Comment: Some scholars profess that we should understand that war is the normal state of humanity at all times. What do you think about this statement?

My Response: We see throughout history that peace cannot exist without war and that there are periods of peace and periods of war.

If this is what happened historically, then we must accept this as given.

Comment: But I do not want to accept this!

My Response: Then you need to find a method in which war does not take place in the form it does now. It will take place within the world. This is what Kabbalah says, that a person should fight with himself a little every day. And then he will have no need or no inclination to fight with others.

Question: With what should I fight in myself?

Answer: Fight with your egoism with which you want to conquer the entire world, tie everyone up, and so on. On the contrary, all this is unnecessary.

Question: Does it mean that it is egoism that bursts out into wars?

Answer: Of course it is our egoism that forces us to fight each other. Here we need to understand that we can slowly balance this egoism, and this should be our daily work.

Question: And then it will not burst out into wars?

Answer: In no way will it burst out because it will not be necessary. I will fight with myself every day, and thus I will not have to fight with someone.

On the contrary, I will need to take everyone as a helper against my egoism.

Comment: This is very practical advice!

My Response: Tell it to those who start wars.

Comment: How can we tell this to all of them? After all, this is really how wars arise, over pride, over egoism, over the statement “I said!”.

My Response: We can clearly see that.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 2/24/22

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Why do we lose control all of a sudden?“

There was an unfortunate case recently of a 20-year-old calling the police multiple times in severe mental distress. Eventually, the officer on duty who took her calls lost patience, telling her: “Kill yourself quietly already.” Weeks later, she committed suicide. The officer who took her calls claimed that he felt deeply ashamed, and became immediately removed from his position. Each of us seemingly has a certain limit before we totally lose it and no longer are in control of our actions. Why are we made that way?

We are made with a certain limit beyond which we lose control in order for us to be able to eventually change our nature from the desire to receive to the desire to bestow.

When we relate to others out of an attitude of bestowal, where we purely wish to benefit them without any self-interest intertwined, then we understand them and their pains. Then, instead of losing our patience with them, we discover opportunities to help, support, praise and elevate them.

We should thus focus on increasing our sensitivity to each other, which is achieved first and foremost by listening to explanations of how interconnected and interdependent we are. By increasing our inclination to positively connect throughout human society, then we attract upon ourselves the positive force of connection that dwells in nature, and by doing so, we eventually start feeling that we live in a single system.

Such is the shift from the corporeal animate level of existence that we currently live on, to an awakening into a whole new human level of existence, where we feel ourselves as parts of a single whole. In such a state, we would feel close to each other, and we would have no sensation of others stressing us out or pushing us out of balance. Instead, we would seek opportunities to help, support and encourage others.

We would then view people who approach us with requests for help as doing us favors. It would no longer be difficult for us to connect with others, to feel and serve them. The more people would call us and nag us, then the more we would feel that such people help us rise from the animate level of existence to the human level—where we are in a mode of constant giving without a shred of selfish interest intertwined—and we would thus realize the purpose of our lives through this egoistic-to-altruistic transformation of our attitudes and relations.

Based on the video “Why Do We Lose Control All of a Sudden?” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Oren Levi. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Question: Since ancient times, especially in ancient Greece, people noticed that the abuse of power leads to mental disorders. There are many different symptoms that result from a person staying in high positions for a long time. The ancient Greeks called this phenomenon pride and said that divine retribution comes for it.

How does Kabbalah relate to such a phenomenon as a thirst for power?

Answer: The thirst for power is the main thing that is in a person who wants to rule over what is around him and to manage and retain power.

See how a child grabs everything, holds it, pulls it to itself, and takes it into its mouth. This is the thirst for power, our basic state, so that everything I see and feel is in my power, in my strength, in my desires, states, and possibilities. I want to conquer all this, suppress it, and bring it closer to me.

In principle, the lust for power is necessary for our existence. If we don’t desire something, we won’t be able to breathe, eat food, and so on. The thirst for power begins with such elementary actions and ends with the fact that a person loses his mind because of his irrepressible desire to rule over everything, to suppress and control, and not knowing where to throw himself so as not to miss something.

The desire to dominate begins with a natural state and can acquire monstrous proportions.
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From KabTV’s “Spiritual States” 3/22/22

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Question: The ideologists of education, such as the philosophers Rousseau and Diderot raised the question of the structure of society to achieve peace, with the cornerstone of political freedom, equal rights, and civil equality.

Can equality of all be the foundation for peace?

Answer: There can be no equality of all because if there are two people, then it is already implied that they are not the same, somewhere in some ways they are not equal.

The concept of equality implies that there is still a contradiction inside that can be balanced. However, this equilibrium will exist in a dynamic state of inequality, which must be constantly addressed and corrected.

That is, equality cannot be reached in such a way that I achieved it once and that’s it. It must be reached and then constantly maintained and developed. There can be no such a thing as done and gone in the world at all.

Question: Is it possible that there is one point at which everyone can be equal?

Answer: No everyone cannot be equal. Then it will be just one person.
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From KabTV’s “Kabbalah Express” 3/4/22

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Comment: Many people today, especially young people, are increasingly reducing their degree of consumption. This is becoming a new trend.

My Response: In principle, this is sensible and correct from all points of view. All consumption should be limited. Otherwise, it causes various undesirable consequences. This is first.

Second, we lived already through years when we were just beginning to cultivate the Earth by modern methods. There were abundant deposits and minerals.

Today we are discovering the limitations of such an attitude toward the Earth. This, in principle, is not a bottomless sphere, but a very complex system. What we are leaving for our children is unclear.

Question: It is estimated that if all of humanity rises to the standard of living of the United States, we would need four planets with such a volume of minerals, materials, and production to provide the whole world with the level at which America lives.

I wonder if America will reduce consumption or will there be any other solutions? Maybe a virtual world, where people will need fewer material things, will replace this?

Answer: I am sure that the problem here, of course, is not in America and in the number of people, but in the fact that, unfortunately, we are controlled by great egoists who feel only replenishment of their own pockets. They do not care what happens next with this pocket even though everything is disappearing from it as well.

This is a pure type of egoism where a person feels that he gets more and more of something in banks, factories, and enterprises.

The only thing that we need here is serious re-education. Otherwise, the planet will force us to switch to a different consumption regime. But it will be a forced regime. Look at how hard it is in countries in many parts of the world. People will have to starve.

Question: And this is despite the fact that now we throw away half of the food we produce?

Answer: Yes. People will have to starve not only because of this but because there really will be no food. Look at what is happening to forests and fields. There is no way to reverse it. Half of the people will die out. The other half will understand that it is impossible to live like this and will slowly limit themselves. But they will still not achieve anything by this.

We will have to understand that only our good relationships will give us an understanding of how to treat ourselves and nature correctly. It requires a new attitude of a person toward people and the world around them. And this is our entire egoism.

This scenario of the extinction of half the planet is possible but not necessary. Our planet, as Baal HaSulam writes, can feed tens of billions of people. No problem! But only on condition that we cultivate the land, plant, harvest, and distribute it for this very reason. Then everyone will have enough of everything.

Question: Obviously, it is necessary to re-educate not only ordinary people, but first of all managers who make decisions?

Answer: Absolutely everyone! Absolutely everyone in our world will have to change themselves, their attitude to the world, and not as an individual consumer but as a social unit consisting of billions of people. We will have to perceive all this as one single whole. Then there will be enough of everything for everyone.
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From KabTV’s “Virtual world” 2/9/22

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Question: How does Kabbalah relate to the death penalty? Should there be a death penalty for murder?

Answer: As a deterrent, yes. It was used this way in ancient times. The death sentence was passed once every 70 years, and it was considered a brutal trial. Imagine how rarely this was used!

The death penalty, as such, should exist. A person should understand that other corrections are possible. The execution is not just death, but it also cuts you off from the opportunity to correct yourself because it means we do not want you to achieve correction in this life, with our help, in connection with us. This is, of course, terrible! And it is a whole system.

It may seem to someone that I am saying rather ordinary things. In fact, Kabbalah implies to these things huge layers of influence, education, and decision-making. Moreover, decisions are made by the whole society. The trial should be public and in no case private.

Today, various trial scenes are shown on television. But this is theater! Instead, everything should be in practice. People should take an active part in the education of members of society and definitely including schoolchildren. But, of course, this is a matter of the future.
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From KabTV’s “Close-Up. Presumption of innocence” 3/10/10

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This generation is coming to a state where nothing is left for them to look forward to in this world. On one hand, the world seems to have become so accessible, but on the other hand, so insufficient that I just don’t know what I am doing here.

Therefore, today, the question about the meaning of life strikes everyone.

Almost half of humanity is in a state of concealed or overt depression to the point that depression has become a viral disease that infects both people and the animals living close to us. Antidepressants are now available even for cats and dogs. And from person to person depression is transmitted almost through the air.

In the near future, we will see an even greater descent. It began in the 1960’s when disillusionment and nihilism started to manifest.

Previously it seemed to us that they were characteristic only of special “golden” youth. However, this is a serious problem that we don’t know how to handle. Drugs, divorce, antidepressants, and private psychologists, one tries anything he can, and in the end, he is glad to be leaving this world.
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From KabTV’s “Close-Uup. Summing Up” 4/7/10

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What should we learn from the Ukraine and Russia War?“

We need to learn that the reason for war is the hatred that dwells among us all. Also, we need to wage war on this hatred, to push ourselves into the fight against our own ego—the force within us that constantly makes us consider self-benefit over benefiting others—in order to rise above our egos and positively connect to each other. By doing so, we will win and reach a state where there is no war.

At the moment, we see that each side points out the other side as the egoists, the fascists, and it is snowballing. We see repeats of scenes that we thought belonged 100 or so years in the past: from refugee children and elderly people standing outside in the freezing cold, to horrific scenes of the aftermath of battle. However, our ego will show us scenes from even a thousand years ago until we reach the decision that we need to let go of it.

While our ego is our nature, and it is natural to think about ourselves over others, what we miss in such a picture is that we need to reach the recognition of evil. “Recognition of evil” means becoming aware of the inherent evil of our egoistic nature; that our ego lets us feel only ourselves, and instead of ourselves, we need to feel others, i.e. to transition from “me to we.”

Such a transition is called “correction.” Until we undergo such a correction, our sense of self—our ego—will continue making us suffer. We should thus seek how we can make the monumental shift from “me to we” as quickly as possible, and focus our prayers also for this most significant correction to happen.
Based on the video “What Should We Learn from the Russia-Ukraine War?” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Oren Levi. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On The Times of Israel: “Israel Is Only the Beginning”

A few days ago, Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Israel’s prime minister, Naftali Bennett, and the de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, held a confidential meeting in Egypt. The three met to discuss possible repercussions of the new nuclear pact with Iran. I think there is good reason for concern. While the Iranian people are not inherently hostile to Israel, the extremist regime of the Ayatollahs seeks world domination, and wiping Israel off the map is part of their plan to rule the world.

A nuclear agreement will not prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. On the contrary, it will lift sanctions, release seized funds, and enable the fanatic regime to develop whatever it wants. This should be of great concern not only for Israel, but for every country in the world, and first and foremost for the countries in the region. This is why the leaders of countries that are threatened by the nuclear ambitions of Iran’s leadership met, and the unlikely alliance should send a warning signal for everyone.

The war in Ukraine and the looming nuclear pact signal to all of us that we must make a thorough revision of everything. We need to carefully examine what we want with ourselves, what we expect from life, from humanity, what future we are preparing for our children, if any, and what future we would like to build for them.

At the current levels of belligerence around the world, there is only one direction where the world can go: destruction. As Russia’s foreign minister has warned, if we end up in another world war, it will be a nuclear one. At the end of the war, we will still have to rethink everything, just as I am suggesting now, so why not do it while we are still here, instead of leaving it to the tormented few who will survive a global nuclear extinction?

I think we should all realize that from here on, things will only deteriorate until everything collapses. If we understand this, we will be able to agree to sit down and contemplate how we can prevent the impending catastrophe. We will succeed only if everyone agrees and cooperates. Since today, every country can set off a world war, all the countries must convene and jointly resolve to reform their connections.

There will be no affinity among the countries, no warmth or sympathy. However, it will buy us time to start building a new spirit.

Then, when we understand that no one succeeds unless we all succeed, we will be able to build a common world society where nations are not inherently hostile to each other, and even respect each other’s contribution to the world society. In such a state, we will be able to resolve differences without violence.
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Question: How will work with artificial intelligence and robotics end? Is artificial intelligence better than natural? Or is it all really a conspiracy against humanity?

Answer: The machine will always be just an auxiliary part next to a person. It will never be able to manage itself, invent laws, and implement them.

Man is made of different material. It has higher matter, the property of bestowal, in addition to the property of receiving, and has the possibility of rising above itself. We still do not know these well enough and do not use them.

And I know this for sure, and therefore I say that a person can have no doubt, the machine will not take possession of him. You can, of course, create a robot that will chase people and beat them with a stick, but nothing more. A machine can trick us at ATMs or anywhere else, but it won’t be smarter than a human.

Artificial intelligence is not intelligence, but just a calculating machine. In principle, they have not gone away: the same zeros and ones are counted, only faster. And a person does not just count zeros and ones, but also has emotions. We need time to realize this. Therefore the passion for artificial intelligence will gradually pass.
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From KabTV’s “Meetings with Kabbalah” 1/5/22

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