Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Will the United States ever go to war with China?“

While the media reports on the Asia-Pacific region as turning into a powder keg, we should remember that the media is primarily interested in its ratings, and neither America nor China are interested in serious warfare with each other. There is no point in trying to conquer other countries and regions in a world where an all-encompassing global crisis sweeps over us.

The real tension today is between us and nature. Nature is starting to work on us and our goal, which is of utmost importance, is to establish a dialog with it.

Nature will not leave us alone until we change ourselves, and it will change to the extent that we do. There are inanimate, vegetative, animate and human natures. Human nature is at the peak of all the levels of nature, and as such, the other levels depend on it.

If we can become more balanced among each other on our human level, then we can also bring calm to nature’s other levels. Kabbalistic books very clearly state in several places that only the good force exists in nature, and a human being can change everything. Humans cause imbalance in nature, and humans are also capable of bringing about balance.

Based on the video “War Between America and China? A Kabbalist’s Response” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Semion Vinokur. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Why do people stop believing in love?“

Many people stop believing in love because we live in a world built on the growing human ego, which wishes to enjoy at the expense of other people and nature. In such a world, hatred and desires to overpower others abound more and more, which makes the concept of love seem increasingly childish and unrealistic.

However, we need to understand that other than the negative pressures that emerge from our growing egoism, there is also a positive force that can govern and sustain us, yet it can do so only on condition that we want it.

Moreover, the more we experience pain, suffering and crises from our growing egoistic natures, the readier we become to recognize its evil, and to call upon the positive force in nature to correct us. This is what the kabbalistic texts mean by “the coming of the Messiah.” That is, the Messiah is a force that pulls or draws (“Messiah” [Heb. “Moshiach”] from the word “pull/draw/attract” [Heb. “Moshech”]) us out of our egoism and inserts us into a new reality of love and positive connection to each other above our differences and divisions.

Therefore, while we grow increasingly egoistic, we should not focus on our egoism and hatred of each other, but instead build positive connections to each other above our divisive drives. By doing so, we will draw the positive force dwelling in nature among us and raise an umbrella of love and goodness over ourselves.

Based on the video “Calling on the Good Force” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Chaim Ratz. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Why are some people so quick to blame Jewish people for everything? Where does this mindset come from?“

Indeed, Jews have received the blame for a lot of phenomena throughout history, from poisoning wells to creating viruses, and from drinking children’s blood to running the world. Often the blame is completely illogical, yet it becomes accepted by masses of people. Why is this the case?

Around 3,800 years ago, in a time of great division in human society, Abraham, a priest, explained to anyone willing to listen to him that the human ego had increased, and that people needed to rise above it. His followers received the name “the people of Israel” (“Israel” from the words “Yashar Kel” [“straight to God”]), and Abraham guided their unity to a state of “love your friend as yourself” above their divisions. Later, this group became known as “the Jews,” where the Hebrew word for “Jew” [Yehudi] comes from the word for “united” [yihudi].

This group detached from human society because they had an opposite direction in life to the rest of the people. In other words, by primarily wishing to reach a state of “love your friend as yourself,” they became detached from the egoistic goals that ran rampant throughout Babylonian society at the time.

Then, around 2,000 years ago, this group separated and scattered in all directions. They lost track of what initially brought them together, and continued to exist without directing themselves at a goal of uniting above their differences. This period is called “the 2,000 years of exile.”

Now, the time has come when we as humanity increasingly feel our interdependence, and we likewise need to undergo a process of unifying above our divisive drives in order to realize our interdependence harmoniously. At the same time, humanity has no idea how to apply itself to such a process, and more and more people thus instinctively feel that the Jews are to blame for all kinds of problems in their lives. We thus see surges in antisemitic crimes and sentiment from one year to the next.

Why is there an instinctive feeling of blame and hatred for the Jews? It is because the Jewish people were formed due to their attainment of unity above division, i.e., the attainment of the state of “love your friend as yourself” amid an increasingly divided society, and they hold the method that Abraham once granted them in order to rise above their divisive drives in order to attain the sublimity of unity. Today, however, the Jews themselves have no idea that they hold such a method, and thus they do not implement it. Instead of realizing what made them Jews to begin with, they try to live solely according to the smorgasbord of corporeal goals at everyone’s fingertips.

Therefore, more and more people subconsciously feel as if the Jews are robbing them of something, without pinpointing that what they mostly lack is a harmonious connection to expand throughout human society, which would bring about happiness, peace and love to everyone, and that the Jews hold a method to achieve such a state. Likewise, Jews themselves also do not understand that the method to achieve such exalted unity above division is what brought them together and made them Jewish to begin with. They only feel hated, not knowing why they consistently become the targets of accusations, while they—disproportionately to other nations—make significant advances in fields that seemingly contribute much benefit to humanity, such as science, medicine, technology and culture.

Only kabbalists, which are merely a few hundred from among the Jewish people, exert in trying to communicate the message to Jews about their role, and how it ties in with the cause and solution to antisemitism. Moreover, antisemitism is exponentially rising in our era, and history has shown the terrible consequences that can come about when the antisemitic inclination is left untreated. We have the ability, however, to take hold of the method to unite above the abundant divisive drives in our society today, attain the most magnificent goal of “love your friend as yourself” that has been given to humanity, and by doing so, act as a conduit of the positive force dwelling in nature to reach every person in humanity. It is thus my hope that the Jewish people will awaken to their role sooner rather than later, and that they start making motions in the direction of unity. A good future not only for Jews, but for humanity as a whole, depends on it.

Based on the video “Why Are Jews Blamed for Everything?” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Chaim Ratz. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How do you explain emptiness?“

Emptiness is a unique category of desires that are unable to be fulfilled. They thus feel empty of the content that they would like to have.

People who delve into questioning the emptiness that they feel are those who begin to feel the desire to discover the meaning of life. In other words, the feeling of emptiness in our desires coincides with asking questions about the meaning and purpose of life, why our lives end, what happens when we die, why we feel our lives as being so absurd and random, and so on.

Emptiness is thus a desire to attain what is unattainable in the meantime, because our matter is a desire to be filled with enjoyment and delight.

Based on a Kabbalah lesson with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on January 31, 2016. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What instigates hatred among humans?“

It is written, “the inclination of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Genesis 8:21). Envy, lust, honor and hatred are egoistic emotions unique to humans. Moreover, human egoism constantly grows, and due to its constant growth, our egos are much worse today than they were in the past.

While the human ego is behind the hatred, rejection, alienation and suffering we feel in our world, we also need to understand that the reason we have been given such a nature and such broken relationships is so that we will correct them. Correcting our egoism means rising above it, and acquiring a new sense that feels the positive force of nature opposite our ego—the force of love, bestowal and connection. Likewise, only we humans can bring about such correction. Moreover, egoism constantly grows in order for us to see that unless we correct it, then we will plunge into such crises that we will have no choice but to correct it.

Based on the video “The Root Cause of People’s Hatred for Other People” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Chaim Ratz. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is your viewpoint on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict?“

The current Russo-Ukrainian war awakens the awareness that as human beings, we desperately lack correction and positive connection. It shows how hatred can brew between two nations that have lived side-by-side for a long time, which share similarities in religion, language and history, and which play host to millions of families that were built with no regard as to whether the spouses’ respective families were Russian or Ukrainian. Despite their similarities, they instead emphasize their differences, differentiating and distancing themselves from each other up to a point of hatred. And the hatred boiled over into war, as if they share nothing at all in common.

Why does such a dire state come about? It is because human nature—the egoistic desire to enjoy at the expense of others and nature—is uncorrected at its basis. Moreover, this ego is already overblown, and still constantly inflating. Without correction—without mutually redirecting our intentions to benefit one another and nature—then it is bound to explode, to burst into flames, and bring about conflict and much suffering.

We then have no choice but to extinguish the flames of war by correcting ourselves, our egoistic nature, which presents itself today as the ego of one nation attacking to overpower another. We need to see that the ego’s correction is the only solution to this problem, as it is the only solution that treats the problem at its core.

We also need to understand that we cannot repair the war at its root cause—the growing uncorrected human ego—with the same egoistic powers at our disposal. Instead, through connecting to each other above our egoistic drives, which requires a guided method, we can invite the positive force dwelling in nature into our connections, and by doing so, be granted peace. Let us pray that the good inclination (intentions to positively connect to each other) will overcome the evil inclination (our innate egoistic drives) from person to person, nation to nation, and among all nations.

Based on the Writers Meeting with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on February 24, 2022, and the Daily Kabbalah Lesson on February 25, 2022. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
Photo by Artur Voznenko on Unsplash.

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Question: Valentin writes: “I have a strange feeling that everything around is a lie. The government lies, managers lie, the media lie. There is no truth in anything anywhere. But then how does one live? Whom can we believe? I’ve never felt it so sharply before.”

Answer: Yes, it depends on how much you have developed and feel the actual nature of the world, that egoism lies at the basis of the nature of the world. When a person begins to feel this, he really gets lost: “Where can I go?”

There are people who go to some distant islands or somewhere in a village to live quietly by themselves. They even disconnect themselves from the outside world in some way. And there are others who believe that if they accumulate wealth, for example, they will protect themselves, their future, and their successors.

Question: So how can he live with this feeling that he constantly sees that he is being deceived everywhere?

Answer: This is the nature of the world, and then—Kabbalah.

If he does not agree with the nature of our world, then he can only do one thing, go against this nature.

Question: What question should he have?

Answer: He should ask a serious question: Is it possible that the world is arranged by lies or not?

The world is designed so that we can change it. Therefore in our egoism we perceive the world in this way. If we change ourselves, the world will change.

Question: If he has such a sharp feeling that everything around him is a lie, does it mean that he needs to change?

Answer: Certainly. Otherwise he will not change the world. We think about changing the world all the time. This is the highest egoism.

Comment: This means the media cannot be destroyed, the government cannot be overthrown, the managers cannot be replaced.

My Response: Don’t do all this. We must try to show the whole world that its very nature—still, vegetative, animal, and human especially—is absolutely egoistic. And we need to correct this nature. Moreover, it is corrected from the “human” level.

Question: Therefore I always start from myself?

Answer: Start from yourself and others, with the connection between us, with the connection between people, and then nature will change at all levels. From top to bottom it will go to the animal, vegetative and still world.

Question: If I, an ordinary person, start with the connection with my loved ones, start trying to make it kind—no matter what, no matter what skirmishes and so on—will I start changing the world?

Answer: Yes, of course!

Comment: There are such rulers around in this world today that a person wants to overthrow them so much!

My Response: No, there is no need to overthrow. That would be an even bigger mess. That is all the wrong technique. It is necessary not to overthrow. It is necessary to show them how this should change.

“On them” means that, in principle, we need to explain its essence to the world. And the rulers are puppets. The hearts of the rulers are in the hands of this upper nature. And we need to understand that it is an explanation—just an explanation—that can lead people to change their attitude to themselves, to the world, and to others.

Question: And if someone who sees a solid lie around starts explaining to himself and others that this is human nature, that it is necessary to rise above it, to work with it, and to switch to good connections, what will he see instead of this lie?

Answer: Huge egoism. And we need to talk about this. Where is the method of correcting the world? It is in correcting a person. But not just in shouting and putting pressure on others. Rather, the method is in teaching, ennobling, and changing a person.

Question: If I start to change, what do I see?

Answer: If I start to change, I begin to see that this is what the world needs. And the world will change accordingly along with this. I will see more and more goodness in this world. And to the extent that I have such an impact on the world, I will see how it is changing.

This way—through our attitude to the world, and not only from me—we will bring the world into a state of correct balance.
[294030]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 1/3/22

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How do you deal with negativity coming your way and your own feelings of negativity?“

Every one of our negative feelings is the outcome of torn positive connections that we once had. That is why we can fix anything negative in our life by correcting our connections to each other.

If we take steps toward positively connecting with each other instead of letting our divisive drives take hold of us, then our every negative feeling will flip to become positive. We will then find ourselves in a world of love, kindness and care instead of a world of increasing pain, suffering and emptiness.

Since we are different, we are stronger united and weaker divided. When we apply unity above our differences, then our differences complement each other and we function as a single whole. When we are divided, then our differences weaken us. We should thus focus not on making everyone the same, but on placing an umbrella of unity over all of our differences. By doing so, we would discover a new world filled with blossoming positive attitudes of connection and love above our divisive drives. That is the key to successfully dealing with negativity, and it ultimately leads to a harmonious and peaceful society.

Based on the Writers Meeting with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on February 20, 2022.

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Comment: We live in fear all the time, in fear about what others say, that we will be fired, that we will be put in jail, that the bank will close, that we will get sick, that we will be deceived, that we will be underpaid, that we will overpay, that I will offend someone, that I will be offended, and there are fears for the future and fear in the present. This is our life. Why is it arranged this way?

My Response: To stir you up a little. You are all egoists. Just give you some slack and that’s it, you’re already lying and sunbathing, or on the couch, or on the river, or on the sea.

Question: So fear is the most effective thing to stir up a person?

Answer: There is no other way.

Question: What is afraid in me?

Answer: That I will not receive enough of something. From the smallest to some of the largest fillings.

Question: How can one overcome this fear?

Answer: Relax. Let the river of life flow freely through you.

The upper force governs everything. So the more you give yourself to it and get closer to it, the more you want to feel its governance, its flow, its plan, and its goal, you will completely get rid of your vain problems.

The closer you are to it, the more you relax because you give yourself to its flow. But it is necessary to make efforts to somehow connect with this flow.

Meaning that there is such a scenario and such a program to explain why we are moved by fear. And you have to gradually make it so that all these fears somehow decrease and disappear. Transfer all these fears to their source: the Creator. It is all from Him. He does this on purpose so that you turn to Him so that all fears would turn into the opposite, into pleasure and agreement.

Question: What should my appeal to Him be?

Answer: “Make it so that I perceive everything as coming from You and therefore as kind, good, and eternal.” That is all.

Question: And that’s it? And there are no fears?

Answer: There is nothing.

Question: Is there fear in spirituality?

Answer: The fear in spirituality is different. It comes from the fact that you are not doing what you can. In fact, you can rise above all obstacles, take them all to their source, the Creator, and thus get rid of all thoughts and desires that hinder you, and dissolve in Him.

Question: Is this fear in spirituality?

Answer: Yes. That is, do not rush and do not jerk. Simply dissolve as much as possible in the upper force through the method of equivalence. Here is where the work begins, hard work on yourself. But in general, there are no fears.
[293604]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 10/28/21

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What are the lessons learned from Squid Game?“

The screenwriter and director of Squid Game have been noted as saying that “such is our world” in relation to the setup where people become willing to kill other people if placed under conditions where it is either their life or another’s life.

I would take it a step further: that our world is worse than what is presented in Squid Game. In our world, we wish to kill others without playing a game in order to do so, knowing in advance that we will kill them, and not as it is in Squid Game, where players agree to play a game according to certain rules.

If we were to remove the filters that cloud human relations, we would see that we are killing each other. Imagine, for instance, the horrible phenomena we would see if everyone’s thoughts became revealed. Thankfully, however, we have been given a gift of being able to each keep our thoughts to ourselves, so that we would be spared from such a terrible vision.

The main lesson that Squid Game might open up is a view of how human nature works: that we each prioritize self-benefit over anything else, up to a point of killing other people if we are placed in a situation where it is either us or them. However, such a lesson is only a small part of what we truly need lessons in today: the need to transform our nature so that we prioritize positive connection to each other and to nature. The more we develop without undergoing such a fateful transformation, the more we will suffer; and the sooner we take steps to transform our nature in order to positively connect with each other above our self-centeredness, then the sooner we will experience a new harmonious and peaceful world.

Therefore, the main takeaway from Squid Game, which shows the evilness of our egoistic nature, should be paralleled with a serious endeavor that aims at clarifying what human nature is, how it works, why we create such shows, and whether they correctly portray our condition. We will be able to understand that we watch Squid Game and similar forms of art and entertainment because they portray the egoistic qualities that make up our current nature.

However, such viewing should be accompanied with an explanation of the need to change this nature if we are to shift our lives to a positive course, a world of happiness, balance and peace. Then, instead of identifying with our egos, we would start seeing our egoistic attitudes to each other as masks that hide a much better life from us, and we will then start feeling a desire to exit our egoistic state, and develop a completely different attitude to each other, to nature and to life in general.

Based on the video “How Squid Game Portrays Human Nature” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Semion Vinokur.

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