the world.

More Dangerous Than a Biological Weapon

The coronavirus was not deliberately created by humans. It is the result of the imbalance that we have provoked in nature, where only man lives solely for his own benefit and thereby causes damage. In contrast, all other levels of nature—the still, vegetative, and animal—act instinctively and take only what is necessary for their survival.

COVID-19 comes to teach all of us that our individualistic and narrow-minded paradigm of abusing our surrounding environment has led us to a dead end, to such a dangerous state that if we continue in that path, we could very well experience even more deadly consequences than the pandemic, an imminent world war.

If we focus our attention on the world’s evolutionary process, we will realize that nature is not truly secretive and scheming; its actions are actually overt and plain to see. Our inherent human nature, the persistent desire to take advantage of others through myriad self-serving thoughts and actions causes the world’s goodness to be concealed from us. Thus, we have generously been given time for soul searching that will allow us to contemplate change.

If we unite not only at a time of trouble or during an epidemic, but rather from a profound sense of connection based on healthy bonds of friendship, brotherhood and mutual concern, we will resemble the quality of nature within its integral system. Then, the more we become similar to it, the higher and more intricate the level of balance we will attain.

This is the rumor that needs to spread across the world. It is precisely now, during the coronavirus crisis, that we must begin a comprehensive educational process on mutual responsibility that will develop within us the awareness that we have no choice but to function as an integral part of the one, interdependent and interconnected system. The call of the hour is to bring about global awareness of how mankind must behave within the system of nature, what our proper function is vis a vis the world, and how to achieve harmony and correct communication between us.

[The closed Caesars Palace Las Vegas Hotel & Casino sign is seen illuminated as the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues, on the Las Vegas strip in Las Vegas, Nevada U.S., April 10, 2020. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton]

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From My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 4/12/20

COVID-19, like Pharaoh, presses us to come out of Egypt, namely our ego. It shows us that we are dependent on each other and it is pointless and foolish to care only for ourselves. Egypt is not a place; it is a state of being locked inside the ego with no way to come out. But these days, as we recognize our interdependence, we acknowledge that unless we do it together, we will never be freed of Pharaoh, the coronavirus.

The heart will never agree to mutual responsibility on its own. It will always be forced to accept it. But it’s better to agree to cultivate mutual concern of our own volition than through the pressure of tyrants like the crown (corona) virus.

Yet, when we accept the commitment to care for one another, we will discover, like the children of Israel, a land flowing with milk and honey—the delight and pleasures found in warm, caring connections among all. Today, we must forge these connections in all of humanity.

[An army member walks beside a model of ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun’s death mask made from coffee cups at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, Egypt December 28, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY]

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From My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 4/11/20

We are about to live in a new world, a very different world from the one we’ve known. We will change many of our engagements. We will come to like staying more at home and will do our business over the internet. Many of our current businesses and activities will become obsolete or profoundly different after COVID-19.

It will be many more months before the coronavirus is gone, if not more. When we return to normalcy, it will be a different normal: our engagements and preferences will be different and we will live in a different world because we ourselves will be different people. But it will be a better life.

Life is about more than getting to know what restaurants or culture each country and city has to offer. We were going with the flow, but I think the flow will change. It will be a more relaxed world and people will be more contemplative and calm.

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From My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 4/10/20

COVID-19 is not just another blow. It is the first time in history that a crisis simultaneously strikes the whole world: every country, continent, and island. The virus has tied all of us together with an invisible thread, all the nations and all the people. It has proven to us that we are all not only connected, but are dependent on one another. As we try to emerge from the crisis, we will discover that no one can become virus free unless we all become virus free. We are in a state of global mutual responsibility. I am grateful for this revelation because realizing this interdependence allows us to begin to tilt all of humanity toward unity and love of others. Now everyone will understand that it’s all of us or none of us at all.

https://www.facebook.com/MichaelLaitman/photos/a.236229419813674/2279905275446068/?type=1&theater

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From My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 4/9/20

The European Union was born in sin and will die in agony. It was forged in order to give Europe a competitive edge against the US and the strengthening China and Russia. It focused almost exclusively on creating a common market and a common currency, but it gave no thought to the social implications of a union of peoples that have been on and off at war with one another for centuries.

The monetary union created a powerful currency but impoverished many of its member states and left them dependent, despondent, and denigrated. It did not create union; it created even more hatred. Monetary union without solidarity, a sense of national pan-European patriotism, is unsustainable. The migrant crisis almost took it apart as it pushed the UK out of the EU but it managed to persist. The coronavirus crisis, however, seems to be a blow that the EU will not survive. In my view, it is for the best.

Globalization – a Great Idea Done Wrong

In principle, union is a great idea. It’s the right way to go because all of reality is evolving toward greater unity and collaboration. Evolution went from the simplest particles to compositions of particles that created atoms, which created molecules, which created organisms, and so forth. Likewise, human society evolved from clans to settlements that grew into cities, counties, countries, and empires.

However, there is a fundamental difference between the way nature evolves and the way human society evolves. As nature evolves, it maintains balance and harmony. A concept of overconsumption doesn’t exist in nature because every animal takes only what it needs for its survival. With humans, where the ego rules, overconsumption is the kernel of our existence. The more we have compared to others, the more we value ourselves. Therefore, any alliance has, by default, an ulterior motive to hurt someone else—an enemy of the alliance, one of the members of the alliance, or both. This is human nature, but it contradicts nature’s core principle of evolution that it must be based on balance and harmony.

In order to create lasting monetary globalization, the people in the participating member states must first choose to do so. This is a profound and extended process that requires adopting a pan-national identity that is stronger than the national identity. Only when people sympathize with the multinational entity more than with their own nation state will they agree to such a transformation.

No such preparation was done in Europe. As a result, the stronger countries, following their inherent nature to exploit, plundered the smaller, weaker economies and left them destitute and dishonored. Now that the coronavirus has struck, the enmity and distrust among them is surfacing and proves that they cannot rely on one another. They need to put the EU to rest and start over. And the first step in that direction is to return to nurturing their local economies.

It is not that countries should not forge unions. On the contrary, I believe that in the end, when we have overcome our selfishness, we will not need borders and the notion of the nation state will evaporate. But we are nowhere near there yet. Instead, we must be sensible, acknowledge our self-centeredness, and try to agree on rules and boundaries that will keep our savageness in check and allow all of us to live in relative peace and stability.

Subsequently, we should begin to teach ourselves about the unity that exists in nature, where every part contributes its skills and receives from the collective everything it needs in order to thrive. When we gradually come to see that a collective existence is not only safer than individualistic competition, but also much more rewarding, we will be able to cautiously, slowly, and wisely build a common entity. But this will not be a European, American, Russian or Chinese entity, but a global human race.

Until then, we must accept and respect our differences.

(Image: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen holds a news conference detailing EU efforts to limit economic impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Brussels, Belgium April 2, 2020. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir/Pool)

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From My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 4/8/20

Every Passover night, during the ceremonial meal, there is a custom to pour one extra cup of wine and keep it for Elijah the Prophet as a welcoming gesture. Passover symbolizes passing over from egoism to altruism, and Elijah symbolizes the force that changes us from love of ourselves to loving our neighbors. Egypt symbolizes our egoism, and we begin to feel Egypt as an exile when we begin to want to emerge from our egoism. The more we want to pass over to love of others, the more we suffer from our ego and the darker Egypt becomes for us.

Finally, Egypt becomes so dark that we cannot see anything good about it. It is a state of intense recognition of my selfishness, and a request from the bottom of the heart that the Creator will change me so I will no longer harm or harbor bad thoughts about others. When the request is so intense that no prize or booty can tempt me to even want to enjoy it egoistically, the transition from bad to good occurs. That transition is called “the coming of Prophet Elijah.”

Happy passing over!

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From My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 4/9/20

Flattening the Negativity Curve about the Future

One thing we have certainly learned from the coronavirus quarantine is that nature could live peacefully without our interference. As countries begin to consider lifting the lockdowns imposed to avoid further contagion, we see unequivocal signs of the planet’s ecological recovery. Nature is a master teacher, now it is our turn to become exemplary students, pass the difficult test handed to us, and advance a grade by improving the relationship between us and the environment.

“As people stopped commuting and traveling, the Earth’s surface vibrated less,” reads a recent National Geographic article which explains how the coronavirus has “quieted” the world with the measures to curb the pandemic, thus reducing seismic noise. It puts in perspective the tremendous impact of humans on nature for better or worse.

Since COVID-19 pushed the world’s pause button, satellite images released by NASA show a significant reduction in toxic emissions and pollution in America. The air is dramatically cleaner in big cities across the globe, the chirping of birds has replaced the unbearable metropolis noise, and animals reclaim their habitats penetrating the big cities. One obvious conclusion is that instead of man’s hectic race to manipulate the world, it is much better when we sit quietly and allow nature to breathe, recover itself, and bloom.

Our attempts to control others out of pride, and particularly, our predatory behaviors toward each other, have brought despair and affliction upon us. However, humankind has the ability to consciously make a change. The first step toward change is awareness. Otherwise, it is impossible to fix something that we just assume works well.

Back to “Normal?”

If we stop producing, acquiring, and accumulating the unnecessary stuff that is choking the planet, if we discuss and internalize what really matters in life and invest more time in nurturing good and healthy relationships, we will stop feeling that life is a dead-end road and our future will seem brighter and clearer.

Like never before, we are on the verge of a historic breakthrough. As humanity impatiently awaits the reopening of society and businesses, we should not become nostalgic about the past. Returning to what we call “normal” would be returning to the abnormal state that constantly left us unfulfilled, chasing unrealistic goals, and immersed in exhausting competition to succeed at all cost. However, since the old, egoistic patterns have proven themselves unworkable, it is worthwhile to look forward to welcome change, instead of backward. Ultimately, the current crisis has come to raise us and all of creation to a higher level of existence, so we would be wise to flow with the harmonious power of nature and allow it to heal us.

How do we ensure that we do not derail our trajectory toward a renewed and rehabilitated world? We will stay on the right track if we realize that nature is whole and round, where all its elements must be connected in one integral system in which they support and complement each other.

Humanity needs to replicate this pattern and move in sync with nature by gradually refraining from treating one another badly. We must understand that we constitute a delicate system in which each person depends on the other and we need to constantly strengthen social cohesion. This is the formula of nature for a wonderful and balanced existence, one that is complete and eternal. Thus, it is precisely from this enormous coronavirus crisis that we can flatten pessimism about the future and raise the curve of the positive new life.

[People stand and cheer healthcare workers outside Mount Sinai West Hospital at 7pm during outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York]

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From My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 4/7/20

World leaders naturally want to restore the kind of civilization we’d had prior to Coronavirus since they were the ones on top. They had power, control, and wealth, so of course they want to restore it. But COVID-19 changed the lives of all of us, and they will not return to what they were. Once the shock is over, we will discover that our lives have become far better.

Until how, we’ve been driven by ruthless competitiveness; we were at each other’s throats, and the only ones who gained from it were the rich and powerful. The coronavirus forced us all to stop and rethink everything. For example, isn’t it odd that the economy collapses as soon as we buy only what we really need? Shouldn’t it be the other way around, that buying what we really need makes for a healthy market?

The virus forced us to return to the basics, to normalcy. If we revert to our old ways, nature has got many more bugs in store. The message it sends is simple: “Your days of dog-eat-dog are over. If you don’t learn to live for one another, you will not live at all.”

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From My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 4/7/20

CBS46 reporters Tim Lister, Sebastian Shukla, and Fanny Bobille wrote that there is “A new kind of global war as countries battle it out for masks and PPE (personal protective equipment).” “The U.S. diverted 200,000 respirator masks destined for Berlin”; “Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha González Laya said an order for ventilators that had already been paid for had been impounded in Turkey.” Unspecified “American customers … had tried to pay Chinese suppliers three or four times the agreed price to get critical supplies diverted” from France. The Brazilian government has also claimed that US demand is vacuuming up available supplies” and that they tried to purchase PPE but “a lot of them fell through” to American hands.

But countries aren’t only stealing from one another; they are also preventing exports of equipment, thus “testing existing relationships and alliances,” according to the article. For example, the French government seized all masks that are made in France, and Newsmax writes that America threatens to take legal action against China for restricting exports of PPE.

I understand why they are doing this; it’s human nature. At the same time, I understand that this kind of behavior, especially now, will backfire against those countries. UN environment chief, Inger Andersen, told The Guardian, “Nature is sending us a message with the coronavirus pandemic.” I think it’s more than a message; I think it’s a warning shot, a scratch on the skin, but of no real harm to humanity.

We are surrounded by insects, rodents, and wild animals that we have forced to come near us by ruining their habitat, and each of them carries an untold number of viruses and germs that could potentially be far worse than COVID-19. What if, for instance, the Ebola virus that mutated into a more contagious but less aggressive strain and started the 2014 West African Ebola epidemic had mutated into something even more contagious or more violent? This is just one example, but nature is very creative when it comes to plagues.

Those who steal masks are not only harming themselves; they are harming everyone, the whole planet. We must realize that we cannot keep using our egos as if there is no tomorrow. The corona genie is already out of the bottle and demands that we stop. We’d better listen because it can make us pay.

There is no place to hide from it, even for the wealthy, who contemplate riding out the plague in their secluded mansions. If the virus could spread as far as Easter Island and sicken someone who has not been in contact with anyone from outside the island, then the virus can go anywhere.

The only solution to stopping the coronavirus, and any other bug that’s lurking in the entrails of some animal, is to stop the spread of meanness toward each other and toward nature. And we must start with one another and from there advance toward nature, not the other way around. Only once we transition our ill-will toward each other, we will be able to transition it toward everything else: climate, trees, animals, and nature as a whole.

We cannot learn what care means before we care for one another. We cannot be happy unless we create a society whose members are happy to be together. And if we’re not happy, there is no chance we will be kind to nature, to each other, or even to ourselves.

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From My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 4/5/20

First, Coronavirus taught us how beautiful nature can be when we are forced out of it, as images from around the world showed animals strolling in places that were once filled with only one species – humans. Next, Nature Magazine writes that “Researchers who study Earth’s movement are reporting a drop in seismic noise — the hum of vibrations in the planet’s crust.” Against our will, but almost instantly, we have become kind to nature, and nature is rejuvenating.

Now it’s time to take our (compulsory) kindness to the next level, to our fellow men and women, and put on masks. We must wear them not because we don’t want to catch the bug; that’s a given. We must wear them because we don’t want to pass the bug to others! If we all think of ourselves as infected, we will all put on masks and the plague will stop in no time. It’s as simple as that.

Indeed, we are infected, with ill-will. This is what’s causing our ill-health. Let’s let COVID-19 teach us how to fix our ill-health together as a first step toward correcting our ill-will toward each other.

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