Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How can two answers to a single question be right, but still contradict each other?“

If the question is being heard by people who are on different levels of development, then even though each one hears the same question, they might hear it in opposite ways. Each one who hears not the question, but the answer, also hears it in his own way—according to each person’s level of development. What is correct for one person might seem incorrect and even opposite to another one.

This is why people cannot understand each other until they reach an altruistic form of development. We have to suppose that the levels of development determine the fact that each person hears something different each time. It is because that which we heard and understood yesterday can turn out to be opposite to what we hear and understand today. This is why our approach to each person must be completely relative. Nothing can be taken as an axiom, as something absolute.

At that point, we must understand that on one hand, everything is predetermined in advance, and on the other hand, everything depends on the person—and we cannot grasp this law with our mind. We say that everything descends and comes from above—it is as if everything is known in advance, and at the same time, we assert that a person is able to change something and achieve results that depend only on the person. We are unable to combine both, i.e. that everything depends on oneself, and also that everything is determined in advance.

Precisely thanks to understanding that this relates to two levels of development, to two forms in which a person exists—we can smooth out the seeming contradiction and understand that everything correlates only with the person.

Based on a Q&A with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on September 9, 2006. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How can an economic system be devised that is not in conflict with the rights of humans or animals?“

Such an economic system must correspond to the law of altruism, where we each use only as much as we need in order to exist, and give everything else to equal distribution among everyone.

This is how our body’s cells merit life, because they each receive the necessity for their sustenance, and give any surplus to the whole body. In other words, each cell lives by means of the barest necessities, while its entire nature and activity is to provide the body with the forces of life.

We should each function in human society according to one principle: to live by using the small part that we need to exist, and to give everything else in order to fulfill society’s needs. In such a way, we will distribute products among everyone according to how much each person uses and needs. This is what everyone will be equal in, while everything else will pass over to humanity as a whole.

Everyone will then achieve balance. This is how we can balance ourselves according to nature’s general altruistic law, which envelops us and acts in human society, even though it is beyond our current perception.

Receiving for ourselves according to our necessities, and giving to society according to our abilities is how we can merit receiving a positive response from nature. There will then be no catastrophes, tsunamis, illnesses, epidemics or wars. Everyone will live a peaceful, safe and healthy life. Nature itself will provide a wonderful, equal and comfortable existence for all. Whereas if we will not observe the general altruistic law of nature then we will lead ourselves to annihilation.

We need to fully realize nature’s altruistic law in our times. It is why we are becoming increasingly globally interconnected and interdependent.

Based on a Q&A with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on September 9, 2006. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Who are your heroes? Who inspires you?“

Great people, those whom I accept as being great—are the great kabbalists who developed the wisdom of Kabbalah. They received it from ancient Babylon, i.e. the times of the first revelation of evil in people, and they have carried it from one generation to the next over 5,000 years.

These include the author of The Book of Zohar, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who lived in the 2nd century; the founder of the modern science of Kabbalah—Rabbi Isaac Luria (the Ari), who lived in the 15th century; and the last kabbalist who developed the wisdom of Kabbalah with consideration of our time—Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam), who lived in the 20th century. In essence, precisely he revealed the wisdom of Kabbalah to our generation, and with his help we now advance to the understanding of reality, nature and the core problem that humanity faces.

Also, I revere my teacher, Baal HaSulam’s older son, Rav Baruch Shalom HaLevi Ashlag (Rabash), who passed this wisdom to me. He handed it over to me and obligated me to spread it to humanity—which is what I try to do with all my strength.

This is why the great kabbalists—Rashbi, the Ari, Baal HaSulam and Rabash—are the people whom I see as my examples. To me, they are the heroes of the world.

Based on a Q&A with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on September 9, 2006. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is the simplest life advice you can give me?“

The very first and simplest advice are the well-known rules: “That which you hate, do not do to your friend” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What should a young adult be reading, seeing or experiencing to spark a strong desire and knowledge to become a world-changer?“

No matter how egoistic we are, we contain several altruistic forces. We can develop these altruistic forces by means of a special targeted influence of culture, education, science and upbringing. That is the essence of what we should prioritize as a society.

We should each receive an explanation about the fact that human society is integral and unified. We need to exist in unity, in mutual love according to the principle, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

This is where we should orient our literature, cinema and means of mass information. It is what we should discuss in society, and we should prioritize such influences so that they become of utmost importance to us. By doing so, we will each become valued solely by our contribution to society.

Then, the young generation will definitely become permeated by hearing and seeing wonderful examples of positive contributions to society from all directions. After all, we become obligated by social influence, and this is why we will become obligated to take care of society. As a result, our attitude toward each other will become altruistic and we will reach balance with the general law of nature, the law of love and bestowal, and we will accordingly ascend above materialistic life to spiritual life.

Based on a Q&A with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on September 9, 2006. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What moves you the most in your life?“

In my life, I am moved by the understanding of the general altruistic law of nature, which advances humanity to its awareness.

Nature wants us to come to know this law and to develop accordingly. Thanks to this, we ascend from nature’s animate level to that of the speaking or human. Since humanity’s salvation depends only on knowing this law and realizing it, then I think that its knowledge should spread throughout the world, before the world becomes immersed in increasingly greater suffering, through which it will sooner or later nevertheless discover this law.

My mission then becomes to pass the knowledge of this law to humanity so that people would avoid suffering, and so that people would understand what nature demands of us and why.

By applying the law of nature, we will quickly reach a happy life, in the shortest time span, without miseries and suffering.

This is what moves me and pushes me to stay active in advancing this message.

Based on a Q&A with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on September 9, 2006. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How can we ensure that everyone in the world can receive a decent education so that everyone will have the opportunity to contribute maximally to humanity’s benefit?“

The realization of the fact that we exist in a single human system as parts of one organism will compel us to organize an education where every person will be able to draw forces in order to provide everyone with everything that only each individual can provide.

After all, every cell needs to provide the body with something unique, otherwise the body is not integral. We need to take care of the fact that everyone will know their uniqueness, role, abilities and specificity. Only each individual is able to give that to humanity. For that reason, if one person’s contribution is lacking from the organism as a whole, from humanity, then humanity will be flawed.

If we achieve such a state, then we will provide a decent education through which we will achieve a peaceful and harmonious world.

The realization of our integrality and interdependence on each person should, in essence, make our education independent of any sort of restrictions, in order for it to be based only on each person’s role in the integral system of humanity.

Based on a Q&A with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on September 9, 2006. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Comment: Alexey writes: “Michael, you once said this: “The one who is suffering, he is closer to the Creator than the one who is well.” I feel very bad, but I don’t feel that I am closer to the Creator. Conversely, let Him leave me alone, finally.”

My Response: This means, you are not suffering so much yet, dear Alexey. It means, you still have something to lose.

If you were in complete despair, then you would say: “I don’t need anything. Let it be the way the Creator does. I just want to be closer to Him.” And immediately everything bad is replaced by good.

Comment: But he has a feeling that he is suffering so much that he wishes that He would just “leave me alone.”

My Response: No, there is no crisis yet, no breakage.

Comment: And this turning point is happening exactly on the verge where the future is closed, everything is closed, I feel very bad?

My Response: So it seems to him in his egoism. Egoism should work inversely here and he would see a way out of his state, that in fact all this is done from the infinite kindness of the Creator.

Question: Is this why the Creator brings us “to the edge”?

Answer: Yes. So that we want to give up our egoism.

Question: Will humanity be brought to such a state or will we come to our senses earlier?

Answer: We must come to our senses very seriously. After all, the revelation of evil must happen completely. But it must be simultaneous with recognition! Recognition of evil! This is not just an evil that works in me, and in this way I decide to break away from it due to complete despair. It must be a conscious despair.

Comment: That is, we should come to our senses before it gets really bad? Because if you look at Prophets, what they wrote about today, it is better not to quote it.

My Response: Both yes and no. Because here it is necessary to add: everything that the prophets wrote is absolutely true. Undoubtedly. But all that they wrote we can feel not in physical action without entering into suffering, but thanks to our mind.

When we imagine such egoistic states and what they can lead us to, then we do not need to physically reach this. It’s like a smart child, you gave one slap and he understood everything and corrected himself. But without a slap, he will not understand, it will not awaken him to correctly understand the situation.

So we must correctly understand where and how we should add Kabbalah, awareness, and the dissemination of knowledge, so that even now, perhaps, from the slap that we receive, the whole of humanity feels and will still feel such an evil that it is necessary to rise above, otherwise it will be even worse. Because the wise man sees ahead. Then we will defeat the prophets, if I may say so.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 7/22/21

Related Material:
The Siege Upon Egoism
Existing Inside Egoism
“What Is Egoism?” (Quora)

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is your ideal vision for the future of the Earth?“

The cells of any living organism, despite being egoistic, nevertheless by working with each other they unify into a single mechanism, one altruistic system, where each cell attaches itself to the organism and becomes entirely immersed in caring only about how to integrate into the organism, how to provide life to the organism and its general functioning, as otherwise it will itself lose life.

This should be the common attitude in human society: if we want to survive, then we need to accept the same law of how cells function in any living organism, and everyone should take care of everyone else. That is how we should envision our future.

Over the course of our life on Earth, we develop by means of egoism. We have grown to become increasingly egoistic over our development, but now we have arrived at the end of egoistic development and are in a completely different dimension. We need to understand that a new reality and a new system are opening themselves up to us, in which we are increasingly interconnected and interdependent. Accordingly, we need to accept the integral system that we are parts of as the law of life between us. Therefore, if we accept this as a fact, we will see our future life be good.

I hope that this is precisely what we will see.

Based on a Q&A with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on September 9, 2006. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is the most important subject in the arts that needs to be discussed and why?“

The arts, culture and education needs to discuss positive human connection, i.e. the correct connection among people, and not the connection that exists today, but the connection that should exist.

If we will discuss the fact that we belong to one global family, that each person needs to express this attitude toward others, that we depend on each other and need to thus love each other and in such a way correct our relationships—if the arts, culture and education, with everything they encompass, will enact their power upon us through movies, the theater, fictional literature, and everything that we see, everything that influences us, then we will accept this altruistic idea no matter how opposite it might be to our nature.

The role of culture in influencing us is very important. I hope that in such a way, we will merit crossing from the egoistic way of life to the altruistic one quickly and without a preliminary phase of suffering.

Based on a Q&A with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on September 9, 2006. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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