Medium published my new article “Do Not Fight Against Racism, Embrace Races”

There has always been hatred in the world, but there hasn’t always been racism. Today, as the question of racism and race equality becomes increasingly prominent, it is easy to see its destructive potential. To avoid declining into extreme violence, far worse than what we have already seen, we must understand where racism comes from and what we can do about it. If we play our cards right, we will be able not only to mitigate the hatred, but to turn it into a beautiful union of races that support and complement one another.

In order to resolve racism, we must re-enable each race to develop its potential to the fullest. Anything less than that will result in hatred and violence.

Four Indelible Types

According to the wisdom of Kabbalah, there are four basic (archetypical) types of desire, and their root, or origin. The root of all desires is called Keter, and the four types are Hochma, Bina, Zeir Anpin, and Malchut. Because there are four basic types, everything in our world is also divided into four divisions, or types, and their root.

The human species is no different; this is why there are four types of people: the white race (European), yellow (Asian), black (African), and red (American). These races were situated in four different continents until they began to migrate from continent to continent and merge.

Because the four races stem from different basic types of desire, the conflicts between them cannot be resolved by ordinary means. As the four types evolve, their unique characteristics become increasingly distinct. Together, they create a perfect whole, but when you ignore their uniqueness and pretend that they are all the same, you inadvertently suppress their evolution. This is when anger and enmity begin to bud. And when one race hates another, we call it “racism.”

In order to resolve racism, we must re-enable each race to develop its potential to the fullest. Anything less than that will result in hatred and violence. Separating the four races into four different continents once more is not only impractical, it is also undesirable because only when the four types connect correctly, their connections enable each race to fully express its unique traits.

The four types should not be the same; they should complement one another. Only when they work as one unit that consists of four subunits that complement one another is it possible to see the merits of each subunit and how essential it is to the prosperity of the entire organism of humanity.

Therefore, the idea is not to separate the races, but to unite them in a way that enhances their uniqueness, on the one hand, while that uniqueness reinforces their connection, on the other hand. It turns out that only if you place the unity of all races as your primary goal can you succeed. That is, bonding humanity into a single, wholesome entity whose parts positively complement one another is our goal, and the instrument to achieving this bonding is expressing the uniqueness of each race as it contributes what only that race can contribute to the rest of humankind.

What Is True for Races, Is True for People

Not only races are unique. Everything in nature is unique, and certainly every person. To create a truly satisfied and happy humanity, we must set up such conditions that every person will feel that he or she can realize their potential and contribute it for the betterment of humankind. Once you make the well-being of humanity your top priority, you can trust people to do their utmost to contribute to that goal. In order to do that, they will need to make the most of themselves, to realize their full potential, and anyone who realizes his or her full potential is a happy human being.

Succinctly, we needn’t be the same; we need to be different people working for the same goal which is the happiness and well-being of humanity.
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Medium published my new article “COVID Engendered Humanity 2.0”

Ask any baby boomer where they were when they first heard that JFK was shot, and they will tell you. They will never forget that tragic moment in American history. In many ways, so was September 11, 2001, when the World Trade Center towers came down after being hit by hijacked passenger jets. There are moments in people’s lives that alter them forever. The onset of COVID-19 was not as sudden as either event, nor as dramatic, but its impact will dwarf that of any event in the history of humankind.

The rules of the new world are simple: The single most important goal is solidarity.

We may not be aware of it just yet, but the coronavirus has engendered a new humanity, humanity 2.0, if you will. Like all deliveries, it is painful, and the newborn is forced out from its warm and protective womb. Like all pregnancies, we have been feeling the mounting pressures to emerge to a new world, and new way of life. We did not know it was a new humanity because we were in the dark, but the pressures inside the old humanity were growing unbearable, and earth, our womb, could barely keep us in it.

Now that we have come out, it is time to open our eyes and look at the reality around us. The world where we have entered is very different from the one we’d known. It operates on opposite principles from the ones we’d worked by. In the new world, everything is connected. The virus taught that. It taught us that you must wear a mask not because you’re sick, but because you don’t want to make your loved ones sick. It taught us that only if we all think of each other’s health we will be healthy, and if we don’t all do it, we will never be healed from the virus.

The virus showed us painful pictures of farmers spilling milk and breaking eggs on the floor to keep their price tag profitable, while millions of Americans often go hungry. We knew that this was capitalism and we all agreed to it, but in the world of humanity 2.0, there can be no such thing.

The rules of the new world are simple: The single most important goal is solidarity. People work in mutual responsibility because they want to build concern for one another. Instead of self-absorption, friendship and affection reign high, and people derive pleasure from their union.

Since union is the utmost pleasure, anything that does not promote it is undesirable. Essential jobs are those that allow people to socialize without interruption. Other trades and businesses will vanish for lack of demand.

There is no need to forcefully foreclose any business, but there is also no need to support businesses that cannot get through the transition period. If people do not need it, there is no point keeping it alive. Once the “cleanup” process is complete, our world will be full of people who work happily at jobs that everyone appreciates and values, while other people spend their time socializing and enhancing solidarity and union in society.

In the world of humanity 2.0, the most diverse societies will be the most thriving and thrilling to live in. Their unions will be the most enriching precisely because of the diversity among their members. People will flock to such societies and will appreciate the diversity and uniqueness of each individual since what one can contribute to society, no other person can.

There will be no racism, no crime, no loneliness, and no violence in humanity 2.0. There will be no need to curb them since people will feel that any act against another person contradicts the goal of unity and ousts the perpetrator from society, and no one wants to be ejected from society.

Granted, we are not there yet. But we are getting there fast. We can resist it if we want, but it will only make the birth more painful. Naturally, we are afraid, but look at the world around us; it is quickly becoming a place where we will not want to live. If we join forces and usher in the new humanity, the transition will be smooth and easy.

And if my prediction seems unrealistic, think if less than six months ago you would believe that the whole world can go on lockdown for weeks on end, that anarchists can take over entire sections of a major city in America, or that a big city in America with a high crime rate would disband its police force. Changes happen, but we can choose how they will happen.
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My new article on Linkedin “Need a Job? Consider Being a Connection Coach”

There used to be liftmen who would press the right button for you. And before there were refrigerators, there were icemen who would cut large blocks of ice and deliver them to customers. The world of work is in constant evolution, and these days faster than ever. Now, thanks to the coronavirus, it has accelerated from very fast, and accelerating, to virtually immediate.

Humanity has reached a phase of transformation from a self-centered mindset to a collaborative mindset, and those who will help others into it will be the happiest and busiest people in the world.

Everything that is not essential business is struggling or already in various stages of elimination. COVID-19 has shocked people to the point where they either lost the drive to shop or are forced to save what they can because they’ve lost their jobs.

Yet, a bit like the end of the dinosaur era, the demise of antiquated “species” gives rise to new ones. It may be hard to conceive, but this process is already happening. A slew of new professions is in the making, and most of them will all belong to one area: human connections.

We’ve dealt before with mental illnesses, ADHD, and various forms of behavioral anomalies. We’ve hopelessly dealt with mending broken relationships and futilely fought against bullying. But these are not the trades that will emerge tomorrow.

Tomorrow’s experts in human connections will be people who are savvy in the rules of the emerging civilization: a humanity whose people are all connected and dependent on each other. We’ve never felt accountable for all of humanity, but today we can settle for nothing less, and learning how to do this successfully requires knowledge and skills.

Coachers in human connection will be people who know how to take a group of ten or so complete strangers, who feel no affinity toward each other, and sometimes the opposite, and turn them into best friends within an hour. These coachers, who will practice Integral Education (IE), will know how to help people feel comfortable, accepted, and able to fully express themselves without jeopardizing everybody else’s ability or desire to do the same.

People who will participate in these trainings will find that if you want to realize your full potential, you will be able to do it only if you operate alongside other people, each of whom contributes their utmost to the success of a common goal: the unity of the group.

Sports teams know that if you want to be a champion, you have to sacrifice yourself for the good of the team. IE is different. You don’t sacrifice anything, and you always receive ten times more than what you gave. And the best part about it is that there are no losers in IE; everybody wins since unity is achieved only when everyone wants everyone else to succeed.

We’ve never tried this approach among us, but now we have no choice. Humanity has reached a phase of transformation from a self-centered mindset to a collaborative mindset, and those who will help others into it will be the happiest and busiest people in the world.

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The Times of Israel published my new article “The COVID-19 Symptom Reserved for Jews”

As early as March 14, Eric Cortellessa wrote on The Times of Israel that as the coronavirus spreads across the globe, “a new conspiracy theory has been brewing on the fringes of society: The Jews are behind it.” By March 31, it was no longer on the fringes: “An internal Foreign Ministry report warns of a sharp rise in anti-Semitic posts around the world as a result of the coronavirus pandemic,” stated Itamar Eichner on Ynet News.

Since then, matters have gone from bad to worse as Jews have been increasingly targeted in relation to COVID-19. On April 20, Reuters quoted a Tel-Aviv University report which found that the coronavirus crisis was stoking anti-Semitism worldwide, and on May 13, the independent media organization NPR stated that “American Jews are finding themselves in a historically familiar position: Scapegoated for a plague.” Finally, on June 23, another report by Tel-Aviv University has found that the pandemic “unleashed a unique worldwide wave of anti-Semitism,” and that “The new wave of anti-Semitism includes a range of libels that have one common element: The Jews, the Zionists and/or the state of Israel are to blame for the pandemic and/or stand to gain from it.”

I do not doubt the accuracy of the reports, but I certainly don’t think that this “worldwide wave of anti-Semitism” is in any way unique. Nor is it unexpected. It is a pattern that repeats itself with every single plight and crisis that the world encounters, just as we are seeing that the people are already blaming Israel for teaching the US police the knee chokehold that killed George Floyd.

The Jews have been, are, and will be blamed for all the troubles in the world. And as time passes, more and more people will do so openly. At some point soon, the number of accusers will reach a critical mass, or the socio-political circumstances will be just right, or both, and the landslide will begin: The world will determine that to save itself, it must get rid of the Jews. I have been warning about it for nearly two decades; I have written two books about it (see links below); and now it is coming to pass.

Yet, as long as the landslide has not begun, we can still reverse the trend. We must remember that the darker the world becomes, the more it turns its anger at the Jews. It is doing so precisely because it expects Jews to dispel the darkness.

Today, the dark shade encroaching on the world is hatred. Jews are being blamed for spreading hatred, racism, diseases, and every conceivable (and inconceivable) evil. The Jews will not be able to refute these accusations, however irrational, precisely because irrational feelings don’t need rationality.

To refute the accusations, we must make the nations feel that we are not spreading hate, but love. And to do that, we must create love among us and project it to the world. As we can see, the world does not want the love of the Jews; it does not want our genius, our moralism, our values, or anything to do with us. It feels that we are spreading hatred, and no one wants to be around people who spread hatred. So if we can’t show love to the world, we can and must show love to one another.

Our nation is an ancient one. It was forged thousands of years ago by a man who dedicated his life to spreading kindness and love. His name was Abraham. His descendants continued his legacy and centuries of famine and slavery had brought them to the realization that they must love one another as themselves, “as one man with one heart.” Only when they achieved that profound level of unity were they declared a nation, and immediately thereafter, they were tasked with sharing that unity with the entire world, with being “a light unto nations.”

For centuries, their progeny had fought against internal elements within the nation that sought to spread hatred and alienation, so they could carry on Abraham’s legacy and spread the light of love. For centuries, they won, until they lost two thousand years ago and the nation was exiled from Jerusalem because of baseless, unfounded hatred.

Since then, we have been vilified, demonized, ridiculed, despised, and loathed throughout the centuries and the world over. Even when the nations welcomed us, it was in order to exploit us. And as soon as they had no use for us, they got rid of us.

Indeed, what good are we if we are not spreading love, if we are not a light unto nations? We complain that judging us by a different standard than the rest of the world is anti-Semitism. But the truth is that we have never been judged by the same standard as the rest of the world because we are not expected to do what the rest of the world does. The world does not expect love to come from anyone but the Jews, and unless we forge it among ourselves and spread it, humanity will see no reason to keep us on this planet.

We are running out of time. The chasm among us is vast, and growing. But we have no choice. If we want to save ourselves, we must unite above our disunity, above our hatred for each other. We must do it not because we are stronger together, but because when we are together, the world feels that we are spreading unity, and this is all it expects us to do.

And if my words sound irrational, remember that so is anti-Semitism, so give my message a chance in your heart, for our sake.
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Medium published my new article “Reinventing the Businesses Wheel”

The global economy needs an intensive care unit. And just as no medicine is yet available to prevent or tackle the spread of the coronavirus, no cure for the precarious health of businesses and industries is at hand either. Soaring unemployment and a foreboding economic forecast pose great challenges for America and the rest of the world.

Every day it becomes more and more clear that something new is taking place before our eyes that will markedly change our attitude toward life, business, family, ourselves and the world.

Every day it becomes more and more clear that something new is taking place before our eyes that will markedly change our attitude toward life, business, family, ourselves and the world. If we stop clinging to the past and welcome the global process we are going through with open-minds, we will be able to go through the labor pains of the birth of a new world with relative ease.

Throughout history, socio-economic structures have been altered many times: from tribal society in ancient times, to slavery and feudalism, to capitalism and communism, for example. We are now entering a new configuration that will be completely different from all its predecessors because it will be built on new principles in human relations.

As early as last century, the butterfly effect and other models of dynamic complex systems began to illustrate how interrelated, interdependent we are. Until now, we have been unable to internalize the significance of this interdependence, but our experience with the pandemic and its consequences has left us with no choice but to build social, political, industrial, economic structures with renewed vision.

As the pandemic came to bluntly remind us, we will all need to be closer to one another, to recognize that the world we live in is integrally rounded. We can move on to our next stage in the evolution of humanity gently, comfortably and quickly, through a clearer understanding of what needs to be done and where we should be headed. There is no need to wait for direction from additional painful blows.

Looking back, we appeared to be happy and content with life on the surface because we were used to what we had built and there was no incentive to change. However, it turned out that life has its own dynamic rhythm that didn’t stop to check our preferences. Today, we are in a transition period where we must change as human beings, which will have implications for the business world too.

First of all, we have to realize that we are living in a new era that requires a fundamental transformation. The coronavirus indicates to us that, whether we want it or not, we must accept this change because without it we have no future.

It is also important to understand that the necessity for change clearly comes from nature and not from any government or financial group. Nature is smarter and stronger than all of us. If we want to survive, we will need to understand where evolution is leading us — toward integration and mutual consideration.

No More Spinning the Wheels

Nature is drawing us into harmony with the integral world because integration is the highest law of nature, the supreme principle. One single force operates throughout the entire natural system and all reality is managed by it, directing us toward unity between ourselves and nature.

The crucial change that nature demands is that we organize a society whose internal impetus and driving force is altruism and concern for others, rather than maverick egoism. In other words, the required transformation does not focus directly on businesses and industries. Its target is the inner transformation of the person, a new perspective and kind of interaction at the interpersonal level.

Although organizations are now working to consolidate their labor force, a fundamentally different type of consolidation needs to take place in the new integral view. Until now, the success of an organization, business or team has been defined by values ​​of egoistic competition: “We” gather to outdo the competition — a vision based in a “we” and “them” mentality.

In the integral view of the new reality we have entered, we are all one organism called humanity and we aim at being the best at what we do for the good of the others, not to inflate our pocketbooks. We work with the goal of benefiting everyone, and this is what guides us in every step. If, for example, we find out that someone else is doing the same thing better than we are, we will not try to destroy that person; on the contrary, we will provide full support.

An integral vision raises the bar from limited individual benefit to the benefit of the entire system. The new rules of competition stipulate that only those parts of the system that are truly essential and beneficial to the whole should remain active.

Implementing the integration law in businesses involves learning and training. Owners, managers and employees, all need to learn how to work together smoothly as essential components of one system. To do this, all must learn about the law of integration, where they come from, what they include, what they require from us, why we must keep them, and what we will gain from it — the successes it can individually and collectively bring us.

Those who are dedicated to implementing the law of integration in their business or organization will thrive. The warmer, and more considerate and supportive our relationships become, the greater our business success will be. This is the new business wheel that will make the world go round.
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My new article on Linkedin “Why COVID-19 Hardly Affects Animals”

The coronavirus has spread throughout the world. Yet, of all the species living on the planet, its noxious impact seems to be affecting almost only humans. Why is that?

If we look at the instructions we are required to obey in order to contain the coronavirus (which we are disobeying), it might tell us something about the reason it is impacting almost only people. To curb the virus, we are required to maintain social distancing, wear face masks, and wash our hands. Of the three requirements, the first two are critical to preventing us from spreading the virus, and the third is important if we want to avoid catching it ourselves. Let’s focus on the first two, since if we obey them, we won’t spread the virus to others and won’t have to worry about catching it from them.

Until we heal our hatred for each other, we will not get rid COVID-19

Social distancing means more than keeping six feet apart. Why is it not called “physical distancing,” which would make more sense considering that this is what we are required to do? “Social distancing” is the right term because we are required to keep ourselves apart socially and emotionally, and not just physically.

Animals do not maintain noxious connections among them; there is no ill-will even between the hunted and the hunter in the animal kingdom. Therefore, although they transmit to one another viruses and other potentially pernicious germs, it hardly ever affects them.

Humans, on the other hand, have cultivated a culture of competition, bigotry, and discrimination. In a word, it is a culture of hate. As a result, the viruses that we transmit to others are as nasty as our thoughts about them, and just as noxious. In fact, our negativity toward each other is so intense that even keeping six feet apart won’t dilute it enough to make it harmless, so we are required to cover our faces, too.

Until we heal our hatred for each other, we will not get rid COVID-19. Even if we find medical solutions to mitigate its impact, it will only become more sophisticated and injurious, just as we ourselves act surreptitiously when we want to hurt someone but cannot do it openly. So while working to find a cure or a vaccine for the coronavirus, we must work even harder to cure the pandemic of hatred that has spread throughout the human race.

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My new article on Linkedin “How Practical Is Mutual Responsibility?”

Not long ago, a comment on one of my posts stated that adapting society to the harmonious and integral nature we live in is impractical. At the moment, it is indeed impractical since people see no reason to be harmonious with others. For as long as we can, our self-centered nature will try to maintain its self-centered mindset.

But reality has changed, and the sooner we realize it, the better for all of us. The virus will force us to think about each other. Each of us can transmit it to everyone around us. Even if we aren’t sick, it doesn’t mean we’re not carriers, and therefore should be careful not to transmit it to others. In this way, the virus is teaching us to think about each other, to be considerate, even if not of our own volition or affection to others.

Since the virus isn’t going away in the foreseeable future, we will have to adopt the approach of mutual responsibility. Inadvertently, we will find ourselves in a society that abides by different rules: rules of a harmonious, integral society. We will simply have no choice; our lives will depend on it.

It may be a few months or a few years from now, but a society of mutual responsibility and solidarity will not only be practical and realistic, it will be the only option for humanity since it will be the only way to deal successfully with COVID-19 or with all the crises down the road.

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Medium published my new article “Surfing the Pandemic Waves”

Public discourse now speaks of a second wave of COVID-19 when the first one is far from over. Just when we thought the epidemic was under control, the opening of the economy has brought new contagion outbreaks around the world. What does this portend for the future? We may try to avoid flip-flopping policies on how to tackle the pandemic and its consequences, but the truth is that now we only see the tip of the iceberg of what lies in store. What we do know for certain is that our way of life will change forever. The most important thing for us to understand is that nature is driving us to new forms of connection among us since we all influence and depend on one another, just as the waves of coronavirus infection illustrate.

“The more we unite through the heart and soul, and the more we understand nature’s guidance today, our anxiety about the future will decrease. Our consciousness will be enlarged and we will begin to discover a higher dimension which nurtures us so wisely, the force of nature. This is a force whose signature characteristic is love and pure giving.”

The coronavirus will not quickly disappear from among us. It may remain for years though it may change its form. This is why it is imperative that we shape society and the economy in accord with the emerging reality. Experts warn that within a few months we will be in the deepest recession since WWII. Businesses will collapse, people’s savings will run dry and they will be unable to return loans, pay off mortgages, or pay rent. The unequivocal signs are already here. Therefore, we need to revolutionize our priorities.

Countries must invest their resources in the vital industries that can ensure that every person’s basic needs are met at a reasonable level. Public budgets should secure funds for this first and foremost on the list of priorities and not squander resources in other areas because of pressure from once powerful stakeholders. Luxury industries will certainly suffer a severe blow due to the economic crisis. It would be pointless to attempt to recuperate them because their products will have very little demand.

Thought must precede action: Tomorrow’s humanity will need a much calmer lifestyle, free from senseless running back and forth, one centered around the essentials instead of the superfluous. People will need to invest primarily in building deep ties among them to discover in them the taste of life. Our good future lies in research and development of connections and love among all people, and this enterprise will be our exit to a new world.

Until we reach these desired human connection, we must cleanse ourselves of non-vital businesses which only increase the destructive competition among people, suck out precious resources from nature, and pollute the air, earth, and sea.

The era of coronavirus is peeling away the non-vital husks of an outdated way of life in an intelligent manner. Gradually, it will slim the economy to healthy and sustainable dimensions and the non-essential fat will fall away.

Governments will have to think outside the box in order to provide employment and livelihood to the millions who will be ejected from the labor market. The best solution will be to provide the citizens with universal income conditional upon active participation in social education and community building.

This escape route through education will offer a gateway to a new understanding in humanity about the changes taking place in this special era and what they mean in the development of man, society, and the world, as well as the kind of new relationships that must be established among people. Those who study will also work a few hours in areas which build community and society.

The happiest and healthiest possible life evolves out of caring for others, just like a mother who is always concerned about her children and finds an incomparable sense of satisfaction and vitality in providing this care. Although seemingly contradictory to the notions of social distancing, the era of corona is actually here to teach us how to correctly approach each other, — the true form of connection at the internal level from heart to heart, and how to avoid hurting each other.

The more we unite through the heart and soul, and the more we understand nature’s guidance today, our anxiety about the future will decrease. Our consciousness will be enlarged and we will begin to discover a higher dimension which nurtures us so wisely, the force of nature. This is a force whose signature characteristic is love and pure giving.

Therefore, the coronavirus is not just an epidemic meant to frustrate and destroy, but an evolutionary riddle for us to solve together. Our success will depend on our unity, not only to ride the wave of the pandemic, but to reach the crest of the wave for a healthy and secure future.
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My new article on Linkedin “Fight the Right War”

We like to think that we are masters of our own lives, but are we really? If we had our way, would we have asked for the coronavirus to derail our lives from their carefully planned routes? Would we have wanted the mayhem that has engulfed cities across the country following the death of George Floyd? If we had any control over our lives, would we have chosen to live in a country where law and order have become a mockery while anarchists on either side of the map do as they please, while the regular Janes and Joes are fearful stepping out and speaking out their sane truth?

Right now in America, 130 people die of prescription drug abuse each day, 50 million don’t get enough food, and tens of millions have no jobs, no income, and no future. Any person who were asked whether he or she wanted to live in such a country would respond with a resounding “No!”

Sure, many people have it going for them in America. Some are actually living the American dream. But many are not, and many more are joining them daily.

But if we stop for a moment and think, we will see that there is one clear message, if you can call it that, in all this pain: This society is really dying because of loneliness. Its disease is not COVID-19, it is alienation, division, suspicion, and separation, or in a word: hatred. Cure hatred, and you have cured the country.

If people stopped fighting against each other and started fighting for love, that love would bridge the gaps, there would not be divisions. It is so easy to see the good in different people when you love them. Different people are what makes our society diverse, vital, rich with culture, colors, and brilliant innovations. But if there is hate then the more different another person is from me, the more I hate that person, and the more blind I become to his or her merits.

Think about it: If we fight against injustice, we are increasing hate. But if we fight for love, we are increasing justice. Let’s join a common battle against the right enemy; let’s fight together against the hatred within us toward our fellow human beings whoever they are.

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My article in Newsmax: “Masks and Freedom”

America, like the rest of the world, faces an ongoing war against an invisible enemy, COVID-19. Prevention of its spread, though, is highly visible in the use of face masks. This prophylactic measure has split the public between those who refuse to wear masks based on their right of free choice, and those who regard face covering as an act of solidarity with others to limit the pandemic’s transmission. Thus, the virus has provided us with an exemplary exercise in mutual responsibility since we will all need to realize that, because we are in the same boat, consideration of collective wellness must supersede individual calculations.

“Some feel face coverings infringe on their freedom of choice — but if more wear them, we’ll have more freedom to go out,” said US Surgeon General Jerome Adams. Studies show that face coverings are critical to helping limit the spread of the coronavirus, and yet, many people still defy requirements to wear masks in public settings. Others follow the advice of medical doctors to the letter, while most are found somewhere in between.

Because COVID-19 is a new and previously unstudied disease, it has evoked in us fear of the unknown. It is not clear what would happen if, God forbid, we were infected. Therefore, uncertainty is causing a general feeling of hysteria.

The coronavirus disease is discussed on the media from morning to night, and every political and professional personality tries to take advantage of the situation to demonstrate how clever or important they are and that they know the best way for the country to go forward. If they happen to be correct, it is to their credit, but if not, it is somebody else’s fault. As always, success has many parents and failure is an orphan.

If there had been separate locations for the cautious and the careless, things might have worked out. However, we are inseparably interconnected in this situation, so what do we do? The solution lies in the way we calculate the risks. Whether I am extremely worried about the disease, unconcerned or somewhere in the middle, perhaps there is a need to change the focus of my attention. In other words, instead of measuring what I feel and think about the risk of contracting the virus, I should measure how my behavior might impact others.

That is, I have to tell myself that I may be a carrier, and whether or not others are infected depends on me. Consequently, I should consider my behavior every moment and in every place to ensure that I do not transmit the virus to others, and thus I guard their health.

Unfortunately, the public is not yet very mindful of personal responsibility because, day in and day out, we are bombarded with conflicting opinions of doctors and others. This leaves us confused. While consideration of a variety of opinions is a positive thing, the public needs a clear and informed direction in the end.

If we continue down the road we are traveling now, we will come to a situation where each person follows his own advice and no precautions for the general welfare are possible. This would drive people even further away from the security of living in an orderly society. The circumstance in which each follows his or her natural tendency to consider only themselves to be the world authority will only create mayhem and drive us to anarchy.

A public agreement to wear face masks for the sake of others can help prevent such a slide toward social disorder. Wherever there is a dispute between the collective and the individual, we are obliged to rule according to the will of the collective. Why? Because by doing so, we align with the general connecting force of nature that is able to positively permeate society, as opposed to the negative egoistic force of the individual that disintegrates order. As it is written, “In the multitude of people is the king’s honor.” (Proverbs 14:28) And this is also the bottom line.

Though some of us are wary and some are careless according to our innate characteristics, a healthy society must be linked to a new consideration — the benefit of others. If every person tries to always act in favor of others, there will be no need for either excessive fear or disregard. We would all be in tune with the integral system of nature where balance prevails, and we will discover that ultimate freedom is found when one upholds the interest of the collective which is, after all, the sum of every single one of us.
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