Entries in the 'Q&A' Category

Professional Or Amateur?

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Do we need professionals in order to create an integral mechanism for the masses so as to set new examples for people’s mode of thinking, or is it enough to be avid amateurs?

Answer: Many of the people who are studying the integral system should keep their jobs. But they understand this system, they have changed, and they want to advance and to improve. Through the unity that they have acquired by the discussions, round tables, and workshops, they feel the revelation of the new world.

But actually, we need to prepare professionals. What do I mean by to prepare?

Today about 20-30% of the people in every country are unemployed. These are healthy, normal, thinking people that would be happy to participate in something, but they cannot fulfill themselves. After a few years of being unemployed, such a person will not be able to do anything. We should draw these people to perform internal changes and then to make them the educators of the new generation. This should become their job.

In any case we have to sustain them and to do something with them. In Europe they are given some unemployment benefits, free meals, and so on.

Today people find themselves in such situations that a large part of the society lives on a meager, minimum allowance. In Holland for example, an unemployed person receives 180 Euro a month, which isn’t enough to live on. Once a day or once a week he receives food and thanks to that he can somehow manage. And this is Holland, Europe! The same thing happens in other countries where things are even worse.

We are on the verge of such a dramatic critical situation in the world and in society that we simply must do something.

In some countries, especially in the developing countries in South America, no one is thinking about the crisis yet, but it will gradually get there too. After all, we are mutually connected.

On the other hand, in these countries there are many poor people and the gap between the poor and the rich is huge. Therefore, here too, we can approach the leaders of some organizations and start working. But it still seems far away.

If we take North America, Europe, Russia, the whole northern hemisphere, even China and Japan with their problems, then we can see that there is no other choice.

We should put masses of unemployed people not just through the courses of integral self-education, but also through teachers’ training courses and courses that train educators, lecturers, etc. so that they will be able to gradually change humanity into becoming more similar to nature in their own countries and in other places. There is a great opportunity here.

When you tell people living on a meager allowance that the successful completion of the initial integral education courses and training and the following lecturer and educator preparation will provide them with a respectable job and salary, it offers them self-fulfillment, success, and peace.
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From a “Talk on Integral Upbringing” 5/20/12

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The Court as a Form of Understanding of Human Essence

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What is the court, as a form of integral upbringing? What do we try: egoism?

Answer: We can judge a person himself (as it’s usually done), and we can judge his qualities while loving him. That is, we separate all this into layers: I love him like my young child and see what negative qualities are inherent in him by nature: suppose, he got this from his grandfather, great grandfather, or other ancestors.

I am trying to divide into layers what was given to him by nature and trying to relate to him differently, both to him and his qualities. Here, I can justify or judge him.

I can evoke in him an appropriate attitude towards me: This is me, and this is not mine. What is not mine is going to stay in me, I can do nothing with this. My “I” must be built in such a way that I compensate what is “not mine”—all my egoistic anti-social inclinations—in order to establish contact with others.

That is, the trial is multifaceted. The main thing is to play this and gradually organize for better perception in order to come into contact with others later because I understand him and he understands me. Even without looking—this happens in our feelings, at the subconscious level, not looking at a person, not seeing him—I can already feel him, and he can feel me.

Amazing phenomena occur here, such as the absence of human contact, overcoming the distance. All our physical characteristics, our qualities, and senses, sight, hearing, smell, taste, tactile, are dissolved together with our animal body. We begin to perceive each other at the information level, the level of feeling. His mind and heart are what is in contact with me. A gradual movement forward is taking place.

Question: It turns out that every time I get rid of part of my ego, I move toward unity, is this true?

Answer: Up to the point that you begin to feel the inner essence of people, you begin to perceive it correctly; otherwise, you will not be able to feel, one determines the other. This gradually raises you from the animate level to the human level, the level of everyone’s integral inner essence.
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From a “Talk on Integral Upbringing” 12/18/11

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How Can We Fight Heaviness?

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: How can we fight a feeling of heaviness?

Answer: When a person feels heaviness from the sensation of darkness, obstacles, disturbances on the path, and suffering, everything depends on how much he can awaken himself and in every obstacle coming in any form see its spiritual meaning, spiritual details, so as to pray specifically about them.

One needs to imagine correct spiritual properties opposite the material properties that become revealed now. After all, everything that seems evil to me is various manifestations of evil that become revealed within me, my ego, my desires. I hate one person, I envy the other, the third irritates me—I perform all these evaluations, both positive and negative, only relative to myself.

But can I now turn all these details over and begin to collect all of them into a single opposite field of relationships, desires, and thoughts? And then from their confrontation I will understand how I can turn to the Creator, to the Light, so that it will give me faith, the force of bestowal.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/10/2012, Shamati #113

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The Simplicity Of The Idea

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: What is the main idea of the integral method that we can offer to wide audiences?

Answer: The idea is very simple: Everything can only be solved through unification because this is the most important law of nature.

Right now this law openly manifests to us in all the existing systems, including artificial ones we created. And this speaks to the fact that we ourselves are becoming integrally connected inside us and there is nowhere to go: It is the system of nature, which is closing on us more and more, pressing us with the environment and other factors. It turns out that we have no other choice—we ourselves need to become similar to these systems.

The idea is very simple. It didn’t come from the head, from some intellectual conclusions, but from researching nature. Do you want to verify this? Please do! Thousands of scholars from different fields of science, technology, psychology, and political sciences will confirm this for you

Question: And what is this correct connection?

Answer: A correct connection is an understanding of the mutual participation in our shared earthly life. We are gradually becoming closed in. Let’s start to change in this direction. Then we can arrange our life correctly.

In general, people understand this because after all, it drips through the media, it hangs in the air, and there’s no getting around it. We see how interconnected the European countries are, and what a huge problem it is that they cannot communicate and cooperate correctly despite the fact that they’re seemingly tied to each other. Only one factor, a human being, is the source of imbalance and distortions there. All the systems have already become integral.
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From a Talk About Integral Education, 5/20/2012

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A Cobweb Between Us

Dr. Michael LaitmanIn the News (from Aalto University): “Research team at Aalto University and Turku PET Centre has revealed how experiencing strong emotions synchronizes brain activity across individuals.

“Human emotions are highly contagious. Seeing others’ emotional expressions such as smiles triggers often the corresponding emotional response in the observer. Such synchronization of emotional states across individuals may support social interaction: When all group members share a common emotional state, their brains and bodies process the environment in a similar fashion.

“Researchers at Aalto University and Turku PET Centre have now found that feeling strong emotions makes different individuals’ brain activity literally synchronous.

“The results revealed that especially feeling strong unpleasant emotions synchronized brain’s emotion processing networks in the frontal and midline regions. On the contrary, experiencing highly arousing events synchronized activity in the networks supporting vision, attention and sense of touch.

“Sharing others’ emotional states provides the observers a somatosensory and neural framework that facilitates understanding others’ intentions and actions and allows to ‘tune in’ or ‘sync’ with them. Such automatic tuning facilitates social interaction and group processes, says Adjunct Professor Lauri Nummenmaa from the Aalto University.”

My Comment: Recent studies illustrate the view of Kabbalists that we are all parts of a unified system. Currently, this system is manifested more clearly as a general integral relationship between all humans and all parts of nature. But our egoism is not integral, and that is why we cannot behave correctly in the integral relationship that is revealed between us. The cause of the crisis is in this contradiction between the integral system of connection and all parts of nature and society. The only solution is to correct egoism—to make it integral as well. This is the subject of integral education.
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In A Friendly Atmosphere

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: When speaking about integral education and upbringing, you do not have a single doubt that this path is better than the one we are now following?

Answer: In general, the fact that it is better is even clear to anyone when you explain it to him or her. A person might say: “This is complicated. It might not work, but it is good.” No one will call it bad because this is a good path from beginning to end. Moreover, we realize it on ourselves. So, there is no doubt that it works.

Question: The current social system is outdated, it does not work, but people are used to it. And there is a new, good system with fantastic prospects, but to transition toward it, a person must overcome fear and inertia. How can this be done?

Answer: We have found a way to approach school principals. Our system of mutual guarantee is close to them.

We host regional “round tables” in small towns, in the central squares, and we invite the local government. Teachers, school principals, and the general public attend these round tables. Every table has 10-15 people who discuss municipal and other problems.

All this is directed towards solving these problems through unity: This is the objective. After all, they usually decide things at their meetings by arguing with one another.

But there is a completely different atmosphere here. We want to get together in order to come to an agreement around a round table, to understand how we will be able to solve a certain problem together, by helping one another, instead of pulling the blanket over to their own side. And they reach amazing conclusions.

After this kind of success, a completely different atmosphere arises in and around the local government. When we can, we invite radio stations, television, and the press. So all this resonates in a certain way. We come there with equipment and broadcast it over our TV channel. Naturally, the information also ends up on the Internet. The local press covers the “round tables,” after all the mayor and other important people take part in them and express their opinions. This really appeals to them.

After this, we already can propose the integral methodology for realization.
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From a “Talk on Integral Upbringing” 5/20/12

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Smoothing Out the Imbalance

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: There is a pyramid of human needs: food, sex, family, wealth, honor, knowledge, and spiritual revelation. If we consider the method of integral education from the perspective of the pyramid, when we talk about family, honor, and knowledge everyone understands. But when it comes to money and we say that there will be no money, and we will have to give up many things, it scares people off.

Answer: By no means do we talk about that. On the contrary, we approach everything from a selfish point of view and tell a person what he will get and not what he will loose, how much will be gained and not how much of it will go away.

On the contrary, if he is properly connected to the society in an integral manner, then there is no need for huge systems, which consume enormous resources today. These are police authorities, various safety and security systems. When we come to a comfortable state, vast resources will be freed up.

In addition, when a person starts feeling integrally connected to the society, the environment changes inevitably as well. He feels it as his own, and therefore saves, protects, and defends. The environment is no longer indifferent to him; he is no longer ready to burn everything to win it, which is, in general, just pennies.

If you calculate everything, it turns out that through the good and right attitude towards society, huge resources will be freed up that we can redirect to any other tasks.

It is not about taking away everything from the rich and giving to the poor, but about the fact that in the process of education, the society will become more equal and there will be no huge differences between the rich and the poor as it is in a magnitude of millions today. A normal difference within the society would be, say, no more than 10-15 times.

It’s enough for rich people to feel rich because they actually have money, power, and strength to realize their potential.

It’s not just that they are rich, it’s because of their inner qualities, that the average person doesn’t have, that they became rich and the others have not. So all of that should be left intact.

The imbalance in society remains, we do not destroy anything, we do not enter into a dictatorship of equality, absolute liberalism, and so on, on the one hand, and do not lead it to anarchy on the other. We slowly start smoothing out all the contradictions in society not through violence but through educating people! It will occur only in response to the changes of the people themselves, and it will be voluntary and desireable.
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From a “Talk on Integral Upbringing” 5/20/12

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Seminar Protocol

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Do you recommend assigning people who will take care of discipline at the seminars, or should they be self-regulated?

Answer: People come to seminars to get together, connect with each other, feel the unity, and immediately start discussing these sensations.

There must be a person in the group who initiates the discussion, a person “on duty.” Today, you are the one who takes care of it; tomorrow, it’ll be my turn. Everybody has to have a printout with the list of questions to be discussed at the seminar.

However, sometimes it’s good not to provide the list of questions to the participants of the circle; absence of the list of questions will make people even more confused with the topic of their discussion. Thus, they will try to formulate the question in their own way by asking: “What did he just say? What was the question again?” This state of mind is very useful. One needs to “pull” oneself out of confusion and therefore delves deep into the topic, and by doing so one understands the topic more precisely, since he is searching for the ways to articulate the question. It brings him to a better understanding of how and why the question should be verbalized.

All depends on the level of independence and seriousness of the group. There is a chance that there are newcomers who do not have a clue about what they are doing in the group. It means that one who “comes and goes” should be prohibited.

There have to be people who are appointed to observe the protocol of seminars: the leader of the “circle” and the “general manager/leader” who oversees the overall order.

However, over time, the group starts to better understand its task and learns why and how it is supposed to act. Similar to a child who grows gradually and at first, jerks his hands and feet without any clue in what direction to move, but eventually starts to act more thoughtfully.
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From “Questions About Workshops” 5/25/12

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Great Light Instead Of A Small Spark

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: If the spiritual spark has such a great force, then why isn’t a person giving it as a whole, and instead constantly fluctuates, sometimes rising and sometimes falling?

Answer: It’s because a person’s responsibility is to establish a correct connection between the desire to enjoy and the spiritual spark. On one side, there’s the Creator, the spiritual spark, and on the other side is the creature, the desire to enjoy. And I need to connect one with the other, to clothe one in another.

The desire to enjoy is our natural material, the real me. But now, the spiritual spark illuminates me and I lose my head, not knowing what to strive for, to some spiritual world that’s who-knows-where. A person, having felt this draw for the first time, loses balance and a sense of reality. This is why in our days, our whole world seems fragile and distraught.

And our job is to reveal a great Light of NRNHY instead of a spark, and to attain the entire depth of the desire and to connect them together, for that desire to acquire the form of the Light and clothe in it. Then it will become a vessel or vestments for the Light, and we’ll reveal not a small spark, but Light 620 times more powerful.
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From the 1st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 6/6/12, Shamati, #21

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Globality: What Is It?

Dr. Michael LaitmanQuestion: Why do you mean when you use the word “global”?

Answer: Globality, in my understanding (not according to Wikipedia), started when our influences on nature have stopped being local and became global, meaning that essentially, whatever I do, I affect nature of the entire planet—the globality of place.

In addition, I affect the entire planet not only now, at the current moment, meaning that my influence does not continue as long as it lasts, but rather, by influencing nature, I directly affect all subsequent generations, for eternity—the globality of time.

Our negative influences on the entire nature and for eternity give rise to the secondary, tertiary, etc. negative consequences. We are not even aware of the majority of them because they haven’t manifested in nature yet—the globality of movement.

Our negative influences upon the still, vegetative, and animate nature come back, in their negative influence, to us, to the human nature; moreover, it happens not only in the form of our physiological and psychological transformations. Our individual egoism of everyone turns out to be global, and it’s not by our choice. However, our egoisms accumulate together into a global egoism, augmented by mass media, and a global egoism returns to us in its overall influence upon us, turning us into egoistic mutants—the egoistic globality.

This egoistic globality in particular must be corrected into altruistic globality—this is our calling and salvation from suffering, by which nature will nevertheless force us to reach the positive globality in all forms of human civilization: political (a united government of a united humanity—”The Future Generation”), moral (all are equal, like in a family), social (a single global upbringing determines the same approach to science, culture/religion), and spiritual (in a global unification, the revelation of a Single, Upper Force of Nature)—the altruistic globality.

Today, the correction of our attitude to the world is still an utopia, which in Greek means an absence of place. But the accumulating negative global phenomena and consequences create a place, a sum of negative phenomena, which will force us to take up correction—an utopia will become reality.
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