Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is the secret to a balanced life?“

We reach a balanced life when we discover the balance between forces of reception and forces of bestowal, which takes place when we disclose the general force of balance that exists in the system we are parts of. At that point, we start feeling the entire system and not only ourselves, the individual parts of the system. We then come closer together in mutual connection, bestowal and support such that we all lose our sense of our individual selves and instead sense the life in the whole system.

We then feel the whole system, which includes humanity as well as nature on all of its levels, as our own. On our current level, the closest example to this sensation, even though it is still far from the actual feeling, is a mother toward her family: She feels that she loses her sense of self in her commitment to her family, feeling her family as her own. In other words, her devotion to her family expands her sense of self to include all of her family members, and she somewhat exits her own individual self in such a sensation.

Therefore, when we realize ourselves in the direction of bestowal upon others, i.e., when we think about benefiting others over self-benefit, we exit the limited and narrow boundaries of our individual selves and open up to those whom we wish to benefit similarly to a mother toward her family. The wider the circle of society we do this for, the more of the system of nature and reality we feel.

Ultimate balance in life emerges when we care about the whole of humanity and nature. Our sensation of existence then expands to include the life of the whole of humanity and nature and not only the transient and short life of our individual selves. Moreover, by doing so, we discover our ultimate destiny in reality, that of living for the sake of the whole system we are parts of and feeling the life of that system, and we also find how nobody stands in anybody’s way, as it currently seems to us.

If we start directing ourselves in such a holistic manner, then we will also see how this system, call it “nature” or the “universe,” starts giving us positive feedback in that direction, helping us on our way.

Practically, in giving and bestowal upon others, by wanting to benefit and positively connect with everyone, we will then feel a special kind of support and vitality, that nature and life works in our favor by doing so.

In order to discover these signs, we need to surround ourselves with a supportive environment of like-minded individuals who wish to support each other toward this ultimate state of balance. By learning and seeking how to benefit others over self-benefit with these people, and finding our place in such an environment, we then progress correctly toward that final state of ultimate balance in life.

The state of balance through positive connections among each other and with nature is the discovery of the human degree in the world (the Hebrew word for “human” [“Adam”] stems from the phrase “similar to the most high” [“Adameh le Elyon”]). We need a supportive environment of like-minded individuals specifically because care for one another needs to be mutual, where we each exercise positive connections and giving to others mutually above our innate self-interests. Over time, by integrating in such a society, we eventually reach the realization of the ultimate balance in life. Moreover, the efforts of a critical mass of people who direct themselves in such a way positively influences others in the world who do not awaken to such a direction, thus also making it easier for others and future generations to reach such balance.

Ultimately, we will all develop to the realization of humanity as an interconnected and interdependent system, similar to nature in and of itself. When we reach that level of consciousness, we will all “click” into nature, integrating into and identifying with it, and adhering to it such that we all realize the destiny of every person individually and of all people in the world together.

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

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is truth?“

Truth is understanding that everything is relative, that we each subjectively perceive good and bad, sweet and bitter, and truth and falseness.

What, then, is absolute in reality? It is that the quality of complete bestowal (the Creator, nature) is our ultimate root, and we, as well as everything we perceive in nature on the still, vegetative and animate levels, are its creation, made of an opposite quality of reception.

There is absoluteness solely in these two poles of reality: the quality of bestowal and the quality of reception. Everything else is relative.

Based on the program “Spiritual States” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on April 22, 2019. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Is ‘lazy’ a negative word?“

Laziness is definitely not a negative word. I myself am the laziest person in the world, constantly struggling to be a little more active. I thus need to raise the importance of what I need to perform.

Nature gave us lazy qualities in order to prevent us from doing several negative actions, i.e., to stop us from ruining the world so that we have the ability to correct the world.

Laziness is thus a very positive phenomenon. If it were up to me, I would add a little bit more laziness to all of us, so that we would barely be able to get out of our beds, shower, dress, eat, and go to work. The reason is that people would do far less negative acts in the world.

It is basically positive to be lazy anytime other than when we invest our energy to positively connect in society, to provide each other with support, encouragement and care, adding to a positive social atmosphere.

I thus wish for us all to be a little lazier, as it is written in the Torah, “Sit and do nothing, better.” It means that if we are lazy, then it is better than if we let ourselves run rampant, because the latter would bring more ruin to the world. Our actions would then be more purpose-driven and done out of necessity.

Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
Photo by Adrian Swancar on Unsplash

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is the future of national borders?“

There will be no borders, nations or countries in the future.

We will all become members of one nation that spans the entire globe, with a language that is clear to everyone.

Also, religions, beliefs and customs will lose their importance and fade away in the process.

In other words, we will eventually realize our complete interconnectedness and interdependence as a single whole, in balance with nature’s integral laws.

Replacing all kinds of geographic and ideological boundaries will be a good and positive attitude among all human beings.

The transition to that final state will take place through understanding that we cannot achieve a good life unless we each concede our egos to some extent.

While in our present reality, such a picture seems utopian and unrealistic, and that each individual, group and nation is responsible only for itself and its own citizens, the laws of nature stipulate that we need to advance toward an absolute state of connection, with attitudes of mutual consideration dwelling in such connection.

This kind of connection exists above every limit we have in our world, whether it be borders, gender, race or language, among others, which we have developed over the generations.

In short, nothing will stop us from integrating with each other, as nature necessitates this process.

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

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is the root cause of antisemitism, and how do you fight anti-Semitism concretely?“

Antisemitism stems from Jews having a special role in the world, which they are neither aware of nor do they carry it out.

That role is to positively connect “as one man with one heart,” i.e., to develop harmonious unified relations.

If the Jews developed their connections to unite above their differences, then antisemitism would subside and humanity’s attitude toward the Jews would shift to a positive one.

Until the Jews positively connect, people will feel increasing rejection and repulsion toward them. Developing positive connection among Jews depends on developing the “inner Jew” within, which means elevating the desire to connect in a good and kind way toward one another over egoistic desires to use and exploit each other for personal benefit.

This special quality and role that the Jews inherited stems from their foundation as a nation some 4,000 years ago, when Abraham gathered people from ancient Babylon who were willing to unite, since they felt the rampant social division of the time as a major problem that needed solving. Thus, they applied Abraham’s method, which led them to attain the lofty principle of “Love your neighbor as yourself.” By doing so, they became known as the “people of Israel” (“Israel” coming from the words “Yashar Kel” [“straight to God”], i.e., people with an intention to be as loving and giving as the force of love and bestowal itself). They later became known as “the Jews,” from the word for “unity” (“Yichud”). The uniqueness of this quality is that unlike other nations, the Jews had no natural biological root. Instead, they were a group of people from different nations who gathered based on a unifying ideology, and who worked on themselves in order to attain the quality of love for one’s fellow man.

People are thus either attracted to or repelled by Jews due to this unifying quality that dwells in them. If the Jews develop positive relations and friendships with one another above their differences, they will awaken that tendency to unite in the tectonic plates of human consciousness, and humanity will also find that it gains the strength to unite above its growing divisiveness. If not, then humanity will increasingly feel that the Jews are behind their problems, and antisemitism will continue rising as a force of nature that surfaces in order to awaken the Jews to re-discover their unifying role in the world.

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

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Why do people tend to become radicalized in their beliefs?“

It is a problem that we fail to understand the need to learn what nature requires of us, which is the same law positioned at the foundation of all the world’s major religions: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18).

We are all equal in the need to reach love above all of our differences, divisions, rejection and hatred of each other, as it is written that “love will cover all crimes” (Proverbs 10:12). However, our egoistic human nature, which rejects nature’s requirement for us to positively connect by wanting to enjoy at the expense of others, positions us against each other and is the base cause of all radicalization.

The human ego operates in every person and group. It makes us each see ourselves and the groups we belong to as better than others, thus giving rise to radicals willing to take their beliefs to extremes. Ultimately, the ego serves to destroy our world, and radicalization is one of its natural outcomes.

When we understand that the human ego is the root cause behind all of our division, hatred and radicalization, then we would be wise to focus on how to rise above the ego. We would then feel no need to tie ourselves to any specific orientation, but only on one tendency that is fundamental to nature: the need to rise above the human ego, unite with others above all differences, and also to teach and share the method to do so.

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

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “Is nature cruel?“

Nature is a perfect integral system that functions according to laws of interconnection and interdependence, and there is no shred of cruelty in nature.

However, it appears to many that nature is cruel. Why?

It is because, as is written in the wisdom of Kabbalah, “the judge judges according to his own flaws.” In other words, since we humans have an aspect of cruelty in our egoistic nature, where we can enjoy at the expense of others and nature, then we attribute this cruelty to nature, and then perceive its actions as cruel.

If we studied nature in depth, learning how and why it functions the way it does, then we would find no shred of cruelty in nature. Instead, we would discover how nature is ultimately a single thought that wishes only to bestow contentment, pleasure and fulfillment upon its creation. In other words, at its source, nature is a pure intention to love and bestow, which has no wicked intentions whatsoever.

Nature created a single system that functions according to laws of interdependence and interconnectedness. We see how the still, vegetative and animate levels of nature behave in a way where each element takes only what it needs for its sustenance, and fulfills its role for the sake of the ecosystem’s sustenance. Although we see several animals killing and eating each other, they do so not out of cruelty, but simply because it is the way they were created. By doing so, they fulfill their role in nature, and the whole that they are parts of continues its sustenance through their instinctive behavior.

If we humans would receive only according to our needs, and gave everything else for the benefit of humanity and nature, then we would be on the same level as animals. However, we clearly see that we operate differently, and that there is a program embedded in us that makes us want to personally benefit at the expense of other people and nature.

This egoistic element—the desire for self-benefit at the expense of others and nature—is what differentiates humans from animals and the rest of nature, and it is solely this quality is cruel. In other words, human egoism is the sole aspect within nature that opposes nature, and likewise, it is the one quality that needs to become corrected.

By correcting human egoism, so that instead of wishing to personally benefit at the expense of others and nature, we would instead acquire a new nature where we wish to benefit others and nature, we would likewise enter into balance with nature, thus experiencing nature harmoniously and cruelty-free.

The increasingly cruel world we perceive is in order to bring us to a point where we will truly want to invert our egoistic nature into its opposite altruistic form. For a change of such magnitude to happen, we need to learn how and why nature acts as an integral system, to learn its laws of interconnection and interdependence, and apply them to ourselves in order to reach balance with nature. By doing so, we will discover a new harmonious and complete life, completely outside the scope of how we currently perceive and sense our world.

Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
Photo by Benoit Gauzere on Unsplash.

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What is every single benefit of physical pain?“

Pain protects us by making us feel a boundary, where if we cross it, then we enter a danger zone.

We typically want to simply not feel pain, and if we feel it, we want it to disappear right away. Together with this tendency, it is worthwhile to add a scrutiny of why we feel pain, and how we can get rid of it. Or on the contrary, it could be that we feel pain due to a disease that surfaces, which is a sign that we need to get ourselves treated.

However, more importantly, we should understand that our nature is a desire to enjoy, which wishes to move away from pain and move toward pleasure, enjoyment and happiness. What, then, stands between our experience of total enjoyment and happiness in life compared to a life full of various pains? It is simply a different screen by which we can perceive and sense reality.

In order to achieve this change where we perceive and sense a world full of goodness and happiness, we need only connect with our desires and apply efforts to change them so that we will start perceiving everything in our world as good, enjoyable and pleasant.

This is an inner change that requires us wanting to give others everything that is good for them, and then in return, we will receive all the goodness that we want for ourselves.

If we make such a transformation, then we will experience utter perfection and happiness, or as it is expressed in the Torah, “a land of milk and honey.”

It all depends on our desire to give to others. The moment we get rid of our egoistic intention to receive at the expense of others, and replace it with an altruistic intention solely to benefit others, then when we attain such a giving desire, we will see that there is an abundance of everything good in life in front of us, and we will want only to give that abundance to others. It can be likened to all the gold, silver and diamonds in the world suddenly appearing right in front of our very eyes the moment we have no intention to receive any of it for ourselves, but only wish for others to benefit from it. When we reach such a degree in our intention, then we will experience total perfection and happiness.

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

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “How will the world change after the COVID 19 pandemic?“

We are in the midst of a major transitional era where we are starting to understand the tremendous extent of our interconnectedness and interdependence.

Likewise, we also find ourselves destroying our world. This is because a key aspect of interconnected and interdependent systems is that if all of their parts act for the system’s benefit, then the system functions harmoniously and its parts experience the health and vitality of the entire system. On the contrary, if its parts prioritize self-benefit over benefiting the whole, then they bring about the system’s demise.

Since the latter egoistic tendency defines the general attitude and behavior of human society in 2021, then we can expect the world as we know it to crumble. On one hand, we will see the increasing frailty of our financial and industrial mechanisms, and on the other hand, we can expect natural disasters to shake us more and more, because nature principally reacts to us according to how we relate to each other.

We will continue heading down a negative spiral until we will wake up to our helplessness to live positive, healthy and balanced lives. At that point, we will develop a major need to revise the way we live. We will then feel an increasing need for updated explanations about how the interconnected and interdependent system we are all parts of functions, what its purpose is, what our role is within the system, what is the system’s nature and what is human nature, how we can balance between them, why and how we are dispersed in this system, and what we can do in order to become closer in our attitudes to each other. In other words, we will need to undergo an upgrade in our connections to each other, and that upgrade will not be able to happen on its own. It will require a new method capable of guiding us to positive connection, harmony and happiness in an interconnected and interdependent reality.

Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman

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Michael Laitman, On Quora: “What should I live for?“

What is the meaning of life? It is to rise to a level where we become as one with our life’s source—while we are alive.

In the wisdom of Kabbalah, that source has various names including “the Creator,” “nature,” “upper light,” “upper force,” and others. It is essentially a force of love and bestowal that emanated everything, and in Kabbalah, we study how it created everything through a process called “the four phases of direct light,” a series of causes and effects until our creation and development here in our world.

While we are in the reality we know as “our world,” i.e., a perception and sensation of reality through senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste, our purpose is to return to where we came from, until we reach adhesion with our life’s source. Kabbalah calls the process of rising back to where we came from “climbing the ladder from below upward.”

When we reach our life’s final destination—adhesion with our life’s source, the Creator—we will experience newfound eternal harmony and perfection. Moreover, everything we currently experience, increasing amounts of problems, crises, suffering and lacks of fulfillment, are all necessary elements of a maturation process that is gradually preparing us to become willing and ready to climb the ladder back to our source.

Based on the lesson “Fundamentals of Kabbalah” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on December 16, 2018. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.

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