The first principle of upbringing: “Nature is unified, and we are opposite to it.”

Part two: “Reciprocity as the ground for balance”: Each component of nature strives for balance and harmony (in the language of science, to homeostasis). So do we, being part of the nature’s system, must reach equilibrium and harmony.

Unlike the still, vegetative, and animate levels of nature that aspire to balance instinctively, we have to come to oneness and mutual consideration of interests based on conscious development. This constitutes the unique difference between man and all other elements of nature.

A person must disclose the imbalance—mindfully, consciously, experientially, and logically. He must see all the positive and the negative aspects: how opposite to and how balanced with nature he is. He must feel and cultivate his receptivity to it, developing it to such a degree when his sensitivity to being in equilibrium with nature in particular would lead him to the very top of the spiritual ladder.

As Baal HaSulam states, we received the method of Kabbalah in order to become aware of our evil. We approach a new way of upbringing so we may become conscious of our evil since there is nothing else we need to do. Having experienced evil, we naturally flee from it and withdraw just enough so we don’t feel it any longer. Hence, cultivating within ourselves sensitivity toward evil, we will walk further and further away from it, always to such a distance where we can feel it no more.

Evil unfolds in our mutual hatred which makes us opposite to the nature of creation. This is the problem we are facing today: to connect all pain and misfortunes of the modern world with the lack of our interconnection, our discord with the global nature.

Our major issue is the absence of connection between us. The problem is not in shortage of natural resources and pollution. In truth, it doesn’t matter. Nature is able to clean itself up and return to the corrected state, but even this depends solely on our good interconnection.

We must look not at nature but at what is going on between us. Thereby, we will reach similarity to it.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/16/2011 on The Principles of Global Education

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The entire wisdom of Kabbalah is but the method of education. After all, a person needs to change, to grow from a “little savage” living in this world to a human similar to the Creator. We can’t even sense this—the goal is so exalted and opposite to us that it slips our perception.

We undergo changes along the path in order to become increasingly similar to the Creator. By transforming ourselves, we reveal our new states in the spiritual world, on the spiritual degrees. All these states are essentially the steps of education. We are being raised by the upper Light that surrounds us; we change and thereby go through the education process.

Hence, Kabbalah is the method that enables one to educate oneself in similarity to the Creator. We do it with the help of a teacher, the sources, and the group or the environment. This education requires differentiation between children and adults, between men and women, or various types of people. We need to look for a way to help everyone receive the correct education.

Every person who receives the spiritual awakening has to correct himself and facilitate the general correction of all. Essentially, “all” are he himself. If he relates to others in this way, he has to correct them. However, if he separates himself from the rest, he becomes a “reformer” who only corrupts himself and others.

We will have to clarify these matters and formulate them in a light and understandable manner. At this stage, all of humanity is approaching the realization of the wisdom of Kabbalah; it begins to feel the need to educate itself to the level of correspondence to the Creator. Otherwise, we will start feeling how many misfortunes our opposition to Him brings to us.

With this goal in mind, we are preparing a list of global education principles. The key is that they should be understandable for everyone. We ourselves have a relatively good idea about where they spring from. It’s not difficult for us to talk about these principles in the language of Kabbalah and in the language in which Baal HaSulam presents them, mostly in his articles. But how can we make them applicable to every person in the world? This is the problem we are facing today. We will try to solve it.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/16/2011 on The Principles of Global Education

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Question: An adult cannot pass his thoughts to a child; he only sets an example by demonstration. How do we show an example to the outside world?

Answer: In The Writings of the Last Generation, Baal HaSulam writes that we must become such a vivid example of the corrected society that the whole world would be attracted to us. We will create a system of upbringing and the correct mechanism of relationships so that the world would clearly see what it is. Kabbalah conventions and children’s successes are also wonderful models of what is possible. We will demonstrate to the entire world that it is good, and the world will desire to join in.

Our example is not in some specific place. It is everywhere; it is virtual. We are creating a virtual, spiritual state without borders and material attributes. In it, everything is built and founded on the inner connection between people, and all the rest is added based on the same principles.

This is what should draw people to us: a unique interconnection where we find a spiritual phenomenon, the Light, an eternal and perfect life. It gives a person assurance and an understanding of where he is.

Our state is nothing like the states of the world with their borders, armies, governments, ministries and agencies. No, ours is entirely virtual and spiritual.

Question cont.: What do we nevertheless demonstrate on the outside?

Answer: Don’t worry about it. We offer simple, open information to the world, and it will be received in the right way.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/15/2011 on An Integral World

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Question: There are many nongovernmental charitable organizations in the world which honestly yearn to help people. What is wrong with them? After all, these philanthropists seem to feel that their well-being depends on the welfare of the world.

Answer: That’s the root of the problem: They are helping so that they may feel at peace. A small part of the world population feels that it has to help others. A person feels more at ease, and this is what gives him or her personal satisfaction.

In charitable organizations, there are many people who have a natural need to tend to others. They are programmed with an instinct. They have to assist in order to appease themselves. Baal HaSulam writes that in the world, there are 10% of such individuals, and according to the statistics, it is 7% or 8%.

However, all of this derives from egoism and is one of its manifestations. I love the world as my own child, and I feel bad if the world feels bad. I must help Africa in order to get rid of bad feelings. That’s all.

Such assistance won’t help anybody. On the contrary, it only brings harm since the more altruists give, the more their beneficiaries get used to doing nothing and do not evolve.

A similar problem surfaced in Russia today. It turns out that high oil prices are undesirable. On the surface, it fills the treasury daily, but it’s not worth it. After all, we won’t develop like this. We will just sit on our oil pipe, make a feast, and build golden palaces, but at the same time, as a country, as a nation, we will keep degrading. It is impossible to evolve without a need. Hence, despite basic logic, they don’t wish to collect “oil money” any more and are becoming aware of such things.

All present development of the world, along with charities and the commonwealth market, is nothing but egoism’s domain. Nothing good will come out of it, no matter where it is. On the contrary, all parties are only pressuring each other. We have found the law of integral interconnection, but everyone wants to use it egoistically. “Ah, that’s what it is! Global interdependence? Let’s take over the world then. We’ll put everybody in his place, and if anybody rebels, we’ll threaten to cut off their oxygen.” This is how they wish to utilize the integral network that nature reveals to us.

We are now in a very dangerous predicament since if our egoism is tied to global interconnection, it allows it to control the entire world globally, over everyone at once. This is what is threatening us if people lack wisdom and the perception and understanding of what the future holds in store for us.

They quietly decide the fate of the world to fit their petty objectives, having no clue what it will lead to in the near future and even tomorrow. Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and Iran are vivid examples of that. In the end, everything will produce the opposite result.

The games are over. We can’t give power to our egoism any longer. When the world locks into a global system, you can’t act as you did before, ruling by gold or force. It won’t work. Iraq is a vivid demonstration of it. America’s shame is before the entire world, and they are still at it. It’s all about lacking the understanding of the integral laws. No might and no brain will solve this problem. Russia has fallen, despite all its riches, and the United States will fall even lower.

Today, the approach must be adequate to a world-wide tendency toward global integration. Otherwise, you will lose.

A little time will pass, and we will witness how even terrorist organizations will start to understand it. It will be impossible to control the world by force any longer. The arising problems will make everybody think about what to do next.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/14/2011 on An Integral World

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Humanity must come to an understanding that unity is the next stage in its development. Since we have already become one family, one nation, one system, where everyone is interdependent, there is no other choice but to accept this fact and treat it very seriously. The general system should be studied through the principal of systems engineering in order to work out and introduce laws that regulate interrelationships between people, nations, and all of humanity.

Just ask the scientists what an integral system means, and they will tell you that we are all interdependent and that no one can make a move without moving all the rest. Thus, it’s necessary to consider everyone’s interests without any exceptions. The first step is to not do to others what you wouldn’t want done to you, and the second step is to correctly and effectively implement a system that’s based on the principal of love thy neighbor as thyself.

Until we establish such an interconnection in our system, we will not see a good life. With each day, the damaged mechanism of our interconnection becomes more and more apparent. On the still level of nature, the imbalance among us will be evident through various natural disasters such as eruptions, tsunamis, earthquakes, fires, floods, hurricanes, global warming, explosions on the Sun, and so on. The Moon could also become a source of various problems. This is how the imbalance caused by us becomes apparent on the still level.

Problems on the vegetative level can affect the crops. The Egyptian plagues described in the Bible tell us in the language of allegory about the possible disasters on the vegetative and animate levels. Then, it will come to the human level.

This is why, on one hand, we must accept this integral law as a law, and on the other, we must implement the educational system as soon as possible and to explain to people why the law is as such, and why and how we must follow it.

Millions of people are unemployed in today’s’ modern world. There also exists a concealed unemployment. A lot of people will stop what they are doing because it is destructive to nature. The military-industrial workers will also become unemployed, and so on. All these people will work in a sphere of agitation and education. As a result, each person will provide what’s necessary for others.

This is exactly what we need: to produce what is necessary for each person and divide it between everyone. In addition, we must provide education. Each person has to receive his “educational portion” and his share of vital necessities. This will be the duty of worldwide governments and of the entire universal system of humanity.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/14/2011 on An Integral World

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Question: I know from experience that people don’t understand what kind of unity we are talking about. How can we explain this to them at least approximately?

Answer: Unity does not imply that I live in a common room or am acquainted with everyone. In practical terms it means that first and foremost I need to find a way to correct myself so as to not wish any harm to anybody. This is the first step.

We are not connected by mass media, text messages, or the Internet. These are merely the manifestations of the system we reside in; they are the means which allow us to feel how connected we are. The Internet will not bring unity to people; it will only explain that we are welded together, but in a negative form. After all, I use this Kli (vessel) exclusively for my own benefit and, possibly even to harm the others.

Hence, the first correction amounts to ceasing to desire any harm to a fellow human being. I begin to feel that we are inter-connected as integral parts, literally embedded into each other. I need to reveal this system since otherwise, nature will show it to me in a very unpleasant form. It strikes me in one place, and I suffer a misfortune in a totally different, seemingly unrelated place.

However, this is your part, and you have to feel this blow on yourself. If you still don’t sense what the others do, it means that you are not in the same organism, the same system, together with them. You still need to receive corrections: Either you will desire to accept them or nature will compel you to this.

For now we see how everyone is rejoicing in the others’ sorrow, each time when somebody feels bad. This is our nature. Today it is becoming revealed, and in accordance with it, we have to perform a correction.

By means of what? Kabbalists say that it’s the opinion of the environment. We have to artificially assemble around ourselves the environment which will obligate us to think differently and will educate us.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/16/2011 on The Principles of Global Education

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Question: In our world, there are many forms of unification. What unification does nature demand of us?

Answer: Nature expects us to be united as one man with one heart, to be a whole, global, integral system, similar to nature itself.

It wants us to feel each other, the needs of everybody, in thoughts and desires and to provide everybody with what he or she wants and lacks. It wishes us to support everybody in collective oneness.

This raises a lot of questions, but ultimately this is what nature requires of us. Nature wants us to resemble it: to be as one. After all, it itself is a unified system.

In this system we shouldn’t be a part that disturbs everybody, falls out of general perfection, and stands out with its corruptness. We shouldn’t be a cancerous tumor that is eating the body alive or a broken fixture that causes the engine to stall and overheat. We have to bring ourselves to correspondence with nature so as to correct ourselves at its speed.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/16/2011 on The Principles of Global Education

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Looking at natural disasters, we do not see their real reason. We understand the geological and ecological factors and the phenomena of the inanimate world. But who governs the inanimate world? "The laws of nature," we say. But that’s not an answer.

So, nonetheless, why it is happening? They tell us about the cyclical nature of processes as if it really explains something. In truth, we are steering away from the answer by shielding ourselves with soothing arguments.

However, they don’t appease a person because the problem persists and can resurface the very next moment. Moreover, even if it doesn’t, it remains uncorrected and threatens to turn into a different type of disaster.

It’s not the matter of what will explode or sweep over or where it will happen. The entire world is constantly shaken, and the amplitude of the disasters is growing day by day. We witness the speed and the magnitude of these shocks which assert themselves increasingly sharply and suddenly.

We ought to understand that there is a reason to it: our imbalance with nature. We exist in a global, holistic, and whole system. Everything is united there, and hence we don’t have any other way out: We have to consider ourselves as being absolutely interconnected. The law of a global, integral system is that everybody influences everybody else.

This should be the basis upon which we establish the rules of conduct on Earth. We cannot change human nature, but let’s do whatever is in our power to do. We need to establish the laws of cooperation, mutuality, and reciprocal concessions between the countries, nations, and various organizations. Without these laws, the system will be defunct.

The first step toward observing such laws was formulated by Hillel the Elder: "What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow." First of all, beware of harming the other. Enjoy what you have, and do not encroach upon the property, freedom, or life of others. Do not look at the others, and be happy with what you have. This is the first condition. This is not unification yet, but by this you stop infringing or harming others. Even if you haven’t yet activated the system for goodness, you stopped using it for evil.

True, today a person is incapable of this. And hence we have to engage in the general education of all humanity. Everyone should feel that he or she lives in a global, integral world and explain to themselves what it means. And it means that I simply can’t count on receiving a personal benefit at the expense of somebody else. It’s unreal, unfeasible.

We have to oblige each country, each nation to renounce forceful measures, up to the elimination of borders and any control over and exploitation of each other. This is a program minimum: There is no need for favors, but everyone should at least understand that if he harms the other, the harm returns to him in a boomerang-like manner, and ultimately he harms himself.

These norms have to be introduced into the legislature, along with the explanatory work and education. Baal HaSulam writes about this in The Writings of The Last Generation. This should be on the agenda of the world government, and not the UN which has no real power.

Here we need specifically a collective government with a real power. If someone does not collaborate with it, sanctions are applied: "You don’t want to carry out the law of cooperation? Then we will disconnect you from the system. Let’s see how you feel yourself in a global world with the pipes blocked." Indeed, not a single country or nation will be able to exist in isolation from the others.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/14/2011 on An Integral World

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Question: Today the example of the united Europe shows us that openness and integration are not very effective. In fact, they’re actually counter effective. What is missing there?

Answer: The missing link is mutual bestowal. The Europeans have created a common market. In the Kabbalistic terminology, a market is the lowest possible place where people only sell and buy things. And that is what the Europeans have in common. That is the basis upon which they united.

This kind of unification is devoid of the participation and cooperation that we are talking about. It is merely a low, wicked, material linkage. As a result, they will reveal such massive hatred among them that they won’t be able to bear it. The situation threatens to blow up in a big explosion.

There is no agreement between the Europeans. They are simply afraid that things will get even worse otherwise. Europe had counted on uniting against America—but is that really a union? Taking immigration into account, it is crippled on both legs.

Real consolidation takes place by virtue of empathy, on the human level, when we are united into a single system.
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From the 4th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/15/11

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We see that discussions on education taking place around the world leave us helpless. Nobody knows what to do about it. Everyone raises their hands. And this is why we need to grow stronger and emphasize this topic, highlighting its importance in our eyes, showing that we have a position and an understanding, a method that comes from Nature itself.

On one hand, we can prove that all our principles come from Nature. But on the other, we deliberately build on this foundation, wishing for every individual and for society as a whole to reach a certain correspondence with nature and become Human, similar to the Creator.

If we openly, seriously, and boldly demonstrate this to everyone, nobody will be able to resist it. After all, this is the place of our only free choice, and this is why humanity is so confused and lost in this area. The Creator left it to us. We are able to make everything else work one way or the other, with one exception: We do not know how to give people Light in their lives so that they can find their optimal place in it. To do this nowadays, we need to know the entire system and understand what the upper force demands of us.

We expect that the method of education will open the doors for us to different mass media channels and Internet portals, and that the governments, the UN, and UNESCO will finally hear us. And the process is already rolling since no one can steal this “copyright” from us even if they were to repeat it word for word. This is because they lack a method to realize childhood and adult education, a method that applies to all the people around the world, the method that everyone can use because in practice, human education goes straight from the upper Light to the human soul.

This is why we have joined the International Year of Youth announced by the UN. Let us hope for this to advance us and spread the method of correction around the world with the help of our groups and mentors. The method of Kabbalah can definitely be referred to as an educational method, the method of shaping a Human.
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From Lesson 3, Metzoke Dragot Convention 2/25/2011

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