My article in Newsmax: “COVID-19 Sent Us Home and Cleaned Up the Mess”

If you were a parent with teenage children, and you had to leave the house for the weekend, how terrified would you be that when you returned you’d find your tidy home turned upside down? And what would you do if you came back and discovered that your nightmare has come true? This is exactly what we humans have done to our home, Planet Earth: We’ve messed it up and turned it upside down. In comparison to the damage we’ve done, you could say that Mother Nature’s “punishment,” which is largely a “Go to your separate rooms” order, is more than mild; it is compassionate!

Mother Nature is silent; she speaks with actions, not words, but she is a dedicated teacher. If we are attentive, she will usher us into a new world of happiness and prosperity. If we are obstinate, her punishments will grow continuously harsher.

The first lesson she gave us was to stay home. By doing so, she told us that we have been nasty to each other and nasty to our home. Miraculously, within a few short weeks, she cleaned most of the mess and the water and air became clear and clean.

But being shut in our houses for a few weeks did not prove to us that we simply have to change. It only stopped our destruction of the planet and finally managed to show us that we had been doing wrong to Nature. However, it did not articulate what it is we have to do in order not to keep on being so malevolent.

This will be our next lesson, which we will experience in the weeks and months to come. As economies all over the world reopen, we will find that many of the businesses that were the backbone of our society and fueled our mindset of extreme self-entitlement and narcissism have lost their charm. They will go bankrupt not because the government did not support them, but because the public has lost interest in those gadgets and accessories.

As a result of the shift in people’s mindsets after the prolonged lockdown and its impact on businesses, unemployment rates will remain dangerously high with no sign of relief. On the contrary, as more and more jobs become automated, joblessness will only increase, posing a palpable threat of violent social unrests, hunger driven riots, rampant homelessness, a drop in school retention and other social problems that will undermine the stability of society.

These COVID-19 aftershocks will compel governments to adopt more society driven policies. Policy makers will have to take into consideration the needs of the unfortunate; they will have to provide them with both decent incomes during the time when they cannot sustain themselves, and they will have to help them become better educated so they can integrate in the new world. In this way, the virus will teach the authorities to think more socially and establish a more considerate economic system.

Here, too, as in the lockdown lesson, the quicker we learn, the less painful and more successful the lesson will be.

In the new world, the most required career will be teaching. People will need teachers in the professions required in the automated era, but the most required teaching subject will be social skills: people who will help us learn how to communicate in a society whose values are radically different from the hostile environment we hopefully left behind.

The virus has made everyone equal: From heads of state to janitors, from tycoons to street sweepers, everyone is vulnerable. This is a humbling and healthy experience for all of society. It allows us to truly place ourselves in the shoes of others. We would not have come to it were it not for the virus, but now that we have, we will never want to go back. This is why we will need teachers—to enhance and develop our social skills of empathy, solidarity, and mutual responsibility.

The threat of the virus will not dissolve so quickly. We will need it for a while longer, if only to remind us of the pain caused by disobeying its lessons. But the more we grow into the paradigm of giving, the less we will need the bullying guard at the exit from the old world. So one day, in the foreseeable future, we will discover that we have entered a new world of hope, confidence, and joy.
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Fear that grips and paralyzes a person now is caused not by today’s situation, but by thoughts about what might happen next. But do not worry too much; we are all under the control of an upper force, and everything will go according to its plan. And it has nothing to do with religion. A religious person doesn’t ask about the meaning of life, he has no doubts what to do. The science of Kabbalah awakens questions in us, which are not in religion.

There is no need to worry about something that might happen because it is not us who determine events, but the general force of nature. Where it directs us, there we will go. And such an attitude, which is not naivety or fanaticism, gives us an inner protection, which frees us from the fear of the unknown.

Everything is clarified only in thought. A man lives inside of his thoughts. Now in almost everyone there is an intense spinning whirlpool of thoughts and fears about the future, which haunt one day and night. And the only way to protect ourselves is to cling to the program of creation, which leads humanity on to the highest stage, so we will understand and feel what we are living for, why we are developing, and what the goal is that we are heading toward.

And then everyone will calm down with this goal and everybody will be fine. Everything will be clarified only in thought, so sit calmly and think. Visit our science of Kabbalah website, start reading what is written there. There is no need to memorize or remember anything, simply try to feel it, realize it, and sense it through the heart and mind in order to develop the human in yourself.

The human in us is what identifies itself with nature, with a higher thought, a higher program, the upper force. Nature is the Creator, it includes everything. Try to develop such feelings and thoughts in yourself to feel this nature around you, to know the Creator. Try to come out of yourself and connect with the whole universe, with this thought that encompasses the entire universe.

Then we will see why all this is happening. After all, we are not little bugs crawling on the ground, but humans from whom nature wants to make something great, to give us an opportunity to understand it and to connect with it. This is an amazing opportunity!

A virus is not a disease, but a medicine. Look how many changes it has already brought to the world: the air has become cleaner and fresher and people are not being poisoned while working in factories that pollute the atmosphere, soil, and water.

It is reported that due to the quarantine, the water in Venice’s canals has been cleared enough that fish have even re-entered it. The Earth wants to live, just do not interfere with it. And you are worrying about what will happen to you in a month. Don’t be afraid, everything will settle. Just precede the blow with the medicine. Visit our website, you will find many explanations of how to first of all calm down. I wish you all the best.
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From KabTV’s “A New Life 1214” 3/19/20

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We are on the threshold of a completely new society, a society the Kabbalists wrote about.

Today, we are witnessing the fact that nature is rebelling. It no longer wants to deal with evil people. It must bring them to balance with itself, and we resist. Accordingly, to this extent, nature must correct us by negative reactions. This is exactly what we feel upon ourselves.

All viruses are intended to bring us back to some state of balance. If we understand this, then we will easily correct ourselves and the system in we exist in together on Earth. Thus, we will get a completely different humanity. I hope we will discover this in the shortest possible time, maybe even in a year and a half. It is unlikely that it will happen sooner.

If we want to explain in every possible manner how humanity should behave and what the correct response to the coronavirus is, then we can literally do it in that period of time. Still, it will not happen until the coronavirus goes around the globe and everyone sees how much power it has over us.

People will understand that it was we who caused it through our uncorrected relationships and our bad attitude to nature and people; we will begin to wonder how to correct this. Only then will the coronavirus disappear. We must go through all the stages of the revelation of evil, its correction, and the manifestation of good.

I really hope that we will witness this very soon.
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From KabTV’s “Fundamentals of Kabbalah,” 3/15/20

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These days, humanity is in turmoil, not knowing how to perceive the special state we find ourselves in. It seems to us that it depends on those who hold power and money, the governments, the army, and the mafia.

However, we need to understand that, in fact, they have no influence. Everything is determined only by the relations between people. If we raise the importance of connection and unity, then all of humanity rises, and if we lower it, then we all fall.

Therefore, we should not wait to hear in the news which government came to power; rather, we should check through our own relations, who we elect and who we remove. We should be engaged not in politics, but only in connecting people.

The entire world is within us, and it is necessary to bring unity and connection to all these opposing forces that are supposedly pulling each one in its own direction, not only the development of this world, but the entire reality, including the upper system, the upper world.

The entire reality must take part in the integral connection and work concertedly in order to reveal within its relations the form of the upper force, which is the crown (the highest Sefira Keter) and governs everything. If we organize the reality within us in this way, we force all the opposing forces of nature to start working together and moving the world toward connection.

These forces will appear to us as opposing each other, clashing with and hating each other, supposedly unable to reach any compromise or connection. Each will try to take control over the others.

However, this is exactly the sign of the development of reality in which all the contradictions are added. There can be no light without darkness and no good without evil, and vice versa. All forces must work according to their nature but in one direction.

Each force operating in the general system must understand that it can only work according to its nature, and therefore must not resist it and only perform its function. It is necessary to arrange all the forces so that each of them supports the others and all of them are directed to the revelation of the upper force.

The path to correction is not short, but it depends on how much we try to accelerate it without waiting for time to do its work. We need to be smart and patient and accept what is happening without panic, but with wisdom, knowing that whatever is going to happen will happen.

There is an upper Ruler in the world who controls everything; our task is only to help Him. Our help is very important, but it is the Creator who begins creation and He finishes it.

Our strength is in the fact that we are many and we are very different, but we are ready to be together as one man with one heart. We agree to connect in order to make the upper force a ruler in our world that will be revealed in the entire reality. Therefore, the main thing is to continue on the same path, regardless of one’s moods. We just need to know that we have to do everything in our power and thus advance.

We should be less impressed by news headlines because we see that governments themselves do not understand what is happening and they themselves are getting sick not knowing what will happen tomorrow. Obviously, they do not have a new program and they hope to return everything to the old, pre-viral times when they were strong and rich. However, this will not work.

Although countries have already begun to move toward equitable distribution in order to provide everyone with what they need in this critical state. It will be interesting to see how the powerful people of this world will later try to “correct” this state and restore the system of industry and trade again, and the Creator will  correct them with His own forces.

After all, correction lies only in the connection between people. If we disseminate through this connection, we will come to the healthiest state, the most balanced with the surrounding nature, which requires only this balance from us.

Nature is expecting humanity to consume only what is necessary for a normal life and to direct all its other forces to the revelation of the upper world.
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From the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 4/7/20, Selected Highlights

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How do I overcome pessimism and inferiority complex within my mind?“

Pessimism and optimism are characteristics embedded in us, which we are born with.

While we have characteristics that we receive from birth, the way those characteristics can be influenced and directed is through the many varied social influences in our life.

The examples we see in our society—from our immediate families through friends, acquaintances, the schooling we receive, the media we consume, and the culture we participate in—all influence the expression of our characteristics.

Therefore, if we feel a problem with our inner characteristics, we need to think about everything and everyone influencing us, and what kinds of changes we should make in our surrounding social circles and in the media we consume in order to positively impact us. It is as the saying goes, “Tell me who is your friend, and I will tell you who you are.”

Also, pessimism should not be thought of as a bad quality. It is an inborn quality, and some people are naturally more pessimistic, while others are naturally more optimistic.

Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash.

It is important for us to understand that we live in an globally interdependent system of nature that acts out of a balance between all positive and negative qualities, including optimism and pessimism.

Therefore, in order to reach balance with nature, we need to learn how to positively connect with other people who have different characteristics.

The resulting mutual complementarity we would develop, where we each sustain our inborn characteristics but learn how to direct them in ways beneficial to all human society, would thus “click” us all into a harmonious homeostasis with each other and nature.

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Question: A few weeks ago, Americans with bravado watched as the coronavirus developed in Europe and in China. Today it is in complete panic. People are not only forbidden to fly or gather in crowded places, they themselves do not do this because of fear.

The only way to end this pandemic is to isolate yourself. How and in what way should we unite as humanity over this isolation?

Answer: I understand the Americans. They thought that somehow it would not reach them. They have such a system! This is not Europe, where everything is dictated, and especially not the Arab East. America is the most progressive country, freedom of expression and so on.

How can this be? Indeed, in the field of freedom, they are ahead of the rest, and therefore the virus, which is a violation of the balance of human society, should not seem to be manifested there. The fact is that, first, it cannot be that some part of humanity is healthy if everyone else is sick.

Second, it only seems to us that in America there is more freedom, more equilibrium.  We are all struck by this ailment, but to varying degrees, when, with our negative influences, we bring the whole system out of balance.

I can’t imagine what can be done here except to take the science of Kabbalah and try to scrupulously, meticulously do what Rabash and Baal HaSulam write in their articles about the correct connection in the group and in society. At least to study, to feel how much we do not coincide with their instructions. And even if we do not do this, but only feel that we should, even the differences between what is and what should be, meaning the realization of evil, will still affect us and make human society healthy.

Otherwise, it will be very bad for all of us. The virus will spread throughout the world, crawl into all villages, in all remote corners of the planet. It will take all kinds of forms and modifications. So we still have a lot of time ahead to comprehend our behavior and try to do something.

If we change our behavior, we can quickly get rid of the virus. And if not, then the virus will act until we, under the influence of its blows, change our attitude toward each other, give up unnecessary institutions, work, unnecessary connections among ourselves, etc. That is, nature will force us to do this by force, and not by our voluntary, conscious correction.

But in any case, one way or another, the world after the virus will be completely different. Therefore, long live the virus!
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From KabTV’s “Fundamentals of Kabbalah,” 3/15/20

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Question: Is the development of today’s humanity the stupid and disproportionate reaction to some absolutely natural problem? After all, the virus is another disease, it does not threaten the destruction of the entire population. Why is there such a stir around it?

Answer: The virus shows mankind how small and unreasonable it is; it is still “in diapers” and quickly gives in to panic. In principle, we must understand that the calculation here is not with the sick and the dead, but in order to show people how much they should change their relationships.

“Get a few meters away from me, don’t reach out, don’t breathe in my face, we won’t kiss and hug. We won’t even get close to each other, it’s forbidden.”

The virus shows us at what internal distance we should be from each other, internally! It illustrates from the outside how this distance is safe for you; at this distance we cannot harm each other. Then we begin to think what should we do? Therefore, the science of Kabbalah is revealed and explains what to do.
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From KabTV’s “Fundamentals of Kabbalah,” 3/22/20

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To establish order in the world, we need to connect with each other so that the light of the Creator will be revealed between us, filling our connection with the upper light. Through our connection with all the inhabitants of this world, we will bring them the light of the Creator, which will illuminate the entire world.

Then the world, instead of being afraid of the coronavirus and staying away from each other, will be able to connect through beautiful, good connections, both between people and with the inanimate, vegetative, and animate nature, that is, with the environment.

The entire world would rise to a new degree of connection and correction. Through this integral connection and the feeling of integral nature, the world will attain the single force that governs and arranges everything in our lives. In this way, the whole world will come closer to feeling and attaining the Creator.

This process is already happening . If we do not understand the first soft hints in the form of the coronavirus, then next time it will be revealed in a much more terrible form. We should not wait for that. The coronavirus is still acting very gently, threatening us with an epidemic to keep us from unnecessary activities that only destroy nature.

However, next time, an epidemic could wipe out half of humanity, affecting every home. If we do not learn from today’s experience with the coronavirus and think only about how to return to hair salons and hotels, we will get a stronger warning from nature.

The coronavirus makes it clear that we must change our behavior toward each other, between people, and toward all inanimate, vegetative, and animate nature. In the end, we must put our life on earth in order.

It is obvious to everyone that our life is not the best and needs to be corrected. So let’s change it and not go back to the old one. Now, when we return to normal life after the quarantine, let’s organize our relations a little differently, make them more corrected, do less harm to each other, and less damage to the environment. Even before the epidemic, we were saying that it would be worth changing ourselves, so let’s do it.

Let’s think about what useful conclusions can be drawn from the experience of the epidemic, what lessons can we learn? How should we change? Maybe we can find the reason for the epidemic and make sure it does not happen again. If we have made a few positive changes, let’s not lose them. We will slightly change our family, school, work, and will eliminate unnecessary businesses that produce redundant products.

So far, I do not see that there is a change in people’s minds. Leaders do not understand what is happening and try to return to the previous state by any means. Of course, they are more cautious now, but they do not know what to do.

This is not ill-will but simply narrow-mindedness, inability to understand the changes occurring in nature that caused the coronavirus. And there are many other viruses after this one that are waiting for us if we do not start to change.

We see that egoists cannot unite: not in a disintegrating Europe, not in China, America, or India. No one can stay in good relations, everyone is against everyone else. And above this general disunion, our group can become a connecting force with one goal of common connection under one slogan, “Connection above separation.”

It does not matter, let the separation remain, we do not deal with it; we only build a connection above it. We do not have to fight against separation because we are all different and hate each other. Let it remain that way, and over this, we want to stretch the threads of love, of connection between us so that all crimes are covered by love. This is our motto with which we go.

Only such a system can control the world because it contains a great human egoism within itself and the upper force of the Creator, a common universal connection. With these two forces, we can do everything because then we contain everything together within ourselves and can control the world by setting an example and disseminating the method of connection.

The coronavirus stays as it is, we do not touch it. We need to observe the rules of social distancing that the coronavirus has set for us, that is, two meters apart and home quarantine. Yet, at the same time, we develop an internal connection between us until our internal unity destroys all viruses. After all, the virus is a result of our mutual hatred.

In our world, there is nothing but the will to receive, which is inseparable from hatred for others, and the will to bestow, which generates love for one’s neighbor. The coronavirus is the result of hatred that manifests itself in such a biological form, as a virus.

Let’s reduce the hatred between us a little, or at least realize that it exists and want to get rid of it. This very desire will already confine hatred and on the same day, we will see how we are cured of the virus. This is what the world’s leaders should be doing today.
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From a Kabbalah Lesson 4/25/20, “Concerning Faith Above Reason”

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From My Facebook Page Michael Laitman 5/3/20

The global decline in new COVID-19 confirmed cases shouldn’t mislead us. The coronavirus isn’t gone; it’s just preparing its next move. There is nothing medical that we can do to stop it from sending another wave, more vicious than the first. If we want to get rid of the germ, we have to tackle it at the level that created it: the level of human society.

Humanity has been operating on a paradigm that idolized unabashed selfishness. We admired people who were obnoxious to others and to nature, and turned those bullies into role models. It’s no wonder we couldn’t stop depleting and polluting our planet, since deep down we all wanted to be among those who were doing the most harm. They had all the money, power, prestige, and what they gave in return was lip service that we must curb emissions and guard free speech and democracy.

Nature exposed our hypocrisy and with a single whiff, shut down the world. Now it’s our choice to change how we treat one another and nature, build a new paradigm—of giving and mutual concern—and save ourselves, our planet, and our future. Nature is letting us choose, and the choice is very clear: heaven of friendship or hell of egoism.

[May 2, 2020, Concord, New Hampshire, USA: Children play at Reopen NH rally in Concord. Hundreds of protesters gather outside of the State House to protest New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu to end his stay-at-home emergency order at Reopen NH rally in Concord]

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Is the U.S. making a mistake by reopening the economy so soon?“
If anyone thinks that reopening the economy will start bringing back the same world we lived in before the coronavirus, then think again.

Letting many more businesses run will not mean that people will immediately go back to spending on all kinds of nonessential items again.

We will soon realize that society’s awareness of what is essential and nonessential in life has slightly risen, and thus many businesses dealing in nonessential goods and services will find themselves continuing to suffer even after being allowed to reopen.

We can expect a struggle, as the government will continue encouraging consumerism in order to oil the economy more and more against a generally growing distaste for it among society.

What I propose is that instead of fighting this losing battle of reigniting the consumerism we used to live in, governments will instead provide everyone involved in unsustainable businesses a new kind of work, one where they learn about human society’s growing interdependence, and how to realize this interdependence that drops down on us in a positive manner.

By doing so, they will receive an income that would cover their needs, and gradually grow into educators of how to enrich positive connection throughout society.

In other words, governments would do well to shift their focus away from reviving a consumerist economy, where wealth equates to success, to creating sustainable societies where people’s essential needs are covered in exchange for participating in the creation of a new society led by values of mutual consideration, responsibility and solidarity.

Success in the latter vision of society would be personal and social happiness, kindled through developing increasingly positive connections.

Above photo by Benjamin Child on Unsplash.

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