Opinion (Renata Salecl, Slovenian social and legal theorist): “With freedom come choices. Every choice is an opportunity to select the best possible outcome, the one that would make us happiest. More choices lead to more happiness, right? Of course we find the opposite to be true. As choices increase, so does anxiety. In the latest installment of the RSA animated lecture series, Slovenian social and legal theorist Renata Salecl argues that this anxiety, coupled with the capitalist ideal of the self-made person, leads to a kind of social paralysis.

“’Today’s ideology of choice,’ says Salecl, ‘actually pacifies people and makes us constantly turn criticism to ourselves instead of organizing ourselves and making a critique of the society we live in.’” (Source: Open Culture)

“You are also ashamed of poverty. We are afraid that people will laugh at our choice; we recognize the need for public opinion in relation to yourself. We never make choices for ourselves, in isolation from society. We choose what others choose. Thus, choice is a social category, and specifically this feature brings a feeling of anxiety.

“Another reason is an attempt to make the right choice. As a result, people change mobile network operators or partners, but always remain unsatisfied.

“The third reason is that choice inevitably involves losses, the possibility of following a different path, which produces maximum discomfort today.

“The main loss, in which we have no choice, is death. But even in this case we are trying to plan, to delay it, to gain control over it. …

“The ideology of the modern world was based on the fact that anyone can succeed in anything. The idea of a self-realized man who had achieved everything himself was central to this ideology. Anyone can become a celebrity. ‘Everyone can succeed’— this credo dominates society. … In the past, people wanted to become famous in something: some invention, research, or a special talent. Now, they all want to become famous for the sake of fame, not for something, but just famous. …

“Why doesn’t social change happen? –A fear of change, a fear of loss.

“The defining features are self-criticism, a sense of guilt for one’s own failure, and anxiety in the face of choice. Thus we see that the ideology of choice is not optimistic and thus prevents social change.

“The fear of change is associated with the fear of loss. When you have little, you are afraid of losing even that and you prefer not to provoke social change. People become passive and criticize themselves instead of getting organized and taking a critical look at modern society in which we live.” (Source: theoryandpractice.ru)

My Comment: In fact, a person has no choice because the society is governed according to the plan of nature, and a person is completely subordinated to society, environment. The only choice is to choose the environment, and then he will be under the influence of this society against his will. But if a person picks the right environment that corresponds to the upper Nature (the Creator), then he secures for himself a quick and easy progress toward the goal of creation and thus avoids all kinds of problems.
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In the News (from Phys.org): “’The vervets show us that tolerance towards group members and patience while others are learning how they can improve things individually can go a long way in solving coordination problems,’ said Ronald Noë of Université de Strasbourg in France.

“In the study, the researchers had groups of vervet monkeys, two living freely in a South African park and another in captivity in France, play a social game without offering them any training on the game or how to play it. In each ‘forbidden circle’ experiment, a single low-ranking female was trained to open a container holding a large amount of food only when other monkeys dominant to her stayed outside an imaginary circle. If anyone was to get their treats, everyone had to figure out the rules and show enough restraint to follow them.

“And sure enough, the vervets did. One by one, without any guidance from humans, the dominant monkeys learned to control themselves. As soon as all of them showed restraint, the provider monkey in the middle opened the bin of food right away, saving everyone precious time.

“Remarkably, the vervet monkeys each learned how to ‘play’ on their own, in order of dominance and by trial and error. Higher-ranking monkeys figured out the rules most quickly because their status allowed them to reach the food dispenser first and to see the provider’s response that their actions provoked. With the rules to ‘back off’ understood, those more dominant individuals watched on patiently until each of their peers followed suit. The monkeys showed no evidence of communication or coercion at all.

“Noë said the findings represent skills that the vervets probably use all the time, in coordinating movements for protection of the group or their territory, for example. Their behavior shows that higher cognitive processes, such as insight into the thoughts of others and complex language, aren’t always needed to solve complex social puzzles. ‘These capacities do help us a lot, of course, and the fact that humans are so often confronted with such [coordination] problems may well explain the evolution of language and higher cognitive capacities,’ Noë said. ‘But individual learning and a bit of patience while others learn can go a long way too.’”

My Comment: How would adults and children behave in this situation? Our egoism makes us different from primates; it makes us blind! How much suffering will we have to bear before accepting the orders of the higher nature?..
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Opinion (Michael Schuman, correspondent for TIME, author of The Miracle: The Epic Story of Asia’s Quest for Wealth): “With the global economy in a protracted crisis, and workers around the world burdened by joblessness, debt and stagnant incomes, Marx’s biting critique of capitalism — that the system is inherently unjust and self-destructive — cannot be so easily dismissed. Marx theorized that the capitalist system would inevitably impoverish the masses as the world’s wealth became concentrated in the hands of a greedy few, causing economic crises and heightened conflict between the rich and working classes. …

“Workers may have common problems, but they aren’t banding together to resolve them. … Protesters, says Jacques Rancière, an expert in Marxism at the University of Paris, aren’t aiming to replace capitalism, as Marx had forecast, but merely to reform it.

“That leaves open a scary possibility: that Marx not only diagnosed capitalism’s flaws but also the outcome of those flaws. If policymakers don’t discover new methods of ensuring fair economic opportunity, the workers of the world may just unite. Marx may yet have his revenge.”

My Comment: And there will be the Spanish, Greek, and then the EU and then the U.S. “spring” … if the method of correction of people and society is not accepted.
[103889]

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Opinion (Robert McChesney, communication professor, author of Digital Disconnect: How Capitalism is Turning the Internet Against Democracy): “‘When capitalism is mentioned, it is usually as the ‘free market,’ which is taken as a benevolent given, almost a synonym for democracy,’ McChesney writes. Yet ‘really existing capitalism’ doesn’t fit with the free-market ‘catechism’ or with democracy, he writes, ‘the crisis of our times is that capitalism undermines democracy.’

“The Internet has been transformed from the noncommercial and public space that many dreamed of in its earlier days to one that ‘has been commercialized, copyrighted, patented, privatized, data-inspected, and monopolized,’ McChesney writes.

“As part of that process, advertising has been transformed online in a way that eliminates previous notions of privacy, and the government has surveillance powers that were once unimaginable. Large telecommunication and entertainment corporations that once appeared to be vulnerable, because of the Internet, have prospered through their influence in a ‘corrupt’ policymaking process.

“The Internet giants that have risen over the last two decades are not the progressive force some think them to be, and have prospered as the result of monopoly privileges, exploited labor, and government policies and subsidies, he says. …

“This book comes now, McChesney writes, because he sees the Internet as having crystallized to a significant degree. ‘We are in a position, in some respects for the first time, to make sense of the Internet experience and highlight the cutting-edge issues it poses for society,’ he writes.

“We also are in a better position to understand what decisions can be made that might determine the future of the Internet and its influence in shaping the society, he says in the book.

“Among his prescriptions: broadband availability to all for free as a basic right, strict regulation of advertising and a sharp reduction or elimination of the tax write-off of advertising as a business expense, heavy regulation of digital “natural monopolies” or conversion of them to nonprofit services, large public investments in journalism, net neutrality, strict privacy regulations that make online activities as private as correspondence in the mail, and strong legal barriers against militarization of the Internet and use of it for warrantless surveillance.”

My Comment: The Internet is an imprint of modern society, and all our vices appear on it in an exaggerated form since admission is free, reaction is instant, and distribution is unlimited. As long as we don’t start changing ourselves, our Internet will not change. So, all the attempts are in vain.
[103346]

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Question: I work in an artistic workshop where I help people with mental and emotional problems, with depression, and all sorts of social problems to come out of their seclusion through art. I don’t understand the difference between integral education and social work. What is the difference between them?

Answer: The difference is that in the case of integral education, you transmit the Light through yourself to others. You organize them so that they will transform into a spiritual Kli (vessel). After all, you have a point in the heart and therefore, you work with them through yourself. You receive their desires and problems and arrange them such that something is added in you and for this addition you can receive the Light.

This is not social work, but spiritual work. This is the difference between them.

You work in order to attract the upper Light to organize all humanity into one whole, into one unified system called “Adam” so that in this system the upper Light, the higher state, will be revealed. This is not some kind of relaxation instead of a pill. Rather, it is specifically the elevation of humanity to the next level of existence.

We are not engaged in relaxing people even though we may say this to them. But we understand that it is impossible to do anything on the level they are at, except raise them to a spiritual level.

All of our attempts to resolve some of the problems in this world, charity, or help for various population strata are to no avail. Nothing is fixed with this, and it only gets worse. There are many investigators of this subject; and it is completely clear that all of the problems are derived only from our not correcting ourselves and instead, becoming involved in this kind of social work.

I am not saying that this work is not required or that it is harmful. If it is possible now to help a person in some concrete manner, it is necessary to help. However, together with this, one must not forget that we don’t attain anything with this. Therefore, it is possible to be involved temporarily with social work as long as we haven’t yet begun the widespread dissemination of integral education.

Question: Do these two types of work conflict with each other, and is it possible to unite them?

Answer: It is possible to unite them but only to the degree that you understand that with this, you are providing only temporary relief to a person’s condition. If your actions are connected to real correction, then this is meaningful.
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From the European Convention in Germany 3/22/13, Lesson 2

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Everyone acts according to the root of his soul, and the Light that reforms acts on him according to the root of his soul. Therefore, when we look at each other in this world, we don’t understand the motives of our actions; we don’t see which informational genes and which corresponding Lights are transformed in us. We cannot properly judge each other, and therefore we say that it is always necessary to judge your friend favorably.

In relation to himself, the person is given free choice and must strive to construct an environment for himself that will awaken him maximally. He must be dedicated to this environment and submit himself to it and be integrated with it as much as possible, as it is written, “All that you find in your hands to do, in your power, do it.”

But together with this there also exists a general plan of development. We are found in a process like this, where the entire world is beginning to wake up. And therefore, our development depends upon the development of the entire world. This puzzle is awakened more and more, and in it each one needs to fill the place that is designated for him. Therefore, the more that the world advances in general, the further we, “Israel,” the people who seek the Creator, advance. And likewise, through our advancement we awaken the entire world.

Therefore, it is impossible to separate these two components in our present work. Everyone is connected and depends upon each other in a form that is impossible to separate: both the inner work, by means of our informational genes and our personal Light that Reforms, and also the group in the group and the general work on the people of Israel in the land of Israel and on the entire world. The time has arrived when we must awaken everyone. But the more internal the layer is, the more important its awakening is.

The person needs to understand that if he falls all the time and thereby feels his inferiority, this is done for his good, and thus he is shown his true state. It is necessary to be thankful for the bad as well as for the good, for the good and the bad are weighed together. The form in which the good and the bad will be revealed depends only on the Light that Reforms. And it is always necessary to examine ourselves according to our integration in a society: How much are you ready and strive, are concerned to see the entire group, and in general the entire world, as your soul?
[103364]
From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/20/13

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Question: If there is no desire for spirituality, how can we awaken it?

Answer: We are in a state that we either awaken ourselves to the spiritual advancement or the advancement awakens us. Throughout history, from the Big Bang that began the universe until today, we have developed by the force of nature that pushed us forward by sufferings. This is called evolution. Every time, having no choice, we left the current state and moved on to the next state that seemed better. We developed in the better state until we began to feel that it wasn’t so good anymore and moved on to the next state that seemed even better.

Unless we feel that our current state is unbearable, we won’t leave it since our ego aspires for rest. Why should I change something if I feel good? If my arm feels comfortable now I will not move it, but if I feel that another position is better and here it is not so comfortable, then these forces move me.

This means that I never move of my own will, and there are always forces that influence and operate me. What are these forces? The arm as part of the animal body feels bad here and that it would feel better if it moves a little and so it moves.

It’s the same with everything in life. It isn’t any different from the way the wind blows: there is pressure in one place and a deficiency in another, a vacuum, and so the air masses move from place to place. There must always be two forces: one that pushes and one that pulls.

This is how it always been in the evolution of human society that has been through many transformations from one state to another: The negative force pushed it from behind and the positive force pulled it from the front, a hope for something good.

Now we are in a very special state. How is it different from all the other states?

It used to be that there was state one (1) and state two (2). In the second state I discovered a plus (+) and in the first state a minus (-). In the first state the rejecting force operated on me and in the second state the pulling force. I moved from one state to the other by these two forces. It’s natural evolution without freewill.

The state I am in now is different since I have freewill. In the current state I discover a very big minus (-), but I don’t discover the negative force, it hardly pushes me forward. Then a big question arises (?): What is the state of freewill? How can I be guided here, know which way to go, what to do, and what will become of me? It’s only with the help of the wisdom of Kabbalah.

/center>Otherwise, it’s impossible to understand what we should do, since in all the previous states we went from one human evolutionary level to the next, but now we have to move from a human level to a divine, spiritual level. Therefore, we cannot grasp how to advance and are actually in the dark. This is the whole problem.

So on the one hand, it is freewill, since it isn’t the animal body that dictates where I should move. I feel helpless and the choice is actually above reason.

So there is nothing we can do without the dissemination of the wisdom of Kabbalah. Here the nation of Israel has to fulfill its mission and this is why we are in such a special dangerous state. Now we come to the forefront of the stage of history and although we were always “watched closely,” now it’s more than ever before.
[103105]
From the 4^th part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/19/13, “Introduction to The Book of Zohar”

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Rabash, “What to Look for in the Assembly of Friends”: It is the same with love of friends. It is a great effort when one should judge the friends to a scale of merit, and not everyone is ready for it.

Sometimes, it is even worse. At times, a person sees that his friend is disrespectful toward him. Even worse, he heard a slanderous rumor, meaning he heard from a friend that that friend, who is called so and so, said about him things that are not nice for friends to say about each other. Now he has to subdue himself and judge him to a scale of merit. This, indeed, is a great effort… However, if that person slanders him, where will his friend muster the strength to love him? He knows for certain that he hates him, or he would not be slandering him, so what is the point in subduing himself and judging him to a scale of merit?

The answer is that love of friends that is built on the basis of love of others, by which they can achieve the love of the Creator, is the opposite of what is normally considered love of friends. In other words, love of others does not mean that the friends will love me. Rather, it is I who must love the friends. For this reason, it makes no difference if the friend is slandering him and must certainly hate him. Instead, a person who wishes to acquire love of others, that person needs the correction of loving the other.

Therefore, when a person makes the effort and judges him to a scale of merit, it is a Segula [remedy/power/virtue], whereby the toil that a person makes, which is called “an awakening from below,” he is given strength from above to be able to love all the friends without exception.

This is a difficult question. The attitude of an individual toward society has different aspects. First, I must see the group in a perfect state at the end of correction and understand that “He who faults another does so through his own flaws.” So, I must see the friends as perfect, and, if I notice any flaws, it is a sign of my uncorrected attributes. I must constantly try to judge the friends to the scale of merit, and this shows me how I should correct myself and ask for the force of correction.

On the other hand, I must check what I can add to the society so that it will increase its influence on me—that it will lift my spirit, strengthen me, and make me feel secure. In order to do that, I need a critical perspective of the group so that I can see how it can be improved and where its wholeness is lacking. I constantly aspire to lift it, and, so, I must see it as imperfect at the moment so that I will have something to work on. I invest powers in the group so that it will grow strong and rise.

However, if you don’t refer to the attitude of an individual toward the society, but to the state of the society itself and its influence on all the friends, then the society must be strong enough to make everyone feel secure and keep each member on a certain height, to guide him and keep his spirit high so that he will not be able to fall. This is why we must see the true state of the society since we build it by ourselves, and we cannot settle for the idea that it is already in the world of Ein Sof (Infinity) in a perfectly corrected state.

We must see how we can lift the society so that it will lift us. In order to do that, I must exit myself, be incorporated in the society, and make sure that the poison of slander will not poison it, but that only the greatness of the goal and love for all, without exception, will reside in it. Then, this feeling and this support will pass on to each of the friends and obligate them to love each other in the same way.

There are different nuances according to the type of society, and whether it is a society of beginners or of more advanced students, a society of women, of men, or a mixed society. In each case, there are special relationships, but the two basic conditions are a person’s attitude toward a society which is perfect and the attitude toward a society that needs to be lifted in order to radiate this perfection back on us. As always, there are two, opposite poles to everything.
[103100]
From the Preparation to the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/19/13

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Slander is disorder, detachment of connection, and communication between humans on the speaking level, but what happens with a person is projected to all other forms of nature that are found below him. Therefore, the behavior of the entire collective system—including the upper worlds with all that is in them and our world with all of its levels below the speaking: the animate, vegetative, and still—depends only upon the only free choice that exists in all of reality. Everything depends upon the only free choice: the correct connection between the parts on that level that can be established according to the will of the creatures themselves.

This connection cannot be established through elementary particles or molecules, not through animals that are lower than us, and not through angels who are higher than us, which means not through higher forces. The connection is established only on our level, the human level; only this establishes the entire hierarchy of forces and forms. Only human beings have free choice, and the choice belongs and is related only to how to establish the correct relationships between them instead of the first, naturally-given relationship—natural hatred and egoistic rejection—rather, the corrected relationship called, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” In this way, we reach the perfected functioning of all parts of creation as one integral system.

The entire Torah speaks only about the correction of the relationships between humans since by means of this, the entire reality returns to the corrected state. Other than this, there is no need to correct anything.

First, humanity needs to develop to the level where it can understand that it is broken. Then, it begins to feel that there is no choice and that it is necessary to do something with itself in order to correct the lack of coordination between its separate parts. Otherwise, it simply will disappear from the face of the earth, and then the method of correction is discovered.

Now we are in such a time where human desire and its characteristics have been changed and developed throughout evolution to the degree that we already have begun to feel that we are not able to fix the world, that is, to build the right relationship between us, and, on the other hand, we simply must do this otherwise there will be no future for us. And therefore, the method of correction has been revealed to arrange the right connection between humans so that all of humanity will be found in accord with nature, in harmony.

In all of the vastness of nature, only humans have inserted a defect into the wondrous collective harmony and integral unity of all the parts where each supports the others and feels itself as a component of a complete analog system that works with complete mutuality. Today we have reached a development that finally we have begun to realize that we have no way out and that we must become aware of the system of correction. Otherwise, we will have no chance of continuing human history; our state is very dangerous.
[103171]
From the 1^st part of the Daily Kabbalah Lesson 3/19/13, Writings of Rabash

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Question: Currently, the phrase “corporate culture,” has become very fashionable. Companies even hire managers who specialize in corporate culture. Can one person form a culture? What does culture mean in general?

Answer: Culture is a level of mutual friendly relations between people.

When do we consider a person to be uncultured? It is when he does not want to be in good contact with others. And, on the contrary, we call a person cultured when he is pleasant in his interactions; we evaluate it based on both the outer and the inner characteristics. It is quite possible that, in reality, he is not that way, but this is how he positions himself. In general, corporate culture means a level of proper, friendly interaction within a group of people.
[100752]
From KabTV’s “Professional Secrets,” 2/7/13

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