Entries in the 'New Publications' Category

“America’s Test Will Determine Its Fate, And Ours” (Medium)


Medium published my new article “America’s Test Will Determine Its Fate, and Ours

A few days ago, I spoke to my longtime student and friend Leonid Makaron. He reminded me that soon after the turn of the century, I told him that America was on the decline. It wasn’t so obvious then, but since the financial crisis that sparked The Great Recession, it has been quite evident. The soaring rates of depression, epidemic of substance abuse, frantic purchasing of firearms and never-ending shooting incidents, and now the coronavirus disease and the anti-racism protests are all links in the chain of America’s decline.

The ego-based values that have brought America to greatness are now bringing on its demise, as they are doing to the rest of the world. But if America shifts direction, so will everyone else.

Makaron asked me how I knew then that America was declining. I told him that on one hand, it’s a natural process, but on the other hand, it is not set in stone; it can be reversed. All ego-based systems go through the same cycle. They begin with rapid growth, great achievements, increasing pride, hubris, growing internal alienation, social disintegration, and finally, demise.

America is going through the same process. But because America is such a dominant figure on the international arena, the process it is going through affects the whole world. It has already been through all the stages of growth, and it is well into the decline. Since the turn of the century, the process of America’s social decline has become increasingly evident and has been growing at a growing speed. The violent protests, looting and shooting, anarchist elements that tear cities apart — yet encounter little resistance from law-enforcement — indicate a rapid deterioration. It feels like America is racing toward the end of its lifecycle.

But if there was no hope, I wouldn’t be writing about it. I believe that America can still save itself, and spare itself and all of us, tremendous agony. Today we know why ego-based empires sink. We know that reality is an integral whole. As a result, any part that does not take all of reality into account acts like a cancerous cell, grows by exploiting its surroundings, and finally brings on itself its own demise. The ego-based empires of the past grew like tumors and died like tumors. America evolved to greatness in the same way, but it is not dead yet. As long as people can communicate, they can connect. If they connect, they will shift from an ego-based society into an integral society that cares for all its members equally and serves as an example for the rest of the world, which currently runs solely on the ego-based model.

Being the most dominant nation on Earth, such a shift in America would infuse the whole world with a new spirit. It will legitimize such values as giving, caring, and accountability, and other countries will follow suit.

It is said that when Wall Street sneezes, the rest of the stock markets in the world catch a cold. The same is true for social values. The American materialism and consumerism have taken the world by storm.

Now it is time to administer the antidote. The ego-based values that have brought America to greatness are now bringing on its demise, as they are doing to the rest of the world. But if America shifts direction, so will everyone else.

To do that, America must do what America does best: campaign for caring. The federal government, state governments, and local authorities must all partake in a comprehensive effort to promote mutual responsibility and the importance of placing the American society as a whole above the factions in it. America has much to be proud of. The fact that people can protest so openly is by itself a testimony to the openness of American society and its ability to accept diversity. In a truly racist country, you wouldn’t be able to talk about racism; you’d be locked away for doing so.

Today, the resilience of the American society is being tested. If each faction takes its own direction, this great society will fall apart. Now it’s time to reinforce the collective American identity, which will give the country the structural fortitude to weather the stormy times ahead.

The country will have to tend to the tens of millions who have no income and will have no income going forward. It will have to teach them how to become “workers for society,” where they dedicate their time to strengthen the unity of the nation above all colors, races, and faiths. And while people who have jobs see to the country’s sustenance, those currently jobless will see to the country’s happiness. If carried out, it will be the greatest ever accomplishment in the history of humanity. It will usher the world into a new era, when nations and countries cater to each other’s needs rather than venture to control them, and the whole planet will prosper and thrive as it truly can.
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“The COVID-19 New World Of Work” (BIZCATALYST 360°)


My new article on BIZCATALYST “The COVID-19 New World of Work

We’re reopening the economy while COVID-19 is still here, well into 2020. From the looks of it, there will be COVID-21, too. And if this prediction comes true, will the economy survive it? What business can endure alternating for so long between opening and closing?

Some industries are essential. There is no question that food, housing, gas, electric power, and education are required. As for the rest, only a fraction of the pre-coronavirus transactions were truly necessary. In the new reality, what is not essential dies.

But governments will need money. Essential sectors such as food production and various services will provide work to some of the people, but the majority will be out of work for good. We have entered a world where joblessness is the norm, and occupation the exception. How will people live? If countries spend their currency reserves on futureless sectors, they will not have the resources to support people through the process of adapting their lives to the coronavirus era.

To adapt the society to the new era, all those who are out of work today, and will probably remain so, should be admitted into a program that will inform them about the new reality and teach them how to live in it. During the course, they will receive a full scholarship that will sustain them and their families.

The courses will not only provide information about the new world; they will also help the participants develop the right attitude to living in a world where people have abundant free time.

Just as people learn about the mindset required to succeed in the business world, or the attitude required to succeed in the high-tech industry, people will need to get acquainted with the frame of mind of the COVID era.

Accordingly, the program will include exercises in social communication that builds connections suitable for a world where everyone is dependent on everyone else, regular jobs are scarce, and people must rely on each other for their survival. Gradually, people will come to find value in bonding and socializing more than in their previous values such as obtaining wealth and power.

As the courses focus on fostering bonds among people, mutual responsibility, awareness of others’ needs, and concern for society, people will begin to think of these positive social values as the product of their learning. Just as it is possible to accumulate wealth, it is possible to accumulate happiness.

The more people become socially integrated, the happier and safer they will feel. People’s values and aspirations from life will change to ones that give them true and lasting satisfaction.

In this way, the coronavirus will usher us into a new reality, where some of the people tend to everyone’s sustenance, and the rest of the people tend to everyone’s happiness.
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“The World’s Turning Point” (Medium)


Medium published my new article “The World’s Turning Point

All over the world, there is a growing feeling that we are in a very sensitive and precarious state. Although the ground is apparently still stable despite the global troubles, everything beneath the surface is bubbling. But, in spite of all the fears and dangers, this situation can be turned to good if we re-examine our outlook on life, as individuals and as a society.

We lack the knowledge, understanding, and sensation that we exist in an interconnected world — we are one integral system, one mechanism.

If once, food on the table was enough for a person to successfully complete his day, today, life
without a computer, air conditioner, or television is hard to imagine. The technological age has created an artificial environment within the system of nature, providing creature comforts without which human existence is hard to imagine. At the same time, along with all the technological advancements, new dangers have arisen. Conventional warfare is no longer needed in order to paralyze a region or an entire country. One keyboard is enough to launch a cyberattack that jeopardizes the safety of thousands or millions. And in addition to the human threats, the planet teeters on the brink of ecological disasters that loom over our shared home.

At the root of all our problems lies the intensification of human egoism: People are building their self-serving success upon the wanton destruction of others. This is unequivocally the incubator for conflict and war. One’s ego looks to force itself, its interest and point of view, upon others, causing division and friction. Such is human nature, and if we fail to recognize that when we inflict harm upon others, we harm ourselves (since we are all connected in a global village)we will very likely not survive the 21st Century.

We lack the knowledge, understanding, and sensation that we exist in an interconnected world — we are one integral system, one mechanism. In this clear view of reality, a person cannot do anything to benefit himself unless he first makes certain that it does not damage others. In a nutshell, nothing can be good for me unless it is good for everyone.

Foremost kabbalist Rav Yehuda Ashlag, referred in his article, “Peace in the World,” to the need for an integral approach in order for humanity to thrive, “In our generation, when each person is aided for his happiness by all the countries in the world, it is necessary that to that extent, the individual becomes enslaved to the whole world, like a wheel in a machine. Therefore, the possibility of making good, happy, and peaceful conducts in one state is inconceivable when it is not so in all the countries in the world, and vice versa.”

Consequently, he also emphasized, “It thus turns out that the collective and the individual are one and the same. And the individual is not harmed because of his enslavement to the collective, since the freedom of the collective and the freedom of the individual are one and the same, too.”

If the world wants to see a positive future, the individual’s natural inclination to exalt the self at the expense of others will have to be transformed and channeled into positive actions that benefit the entire society. Instead of self-destructive, egoistic competition, the human race can only accommodate those who raise the bar higher for the benefit of the entire society. In such a scenario, people will not look at others with the desire to squelch or belittle them, but will search for ways to raise the standard of living for each and every one, so all will be satisfied.

Taking the broad view, we now stand at a crossroads, and as a result, we must be committed to reevaluate the reckless way we have continually progressed. If we persist in the same form of egoistic competition, it threatens to quickly get out of hand and result in nuclear world war or ecological catastrophes. Therefore, it is crucial that we change course immediately and learn how to guide ourselves and humanity safely to a new way of life, where we harmonize with nature, whose parts are all linked.

At the heart of the change each of us must make is the conscious transition from the pursuit of selfish personal comfort to a quest to ensure everyone’s well-being. In our interconnected world, there is no other way to guarantee security and a good future for us, our children, and our grandchildren. Together we can build a life of truth, a life where the best interest of all is the most highly valued commodity. If we start moving forward together in this direction, we will quickly discover how many more wonderful things open up to us that now lie hidden in the depths of nature.
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“No More Sacred Cows” (Medium)


Medium published my new article “No More Sacred Cows

The past years have been one long procession of shattering of sacred cows. From banks, to politics and politicians, through intelligence agencies, and even the police, no institution is sacred anymore and nothing is above ridicule and contempt. Even the sacred cow of freedom of expression, hinged in the First Amendment, has been hijacked and butchered by, well, fighters for freedom of expression.

When there is so much separation and alienation in society, it is clear that the only solution is its opposite: union.

Where does this disintegration leave us? We cannot believe anyone, and we are afraid to say it since there is no freedom of expression. Worse yet, hope that things will improve is quickly fading.

This is a very perilous situation. At the same time, it is the only situation from which it is possible to grow. When there is so much separation and alienation in society, it is clear that the only solution is its opposite: union. America is in a do or die situation. Either people unite above all that separates them, or the last strings still holding the country together will snap and a second civil war will erupt.

The good news is that it is not too late. As long as there is communication, there is hope that people will listen to reason and understand that there will be no justice or peace for anyone if there is no care for everyone. Care, or at least concern, is the basis for building a just society.

Think of parents with their children: When the children fight, the parents might side with one child or with the other, but they will certainly act out of love for both, and therefore justly, trying to accommodate the needs of all the children.

The American people have no parents; no one will tell America who is right and who is wrong in the struggle that the anguished nation is experiencing. As a result, if the American people do not muster the strength to put the common good above self-interest, it will plunge into bloodshed and everyone will lose.

This year, 2020, is a critical year. Three factors have converged this year, each of which could dismantle any society: COVID-19, the George Floyd protests, and the presidential elections. Together, the three form a perfect storm that will require a truly brave nation to overcome.

Even where the police have not been disbanded, it is difficult to see how they alone can restrain people from an all-out eruption of violence. Unless people resolve to restrain their frustration, anger, and mainly hatred for the other party or color, no police or National Guard will help. It is the choice of each individual to set an example of restraint, respect, and ultimately care for others, simply because everyone, every single person, is a human being. And as I would want others to treat me, so must I treat others.

Once this level of restraint is achieved, it is possible to talk about bringing people closer. Once people respect each other’s right to dignity, it is possible to start looking at how the beauty and strength of America comes precisely from its diversity. America is home to all the races, all the colors, all religions, and every political view. Were it not for this diversity, America would not be America. But to see this, Americans must put the nation before the faction, the whole before the parts. Then, and only then, they will be able to unite and be the role model that they can and should be, the leader of the free world.
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“Is Anti-Semitism Racism? Depends Who You Ask” (Times Of Israel)

The Times of Israel published my new article “Is anti-Semitism racism? Depends who you ask

Read this Jerusalem Post headline carefully: “Anti-racism protesters in Paris yell ‘dirty Jews’ at counter-protesters.” That’s correct: the demonstration was against racism, and the demonstrators cursed a counter demonstration by yelling them, “Dirty Jews.” Put simply, in the eyes of the demonstrators, anti-Semitism is not racism.

They are not alone. Throughout the world, anti-Semitism is growing apace, and the more crises there are in the world, and there have plenty of them, the faster anti-Semitism intensifies. Currently, the most dangerous hub of anti-Semitism is undoubtedly the United States. The tensions between Democrats and Republicans have not subsided since the 2016 elections campaign, and now they are rising toward the 2020 elections. Add to it the coronavirus that has struck millions throughout the country, the unprecedented riots against racism, the campaign to defund and disband the police, and you have a perfect storm forming over the heads of American Jewry. Because in the end, people always have, always are, and always will blame the Jews for every problem in the world. And when there are big problems, the Jews take a big punishment. Currently, the American Jewry is en route to a Holocaust proportions cataclysm.

But there is still a sliver of hope: If the fragmented American Jewry finds within it the strength to rise above what often appears as repulsion from each other, they will set an example to the rest of American society and the enmity toward them will be replaced with respect and a desire to emulate them. This will bring peace to the entire American society. If American Jewry does not unite, if they continue to dig trenches in their political stance and snub others for thinking differently, the American society will sink deeper into hatred, and everyone will blame the Jews for it and punish them.

The Jews became a nation when they united “as one man with one heart” at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Immediately thereafter, they were tasked with being “a light unto nations”—to spread the light of unity to the rest of the world. This is why when disunity escalates to violence and war, the Jews are blamed for it. The same will happen in America. It is not a question of if, but a question of when. And that when is not so far ahead. As a fellow Jew, as one whose family was annihilated almost entirely in the Holocaust, I pray that American Jewry will rise above all differences and be a light of unity unto the American people, for their sake, and for the sake of America.
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“We Can Fight COVID-19 With Our Thoughts” (Linkedin)


My new article on Linkedin “We Can Fight COVID-19 with Our Thoughts

The life we see outside the window is a reflection of our connection with each other. Violent demonstrations in American cities and a new wave of coronavirus around the world are first and foremost social problems. We could solve them both if we only agreed to change our attitude to one another.

The coronavirus has taught us that we are living in an integral world where you can be healthy only under the condition of mutual responsibility.

The coronavirus has shown us that we are all dependent on each other since we are responsible for each other’s health. But if we want this mutual responsibility to keep us healthy, we shouldn’t think about our own health, but about the health of others. Only if we exert to keep everyone else healthy, we will guarantee our own health, since no one around us will be sick.

Currently, we wear masks because we don’t want to catch the virus from others in our area. This is the natural, egoistic thought. But this kind of thinking doesn’t stop the spread of the virus since many people aren’t afraid of it; they feel strong and healthy and don’t mind walking around without a mask, when in fact they could be asymptomatic carriers who could infect others. We have to reverse our thinking and wear masks not to protect ourselves, but to avoid passing the virus to others.

In this way, the coronavirus will lead us to change our attitude toward others. It will not disappear until we do this.

The coronavirus has taught us that we are living in an integral world where you can be healthy only under the condition of mutual responsibility. If we develop mutual responsibility, we will not need the government to impose any rules and regulations; our own feelings will indicate to us what we should or should not do. COVID-19 has started to change our mindset toward others, and it will not leave until we complete the process and shift our thoughts completely from a self-serving mindset to thinking only about others. At first, it will be only in order to keep myself healthy, but gradually, the habit of putting everyone else before ourselves will become our second nature, and then we will defeat the virus and it will disappear.

“Babylon Under The American Flag” (Medium)


Medium published my new article “Babylon under the American Flag

America has everything: socialists, communists, capitalists, starving people without a roof over their heads, and billionaires who own mansions throughout the world. America also has huge social gaps, and with the coronavirus and the anti-racism riots, troubles are inundating America from all over. Whoever wins the coming elections, I do not envy him.

The problems in today’s American society can only be solved by love because they are caused by hate. I am not a naive idealist; it is just that the antidote to hate is love. In the same sense that light “heals” darkness, and water “heals” aridity, love “heals” hate.

Only when the factions prefer the well-being of all Americans to the superiority of their own division, they will be able to build a bridge of love over the hatred.

We will have to think about how to get closer to each other because otherwise, reality will force us to do so with its own painful means. We could be looking at a world war, worse outbreaks of pandemics, cataclysmic natural disasters, and who knows what else nature has in store. Therefore, we should approach the terms that nature has set for us of our own volition.

I am not a socialist, a capitalist, or a fighter for anybody’s rights; I am a researcher of nature, and as such, I want to talk about what nature wants from us. Whether we like it or not, we will have to meet its requirements; nature will win, so it’s better to follow its directives of our own accord.

This is what nature tells us: America needs to unite; otherwise, the country will fall apart. Much of the country is divided into factions that fight against each other. And as love is the cure for hate, unity is the cure for separation.

Winning an election and gaining power over the other party’s opponent for four years will not bring unity, and certainly not love. We must look for ways to approach one another. Photogenic kneeling does not help if hatred and separation remain.

Hatred can only be cured by love that covers all the hatred. And precisely because so much hatred has now surfaced, there is no better time to make an effort to cover it with love than now. European Americans, African Americans, Latin Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Americans all live in the same country. It is truly a modern Babylon, and it will stay modern Babylon because people are who they are. If there cannot be unity among the various races and colors in America, there will be a catastrophe of truly Biblical proportions.

In Babylon, too, there was a man who pushed for unity over hatred. His name was Abraham, and today we know him as Abraham the Patriarch. Abraham’s efforts to unite his countryfolk above their hatred for each other were rejected, and he himself was ejected from his homeland. Now Babylon has been rebuilt across the ocean from the great empire of the past. But the need for connection, for love to heal the hate, is just as urgent as it was then, and so will be the consequences of rejecting it.

In an election year, emotions flare and tensions rise. And racial tensions are among the most incendiary. As a Russian born Jew, I know about racial tension and I know first-hand what it feels like when you are discriminated against because of how you were born. Still, there is no cure for hatred other than to cover it with love. Only when the factions prefer the well-being of all Americans to the superiority of their own division, they will be able to build a bridge of love over the hatred. Then, and only then, white will remain white, black will remain black, yellow will remain yellow, and red will remain red, but love will rule above them all. Only this one power can conciliate the American people into a single nation under God.

And to do this, modern Babylon needs Abraham’s technique. We must summon together all those who seek unity and work with them, just as Abraham did thirty-eight centuries ago.

Now that the old system is collapsing, it is time to build unity among everyone. We only need to learn how to connect with one another, since without this, everything will fall apart, leaving nothing of our civilization.
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“A Civilization In The Remaking” (Medium)


Medium published my new article “A Civilization in the Remaking

We thought we could beat COVID-19 by staying at home for a couple of months and practicing social distancing. We were very, very wrong. As soon as we rolled back the lockdown, the virus returned with a strain “nearly 10 times more infectious,” according to scientists at the Scripps Research in Florida. It will not let up until we understand its message: It’s time to remake human civilization.

To make sure that people get the information required to live in a civilization of connection, authorities will have to stipulate reception of all benefits on participation in learning how to live in this new society.

Here is a partial list of where the number of confirmed cases is on the rise once more: United States, Russia, France, Israel, Argentina, Brazil (which never really went into lockdown), Italy, Germany, and South Korea (previously the gold standard of success). Wherever you look, the tactic of “stay home until it goes away” is failing miserably, and the new strain guarantees that it will continue to fail. This leaves us only one option: restructure our countries so that everyone gets their basic sustenance while learning what in the world is going on. Any country that does not employ this tactic is bound to undergo complete social, political, and economic meltdown.

We will not be able to reopen businesses and shopping centers since they will become contagion hubs. According to Bloomberg, “One third of U.S. job losses [are] at risk of turning permanent.” I think Bloomberg is far too optimistic. Since the virus will not allow the reopening of businesses, they will simply shut down, along with all the businesses dependent on them. In the near future, nearly half of America will remain without income, and without any possibility of finding one. Over time, the percentage of incomeless Americans will only grow, “as companies from manufacturers to retailers adapt to a post-virus world, cutting off even more people from secure work,” according to the Bloomberg Economics research. And considering that the virus isn’t even gone, the impact on the job market will be even more devastating than predicted.

Therefore, every government and municipal authority must take immediate steps to prevent the systems’ collapse that will follow such a massive layoff nightmare. In such a state of uncertainty, people’s most basic fear will be hunger and shelter. The government, for its part, must implement immediate measures to provide water, food, power, and housing to everyone. If people are left hungry or on the street, there will be mayhem that will dwarf what we have seen with the recent George Floyd protests.

Next, the government and local authorities will need to inform everyone that the situation has changed and their lives will not return to what they were before March 2020. People will have to be briefed on what it means to live in a world where very few people work, and those who do, provide for everyone else’s sustenance. The rest of the people will be doing what we should have started doing long ago: communicating with one another.

Once people’s provision is guaranteed by the new structure that the authorities will establish, the rest of the people will spend their abundance of free time simply socializing. After all, this is what being human is about. There will be no reason to compete over jobs, no cause for business rivalries, and all that people will need to do is talk to one another and discover how great it is to simply be together — all races, all colors, all people. Instead of fighting, people will find their new meaning in life in connecting to other people rather than in racing against everyone to get to the top, exhausted, scarred, and alone.

To make sure that people get the information required to live in a civilization of connection, authorities will have to stipulate reception of all benefits on participation in learning how to live in this new society. In this way, people will get their physical, intellectual, and emotional needs satisfied through the system. Faster than we think, a new society will emerge, where bigotry and hatred have no place, and people’s primary occupation is making friends.

And if these words sound like fantasy, consider what you thought about life in February, and what you think about it now…
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“What Is A State?” (Linkedin)

My new article on Linkedin “What Is a State?

A state is the desirable framework where people can live nicely and comfortably, in security and prosperity throughout their lives. A state must first and foremost be built for the people to live in and be content with their country. A state exists for the sake of the people.

The purpose of the right government is to give the population it governs all the possibilities to develop in a way that is as close as possible to nature, to connection, and even to a state of love among the members of that society. By nature, we are made of an egoistic desire, and think only of ourselves, that each one of us is more special than the others, and therefore deserves more than others.

As a result, we can build our future only at the expense of others, which makes us dependent on each other. This, in turn, requires that we establish connections among us.

Of all the kinds of connection among us that we choose, only one kind of connection can truly be complete, good, and secure: a connection of love. We must establish among us ties of love just like in a family, so the whole world will be as one family, and then it can be said that we have achieved a corrected society.

“No Police, No Justice, No Peace” (Newsmax)


My article in Newsmax: “No Police, No Justice, No Peace

WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 08: People walk down 16th street after “Defund The Police” was painted on the street near the White House on June 08, 2020 in Washington, DC. After days of protests in DC over the death of George Floyd, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has renamed that section of 16th street “Black Lives Matter Plaza”. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

The death of George Floyd and the demonstrations protesting it could have sparked many plausible ideas for mitigating police brutality and racism. Complete disbanding of the police was not one of them. How can a society maintain law and order without the police? Who will protect honest retailers from looters such as we saw in the past two weeks?

According to Webster’s Dictionary, the police are “the department of government concerned primarily with maintenance of public order, safety, health, enforcement of laws and possessing executive, judicial and legislative powers.” The police are also “charged with prevention, detection and prosecution of public nuisances and crimes.” Clearly, without policing, we will find ourselves in a lawless country and who wants to go that way?

Yet, this is exactly what the Minneapolis City Council decided to do — disband the police. Especially after the riots following Floyd’s unwarranted death, this decision seems capricious, irresponsible and defies any common sense. If it is carried out, there will be no justice and no peace, but only bloodshed and anarchy. It will be Hell on Earth.

There are many problems with today’s police forces in America, but they only reflect the hate-filled society whose building blocks are falling apart. Undue violence is not the sole property of the police; America has the most violent and weaponized civil society in the world, far more than any backward regime you can imagine.

If things are to change, they must start from the root, from the people, the citizens and residents. Without blaming others, without self-righteousness and with a lot of sincerity and courage, people have to look inside at the values and feelings they have helped instate within society.

There is no question that we are all self-centered and see only our own interests. But today, our self-interest requires that we see to it that everyone gets their fair share. We cannot afford to neglect any part of society, since that part is certain to rebel and bring down the whole of society in flames along with itself. In other words, every person’s safety has become completely dependent on the safety of all the other people in society. Today, acting according to this premise is mandatory, since the consequences of not doing so are anarchy, destruction and death.

In a society whose members all feel dependent on each other, policing really can become redundant. If people care for others as much as they care for themselves, they won’t hurt anyone, and everyone will help one another. Therefore, today’s primary goal of every community, city, state and country must be for every person to learn about the laws of the interdependent society, gradually come to live by them and in this way develop love toward other people in the community.

This learning is not a course; it is ongoing learning that accompanies every person in society and adapts itself to the changing society. In today’s society, too few people know about the system of governance that makes so many crucial decisions about their lives. Educated people will behave in an educated manner. So the learning must consist of both theory and practice. The theoretical part will familiarize people with the institutions and regulations that allow a modern society to function, as well as a broader outlook on the interconnected nature of contemporary society. The practical part will consist of exercises that nurture the feeling of mutual connection among people. This is the part that will enable them to transform their lives from a life of suspicion and tension to a life of openness and joy.

To achieve this transformation, the practical part focuses on building solidarity with one’s community, city, state and country, a sense of mutual responsibility and the confidence that by working together toward these goals, it is possible to transform one’s life.

While the theoretical part can be taught to individuals, the practical part requires learning in groups. These can be either physical groups or online groups, but the group needs to work together and develop a group dynamic. In the process of overcoming ego clashes and other social tensions, people will learn the benefits of caring about the society and what to do when a conflict becomes too heated to mitigate. When there is good will all around, there will always be a solution.

Only if a community achieves a substantial level of mutual responsibility is it possible to reduce the level of policing. Instead of law enforcement, the mutual concern of the members of the community will abolish offenses within the community almost entirely and deal effectively with such cases when they arise. But until that happens — No police? No justice, no peace.
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