Michael Laitman, On The Times of Israel: “Israel – the Ever-Electing Country”

Nearly forty years ago, Jewish thinker Simon Rawidowicz published a book titled Israel – The Ever-Dying People. Since nearly four years ago, Israel has become the ever-electing country. For the fifth time in less than four years, Israel is going to the polls again.

The coalition that has just dispersed itself was truly unique, even by Israel’s standards. In this coalition, everyone sacrificed their principles for one common goal: preventing a common political rival from remaining Israel’s prime minister. And if the only reason to sacrifice everything is to prevent someone else from being in power, it is clear that the only purpose of this government was to stay in power.

As things stand now, it is clear that we cannot have a leadership; we cannot have a government. We cannot have a government because we do not have a country. There is no nation, no constitution, and no understanding whatsoever how to do it right. Instead, we are only trying to survive.

It is not as if we do not know how we should conduct ourselves. We have all the knowledge, but we never use it. To use it, we must build a nation, and then we will merit a state.

A nation is a collection of people, a community bonded by a common goal. Currently, millions of people have come to Israel, but they have no common goal, no sense of solidarity, community, or anything that defines us as a nation. To define us as a nation in the State of Israel, we need to know the purpose of the existence of the State of Israel.

First, we need to understand that merely serving as a safe haven for Jews does not work. We can already see that settling for a place where Jews can be secure and feel at home does not work; it is simply not enough. In truth, when Jews gather in one place, it starts a fire, and the State of Israel exemplifies it.

Therefore, for Jews to assemble at a certain place, they need to be prepared for it. They need to know where they are going and why.

This place, the State of Israel, exists in order to allow Jews to rebuild their nationhood, to turn themselves into a united Jewish people, and not a splintered mass divided into dozens of parties that despise one another and cooperate only in order to oust a common foe whom they hate more than they hate each other.

Only if this throng becomes a unified mass, bonded by mutual solidarity, it will merit the title “nation.” Unlike other nations, which have common national symbols or geographical characteristics, our only unifier is the ideology of unity itself.

When we merit the title “nation,” we will also know what our constitution is, since there will be only one item in it: unity above all differences. This is the uniqueness of the people of Israel, and where such a nation lives becomes the Land of Israel.

A few days ago, head of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh called on the Palestinians to prepare themselves to return to Palestine since Israel is in a state of political disintegration that reflects the dead-end to which the Zionist project has come. “The beginning of defeat,” he said, “is disintegration from within.”

Regrettably, Haniyeh is correct. In our current state, the State of Israel has no future.

Unless we take upon ourselves the only constitution suitable for the Israeli people, a constitution of unity and solidarity at all costs and above any division, our country will not be here for long. If unity is our goal, we will succeed in everything. If it is not, we will disintegrate and be driven out.

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Medium published my new article “No Point in Having Economists without Accountability”

An economist shared with me that there is a saying about economists, that they tell you tomorrow what happened yesterday.

With the world drowning in a whirlpool of financial and economic crises, we need economists who can tell us not only what happened, but what will happen down the line, and most importantly, what to do about it. Economists who show off their fancy charts spread across multiple displays, who talk about models without telling us what specifically we should do to stop the global economic avalanche, are worthless. We do not need them.

Economists get a lot of prime time exposure, which they use in order to tell us what is happening. But we don’t need them to tell us what is happening because it is happening to us. We need them to tell us what to do, and this is where they all grow silent.

It is like having an expert in microeconomics telling me how to run my house. I trust that economist, but I suddenly find that I cannot buy this food or that appliance, or I cannot pay for my kids’ afterschool classes. How would I relate to such an “economist”?

This is what is happening to us at the macro level. Instead of looking for a hole deep enough to hide in, economists condescendingly lecture us mere mortals about why there is no baby formula on supermarket shelves, why inflation is skyrocketing, and why gasoline costs more than $5 a gallon. (In Israel, by the way, it is twice as expensive as in the US.)

The purpose of economics is to anticipate what might happen and, equally important, how to prepare for it. Clearly, there are unpredictable events. However, these pundits should include preparations for the unpredictable in their models and advise policymakers how to prepare for them. That way, when a downturn comes, we will not be left helpless and hapless as we are now.

Economists must draw the line, set the boundaries, and warn which moves humanity cannot afford to take because of their consequences. When economists prove that they can create models that guarantee the stability of humanity, or at least the stability of a country, they should step off the counselor seat and join the ranks of policymakers.

As such, they will be very powerful because they will be able to influence us through our most sensitive spot: our stomach. If a reliable economist warns that tomorrow we will run out of grain or water, everyone will listen. If all they do is print thick reports on glossy paper, they are not worth the price of the paper their reports are written on.

I can count my money in the bank, assuming I have any; I don’t need economists for that. I do, however, need them to tell me where the world is going out of balance and what to do about it because this will influence my bank account in the future.

If economists felt responsible for what is happening and regretted not warning us in time, they could be excused. But if they remain in the commentator’s seat and do not feel responsible for the well-being of the world, then there is no point in having them at all.
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Medium published my new article “What If We Got It All Wrong about the Climate?”

What if we got it all wrong about the climate? What would we do if we learned that aerosols that pollute the air also cool it and mitigate the greenhouse effect? Also, what if we were told that volcanic eruptions that emit CO2 and other greenhouse gases that heat up the atmosphere, also emit ash that blocks the sun’s rays and cools the air more than the CO2 they emit, and which heats it? Recently published scientific papers claim just that.

A study conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration claims that “A 50% decrease in pollution particles and droplets in Europe and the U.S. is linked to a 33% increase in Atlantic storm formation in the past couple decades, while the opposite is happening in the Pacific with more pollution and fewer typhoons.”

If we add to this recent discovery the well-established fact that volcanic eruptions cool the Earth, it begs the question, how then do we deal with climate change? Do we clean the air and heat up the planet? Do we keep polluting the air in order to cool it? Or, do we try to somehow clean the air and reduce CO2 emissions in a way that does not accelerate the warming of the air?

If these questions seem unsolvable, it is because they are. They are unsolvable because they are the wrong questions; they aim to “cure” the symptoms rather than the illness. It does not work in medicine, and it does not work with the climate.

The “illness” that causes these problems is human behavior. We are ruthlessly exploiting the earth’s resources. We are competing over who will exploit the planet more effectively and more quickly, and we completely ignore the fact that by doing so, we are sowing off the branch we are sitting on.

To solve the climate crisis, humanity needs to have a round table discussion ‎and collectively determine its priorities. We will have to decide what is necessary for everyone and what is not, and provide only what is necessary. We will have to learn to exist the way all of nature exists. If we do not learn it of our own accord, nature will force us to learn it the hard way.

This solution pertains not only to the climate crisis, but to all our problems. There is not a single problem today that does not affect the entire world. Look at the food shortage that the war in Ukraine has caused, look at the global supply disruptions, the soaring inflation around the world, the viruses that spread uncontrollably, the computer chip crisis, everything impacts everyone and there is nothing we can do to solve these crises because we are trying to save ourselves instead of trying to save everyone collectively.

If we start thinking collectively, we will find solutions to all our problems because they are not problems of pollution or inflation, or any of the other symptoms; they are problems in connection.

When we change the purpose of our connection from mutual exploitation to mutual correction, we will find that we have no problems whatsoever. We can cut the production of all our products and still have more than enough to provide everyone with all their needs. If we stop competing against each other, we will have no reason to deplete the earth. If we have no need to deplete the earth, we will be able to reduce CO2 and aerosol emissions all at the same time.

The bottom line is that we do not need to worry about reducing pollution; we need to worry about improving our connections. If we establish strong connections around the world, the rest of our problems will disappear as if they never existed.
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My new article on Linkedin “Where in Europe Is Good for Jews?”

The answer to the question of what are the best places to be Jewish should be an unequivocal “anywhere.” Unfortunately, that is not the case. The fact that such a question was the main topic in a recent study by the European Jewish Association reveals the heightened prevalence of antisemitism. According to that research, Belgium and Poland are the worst countries for Jews while Italy and Hungary are the best.

The survey examined the lives of Jews in the 12 European countries with the largest Jewish communities. The parameters studied were governmental measures against antisemitism, security of the Jewish community, freedom of religion, promotion of Jewish culture and the country’s voting record in favor or against Israel at the United Nations.

There is nothing new under the antisemitic sun. Belgium and Poland are known as countries that despise Jews, while Italy and Hungary hate us a little less. I have traveled to Europe many times, both for work and family vacations, and every time I step on European soil, I feel an antisemitic atmosphere that makes me uncomfortable and like I have no country other than Israel.

The situation has worsened over time. In the first decades after the Holocaust the atmosphere in Europe was still stable; today hatred of the Jews raises its head proudly and fearlessly. Are the Jews seeing the warning lights in the increased openly displayed acts of antisemitism? Not really.

In Belgium, for example, the government has significantly reduced security around the Jewish communities, banned kosher slaughter and is considering banning circumcision. But for the Jews of Belgium “it is good to be a Jew in the country,” in their own words. As it has usually happened throughout history, Jews bury their heads in the sand and are prepared to get used to any situation instead of exerting their strength through Jewish unity.

The phenomenon of antisemitism is not revealed to ultimately destroy some local Jews, but it is a natural response designed to remind Jews why we exist in the world. We have no possibility of defending ourselves against hatred, except temporarily and insufficiently. The only protection against antisemitism is the realization of our original destiny as the people of Israel.

Jews must unite against the crystallizing hatred, not as a frightened flock of sheep encircled by a snarling pack of wolves, but because it is our call to action to become “a light unto nations” through Jewish unity. In a state of cohesion, a supreme power emerges as a positive force that radiates to all humanity.

Conversely, as long as we, Jews, abandon our spiritual role, we slowly disengage from the very feeling of being Jews and instinctively understand that we have no right to knock hard on the table of the nations and say, “Yes, we live here too! We have been here for generations and this is our place too!” In the absence of unification, the Jews bend and compromise until the wave of hatred passes, momentarily, because it never really goes away.

Although Israel is the Jewish state, our national home, I do not expect European Jews to immigrate here. Their mass emigration is neither a solution for them nor for us. Of course, there is no objection or prohibition, but it does not strengthen us in any way if it is not done with the full conviction of the true meaning of Israel in our lives.

Israel is a place for those who feel they cannot live anywhere else in the world and are willing to accept the laws of true Zionism: to transcend our selfish nature, mobilize for the good of others, connect internally and externally with other Jews to build a unique network, the abode of the Upper Force. This spiritual space is and will always be the safest place for every Jew.
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Medium published my new article “The Global Turbulence of the Travel Industry”

Remember the days when traveling was relaxing, exciting? Those memories have been challenged in recent weeks by the chaos experienced at airports around the world, particularly in North America and Europe. A surge of summer passengers, eager and waiting to travel since the onset of the pandemic, has been confronted with widespread understaffing due to Covid-19 layoffs which have put pressure on airports and airlines.

Once considered redundant, travel industry workers who were laid off are now reluctant to return to jobs due to low wages, job insecurity, and poor working conditions. As a result of the lack of human resources globally, thousands of passengers have missed boarding calls and flights while waiting in nightmare queues, and often their luggage has been delayed or lost. And if all this is not enough, many airline staff, including pilots, are protesting over fatigue, stress, and staff shortages. Due to the lack of manpower, airlines around the world have canceled thousands of flights and many more cancellations are expected throughout the holiday season.

Whoever decided to initiate the wave of mass layoffs in the days of the pandemic should have also considered how to recruit and train new workers when they would again be needed. After all, the expectation was known well in advance since tens of thousands had already talked about a vacation abroad the day after the travel restrictions were lifted. So why didn’t they get organized in advance to provide services to the traveling public?

The coronavirus has accustomed us to a new quality of life–to working from home in comfortable conditions, to seeing that it is possible to get by with less, so now the low salaries offered in the industry provide little incentive to return to work.

In the short run, better wages for employees would spur recruitment, but in the long run, this will not truly satisfy employee desires. The very fact that this is a worldwide phenomenon suggests that it is a fundamental human problem that might even be called the “plague of laziness.”

It is forbidden to disconnect between cause and effect. During the pandemic period people changed from within. Their desires and requirements have grown, so that today they demand more comfort and are unwilling to make large efforts without being paid appropriately. This is the evolving trend in human society, and it is an expression of continuing development that requires a new fulfillment.

In the end, the international chaos in the aviation industry reveals how unorganized we are on a social level. This is only a sample of the situation that exists in all the other industries in the economy. We are disorganized across the board, while the crisis has not yet reached its peak. As long as we do not settle the problems the suffering and frustration will intensify to the point that we will no longer contain them, then surely a comprehensive change will be forced upon us.

The lack of connection between us, and the lack of awareness of our human nature particularly as a result of the pandemic, reveal the simple fact that we are no longer able to even enjoy even the short vacations which were taken for granted not long ago.

If we do not wake up, the situation will only get worse. Human nature does not freeze its yeast; the desire to receive pleasure will force people to demand more and more. At the same time, we naturally become more lazy, selfish, and greedy. In the same way that there are no flights now, tomorrow there will be no trains, hotels, restaurants and what not, so that we will have to acknowledge in our flesh that change is mandatory.

Large companies in the economy need to implement an ongoing process of education to raise awareness of the fact that we live in one single interconnected natural system in which humanity is interdependent.

This very initial understanding from our education will develop within us a new attitude toward life, teaching us how to direct our egoistic nature to harmonize with conditions of interdependence and mutual guarantee. Out of the corrected and improved relationships between us we will be able to easily motivate workers and propel all the systems in the economy to avoid future bumpy rides in our society.
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My new article on Linkedin “Growing Up with Roe v. Wade”

Being the child of two doctors, the dedicated kind, who bring their work home, and with my mother being a gynecologist, I often witnessed first hand the complexities that come with a decision to terminate a pregnancy. My mother, who was often asked to testify as an expert witness in court, regularly discussed those cases with my father, and I was privy to the deliberations for and against abortion. In a sense, I grew up with Roe v. Wade, as these cases were a part of my formative years. Because of it, I understand why the topic is so sensitive and so difficult to resolve.

Through my background, I came to believe that at the end of the day, a woman should make her own choice about whether or not to have an abortion. However, I also believe that because people do not have sufficient knowledge about the consequences of such a decision, what it means for the mother, for the fetus, and for the people around the pregnant woman, how it might affect, or not affect her health, under what circumstances the woman conceived, and countless other considerations, it is very difficult to come to a wise and educated decision.

Needless to say, in extreme cases, such as in situations of sexual abuse or rape, as is happening today in Ukraine, there is no question that abortions should be permitted. Therefore, there should certainly not be an absolute ban on abortion.

But there is more to this issue than dealing with emergencies. Roe v. Wade was intended to give women the right to decide about their own bodies. This is a completely sensible decision. However, in order to come to a decision that truly helps her, a woman needs to have all the information before she decides what to do.

Currently, there is no system that provides that information. People are ignorant about the consequences of their actions and decisions. In other words, before we decide about the right to make an abortion, we must educate people about everything surrounding the whole process.

It is not only abortion that is discussed here. People have no knowledge about sex education, birth controls, parenthood, childbearing and child-rearing. A decision concerning the right to choose whether or not to have an abortion should be part of that entire complex, that complete education system, and not a separate issue.

Clinically, having an abortion is a simple procedure. However, it is a very emotional process. The emotional and mental consequences of it appear only after the fact, when the woman, and sometimes her family, has to live with her decision. This is why it is so important to allow women to make educated decisions, and this requires setting up an educational process that will see to it.

Additionally, the state should not leave women to deal with the consequences of their decisions on their own. The government should set up a mechanism for assisting women in going through with their decisions, whether it is to have the child or to abort the pregnancy, and to recover from it afterwards.

I can understand the uproar that the ruling of the Supreme Court has caused. Moreover, I am certain that people will go through with abortions despite the court’s ruling. The problem is that in states that ban abortions, women will do it illegally, which might expose them to inadequate sanitary conditions, treatment by unauthorized personnel, and prohibitive costs.

Therefore, the only solution that I can see is a systemic solution that takes into account the needs and views of all the people involved, provides comprehensive information and covers all the angles of the issue, and offers systems that assist in making the right decision and dealing with it afterwards. Once such a system is in place, I believe it will be natural to leave the choice in the hands of the women who must make the choices concerning their own lives and the lives of their unborn children.
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My new article on Linkedin “The Appeal of Evil”

Following the rise in terrorist acts and violent crimes in Israel and the world over, the Israeli newspaper Ynet published an in-depth analysis on the topic of human brutality. The analysis tried to understand what causes certain people to become particularly evil, and if humanity can defeat the spreading cruelty within it. The interviewees in the analysis pointed out many factors that may cause people to become brutal. Brain structure, hormones, the mother’s nutrition during pregnancy, and drug and alcohol abuse were some of the physiological factors, while abuse, neglect, and growing up in a violent environment were among the social and emotional factors.

What was absent in the story, however, was the exponential growth in human self-centeredness, which has already come to the attention of many researchers, and which is the root cause of all forms of malice.

Self-centeredness, or narcissism, as social scientists refer to it, is the culprit behind the increasing level of cruelty in society. It is growing exponentially and is the reason for all the negative phenomena that have been intensifying in recent decades. Violence and cruelty are certainly the more painful symptoms, but financial crises, reckless depletion of natural resources, and the economic wars that have escalated around the world are also offshoots of the reckless selfishness that is intensifying by the day.

Everything has some level of selfishness. Every organism takes what it needs without regard for others’ needs. When all those self-centered desires clash with one another, they balance each other out and the result is that everyone gets what they need, and there is enough for everyone. In that state, the clashes between species keep them strong and healthy.

The problem begins with people. We cannot settle for taking only what we need. We constantly compare ourselves to others. We do not look at what we need, but at what others have, and we feel that we must have more than they do. As a result, we cannot be satisfied until we have more than everyone else.

Because we are compulsive competitors and incorrigibly jealous, we are growing increasingly avaricious. And as the world becomes more and more connected, we find more and more people to envy, until we feel that we must surpass all the people in the world. Eventually, we come to enjoy not only surpassing everyone, but humiliating everyone, degrading them, and hurting them, and we enjoy seeing them suffer.

Certainly, not everyone is like that. Very few among us have reached such levels of narcissism, but this is the trend. To varying degrees, we are all like that, and the trajectory of human development will make more and more people become pathologically selfish, with all its consequences.

Worse yet, the more violence becomes commonplace, the more people will become violent. And the more cruelty becomes acceptable, as is the case in a violent and abusive society, the more people will become cruel and abusive.

In the analysis, Prof. of History Gideon Graif said that evil is often simply more attractive. As a researcher of brutality during the Holocaust, he reached the conclusion that not all the Germans were sadistic, but many of them became so in the atmosphere that surrounded them in the death camps. In fact, he says, they may have even competed at being the cruelest.

Since the Holocaust, many experiments (such as The Stanford Prison Experiment) have shown that under certain circumstances, even the most normative person can become sadistic and abusive. Since we always compare ourselves to the environment, we have no choice in the matter; we are compelled to become a reflection of our social environment. If the environment is sadistic, we, too, will become that, and we will not feel that we are doing anything wrong; we will have no remorse and we will feel no need to justify our actions. On the contrary, we will feel that we are doing the right thing.

If we want to reverse the trend of growing violence, abusiveness, and alienation in society, we must begin to change the norms that we regard as acceptable. Since we are compelled to compare ourselves to others, we should see that our role models are conscientious people. If we want to decrease the level of alienation, we must give public accolades to those who excel in bringing people together, who increase solidarity in society, who exemplify supportive and positive relationships. When we show positive, non-violent role models, we will have a positive, non-violent society, and not a day sooner.

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Medium published my new article “Toward a Fiery Turmoil”

Abortion rights activists demonstrate outside the United States Supreme Court in Washington, U.S., June 25, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Roe v. Wade is overturned and protests erupt, gun laws are revisited, war rages in Ukraine, Sri Lanka’s economy collapses, bank runs in China, escalating tensions between the US and China over Taiwan, an increasingly belligerent North Korea, and a nearly nuclear and wholly unruly Iran — all these are a prelude to a fiery turmoil that will storm the world. The unwanted, unintended, yet inescapable ties among all parts of humanity are raising the level of friction and aggression while our connectedness relentlessly increases.

In this mayhem, countries will collide with countries, parties will jar with parties, societies will clash, and people will thrash one another. Everyone will be embroiled in a vortex in which everyone is connected to everyone else, and everyone influences everyone else. The clashes will demonstrate how hostile we are, how unwilling we are to listen to each other or hear about each other until everything seems to fall apart.

But then people will begin to realize the unexpected truth that the differences between us do not divide us, but nourish us. They will see that although we feel apart, we are actually a family where each member has a unique position, duties, and chores. Yet, above it all, we are a family.

When we realize this, we will understand and even feel that we can succeed only as a family, and not alone. We will understand that although mom does some things, dad does other things, and the children all have their different chores and duties, these differences are not what matters. What matters is not what we do in the family, but that we are a family; that we are connected in our hearts.

When we realize how closely and irrevocably we are connected, we will establish new relationships between us, family relationships among all of humanity. This will solve most, if not all, of our problems.

For example, the impending wave of hunger that will engulf many countries, or the heating problems that countless countries will face next winter, are avoidable crises. There is enough food and gas to meet the needs of all of humanity, and then some. But since there is no desire to distribute these staples, and plenty of desire to deny them and torment other nations, humanity is condemned to starvation and to freezing. In other words, the problem is our foul connection, not a scarcity of anything.

In the current situation, these problems will impact not only countries at war or those that rely on imports for provision of staples; they will affect everyone. The inevitable result will be a realization that our only option is to forge positive relations and connect with one another like the family, as we just mentioned. The question is how much fiery turmoil we will have to endure before we come to this conclusion.
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My new article on Linkedin “Of Pope Francis, and of World War III”

Last week, a conversation with Pope Francis was published, in which he related to the Russia-Ukraine war as the start of World War III. In a conversation with the editors of European Jesuit publications, and which was first published by the Italian Jesuit publication La Civiltà Cattolica, the Pope said, “The world is at war. For me, today, World War III has been declared.” Subsequently, he lamented, “What is happening to humanity that we have had three world wars in a century?” I do not believe that the Russia-Ukraine conflict is a third world war or that it should devolve into one. However, the fact that there is such a danger, or that there is war at all, shows that we have not drawn the right conclusions, which puts us in harm’s way again.

It is clear to everyone that no one has anything to gain if the war in Ukraine escalates into a global conflict. That said, the war is yet another indication that we still do not know how to govern our desire for dominance and control.

We have come to a point where our ego does not settle for controlling others. Nowadays, people are willing to destroy others for simply behaving or even thinking differently from them.

If we want to prevent wars, we need to help all the nations realize that war does not bring any benefits, that we do not want it and do not need it. This is a process that must involve everyone, since each country must have its neighbors going through the same process, or belligerent countries will exploit other countries’ efforts to end violence.

If countries do not adopt this approach, they will continue to compete against each other, exploit each other and deplete the earth of resources. We are already seeing the consequences of this attitude on our planet, but they will grow far worse in the very near future. Hunger, extreme heat, extreme cold, and countless other problems will overwhelm humanity and force nations to stop abusing others and focus on their own survival.

To prevent this scenario from developing further than it already has, humanity needs to understand that we must learn to work together or nature will destroy us. Currently, many nations are still dreaming of conquests and subjugations of other nations. We must gradually make these nations understand that doing so will only harm them, and harm everyone else, as well. Unless we help everyone realize that we are dependent on each other for better or worse, and we must act accordingly, we will all be in big trouble.
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Medium published my new article “Why Does Violence Increase in Society?”

Year after year, violence in society surges. American concern over crime and violence is at its highest level since 2016, with 53% of Americans worried “a great deal” about it, according to a recent Gallup poll. This makes it one of the top national concerns, surpassed only by inflation and the economy.

How can we treat violence at its root and stop it? The answer lies in addressing human nature, which is the root cause of violence. Our nature is egoism, a desire to have satisfaction, a desire to enjoy as much as possible at the expense of others, and it constantly grows. From generation to generation egoism evolves and aggressiveness increases.

The inanimate, vegetative and animal levels also have a desire to receive for themselves, but at low levels. The inanimate only wants to hold on to itself, the vegetative takes from the environment to grow, the animal moves and wanders to find food, a place to live, give birth to offspring. In human beings, the desire to receive reaches such a great level that it leads to violence, to the deliberate harm of others for self-benefit.

Humans are the only creatures that enjoy and feel even more successful when they succeed in destroying others in the process.

People erupt violently when they feel their ego does not get the satisfaction it needs. They are unable to calm and restrain themselves, and finally the wrath erupts on someone around them. A person beats, attacks, and even kills in extreme situations. Even if they are aware that they might get killed as well, it still does not make them refrain from the necessity of venting their anger at that moment. They must liberate what explodes inside them.

In addition to the constant intensification of the ego that evokes violent impulses from within, there is also the influence of the environment. We are social creatures and are greatly influenced by what we see in the media, on social networks, and on the roads.

In the age of great egoism being violent has become a common practice in society. Almost everywhere, from the parliament to the queue at the supermarket, there is a forceful and violent atmosphere. It is considered a show of strength when one manages to humiliate and subdue the other. It affects relationships in the family, at work, in schools, in any interaction between people.

What can help? Only education for proper person-to-person engagement. It should begin from infancy and continue throughout life. Ostensibly, today we educate against violence, the problem is that children see around them examples opposite of what they are taught. Many times, we as adults are impatient, aggressive, stressed, and speak rudely. We cannot preach the nice treatment of others and being courteous, when we act harshly to other people.

The first thing on the way to a change of direction is to recognize that we have a fundamental social problem related to people’s intensifying egoism. It is like a cancerous growth that eats us from within and does not let us live and get along with each other well.

We need to explore ourselves in depth, understand how to transform our nature from a destructive force into a connecting lever.

By and large, reality shows that fear of punishment or preaching morality about appropriate behavior is not enough to suppress violence in society. We need to fundamentally change human nature so that we learn to respect others instead of caring only about ourselves. Only in this way can we ensure that no violent impulses arise in us.

In tomorrow’s world, the main occupation of humanity will be just that: to learn how to treat each other properly, how to improve human relationships. Computers and robots will take a lot of work off our shoulders and give us time to learn and practice how to deal with each other properly, in complementarity, in mutual understanding. Only when there are such corrected relationships between us can we guarantee ourselves a life without violence.
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