Question: In his articles, Baal HaSulam writes about narrow egoism. He says that there is a difference between the fact that a person just wants to enjoy, which is really our nature, and narrow egoism in which a person wants to enjoy at the expense of others, using them. What is the problem here?

Answer: The problem is in enjoying at the expense of someone else. Generally I feel good when I enjoy myself and maybe even better when I compare myself to others and see that I am better off, luckier, and so on.

This is growing egoism, which depends on the ego of society and the people.

Comment: So this is different from animal egoism, because animals do not have this.

My Response: No, in animals, everything is only focused on themselves.

Question: But in relation to the goal of creation, the development of humanity, what is the problem with narrow egoism? Suppose a person uses another, that is natural?

Answer: The problem is that he does not want to let the other grow and reach certain heights in profession, society, family, but wants to be above him.

Comment: So what is the problem here? We have been developing this way for tens of thousands of years. And what have we achieved? In principle, a normal society—look at the progress. We live tens, hundreds, of times better than a hundred years ago.

My Response: Undoubtedly. But this happens not by decreasing egoism, but by increasing it. There is nothing good about it. Because if I look to the future, it turns out that by being more egoistic, I win compared to the others. I want them to be less egoistic so that I have the opportunity to dominate them.

This discrepancy practically makes people unhappy.
[331490]
From KabTV’s “Era of the Last Generation” 6/27/24

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Sergey writes:

Is communism bad or is it good? I see how my parents yearn for the old times. And I, looking at today, am not very joyful either. Why couldn’t we build communism? We really wanted it!

Answer: Communism cannot exist without the prior education of society as a whole. Therefore, it is just an illusion, a dream, but quite achievable if people want it.

Question: What was the mistake?

Answer: The mistake was that people were forced to live as if under communism.

Question: How should it have been? What is preliminary education?

Answer: People need to be educated first. And when people want it, then it can be gradually introduced.

Question: How many people need to want it so that it would not be a bloody revolution?

Answer: It does not have to be a revolution at all. It could be a small group of people, like a Kibbutz, that shows it is possible to live this way.

Question: And if they start living this way and suddenly it works, what happens next? Does it start spreading across the world?

Answer: It depends on those in the group.

Question: But do they want it to spread across the world?

Answer: Yes and no. They might want it, but they understand that on a large scale it is still impossible.

Question: So it is not time yet?

Answer: Yes.

Question: What determines if the time has come for equality to spread across the world?

Answer: It is the moral level of society. How society itself desires to bring all its members to unity, to a common level, and so on.

Question: So, here you say, not by force? Everything should be by consensus?

Answer: Of course.

Question: Someone who lives well, earns well, and lives well under capitalism, for example, will he really want to come to this society of equals and so on? What do you think?

Answer: It depends on education.

Question: So he might have such consciousness?

Answer: Yes.

Question: So in conclusion: first education, then non-revolutionary transition?

Answer: Of course. Absolutely!

Question: You have already answered a bit, but still Sergey asks this question: “Still, will communism happen, or is it utopia?”

Answer: I think it will happen, let’s call it communism, but it will not be what we think. It will be a special, wise society where everyone will understand that in such a state it is better for them.

Question: And still, will it be a society of equals, or is it not correct to call it that?

Answer: Equals, yes. But in what?

Question: Yes, that is the question. And what is true equality?

Answer: True equality is that each person is given the opportunity to achieve their dream.

Question: So, you move toward your dream.

Answer: Yes. And what dream he wants to fulfill depends on the education.

Question: That is beautiful! So, you move toward your dream, everyone does that, and then you are kind of equal with them?

Answer: You hold onto it and move forward.

Question: Sergey also asks you: “Dear Michael, what would you say to elderly people who really believed in the ideals of equality, fraternity? Was that correct?”

Answer: It was correct. It was such a time. So there is no need to worry that you were forced or taught some nonsense and you believed in it, and life went on. No. We will still come to this gradually. I think people will come to it.

But communism must be based on education, mutual respect, love, and connection with each other. That is what is said in the Torah: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” And all problems are solved by this.

Comment: Just come to this point, and then everything will roll on.

Answer: Yes.
[331524]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 5/13/24

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Question: There are two opposites in Israeli society. On one hand, we are a stiff-necked people with rigid walls separating us. On the other hand, we feel that we are one nation, and this has been preserved for thousands of years. The sense of community is strongly manifested in times of danger and tragedy.

What type of altruism, the most genuine mutual assistance, is needed for Israeli society? What should we strive for in order to direct a part of our lives toward altruism?

Answer: Throughout thousands of years we have experienced many twists and turns in our history. The most important thing for us is to be ready to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of the overall connection of the entire society, the entire nation. This is what Kabbalah calls for, and I believe this is correct.
[331999]
From KabTV’s “Kabbalah Express” 6/30/24

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Question: What are the stages of recognizing the evil of our egoistic nature? Is it a cumulative process and recognition comes suddenly? Or is it happening gradually?

Answer: The recognition of our egoism occurs gradually. It is not present in newborn children. As they grow, we gradually teach children in kindergarten, at school, and further in life that egoism harms them both when in contact with other people, in mastering skills for some kind of work, and so on.

It turns out that on the other hand, egoism helps us. It corrects us and forces us to be better than we really are so that we do not show ourselves as complete egoists in relation to other people. After all, in that case they will treat us the same way.

Question: How does the recognition of the harmfulness of our egoism occur? Look how many wars, how much suffering is there. Where is this recognition? Do we see how the ego harms us?

Answer: We see it and slowly abandon it. People have no other choice. I cannot go out on the street and rob others.

Question: In principle, yes. For this reason, society has created such laws.

Answer: Society must continue to create all kinds of restrictions on human behavior. We see that each generation assumes other obligations—new, better ones. In this way, we gradually rise above our egoistic nature.
[331718]
From KabTV’s “Era of the Last Generation” 6/27/24

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Question: Baal HaSulam writes that there is a law that the branch is close to its root. He hints that we are the consequence of some upper force, which is the root cause. If the Creator is one, unique, and unified, then the urgent need for individualism manifests in us. So what is the problem?

Answer: On one hand, we are given egoistic properties and we inevitably fulfill them. On the other hand, we must rise above our egoism to altruism. And we cannot do it.

Moreover, our ego drives us into a corner as we are eager to fight with each other and make our lives miserable.

Question: We see that egoism constantly develops and narrows. Is there a limit to its development or is it endless?

Answer: No, we are gradually beginning to understand the narrowness and baseness of egoism. It does not allow us to exist in joy, correct communication with each other, in mutual assistance. Egoism manifests itself in a negative form.

Question: Let’s say that in 200 years, it will stop developing. Can we say that egoism will stop growing at some point?

Answer: I cannot say that in 200 years it will stop. Egoism develops along with us and forces us to be more egoistic each time. When this stage of egoism in us ends is not written anywhere and it may not end. It will be eternal to the extent that we must limit it.

If over time we understand how much it brings us down and does not allow us to create the right society, family, ourselves, and children, then to the extent that we begin to comprehend its harm, the terrible, narrow, vile life into which it plunges, we can act against it.
[331620]
From KabTV’s “Era of the Last Generation” 6/27/24

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Question: If you look at the process that is happening now in the development of humanity with slightly different eyes, is it correct? We see how people’s lives have become easier. Society limits egoism. If earlier you could go out and do whatever you want with impunity, today the individual is very much protected. In principle, this is correct, is this progress?

Answer: This is progress, but of course it is still not enough.

Question: Yes, this still does not lead to the recognition of the evil of human nature. From the point of view of what Baal HaSulam writes and what we study in Kabbalistic sources, recognition can only exist when there is some kind of standard. What could this standard be? What should we look up to?

Answer: Kabbalists describe this as an example of the last generation, as an example of human society reaching some new milestones so that we climb them like degrees of a ladder, and at each degree we master new rules, new obligations, new types of connections between us.

We cannot yet implement the principles set forth in Baal HaSulam’s article “The Last Generation,” but we can compare our current state and relationships in society with the way it should be.

Question: In other works, Baal HaSulam writes that the Creator Himself is the standard. But we cannot take Him as an example since He is concealed and everyone deciphers the Creator as they wish.

Therefore, I ask: How can a person come to the recognition of evil if he has no standard, no society with correct ideas from which to take an example?

Answer: No, we will gradually build such a society, starting with nurseries, kindergartens, schools, and ending with higher educational institutions and society. We are trying to introduce an educational image, an educational force into all these institutions, to give them the right leadership. Still, the world is changing.
[331762]
From KabTV’s “Era of the Last Generation” 6/27/24

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Question: Effective altruists believe that the lives of future generations have the same value as the lives of people currently living. Therefore, they focus their activities on reducing future risks to human development.

That is, I can equally invest in improving life now or, say, in two generations. Is this the right approach?

Answer: No, we must strive for greater productivity from our investments. So, I do not think it should be like that.

Comment: If we expand this question from a business point of view. There are local goals and global, strategic goals that businessmen try to calculate for a long period of time. That is, strategically, I want to calculate something that will take a long time and will bear fruit perhaps in a generation or two.

Answer: I believe that it is impossible for us to calculate this now. Maybe this will be possible with the development of artificial intelligence. But even this is just the beginning of a new movement.

I think that so far, we have no serious grounds for this. We are unable to assess the future in a generation or two.

Question: Is it better to really invest in what you have now rather than make illusory plans for the distant future?

Answer: Yes, we see that in our time, no matter what we invest in, there is a certain percentage that is not fulfilled and do not provide profit in any form.
[331665]
From KabTV’s “Kabbalah Express” 6/30/24

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Question: In principle, the usual investment of funds in some projects is usually a big problem because the money often just disappears, and we see no results.

However, effective altruists want to see results. Their approach is criticized because it is extremely difficult or almost impossible to predict the results on several levels.

We have many examples of this. Suppose anti-mosquito nets are donated to overcome malaria, and the effectiveness of their use can be calculated. But they are also used for other purposes; for example, fishing in Africa, which pollutes the environment. That is, there are unforeseen consequences that could not be calculated.

Usually, people can calculate the consequences on one or at most two levels. If we are talking about more distant consequences, these must either be wise decisions or it all turns into hypotheses.

How important is it to move toward more advanced calculations: the second level of consequences, the third, the fourth?

Answer: I do not think it is necessary at all. After all, if we had vast resources and invested them for a long time, such plans would obviously be very helpful.

But we see that all our plans evaporate very quickly, and we have to look for something new. Or, on the contrary, there are such changes in science and technology that what we had high hopes for is completely ineffective today and we need other levels of development. I think this is not the way to approach the development process.

The strategy should be like running in spurts: once we have a small achievement, we make the next calculation; another small achievement, another calculation.
[331714]
From KabTV’s “Kabbalah Express” 6/30/24

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Question: Effective altruists deny the view that some lives are inherently more valuable than others. For them, all lives are equally valuable. It makes no difference whether I help a person survive in Africa or Latin America, a small person or a big one, of any race, nationality, or religion.

Is this correct? Do all people on Earth equally deserve help?

Answer: I believe that no, they do not. There are people who can bring enormous benefits to others, and there are those who no matter how hard they try, they will not succeed. We need to identify such people in advance as positive or negative for the development of humanity and somehow take their future into account.

Question: What are the criteria for this assessment? Should we start from the goal?

Answer: First, start from the goal. Second, we need to clearly understand how much we can invest in these people, and what they represent as a valuable resource for humanity.

This cannot simply be about making donations. There must be a clear definition of what we wish to achieve from our investment. I think we still have a lot of work to do in this regard.
[331617]
From KabTV’s “Kabbalah Express” 6/30/24

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Question: Let’s assume that there is not just blind nature, but the upper force, the upper mind, that develops us. What is the problem with our narrow egoism in relation to the upper force?

Answer: The fact is that we are not trying to break out of it. We wish to use it every moment to solve every issue and dominate others.

Comment: But the Creator Himself placed this narrow egoism in us.

My Response: Yes, but precisely so that by correcting it we would thus attain the nature of the Creator in relation to the nature of egoism and rise above ourselves.

That is, the egoistic nature was placed within us so that we would feel it for ourselves, realize it, and want to change it. This is the purpose of creation.

Question: Should all of humanity realize the evil of egoistic nature or only special people who should lead humanity?

Answer: In the end, absolutely everyone.
[331573]
From KabTV’s “Era of the Last Generation” 6/27/24

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