Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Does freedom depend on where you live?“

Freedom does not depend on where you live.

The environment you live in is given to you from nature, i.e., from forces outside of your control. You do not choose your environment, just as you do not choose the society you are born into, the upbringing you receive, and the values you grow up with.

We can realize our freedom according to a single condition: freedom from our egoistic human nature. We can free ourselves from nothing else.

Freedom from our egoistic nature means living outside the laws and constraints that our egoism dictates to us at every moment, i.e., the urges of human nature from within. It is possible to realize such freedom if we prioritize benefiting human society over self-benefit. In other words, freedom comes from rising above our egoistic nature that automatically and constantly functions in the direction of self-benefit, in order to benefit others.

When we live in the desire to benefit others, we rise from the egoistic level of life to the altruistic one, and then we gain access to the flow of nature in its perfection and eternity. We thus also feel ourselves as perfect, eternal, and free.

Realizing this shift in consciousness depends not on where we live, our nationality or gender. It depends on how we each organize ourselves to rise above our inborn egoistic nature.

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

Filed under: Q&A, Quora - No Comments →

Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is a more effective form of resistance: non-violent resistance or armed struggle?“

Neither non-violent resistance nor armed struggle will lead to any positive results. We cannot reach any lasting success by the force of the fist or by other forms of resistance. The world abounds with such examples. Resistance by force or by other means fails to bring peace, balance, understanding, unity and harmony in the world.

If we wish to change the savage, egoistic, hateful and arrogant oppressor who has the ability to exploit others, to a thinking, understanding and considerate being, then we should act solely by means of connection-enhancing education. By learning how nature works, and how the world should appear according to its nature, and ultimately, how to change our egoistic and divisive relations to altruistic and positively-connected ones, we will then reach a state where human society will become balanced with nature, and will then experience newfound harmony, happiness, confidence, safety and equality.

No egoistic forms will ever lead us to a lasting victory. Egoism will always lead us to defeat. This is why both non-violent resistance and armed resistance will ultimately lead to failure.

If we wish for success, then we need to expand our vision to take a long-term perspective, and then we will see that by bringing connection-enriching education to humanity, and especially to the young generation, where everyone will learn how nature works according to altruistic laws of interdependence and interconnectedness, we will then organize our lives in accordance with this law of nature and realize a harmonious existence for all.

The positive aspect in this situation is that humanity has all the necessary mechanisms in place for realizing connection-enriching connection. No one wishes to admit that they are egoistic and that they hate other people. Instead, people mostly like to perceive themselves as just and fair people, even altruistic. We can thus use this inner respect for altruism, and expand it to respect altruism and positive connections in human society at large.

If we setup our education and social influences such that we respect altruism and positive connection, then we will value each other, countries, governments and organizations only according to their altruistic contributions, and to the extent that they act for the sake of positively connecting human society.

In short, by valuing altruism and positive connection in society at large, with the aid of connection-enriching education and positive examples of altruism and connection in our social and media influences, we will build a better world.

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

Filed under: Q&A, Quora - No Comments →

Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How do you fight violence, anger, and hatred?“

We should act by means of connection-enriching education in each country, in conformity with each country’s culture. Such education teaches the structure of nature and reality, the general law of nature that envelops the world, and the kinds of relations we should develop in order to correspond with this law. By widespread implementation of such education, we will reach a harmonious state, in balance with nature.

Our times increasingly call for an upgrade in human consciousness: to become aware that there is a law acting on humanity from the outside, and according to this law, human society needs to positively realize its interdependence and interconnectedness, and by doing so, become like a healthily-functioning organism. Until we realize such a form throughout humanity, we will remain opposite to the altruistic force of nature, and we can thus expect increasing amounts of problems and crises while we remain opposed to nature.

The problems and crises we experience reflect our imbalance with nature. Until connection-enriching education reaches people, unless we develop this form of education and raise human consciousness, we will find ourselves bringing more and more suffering to the world. On the contrary, if we successfully implement connection-enriching education, we will then be able to change the world for the better. In essence, we can resist the force of the fist and hatred only by means of correctly educating 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.

Filed under: Q&A, Quora - No Comments →

Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Is there a modern form of colonialism?“

Yes, there is. Governments of various developed countries have forcefully imposed their civilizations into other countries. They have disturbed the culture and the foundations of life of these countries and nations, overturning them and bringing about the calamities that we see today in the third world.

These same governments should try to revive these nations’ previous states as much as possible, and let them develop independently. Each one of these nations can develop optimally in its natural form. We will see no positive life in the countries of South America, Africa and Asia otherwise.

These colonies are built on people’s desires to impose their own culture, education, governance and philosophy of understanding the world on others, and such an approach is mistaken and detrimental to the world.

We thus need to help each other develop naturally. Helping each other develop naturally means that we each help each other obtain what is good for everyone according to their nature, and leave our own opinions and forceful approaches out of the equation, which would force others to develop differently to their natural form.

European culture brought this debacle to the world, and this is why European civilization—North America and Europe—with all the power it has accumulated, needs to lead a recoiling process in order to let all countries develop naturally. By doing so, positive outcomes would ensue for all civilizations and cultures.

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

Filed under: Q&A, Quora - No Comments →

Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What are the benefits of nuclear weapons?“

Since nuclear weapons have the ability to exterminate entire populations of people, their benefit is that they force the world and every person to fear and consider how to change human society as a whole, so that a disastrous scenario of using nuclear weapons against people would not materialize.

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

Filed under: Q&A, Quora - No Comments →

Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How can cities help fix gangs and gang violence?“

We need to shift our focus to teaching and promoting the science about the purpose of human life. When we reach the understanding that we live in a single system that leads us to a life of perfection, absolute fulfillment, happiness and balance with nature, above our bodily life, then we will shift our concern from our bodies to our soul, i.e., to what is outside of us.

Then, instead of focusing on how to enjoy for personal benefit alone, we will think about how we can give to others and exit our egoistic way of life. We will appreciate and aspire to altruism, and by our general focus heading in a new giving direction, we will start feeling a completely different life. Instead of our current lives that we feel as several transient fleeting moments, we will feel nature in its unfiltered state: as an eternal and perfect flow of life.

This is where we need to bring humanity, and especially the younger generation. Only thanks to the education and spreading of such wisdom, if done successfully, will we gain the ability to overcome the evil that exists in the world, including the negative phenomena in big cities, the force of the fist that is accepted among several youth in their ghettos.

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

Filed under: Q&A, Quora - No Comments →

Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What would be the best use for the trillion dollars a year spent by the United States and other countries on military budgets?“

The best use of budgets currently used for military purposes would be to move them into spreading the knowledge about humanity’s structure, the science about the general reality, the research on why the world is in such a problematic state, the awareness of the process humanity is undergoing and what it is set to further undergo, the reason and the goal of human development, and how within such a universal picture, we inflict harm upon ourselves.

We should open up this general picture of ourselves, our world, and nature in our times, research nature, and by doing so, discover the extent of harm we inflict upon ourselves and on nature—as a means of correcting the way we think and act.

We need to see how we think and act out of balance with the general law of nature.

Nature relates to us altruistically, in a way that gives and sustains life. In response, we express an imbalanced and opposite egoistic attitude toward this law.

If the knowledge about how nature works in an altruistic, interconnected and interdependent manner, and how we operate in egoistic opposition to it, then we will each understand what we need to do as individuals and as a human society in order to save ourselves from further suffering.

By doing so, we will find ourselves in a harmonious world full of happiness and love, and we will never need to use money and capital for military purposes. On the contrary, we will all share money and capital for the purpose of bringing about a positive, harmonious and balanced life for all.

Humanity will eventually reach such a state. There is a developmental force in nature, which is guiding us to a state where we will see that we need to become positively connected, where human society will function similar to a healthy organism of cells and organs each working individually and collectively for the benefit of the whole. In short, the law of universal love, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” will materialize in our relations, and then all of our forces and qualities will become used for our common benefit.

Therefore, the best use of what is currently being used as military budgets would be to provide us all with a new form of education, where we will learn what nature demands of us.

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

Filed under: Q&A, Quora - No Comments →

Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Who benefits from terrorism?“

Terrorism benefits no one, including the terror organizations themselves. It elicits a negative reaction from humanity, and even though in a short-term perspective, it appears as if terror organizations can make some gains for their purposes, nonetheless the fear of their influence eventually works to their detriment, and thus by inflicting terror, they themselves end up suffering.

In addition, when considering terror organizations from the vantage point of nature’s and humanity’s oneness—where we are all globally interconnected and interdependent, and every person, group and nation carries out a certain role in humanity—then those who inflict harm on innocent people actually inflict harm on their own role in the world. For this reason, nature will punish them first.

No terror organization has ever achieved any lasting success. When viewing such organizations and their actions from a longer-term perspective, we see that they essentially invite fatal harm to themselves. I thus pity them. In a narrow short-term view, they fail to see this. They think that terrorism can save them and draw positive attention, but the longer timespan reveals terrorism as self-harming.

When the extent of our interconnectedness and interdependence becomes revealed, these organizations will understand how they inflict harm upon themselves.

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

Filed under: Q&A, Quora - No Comments →

Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How do we stop our governments from starting a new war?“

We should counter war within the law’s boundaries, and not by means of terrorism or other unlawful actions.

We need to understand that the people and large associations will be able to stop their governments from going to war if they receive an education that explains the causes and solutions to their problems.

We should never oppose the government forcefully and violently, mistakenly thinking that some kind of justice can be served in such a way. We will never win through force, but only by conviction, education and explanation.

This is why the problem with several associations engaged in this field is that they communicate among themselves, and afterward, when they need to carry out an action, they cannot do so. Their actions end half-way through. I hope that the time will come when several conferences and events, held by organizations interested in protecting the world, will give birth to a new broad-scale education for humanity. They will then obligate governments to refrain from war. The censure from everyone will be so strong that it will stop the process of waging war in its conception.

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

Filed under: Q&A, Quora - No Comments →

Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is the difference between a just war and a holy war?“

I would put it this way: A just war is an individual, a group or a country fighting to defend its existence and territory. If certain forces attack with the intent to eliminate or overthrow the individual, group or nation, then the subject in defense of itself has the justification to battle in order to save its own life, the lives of its people and its borders. About this principle it is written, “If he has come to kill you—kill him first” (Tractate Sanhedrin, 72:1, Gemarah).

Countries should not attack other countries, even in certain “humanitarian” forms. They should only use the aid of international forces when they try to achieve peace or some kind of a dialogue. However, they should not wage war and employ military force.

This is why the only just war is if outside forces attack with the intent to kill, and in response, the individual/group/nation in defense of itself has the right to rise up against the aggressor and kill them, and even to be the first to start the war. If, however, outside forces have not risen up against an individual, group or nation with the intent to kill them, then no war can be waged, no matter what the excuse.

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

Filed under: Q&A, Quora - No Comments →