Comment: An ancient Chinese wisdom says: “Always look on the bright side of things. And if there is none, polish the dark ones until they shine.”
My Response: Because behind everything in the world stands the upper light. And where it seems to you that there is darkness, you must “polish” yourself until that phenomenon begins to shine. Because in every phenomenon, within it, there is the upper light.
Question: So I polish myself in order to see that it is not darkness, but light?
Answer: Yes. Wipe away your egoism, and you will see that the world around you consists only of simple upper light.
Comment: “The trick of life is to die young, but as late as possible.”
My Response: Yes, because being young means always striving forward. Youth is not about years. You can live 200 years and remain young, or be an old man already at 20, extinguished.
It all depends on your aspiration! If you have a yearning to attain the meaning of life, then you are always young. That is the most important thing. It depends on you and on the society you are in, your environment. But under no circumstances should you let yourself be extinguished. That is very important.
Question: Your teacher was called “the runner.” Was he really young for you?
Answer: Next to him, I was the old one. There was a forty-year difference between us. He was born in 1906, I in 1946. He was very strong, powerful, energetic, constantly striving forward, and in that, he was young.
Comment: “The temptation to give up will be especially strong right before victory.”
Answer: Yes, that is always the case. When a person is about to reach the goal, strangely enough, a weakness appears: “Why? What for? I am tired. No way. Nothing.”
At that moment, he must understand that he is being tested for his desire toward the goal. To achieve it, he must add something new, an even greater aspiration. Inject more drive, passion, appreciation of values, the importance of the goal. And then he will reach it.
Question: So he is practically close, but in front of him is a mountain he cannot climb?
Answer: Yes. That is why he must increase the importance of the goal now, to climb, to run up that mountain.
Question: And how does that happen?
Answer: It is the mobilization of inner strength through the importance of the goal.
Question: But logically, shouldn’t a person have more and more strength as he gets closer?
Answer: No, it is like a runner; at the last stage, his strength seems to vanish. That is when he must activate a new reserve, a second wind. A person learns this, and then he succeeds.
Comment: “A friend without flaws does not exist. If you seek flaws, you will end up without a friend.”
My Response: Of course. One must understand this and love a friend with his flaws. And even if these flaws are in your friend, they are actually yours.
Question: So looking at a friend, you are really looking at yourself?
Answer: Yes. You must understand that these flaws are within you.
Comment: But we do the opposite. We generally criticize the world around us.
My Response: Exactly, we criticize. But in truth, we should perceive everything within ourselves. It is very hard!
Comment: Most businesses that fail are those created by friends. Later, they just hate each other.
My Response: They are not educated. That is the whole problem, humanity is not taught how to interact correctly with one another. And we cannot do anything about it.
Each person is such an egoist! And they continue to be raised that way. The more egoism you have, the more you supposedly have the chance to succeed over others. We do not understand that, in the end, true success means being in the right relationship with others.
We have already reached a state where the world is burning out from egoism. It can no longer move forward egoistically. All our grand dreams and everything else are fading.
And only one thing remains—how to go on existing? This is possible only if we begin to value our connection with one another. Within that connection, we will discover purpose, dimensions, an entirely different world.
Question: Can you give the main advice on how to preserve a friendship to the end?
Answer: You need to understand that the bad you see in others is all within you. There is nothing bad around you—only yourself. You should strive to correct yourself until you see a beautiful world in everything around you. Then you will find yourself in the spiritual world, in the Garden of Eden. Turn the hell within you into paradise and you will see that you are in paradise.
But if you do not change the hell inside you, it will seem to you that you are in hell.
If you see hell in another, it is in you. Change yourself, and you will see that you are in a wonderful world.
Comment: “When they speak of my virtues, they rob me. When they speak of my flaws, they teach me.”
My Response: Yes, that is true. It is said in Kabbalah that a friend is someone through whom you discover your flaws. Because in this way, he helps you advance.
Those who praise you weaken your path; they fill you with an unnecessary sense of superiority, perfection, and so on. They do not help at all.
It is among those before whom you feel your negative qualities that you truly develop.
That means a friend is not someone with whom you feel comfortable—“I feel good with you, it is pleasant,” and so on. No, to the contrary. True friends are those who seem to push you away, and you feel you must make an effort to come closer. Those who mobilize you to rise above yourself, those are your true friends.
Comment: “An invisible red thread connects those destined to meet, despite time, place, or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break.”
My Response: Of course. Because from the beginning, we are all connected to one another. Everyone already exists in their own state. And if, as a result of the correction of the common soul, we must somehow meet each other, that is already predetermined by our spiritual genes.
So there is nothing accidental about our meetings or separations. Do not worry.
The main thing is that at every stage of your development when you meet others, be as kind, friendly, and welcoming as possible. Then you will never make a mistake and will always move in the direction of your soul’s correction.
Nothing is accidental. All our meetings are predestined. It is destiny!
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman,” 12/9/24
Related Material:
Chinese Wisdom
Japanese Wisdom, Part 1
Japanese Wisdom, Part 2
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The Creator created only one state, called the world of infinity. All changes happen only within us. We exist in that same world of infinity, yet instead of perceiving infinity, we perceive only ourselves.
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