Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is the main aim of education?“

The main aim of education should correspond to the main aim of our lives.

Why do we exist? We exist in order to achieve a certain goal. As individuals, we each picture a smorgasbord of goals to ourselves, but outside our individual worldviews, there is a much larger universal goal that involves us exiting our individual worldviews and entering into connection with the entirety of nature. Likewise, unlike the transient sensations we could feel whenever we might achieve various individual goals we picture to ourselves, when we achieve the universal goal of connecting with nature in its wholeness, we attain the complete sensation of eternity and perfection. We can and must achieve this goal while we are here in our world.

Therefore, education should provide every person with the method, means and guidance necessary in order to achieve this goal, to ultimately guide us to become happy, fulfilled and complete beings living in a perfectly-connected society.

Unfortunately, our current forms of education have no such aim. We teach people similarly to how animals teach their offspring: to survive, to raise a family, and to produce more offspring. We thus fail to progress beyond the animate level of existence.

While it might appear that we make sophisticated progress in areas such as science and technology, since we make no progress on a deeper level, to discover the eternal and perfect reality, then we remain at the animate level of existence. Our progress is thus no more than efforts to make our animal existence more optimal and comfortable.

Rising above the animate level of existence and becoming human in the fullest sense of the term means rising above our narrow egoistic desires and attaining the same overriding altruistic intention that exists boundlessly in nature.

Therefore, education should aim at elevating us to a new level of existence by showing a different perspective of life than what we are used to: that there is an exalted purpose to our being here—to become balanced with nature—and it is worthwhile aiming ourselves at that purpose.

While we raise ourselves to become more sophisticated individualists, nature gradually reveals to us that it has different plans: it brings us to tighter and tighter interconnectedness and interdependence. The more we progress without developing altruistic ties in our growing globally interdependent world, the more we will find ourselves suffering and intolerant of our lives.

Therefore, nature gradually brings us to the realization that we need to revise our educational aim, and together with it, the method and the means to implement it, because we increasingly see how our past approaches to education no longer help us navigate in a world requiring us to realize our mutual dependence in a positive and balanced fashion.

Based on KabTV’s “Close-Up” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on August 24, 2009. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Is Israel heading toward civil war?“

Based on research of countries in similar situations, futurist David Passig has discussed how civil war is likely to occur in Israel three or four generations down the line.

I do not see that there will be a civil war in Israel though. Indeed, however, what had once united the country has started melting away, and I see that there could be disputes and differences of opinions between Jews, but not a war.

How did we come to the ruin of the First and Second Temples, and the different states we went through? It happened between Jews. It was not the Greeks or the Romans who came to Israel to change things their way, but we ourselves did that to ourselves (for more on this, see chapter 1 of my book, The Jewish Choice: Unity or Anti-Semitism). That is why I think that there will be no more civil wars, because we likely learned something from those experiences.

Nonetheless, we need to engage much more rigorously in education, in explaining who we are, why we are so different, and what we need to correct. This should be at least about half of what children in Israel study at school.

The unique correction Israeli society needs to make is in its understanding of its role toward the world, which is to unite above our differences, and as such, become a conduit for unity to spread worldwide.

It is important to note that unity does not mean that everyone holds the same opinions. Unity takes place above our differences and divisions in opinion. Israel should consist of millions of egoists who have constant disputes, and who are very distant from each other, and they need to learn how to unite above their differences and reach a common love and closeness. That is, on one hand, there needs to be the revelation of evil, and upon it, the disclosure of love.

Based on the video “Is Israeli Society Headed for Civil War?” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Oren Levi. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Have human beings reached their full potential as a species?“

We will reach our full potential when we open our hearts to each other, and in our shared heart, feel a completely different reality above the limitations of our ego.

We will then be in a state where we will be able to bestow abundance to everyone with our thoughts, living in a network of such mutual connection that no one would need anything else.

We need only learn how to tap into the greatest energy source—the upper force. We can receive it out of thin air. It exists right here and now, but we do not feel it.

The upper force is endless because it is different to the receptive force that is our nature. We have no idea how a tiny spark from that energy source broke into our universe, created the galaxies, planets, people, animals and so on—that everything and everyone was created from a tiny spark of that force. Do you understand how powerful that is? We still cannot comprehend it to this very day. It simply vitalizes everything that exists.

How can we tap into this energy source? First, we need to understand that its qualities are those of love, bestowal and connection. By equalizing our form with its qualities of love, bestowal and connection, we then no longer pose any disturbance to it and let it flow uninhibitedly into our lives.

We will then realize our full potential—discovering the full extent of love, bestowal and connection between us and with the upper force.

Based on the video “How Humanity Can Reach its Full Potential” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman and Oren Levi. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is nature’s plan?“

Nature’s plan is to facilitate every degree of nature’s development, from one degree to the next, in order to gradually reach the highest evolutionary degree, that of the human.

In Hebrew, the word for “human” (“Adam”) comes from the word for “similar” (“Domeh”), and a human being is one who becomes “similar to the most high” (“Domeh le Elyon”). Our inborn animate degree is a desire to enjoy, and this desire to enjoy remains intact throughout any changes we acquire. Nature, at its source, is a single force and thought that has no intention for self-benefit, but only acts in a direction of giving. In other words, the general force of nature (altruism) is opposite to our inborn nature (egoism).

While our innate animate desire to enjoy remains intact, we can develop our thoughts, intentions and attitudes to each other and to nature so that they shift from wishing to enjoy for self-benefit alone, to wishing to enjoy by benefiting others and nature. In other words, at the level of our thoughts, intentions and attitudes to each other and to nature, above our inborn desire to enjoy, we can become similar (“Domeh”) to the general force of nature, which is what turns us into human beings.

Nature’s plan is thus to develop us not to become nature, but to become like nature in our thoughts, intentions and attitudes to each other, or in other words, to change our attitudes to each other from egoistic to altruistic, from a negative connection to a positive one. When we do so, we undergo a monumental shift from being opposites with nature—receiving from nature at every given moment—to being partners with nature in our attitudes to each other and to nature, and we thus achieve balance with nature. Making such a shift also means attaining a state of completion, perfection and eternity—opposite sensations to our current animate state.

Nature is guiding us to that exalted state. Moreover, the human degree is the final ultimate degree of our evolution that we are developing toward. We cannot rise any higher than that. We can only acquire nature’s altruistic quality in our thoughts, intentions and attitudes, but not in our actual receptive nature.

Based on a Q&A with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on December 2, 2021. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Why are some people more empathetic than others?“

It depends on the point where each person connects to others and through others to the general force of nature. In the wisdom of Kabbalah, this point is called “the root of the soul.” It is also a point that is predetermined, which we can do nothing about.

The place we can change to become more empathetic is where we can engage in an educational process aimed at building mutual complementarity and integral perception. This, in turn, invokes the general positive force of nature into our lives more and more.

By learning how to develop empathetic attitudes, the ability to feel others, we bring ourselves closer to balance with the general positive force of nature, and would then bear witness to a dramatic improvement of our lives.

Based on KabTV’s “New Life episode 291 – Empathy” on January 19, 2014 with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman, Oren Levi and Nitzah Mazoz.Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How can love be defined spiritually?“

Spiritual love is a state where we view humanity as a single united whole, which we love.

It is because, through such an attitude to a common unified image of humanity, we discover revelation of—and adhesion to—the Creator.

The Creator is a quality of absolute love, bestowal and connection. By equalizing ourselves with this quality, we create a communication system with it and start feeling the entirety of nature, the universe, humanity, and all states of the past, present and future in omnipresence.

Based on KabTV’s “News with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman” on November 18, 2021. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How do I love others as myself?“

We know what we want to receive for ourselves. That should be the same as what we want to give to others.

We should thus remember that loving others first and foremost means treating others as we treat ourselves.

Of course, since our nature is egoistic—prioritizing self-benefit over benefiting others, and also often at their expense—then thinking and acting to the same extent toward others goes against our nature and seems impossible.

If we have an initial spark of a desire to love others as ourselves, we should seek regular learning that guides us on how to rise above our inborn egoistic connection and enter into an opposite altruistic one. Also, we should seek a supportive environment, i.e. people with a similar inclination who would provide us with encouragement, reminders and examples to help us make that shift from loving ourselves (egoism) to loving others (altruism) time and again.

Moreover, by engaging ourselves in such learning and a supportive environment, we start attracting to ourselves the positive force of love, giving and connection that dwells in nature. It is specifically this force that grants us the ability to love others as ourselves. We gain such an ability by adapting ourselves to that force by growing our desire to positively and altruistically connect to each other through learning the wisdom of such connection and mutual support.

Based on KabTV’s “The Last Generation” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on June 6, 2018. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “When will the world become disease free?“

It is impossible to rid ourselves of disease without correcting our egoistic attitudes to each other.

Diseases are demonstrations of our inner egoistic attitudes toward each other, which is our very nature that we cannot escape. In other words, diseases are external expressions of our inner problems that exist on a spiritual level, which is why no technological or medical innovations will be able to make them disappear.

We find and create Band-Aid solutions to diseases, cosmetic fixes, that ultimately fail to make us happier or healthier. Even if we had pills that would prolong our lives, we would not find happiness by doing so.

Until we heal our core problem by correcting our egoistic attitudes to each other by inverting them to their opposite altruistic form, then we will achieve nothing positive in its outward appearance.

Based on KabTV’s “Close-Up: Anamnesis” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on February 19, 2010. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Will the recent UN resolutions regarding Israel increase antisemitism throughout the world?“

I think that the UN resolutions regarding Israel have no impact on the rise of antisemitism.

Antisemitism is a phenomenon that unfolds according to the law of nature, which is a law of interconnection and interdependence.

The more humanity develops, the more interconnected and interdependent we become. If we fail to mitigate our development by realizing our increasing connections and interdependence positively, above our innate divisive drives, then antisemitism increases.

In other words, antisemitism does not increase because the UN or anyone else decided something, but because it is embedded in the law of nature. The more antisemitism rises, the more it signals nature’s pressure on us to make a serious attitude shift: to stop caving into our instinctive divisive drives, and instead, upon them realize our tightening connections positively.

Based on the “Writers Meeting” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on December 12, 2021. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is the biggest problem of our current school system?“

The current school system has no objective to develop people into human beings, in the complete sense of the term.

In Hebrew, the word for “human” (“Adam”) comes from the word for “similar” (“Domeh”), and a human is considered one who becomes “similar to the most high” (“Domeh le Elyon”). In other words, becoming a human means attaining a state of similarity to the altruistic force of nature, which is higher and opposite to our egoistic inborn nature.

By learning how to become human in the fullest sense of the term, we then learn how to navigate ourselves in order to first not harm others, and then reach exalted states of positive connection above our divisive drives.

Then, instead of following the dictates of our inborn egoistic nature, which leads to a smorgasbord of negative phenomena throughout society—from increasing depression, anxiety, loneliness and stress through to rises in violence, racism, divorce and suicide, to name a few—we learn how to rise above our egoistic drives, which wish to self-benefit at the expense of others and nature, and discover how to become truly happy. We become truly happy when we know how to positively connect to each other in society, when we live in a thriving atmosphere of increasing consideration, responsibility and solidarity, and when values of giving to others, supporting, encouraging and generally connecting positively to each other fills our lives.

Therefore, the biggest problem of the current school system is that it has no objective to raise children to the fullest realization of their inner potential, which would result in a society that blossoms with happiness, confidence, support and encouragement.

We are thus faced with the fact that we need to restructure our education and upbringing, which includes the schooling system as well as everything that influences us with certain values, behaviors and examples in society. If we succeed in changing the education and upbringing of even one generation to guide people in reaching their fullest potential, then we would bear witness to a monumental transition to a new harmonious and peaceful world.

Based on KabTV’s “Close-Up. Generation” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on August 24, 2009. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
Photo by Ivan Aleksic on Unsplash.

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