Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How do you explain war to a child?“

Children can understand war because they also fight with each other. The human ego, which makes us want to primarily enjoy ourselves without considering anyone else, operates from a very young age. So we need not hide anything about war from children.

Indeed, if we fail to raise children correctly, teaching them how to rise above the human ego and positively connect with others, then just as children play—wanting to take things away from each other in order to please themselves, and sometimes resorting to bullying each other—then this is how they continue into their adult years, which is why we end up with wars. Grownups no longer have sand shovels, sticks and toy guns in their hands, but weapons capable of doing serious harm.

Therefore, we should explain to children that they need to become accustomed to communicating, making peace and learning how to compromise. By doing so, they will not end up with terrible problems like those big people who go to war.

They should not be told about the enemy and the hatred in the conflict, and who is right or wrong, as they have no concept or basis for it. Rather, they understand words like giving and taking, wanting and taking, not wanting to give what they have to others, etc. and it is possible to explain war to children in such terms. Nevertheless, give-and-take relations are at the basis of war and all kinds of international relations. War is a dangerous and terrible outcome when these grownups could not reach any peaceful compromise in time.

Therefore, we should teach children from as early as possible that disputes should not be resolved by force, otherwise we will destroy each other. Disputes can be resolved by discussing how to reach peace together, with mutual concessions, rather than with an approach of “I am right and you are wrong, and now you will understand it.”

The most important aspect in education is learning how to compromise. Otherwise, what is all this education for? To teach how to hit first, harder and to inflict as much damage as possible? No, we need to learn how to stop and compromise. It is extremely difficult to do, especially for children, because they have a very direct and straightforward egoistic approach to life, shamelessly wanting things for themselves without any concern for others. Therefore, education should consist of explaining such concepts, learning them together with the children, and seating children in circles to engage in practical engagement on such topics. That is, if a dispute arises among children, then it is time to sit down and sort it out. They should develop such templates from their youth on how to not resort to fighting, but to resolve disputes through conversation and compromise. It is a very long process, but if it is not implemented at these early stages, then it will only get worse later.

Such education is not only necessary for children, but for teachers too, the adults. It is the same human ego in both children and adults, and it requires the same kinds of explanations and training in order to rise above it and realize that conceding for the sake of peace is much more worthwhile than going to war.

Based on the video “How to Explain War to a Child” 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 is the world facing so many crises and problems?“

We are undergoing a cleansing process. It is as if we are inside the drum of a washing machine, and our attitudes to each other, to life, and our worldviews, are tumbling and turning.

It is indeed a sign of our times, and as a result of this cleansing process, we are supposed to revise the way we relate to each other, to the world and to nature—to reach a clearly defined inner frame of reference through which we view everyone and everything.

We need to go through a process of revealing just how uncertain and incomplete we are within ourselves, how far we are from any kind of objective view of reality, that everything in our worldviews has been imposed on us and is subject to change according to the various influences we encounter throughout our lives.

In order to overcome our constant drifting in our worldviews and attitudes, we have to zero in on life’s ultimate goal. When we grab hold of our life’s purpose in such a way, as if harpooning it, and then it will start pulling us closer, and we will constantly progress toward it.

Our life’s purpose is to reach a clear perception and sensation of the laws of nature, laws of love and bestowal, by equalizing our qualities (egoistic) with nature’s (altruistic). We will then experience an eternal and perfect state of existence, and likewise exist in harmony and peace, free from the accumulating crises and problems we currently experience.

We will then see that nothing else actually exists. That we currently find ourselves in a state of exponentially-increasing crises and problems is already the beginning of such a state of being.

Moreover, we approach the revelation of the final state of existence scientifically, by means of experience: research, reviewing and reproducing the results, like scientists. We go through this process quite naturally, through trial and error, with various experiments, seeing what works and what does not.

In aviation, there is a mechanism called a gyroscope that maintains the aircraft’s orientation in space. It is a motor with a clear aim, for instance, at the North Star, and therefore, regardless of how it rotates, from any direction, the motor aims precisely at a certain set of coordinates with its inner axis.

The result of the accumulating crises and problems we are experiencing are thus in order to develop within us a similar inner device, an inner attitude that relates to everyone and everything with our final purpose in mind—a state of absolute love, bestowal and connection that we are bound to reach.

When we develop such an inner device, we will then see how everything will calm down, and achieve a newfound sense of balance, harmony, peace, happiness, safety and confidence.

Based on the video “Why Is the World Facing So Many Crises and Problems?” 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 so so many people try to live longer?“

People generally do not know why they want to live longer. Therefore, I encourage first stopping to ask “Why do we need to live longer?”

Let’s say that I have an elixir of life. You can take one drop and will live for another hundred years. Then what? How will that help you?

We have a very strong instinct for life. If we could choose to live another round of life, then most would go for it, solely out of the fear of dying. In other words, our impetus to keep living does not stem from a positive motivation, but from a negative one—our fear of death.

We fear death and try to escape it when we lack a clear purpose in life. Alternatively, there are also a lot of elderly people who agree with death, who have a willingness to lie down and to never get up. They have simply grown tired of life and see it pointless to endure the same motions day after day.

On the other hand, if we find life’s purpose and see that reaching it justifies prolonging our lives, then we can feel free to request a longer life: to go to the cashier, write our statements, and order the elixir. However, if I had such an elixir to give, then I personally would not give it to anyone. Instead, we should fit our movements toward our life’s purpose into the natural time frame that we have been given.

While people chase various goals in life, the ultimate purpose of life that we will all eventually reach is an eternal sensation of the force of nature that created and sustains us, which is a force of love and giving. As I have previously mentioned, the meaning and purpose of life cannot be a true one if it does not involve reaching an eternal sensation, and it involves aiming to benefit others and nature.

I understand that it is quite complicated to reach a decision to aim for such a goal, and it is even more complex to implement it. However, if we aim ourselves in such a direction, and use the method, the tools and the social environments at our disposal in order to strengthen ourselves toward that goal, then we would eventually discover a newfound balance with nature. Likewise, questions about living longer would disappear from our scope.

Based on the video “Why Do So Many People Try to Live Longer?” 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: “What is consciousness?“

Consciousness is the energy, matter, information and qualities that we receive and that forms in us when we connect to the general collective volume of information.

There are forces that we receive from outside of us, and these forces form the picture of our world. If we connect in a balanced manner to the information outside of us, then we experience a state of peace and harmony. On the contrary, if we fail to connect in a balanced manner to the forces outside of us, we experience imbalance and disharmony.

We should thus not consider how we receive information from the outside, but how we connect to the general collective information field. The the extent of our balance or imbalance with the external field is responsible for how we feel the world, whether pleasurable or painful.

The quality of the general informational field outside of our perception is that of love and bestowal. If we wish to create the same quality within ourselves, then we connect to it and start sensing its information without any interference. We then achieve a state of total peace and harmony, a complete understanding and feeling of nature, the creation and the universe. In other words, by balancing ourselves with the quality of love and bestowal that exists outside of us, we become as eternal and perfect as that quality, i.e. as nature itself.

On the contrary, our inborn desire to separate, assort and compartmentalize distances us from the eternity and perfection of nature. It gives us a transient and incomplete perception of the universe. As a result, we experience an accumulation of suffering throughout our development, which is necessary to prod us to a point where we will desire to undergo a fundamental transformation of our paradigm: to wish to exit our detached perception and sensation, and enter into a balanced, harmonious and peaceful connection with the general informational field.

Based on KabTV’s “Close-Up. Hologram” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on July 28, 2011. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How will people and society change in the future?“

We will eventually reach a state where everyone in society will have the same level of prosperity, receiving what we need for a normal life, realizing our full potential to participate in social life by caring for others, and increasing the importance of mutual consideration and responsibility throughout society.

In such a state, we will be able to completely fulfill our passions and desires. We have characteristics such as competitiveness, envy, fervor, fame and control for a reason. Such characteristics will remain the same, but we will find a new way to use them, where instead of using them at the expense of each other, we will use them to benefit and uplift each other.

Reaching a state of mutual consideration and responsibility does not only mean that we will have life’s essentials guaranteed, such as food, shelter, safety, health and education. In addition to receiving life’s essentials, we will be able to continually elevate the quality of life worldwide, while maintaining our balance with nature. Suffering in all of its forms will decrease in such a state, and we will be able to provide all the abundance we want for each other. It is far from being a state where we simply limit ourselves to only supplying for the physical body’s minimal requirements. However, supplying life’s essentials to every person would be an initial target toward such a state.

The future society has several factors that we will need to consider. Will the current experienced systems continue to exist or we will need to create new systems that will be under the constant influence of the same environment and social control? These are very interesting scrutinies, but ultimately we will need to learn how to perfect ourselves and our social environment. That is the basis of a harmonious and peaceful society.

Based on “A New Life” episode 8 with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Oren Levi on January 5, 2012. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Does God have feelings?“

The Creator’s feelings are limitless. However, we cannot discuss them because our perception and sensation of reality is encased within certain limits.

Based on “Ten Blitz Answers about the Creator” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on May 21, 2022. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What’s the best proof that God exists?“

The fact that we exist.

Based on “Ten Blitz Answers about the Creator” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on May 21, 2022. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Does God understand constructed languages?“

The Creator, which is a quality of love, bestowal and connection, understands the language of feelings when we relate to Him independently of ourselves, and when we wish to feel Him and simultaneously forget about ourselves. In other words, the feeling of the Creator needs to be completely objective.

Based on “Ten Blitz Answers about the Creator” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on May 21, 2022. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Where is our creator?“

The Creator is the quality of love, bestowal and connection that is behind the canvas of our world, behind our desires, emotions, sensations and thoughts.

If we wish to attain to attain the Creator, then we need to expand on our qualities in the direction of love, bestowal and connection, and then in equivalence of form with the Creator’s quality, we will reveal the Creator at the foundation of everything.

Based on “Ten Blitz Answers about the Creator” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on May 21, 2022. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Is instantaneous transmission/conduction possible?“

The system we exist in is absolutely closed, integral and analog. Everything is interconnected out of time, i.e. time is zero.

There is practically no space between objects. We feel objects existing at some distance, as interacting in some kind of wave, time and process, but in fact, it is all nonexistent. Distance, time, motion and interaction is all superimposed on one single integral picture of nature by our egoistic self-serving mode of perception.

When we look at an object, we start dividing it into parts with our egoism, and we see distances between these parts, “painting” various connection between objects. We perceive distance in such a way because of the way we are created.

However, if we had the same makeup as the objects themselves, a makeup that is integral, global and located outside of our egoism, which divides and treats everything from the position of how much closer or further away from us the object is, and how much more useful or harmful one or another phenomenon is to us, then we would not share anything.

We would perceive these objects as a single whole, with no distance, time, movement, and no transmission or conduction of information. Everything would be instantaneous, in one place.

In other words, everything depends on our perception and our senses. If we correct our perception to perceive and sense the integral and whole reality, then we will see that everything exists in a single expression, and transmission and conduction of information would be instantaneous as we would gain the perception of all information as omnipresent.

Based on KabTV’s “Close-Up. Human Genome” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on July 17, 2011. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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