Entries in the 'Egoism' Category

The Path to Happiness Lies through Sodom

294.1When you get older, you will understand that you can somehow live in the world only under one indispensable condition: you must understand that selfishness is a natural property of man.

When you come to terms with the idea that everyone lives only for themselves, you will be much more lenient towards your neighbors. They will stop disappointing your hopes, and you will begin to treat them more mercifully. People strive for only one thing in life – pleasure. (Somerset Maugham,Of Human Bondage).

Comment: We need to come to terms with the idea that everyone is an egoist, that everyone lives like this, and from this everything will calm down.

My Response: Of course, if everyone accepts this condition.

Comment: If we understand that everyone lives in their egoism—and I do, too—everything will calm down.

Answer: Yes, sure.

Question: “What is yours is yours, what is mine is mine.” This is still the law, right?

Answer: This is the first law on the path to real peace, that I accept all the weaknesses of others. It is called “what is yours is yours, and what is mine is mine,” and we do not interfere with each other. We respect each other.

It is not yet talking about convergence, merging, or “love your neighbor as yourself,” but about understanding our general law of nature.

Question: So, do you think this law is fair? Is this the law of our world?

Answer: At some stage, yes.

Comment: But Sodom was built precisely on this principle.

My Response: Why do you think that Sodom is evil? If today we were offered Sodom instead of our state, then having understood this, we would gladly accept it. We would be content. There would be no war, and there would be no atrocities. We would simply peacefully coexist.

Question: Why did the Creator not like this Sodom and overturn it?

Answer: This is not the end of creation. It is not the purpose of creation. The purpose of creation is for everyone to live in caring for each other.

Comment: That is clear. And in Sodom, those caring for each other were punished. But in any case, it would be suitable for the first step.

My Response: I am not saying we need to take these steps exactly. The Torah shows us that such a society will still be destroyed.

Question: That is, does such a society have no future?

Answer: That is correct. But as an intermediate, it exists. Here we are given an example.

Question: We have not even gotten to that first half step yet.

Answer: We are still a long way from Sodom.

Question: Before “What is mine is mine, what is yours is yours”?

Answer: Yes. You see what happens between neighbors, states, countries, and everywhere in general.

Comment: “What is yours is mine” is the main principle today.

My Response: We are at the lowest stage of egoistic development.

Comment: It always seems that this has already passed, that we are already somewhere…

My Response: No way!! Look what is being done! How people treat each other, what thoughts they have!

Question: If let us say we come to this step: “What is mine is mine, what is yours is yours,” is the next step “I do not harm another”?

Answer: Yes, by no means do I harm anyone else.

Comment: Do not do to others what you do not want to do to yourself.

My Response: Yes, but this is also not good.

Question: This is like the second step. And the third?

Answer: The third step is to imagine myself in the place of another and do good to him as I imagine what they would do to me. This is called “love your neighbor as yourself.”

Question: That is, we have three steps: first Sodom, as you say, “What is mine is mine, what is yours is yours”; second, “Do not do to others what you do not want to do to yourself; third, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” And what do we come to then if we take these three steps?

Answer: To ensure we all have the same desire: to do only good things for each other.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 12/4/23

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Do Good without Thinking about Yourself

294.3Question: One day a lot of starfish came in with the tide. When the tide was low they were left to die on the sand. A boy began to throw the stars into the sea so that they would survive.

A man came up to him and said: “This is stupid. There are a million starfish here, and your attempts will not change anything.” The boy picked up the next starfish and said: “No, my attempts will change a lot for this very star.”

Today, many people are suffering, as we know. Is trying to eliminate or reduce this suffering for one person the right thing to do?

Answer: In general, yes. It depends on what calculation you make. You are dealing either with the Creator, or with the suffering of this person, or with yourself, and so on.

Question: If I am dealing with the Creator, then where is the suffering coming from?

Answer: From the Creator.

Question: And they are given to this person so that he could go through it?

Answer: Yes.

Question: And, by and large, do I not even have the right to interfere?

Answer: This is also taken into account by the Creator, so it does not matter, you can do it. You want to save others from suffering so that you can feel better. Egoism has not gone anywhere.

Question: Do you still admit the possibility that I want to save a person from suffering?

Answer: No, you cannot be in his shoes.

Question: So what is empathy for another person?

Answer: This is because you empathize; that is, you imagine that this is all happening to you, and therefore you must make him feel better.

Question: And are you still thinking about yourself?

Answer: And nothing else!

Question: How do we get out of this impasse?

Answer: There is no way out. No way!

Comment: That is, all the people who do charity work…

My Response: Of course, they are doing it only for themselves!

Question: Is the only way out to turn to the source of all suffering?

Answer: Turn to the Creator, and if the Creator puts you in a very special state where He eliminates your egoism, your desires to enjoy, then you will be able to do something for the sake of others, and not for yourself. But these are all exceptional cases.

Question: Let ‘s take such an ideal case. What does it mean to do something for the sake of another person? The Creator gave this opportunity. What does it mean?

Answer: Imagine that you have to cut yourself off from all connection with another person. Disconnect yourself from him and do good to him.

Question: Without thinking about yourself at all?

Answer: In any way! This is called that I disconnect myself from another person.

Question: Is this the help of the Creator if He gives such an opportunity to a person?

Answer: Yes.

Question: So is a person not capable of this in any other way?

Answer: No, he is not. It is not our nature.

Question: How is all this veiled and covered up so that we have the feeling that we are really doing good?

Answer: This is what we do in this life. Nothing can be done to us, we are so unusual

Question: Then the key question is, should you still do good to others or not? Should I try to do this or not?

Answer: I would tell you, do it just in case. 🙂 What an egoistic answer, isn’t it?

Question: You will get credit for that, right?

Answer: Yes. You would say that I once did something, here and there…

Comment: That is, one way or another, you claim that I gain these points for myself.

My Response: You do not gain them.

Question: So I do not gain them as a result. And yet, should I try to do to others what I consider good or not?

Answer: Do it, but at the same time, think that by doing this you are not doing anything for yourself. Then it will actually be more or less clean.

Question: That is, do I not gain anything from this, as it were?

Answer: No. I do not gain, I will not gain, and I do not want to gain.

Question: What if it hurts me so much that there is no way for me to get out of this nature?

Answer: Then you are a good egoist. A good egoist means that I would like to rise above my egoism, but I cannot. And that is why I suffer.

Question: Is this a good state by and large?

Answer: No, this is a wretched state. 🙂

Question: Can this state be called a prayer or not?

Answer: Any state can be called a prayer.

Question: Which prayer is correct, in your opinion?

Answer: A correct prayer is when I am looking at a wallet lying on the ground and I imagine that there is a bank note for a million dollars in it. 🙂

Question: And I ask that it be so? That is, after all, one way or another, it is for myself?

Answer: Yes.

Question: And if it makes me feel bad, and I want to get rid of it?

Answer: No, when you understand that this is your nature, then you will not feel bad.

Question: Coming to the conclusion that this is my nature, precisely understanding this in my heart and mind, is this practically the starting point?

Answer: Yes, from this you can start moving.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 12/18/23

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Ten Steps to the Creator

 202Comment: Today the state of the world is such that the Creator, the Creator, who created this entire universe, increasingly seems to need a lawyer. Why did He create this? Why did He do this? I have divided the entire history of human relations into ten stages and would very much like you to act as a lawyer. Or in the role of the Creator: Why did You create this? How did it all happen?

Chapter One—The Primitive World

Question: Let’s start with the primitive world. We are interested in examining relationships that have already arisen. Everyone lived as one family. I killed a mammoth and brought it to the fire; everyone ate and everything was very good. There were simple relationships, and there were simple concerns. They lived, and it didn’t matter how long they lived. They didn’t bother with high philosophy. Man and nature—what could be better?

Tell me, please, how did nations appear with their own characters, with their own territory and borders? What was the Creator’s intention?

Answer: The Creator’s intention was to bring humanity to a state where it consisted of many opposing peoples, distant from each other internally and externally, so that they would begin to gradually realize as they developed that they needed to overcome their animal nature.

Question: Is it more comfortable for you, perhaps, to speak from the Creator?

Answer: I can speak from the Creator. I need to raise creation to the level of the Creator.

Question: Is this Your thought, the Creator’s thought?

Answer: This is my thought. And this was done gradually so that people would begin to realize themselves and their opposition to the correct nature and coexistence with each other.

Question: So you created these good “children” who sat around the fire, and everything was fine with them, more or less normal, man and nature. And you wanted to set them apart, right?

Answer: Yes. So that they confronted their nature, so that they counteracted it.

Question: What was their nature?

Answer: An egoistic nature.

Question: These people sitting around a campfire?

Answer: Yes. Little by little they tried to overcome each other, to resist, and to fight. What is mine is mine, and yours is yours.

Question: Did you introduce all this? You, the Creator? Intentionally?

Answer: Yes.

Chapter Two—Wars

Question: Nations, borders, character, clothing, music—differences appeared. In general, all this appeared. And wars.

Again, You, the Creator, why did You pit the nations against each other? Was it impossible to live within borders? We have already separated them. Why was it necessary to bring peoples and countries together?

Answer: It didn’t all start with nations. It started with wild animals, with all kinds of bugs, cockroaches, everything.

Question: Did you also put these wars in them?

Answer: Of course! Into all living things! Every living thing must fight for its life.

Question: Why did you decide that it should be this way?

Answer: Egoism was growing. This is mine-mine, yours-yours. And then mine is mine and yours is mine. And thus development continued. Wars, countries, walls, and fortifications arose. I take everything from you. And from here egoism continued to develop within a different framework.

Question: What was your plan? Was this how to pit nations together, destroy borders, and so on?

Answer: It was so that they would consciously make sure that they could not be against each other. So that they would come to the conclusion that they must coexist in peace and unite with each other. And this must be achieved through increasing egoism.

Question: Was it impossible to immediately determine this point?

Answer: No, you can’t. Otherwise you won’t have an equilibrium system. You need one and the other, two opposing forces. And the person between these two forces would have to control them.

Comment: That is, You, as the Creator, placed man as a yo-yo. The toy that moves up and down.

My Response: No, not a yo-yo! A person must always choose for himself the highest level, which is the overcoming of altruism over egoism.

Chapter Three—Strange People

Question: Wars, showdowns, and deaths began. Things went well; history started unrolling. And at this moment 4,000 years ago, the Creator, that is, you, decide that another nation should appear in the world. Another nation whose fate was determined from the very beginning. Subsequently, this nation will be called Hebrews, Israelites, the Jews.

Tell us about this plan of yours, the plan of the Creator. Why is there suddenly a need for this nation?

Answer: A group must appear that would understand that it is imperative to prefer peace to war.

Question: But it was possible to take some kind of people because nations already existed at that time. Was it possible to identify these people?

Answer: They all existed in continuous wars. It was necessary to find some people who would realize that other principles of human existence are possible in the struggle over hatred in oneself and toward others, without wars.

Question: So there is hatred toward others?

Answer: Yes, it is natural. And in this case, by rising above this hatred, nations would develop by looking at this nation. Therefore, a nation appeared that should have been an example.

Question: So there are nations that arose in the territories thanks to language, geography, and so on. Are you now talking about a nation that arose from an idea?

Answer: Yes, the idea of rising above hatred. These were the Jews.

Question: Did other nations also join it? Was it so composed?

Answer: Yes, gradually a collection of people gathered who called themselves Yehudim, from the word “Yehud—connection. And then they called themselves Israel, from the direction of movement toward the Creator—IsraEl. “Isra” means directly (straight to). “El” means the Creator, that is, directly to the Creator. And thus the whole story began to develop around them.

Chapter Four—And the Nation Began

Question: So, the Jews appeared. As you know, they appeared in Babylon and followed Abraham. It was his idea.

They entered the world and went to the Land of Israel where the Creator indicated to go. Along the way, they had to experience what slavery was, emerge from this slavery, and receive the Torah.

Please tell us about these stages: movement to Eretz Israel, slavery, and receiving the Torah. Why did you, the Creator, need to lead these people through all these sensations and states?

Answer: In order to bring them to full awareness and acquaintance with the Creator.

Slavery makes man dependent on man. And at the same time they must come to a state of only dependence on the Creator.

Question: That is, if I am a slave, I depend on the master. And did the Jews need to feel what that was? Precisely these people?

Answer: Yes. That is why they were in Egypt so they would feel that they depended on others and to get in touch with the supreme, with the Creator.

Question: Then they left Egypt and received the Torah. For what?

Answer: They received a clear list of instructions about what people should be like in order to rise even further to the Creator.

Question: So this was a list of laws, instructions. Did they demand it? Did they need to get this list?

Answer: They guessed that there was some kind of, if not a written list or a list carved on something, then at least a set of laws.

Question: Did they know that there was a set of laws?

Answer: Yes, of course. This is natural human behavior in society.

Question: What does it mean that the Torah was given to them?

Answer: Through several people, the knowledge was received that one must live exactly according to this code, to this principle. And they accepted it and moved toward the land of Israel.

Chapter Five—Temples Rise and Fall

Comment: The Jews entered the land of Israel, in which seven nations already lived. They seized this land, built a country and its capital, Jerusalem. King David, King Solomon—all these are well-known stories.

My Response: In principle, there was a capital. There was Jerusalem.

Question: Yes, that is, they conquered Jerusalem and made it their capital. Temples were built: the First and Second Temples. It is said, by the way, that the time of the Temple was the happiest time both for the Jews and for the world. But the Temples were destroyed.

What was the Creator’s intention? After all, the Temples were built at the height of love for one’s neighbor, at the height of this whole idea.

Answer: In a continuous struggle with oneself. Thus, they still developed and moved forward.

Question: Let them conquer the land, give them a capital, build temples and suddenly start destroying them! For what?

Answer: Building and destroying is generally the only principle of moving forward. It is impossible to move forward without destroying the old. We can see this from the time of the first king, King David, who fought for 40 years.

Question: Such a pearl was built. It may have been a struggle, but it was built. Temples were built. Why did You need to destroy them? Let everyone, as You said, begin to be like this; everyone began to build temples for themselves. After all, what You wanted had already been done.

Answer: Yes, but the principles of the existence of people in this state were, in general, built on love your neighbor. And in other nations it was on the terms of the reign of some family.

Comment: I see. It was, on the contrary, on other terms: I rule over others. Well, that’s good. Let them start to be like Jews.

You said that these people included the idea of love, and all nations had to become like these people, little by little. Why not…?

My Response: How could they perceive this idea?

Question: So could they not accept this idea? They were not able to look and perceive that “Oh, we want to live like this.” They were not able to?

Answer: No, this is all very difficult.

Chapter Six—Exile, For What?

Question: What happened is what happened. The Second Temple was destroyed, the Roman Empire began to rule, cleared this area, and the Jews were sent into exile for 2,000 years. The world at this time was pagan, one might say barbaric, with wars and the same thing, hatred.

Why was it conceived by the upper force to scatter the Jews, to lead the Jews through the world? They had their own state, and now they were led through the world.

Answer: It was to absorb this idea of ​​monotheism, love your neighbor as yourself, and so on, so that all of this can gradually come closer, enter, and take root in all of humanity.

Question: So You say that when there were temples and humanity saw that there were temples there, it could not perceive it. And was it necessary to destroy the temples in order to let the entire mass of people, Jews, through humanity? So that they would bring this idea there?

Answer: Yes.

Question: How did they carry it? There is a record in them that there were temples? Was there such a law among the Jews? How did they carry it?

Answer: When people mixed with each other, some kind of connections were formed. And the Jews began to create the Bible and their own books. And these books and this teaching gradually penetrated into other nations and took on all sorts of other forms in them. Those who, in principle, were perhaps far from ideals.

Question: Are You now hinting at the emergence of religions and spiritual movements?

Answer: Yes, of course. That is why.

In principle, other nations passed through this instruction, the Torah, and gradually became closer to the ideals of human love, connection, rapprochement, and so on.

Question: But did these religions still correspond to the characters of the nations?

Answer: Of course. We could see it.

Comment: But the source was the instruction, the Torah. The commandments were the source.

My Response: But they didn’t deny it; it was natural.

Question: No, no one denied it, everyone referred to this source. And was this the Creator’s idea?

Answer: Of course. Today, the whole world has, of course, altered all the conventions of the Torah to suit itself, but somehow it still more or less orients itself according to them.

Chapter Seven—Hatred and Expulsion of the Jews

Question: Jews would enter a certain country, begin to settle there, and lived in their own community, even tried to assimilate, or did not. The most famous period was the Middle Ages. This was Spain, and at a later time, Poland and Germany.

Why did the Creator need to lead the Jews through the nations, so that they would not be loved, so that they would be kicked out, so that all this would happen? To take the best from these people, for example? But why were they always being persecuted somewhere?

Answer: Yes, this is a very serious question.

Because according to human perception and human nature, hatred is perceived faster and closer than good relationships. It turns out that if you want some of your principles and rules to be internalized, they must go through rejection and hatred.

Question: Do You think resistance and hatred is first? No matter how high and good an idea is, at first I hate it? Why don’t I feel like this would be good for me?

Answer: Because everything comes from egoism. So there is nothing you can do. That is, human egoism began to resist this idea. And since the bearers of this idea were the Jews, they suffered from it.

Question: How did they justify the Creator, may I ask You? Burned in public squares, killed by hundreds of thousands—how did they hold up?!

Answer: What were they supposed to do?

Comment: They remained people who believed and had the Torah.

My Response: This is where it becomes clear how the Creator held them. On the one hand, hatred, on the other hand, strengthening of faith.

Comment: I understand the connection when they beat you and you stop believing. This is a direct connection. But here, on the contrary, they beat you, they burn you, and they kill you, but you believe, believe and carry this standard.

My Response: It is all the Creator.

Chapter Eight—Catastrophe, Creation of Their Own State

Question: So little by little we approached the Second World War. The Catastrophe of European Jewry. On the one hand, this was a huge tragedy, naturally. On the other hand was the push for the creation of the state of Israel.

It is known that the great Kabbalists Baal HaSulam and Rav Kook accepted this state. What did this mean for the world—the creation of this small dot, barely visible on the map—the State of Israel?

Answer: It doesn’t matter that it’s a small dot. The main thing was that this was again an indication in the world that this was the spiritual center of the world.

Question: So the world felt it?

Answer: Yes.

Question: And this strange vote at the UN. Was all this in general the feeling of the world that this place should be created?

Answer: They raised their hands and created it. I think it was done instinctively from above.

Question: But did the world need this place? And again it became a place of struggle and clash.

Answer: Naturally.

Chapter Nine—The Central Problem of the World

Question: Almost immediately with the creation of a state, wars began the next day. And these wars were for the existence of the state. That is, the Jews were fighting so that they had the state of Israel.

Why did the Creator not give the Jews this piece of land and let them live? Why was this place becoming almost the central problem of the world?

Answer: According to the state at that time, the opposition between the Jews was such that they naturally created hatred of the surrounding nations toward Israel.

When they clashed with each other, the Jews themselves aroused hatred from outside nations.

Comment: As You say: “We won’t be able to live in peace as long as we hate each other.”

My Response: Yes. We ourselves create such hatred between us. And by doing this we call upon ourselves the corresponding external forces.

Question: So, do you think that it was impossible for Jews to live here peacefully?

Answer: No! They could not live peacefully among themselves! They argued with each other all the time. This is your synagogue, this is mine! These are the left, these are the right, these are the Moroccans, and these are the Yemenis. And so on.

Comment: But you said that this was a people in which an idea lived. These people were coming with this idea.

My Response: These were people who were not yet ready for this idea. They were not ready to rise above themselves, above universal egoism.

Chapter Ten—It Is Not Simple

Question: This war, which began on October 7, 2023, is the murder of Jews, barbaric and terrible. Please tell me, can it become some kind of turning point in the life of Israel and the world?

Answer: I don’t know. It all depends on how the Creator wants it.
I’ll be honest. I do not see forces in Israel itself that can change it. We hate each other; we are in constant disputes within society.

Question: So do we have to understand this? Is this what should come into us?

Answer: Yes. This problem still remains. Look what happened before the war. Where were all the generals?! Where were all the border guards who cleared the way for all the Arab crowds?! And so on. What is it?! This speaks of the general demoralization of society.

Question: After all, we started with the fact that 4,000 years ago a nation was created who followed an idea. They passed through time, passed through countries, came here, and as you say, continue to hate each other and so on.

Please tell me, when will this point work, what is this idea that these people followed? After all, it exists somewhere! How to grab onto this point?

Answer: That is not known yet. I’m not pessimistic. I just look ahead and do not see this point.

Question: The great Kabbalist Baal HaSulam said that a nuclear third and fourth world war are possible; do you suddenly feel that this is possible?

Answer: I agree with that, yes.

Question: If yes, then what is all this for?

Answer: So that, in the end, Jews and all humanity as a whole will realize the need for a complete correction from egoism, an ascent above this hatred.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 11/2/23

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Are We In for a Conspiracy of Machines?

204In the News (CNN.com):Elon Musk warned in a new interview that artificial intelligence could lead to ‘civilization destruction,’ even as he remains deeply involved in the growth of AI through his many companies, including a rumored new venture.

“’AI is more dangerous than, say, mismanaged aircraft design or production maintenance or bad car production, in the sense that it is, it has the potential — however small one may regard that probability, but it is non-trivial — it has the potential of civilization destruction,’ …

“Musk said Monday night he supports government regulation into AI… . Once AI ‘may be in control,’ it could be too late to place regulations, Musk said.

“’A regulatory agency needs to start with a group that initially seeks insight into AI, then solicits opinion from industry, and then has proposed rule-making,’ Musk said.”

Question: What do you think about it?

Answer: He deals with it. Obviously, we should at least listen to him.

Question: Do you think it is possible that a machine would suddenly turn against a human?

Answer: Of course. We may not even feel it, but it will be perhaps directed against us.

Question: So, do you think there could be a conspiracy of machines?

Answer: Not in such a crude form as a “conspiracy of machines.” It is hard to point to anything that we invented that was only positive.

Question: Because we invented it?

Answer: Yes, we did. And we always turn it to the negative side.

Question: You do not find much positive in a human, do you?

Answer: Man is an egoist. I do not find anything positive in it at all. We see in ourselves how uncontrollable we are. And artificial intelligence will also eventually be uncontrollable. Whatever man invents, it is still for his harm.

Question: What can be done and how can we make man invent something for good? In order to squeeze something positive out of us, what needs to be done?

Answer: There will always be something negative about it. Always. Look at what humanity is doing to itself.

Comment: Yes. It goes little by little…

My Response: To self-destruction.

Question: But it will not come to it, right? It will not happen?

Answer: I don’t know if it will come to it. It seems to me that there is a possibility of it, and a big possibility that we can begin to self-destruct.

Question: Yes, but can we rely on the upper force to somehow bring us to our senses? You always talk about upper management.

Answer: The upper force is not ultimately the higher intelligence that we mean. The higher power is something that may be above our egoism, and we have absolutely no contact with it. We have no connection with what is higher than our egoism.

Question: And before this abyss that is right in front of it, can we suddenly slow down and realize that we must rise above egoism, that it was it that brought us to this?

Answer: How can we know this?

Comment: It will come from above somehow. There is no other way, you say.

My Response: I have no idea.

Comment: You don’t want to give us a small chance.

My Response: I would not give man a chance.

Comment: After all, it is God’s creation.

My Response: No, no, we are not God’s creatures, and we cannot hope that the Creator will always protect us and always somehow separate us. I personally do not hope so.

Of course, He is ultimately good that does good. But maybe we achieve this good through huge, huge failures, suffering, and wars.

Comment: We see that this is indeed the case.

My Response: But that is not all. What the Bible says and so on could be much worse.

Question: But the reason that things could be worse, maybe it will still somehow enter us?

Answer: No, we see that this does not calm the human.

Question: I am always trying to find some way out of this situation from you. And you say that a human is still a negative system?

Answer: Yes, of course. Man is a negative system, and is constantly moving toward self-destruction, and before that, practically nothing can stop him.

Question: Can we attract positive things? We can at some point, right?

Answer: We hope so.

Comment: Another idea about artificial intelligence is that it will lead to humanity not having to work.  Then the main question will be the search for the meaning of life. That is, we will come to the meaning of life from boredom, from the fact that we will not have a job.

My Response: Is the meaning of life now to work?

Comment: Yes, it looks like it, correct. 🙂

My Response: It is not clear: now the meaning of life is to work, and then the meaning of life will be not to work.

Question: So you do not accept this logical connection?

Answer: No.

Question: Are you saying that we need to look for the meaning of life now?

Answer: We must develop in such a way as to understand that work itself also has meaning. And we definitely need to make our work as high as possible, that is, one that would raise man, turn him into a reasonable human. It is true.

Comment: In principle, work to earn money, work to support the family…

My Response: No, no. It is all going to go away soon.

Question: And if, let’s say, the work in which I had the meaning of life ends. How do I not lose the meaning of life with this job ending?

Answer: When you feel that you do not need to work in order to live, then you have the opportunity for another goal in order to live.

Question: So if I grasp the goal, then any changes taking place at a lower level are no longer important. I do not work or I do work, it does not matter. The main thing is to grasp the goal. What is it about?

Answer: I think that this work will be so that we rise all the time and get closer to the Creator in our unity.
Our job will be in how much each of us will refine ourselves every day to rise above ourselves.
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From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 11/9/23

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We Are Suffering because of the Tower of Babel

115.05Arkady writes:

Dear Michael Laitman,

As I understand it, the Tower of Babel is the root of all troubles. There was one nation, they built a Tower, and the Creator broke it and mixed their languages.

What for? All the terrible things that are happening today are from there.

Please explain these actions of the Creator. You keep saying that He is good. Why did He break the tower, mix the languages, and cause a quarrel between everyone? What for? It all started so peacefully.”

It is written in the Torah (Bereshit, Genesis, 11:4): “And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered upon the face of the entire earth.”

This is how it all started. What is wrong with that, please tell me.

Answer: There is nothing wrong. The Creator did not want it to be like this.

Question: Later it becomes clear that He did not want it to be like this. But what was their transgression? They wanted to build a tower.

Answer: They wanted to be all together, build, and live, be one commune, respect and love each other, and so on. But the Creator wanted it to be according to His conditions and not theirs. This is why He disrupted it all.

Question: What is the Tower of Babel in the spiritual sense?

Answer: It is an egoistic elevation of corporeal life, which is elevated to the state of love for one’s neighbor based on egoism.

Question: Are you saying that this is the main mistake?

Answer: Of course! They do not need the Creator, they do not need anyone: “neither God, nor king, nor hero.” Just us, the common people.

Question: In principle, was this construction of the Tower of Babel by and large at the heart of communism and all revolutions, “peace to huts, war to palaces,” that is, “we will manage?”

Answer: Yes.

Question: When does a person build this inside himself? He is building a career for himself, he is making money, is this when he is gradually building the Tower of Babel?

Answer: Yes, but this is to a small extent. This is not the highest goal. Because in the case of the Tower of Babel, they built it for themselves forever. But here, even though a person is building a career and everything else, he knows that he will die.

Comment: And there, if they could do it, then, as they say, we will reach the heavens.

My Response: Up to heavens, yes. This “up to heavens” is a big problem; the main one. That is, you can build a tower, but do not touch the Creator. You will not reach Him.

Question: Arkady further asks: “What is it that the Creator does not like here?”

“And the Lord said, ‘Lo! [they are] one people, and they all have one language, and this is what they have commenced to do. Come, let us descend and confuse their language so that one will not understand the language of his companion.’

“And the Lord scattered them from there upon the face of the entire earth, and they ceased building the city” (Bereshit, Genesis, 11:6-11:8).

That is, Arkady believes that all the problems began with this.

Answer: Yes. That is, they will not be able to come to a common egoistic result. This result should be: we are all together and therefore we all feel good.

Comment: When we say the phrase: “United nation, we are together, and we will defeat everyone. One nation is invincible”…

My Response: No, this is not enough to defeat egoism. There is also a need for a Creator here. This is the desire of the Creator.

Question: Then on what basis can a tower be built so that it does not collapse?

Answer: Bestowal and love for each other and for the Creator.

Comment: When you say “and for the Creator,” this is difficult. A person does not see or feel Him.

My Response: No, “for the Creator” does not mean some kind of God, somewhere there, so high up that he is not visible. “For the Creator” means a connection between us that we raise above ourselves.

Above yourself, that is, “love your neighbor as yourself.” Then above all this, you raise the ideal of the Creator, who created all this above our egoism.

Question: That is, my nature is “I, and everything is for me,” and here, on the contrary, I want to rise above this so that everything is different, everything is for the other. Is this called building a real tower?

Answer: Of course. Then it will stand forever.

Question: Why do we build towers all the time? After all, it collapsed a long time ago, historically speaking, and we continue and continue to build these towers.

Answer: Humanity needs this. Towers, pyramids, mausoleums—all this is necessary, a person needs it.

Question: Even though they are all falling apart and will definitely fall apart?

Answer: Yes, but we are still building.

Question: Why do we have this in us?

Answer: We need this symbol. We are building a house for our egoism.

Question: So we need a symbol that we can pray for all the time. Is this what they call “praying to other gods”?

Answer: Yes. It can be temples, it can be pyramids, no matter what form it takes.

Question: In what case will we stop building them?

Answer: Only when the Creator is revealed to us.

Comment: At the same time, we do not know when He will be revealed.

My Response: We do not know, but only in this case. Revelation will completely cover our dreams, plans, future, and everything! That is, when He is revealed to us, we will understand that all this was complete nonsense and that we built it all in vain.

Question: You say that the Creator is mercy, kindness, and love all the time, and so on. Why is this such a cruel mercy that it lasts for a long time, that blood has been shed for centuries? Wars have been going on for centuries, but He still does not reveal Himself. Why?

Answer: He is revealed under certain conditions! What do you want from Him? He must be revealed in the state of His absolute unity with people. But it does not exist. And so far, there are no inclinations for this.

Question: The unity of the Creator with people? In which case?

Answer: If we are similar in qualities to Him, that is, if we are like Him, He will be revealed.
[320892]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 10/30/23

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The Correction of the World Is in Our Hands

227Comment: Igor asks questions about Baal HaSulam’s article “The Freedom.”

Somehow this quote does not quite match with what you are saying. It is written in the article: “It turns out that there is no such thing as selfishness in the world, since no one here is free or stands in his own right.” How is there no egoism? You are saying we are all egoists.

My Response: No, this egoism is not ours, it is not our choice. It is our nature that is imposed on us. And of course, we have to seek ways to get rid of it and correct it.

For this, the science of Kabbalah exists. And if we gradually correct our nature, we will see that there is a way to rise above egoism and live according to different laws.

Question: So, when it is said that there is no egoism in the world because there is not a single free person here, does it mean that we should want to approach freedom? Otherwise, if you stop a person on the street, as you’ve been saying all along, and say, “You are an egoist,” he will say, “What do you mean, I am an egoist?” He has no awareness of evil.

When does this awareness come?

Answer: To achieve this, you have to start studying Kabbalah. And gradually, over the course of just a few months, a person begins to understand that selfishness guides him and he cannot escape from it anywhere, he is enslaved by it, and therefore the only one to blame is the Creator.

Question: Not myself, but the Creator?

Answer: Yes! Who created the ego?! So, it is said:”I have created the evil inclination, I have created the Torah as a spice.” So, the only thing we have to do is to reveal our nature as selfish and to reveal the method of correcting our nature as Torah.

Question: Meaning that when I feel bad and I understand that this is because of my egoism, I blame the Creator for this and not myself?

Answer: You can blame the Creator. But, in principle, the Creator does not run anywhere from this responsibility. He says: “The light in the Torah reforms him; the Torah is the light of Torah, which reforms a person,” and why I have made you egoists; and for you to correct yourself, you must study yourself and agree that it is precisely this attitude toward the world as evil and the opportunity to correct the world that are in your hands.

Question: Why does it take millennia for humanity to get to this form?

Answer: It does not want it. It does not want to look in this direction.

Question: It does not want to look within itself? And millennia of wars, suffering, blood, everything, everything are needed?

Answer: All of this is part of the correction process. It is us who count everything by days, hours, weeks and so on, but the Creator has no time.

Question: So, you are saying that there is no history as such? History does not exist?

Answer: There is, but all of it eventually is connected to the general correction nonetheless.

Question: Meaning, it is a force that accumulates? And only for this one solution: The evil is in me and I should correct it?

Answer: Of course, and nothing else is needed besides that.

Question: It is amazing of course! All historians and archaeologists are engaged in history, archaeology, and sciences digging out how we came to be: the Big Bang.And, in essence, it turns out that everything converges to one point.

Are all these sciences necessary, in your opinion?

Answer: No. If we had right away engaged in what is necessary, correcting ourselves and uniting, then we would not have needed all of this.

Question: In other words, we don’t really need all the knowledge?

Answer: No. We would have learned everything from nature itself.
[321183]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 11/6/23

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We Have to Get Out of the Sandbox

272For thousands of years nature has always been giving, but we have evolved as egoistic beings, constantly taking. And this is normal, as according to the program of nature, we were supposed to be like that and to develop egotistically.

It is like a growing child that you feed and give everything to, he develops egotistically, and you are pleased with that. And then he grows up, and suddenly you tell him: “That is it! Now go to work, pay for yourself, do everything for yourself, and take responsibility for yourself. And look, if you do something wrong, you will be punished.”

That is where we are today: we developed and developed like little children, and then we reached adulthood, the world has shrunk, become global, and integral, and it forces us to be adults. Being adults means being in the right connection with each other.

Just as an adult at the age of 20 to 25 begins to work, build himself, his home, and connect with the world as a doer, now humanity has similarly reached the age when it has become an adult.

We are being shown our place of work now. We must connect with each other and build a new society that is not like it was before.

Previously, we egoistically grew for thousands of years, and now we must connect with each other according to the law of mutual guarantee, mutual responsibility, and mutual concessions. You do not want to? You will receive blows from nature because you do not conform to it. This is where we are now; we are becoming adults.

I understand that we do not want this. Who does? When I am a child, there are no claims against me. When I misbehaved, broke something, or played around, I was treated like a child. But when I become an adult, it obligates me. But we do not realize this yet.

We are resistant to it and opposed to it; we want to play with some toys. I look at these supposedly strong, great, wise people of the world, and they are like children in a sandbox who do not want to crawl out of it even though they have already outgrown their age.

When you tell them this, they get offended and think you are an unrealistic person: “Look at this world! You can play in it as much as you want: stock market, money, cars, wine, movies! And what are you suggesting here? That is not what we want at all! Be responsible for something—why do we need that? We have enough small toys around us and need nothing more.”

This is a big problem. But still, we will have to get out of the sandbox.
[321428]
From KabTV’s “I got a call. Reasons for Cancer and AIDS” 10/29/11

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The First Murder in History

253Arkady writes:

I have never heard such an explanation of the Torah as you explain it. Everyone talks about human laws that are described there, and you say that this is instruction on how to get out of egoism. Everyone says that Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses were people, but you say they are powers.

I beg you to explain, what is this story with Cain and Abel? I am sure it is important for everyone to know what happened there because it was the first murder in history, and it gave impetus to all the murders on earth.

As you know, Cain and Abel were the children of Adam and Eve. Cain was a tiller of the soil and Abel was a shepherd of flocks. The Creator liked Abel’s sacrifice more than Cain’s. And then it is said that out of envy one killed the other. Cain killed Abel. It is even written: “And while they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and slew him.”

Can you tell me what this is talking about?

Answer: It is about the fact that a person follows his egoism and fulfills all its demands.

Question: Who is Abel and who is Cain? What is it in a person?

Answer: These are two directions, two forces, in our development. Abel is a relatively good path. And Cain is a tougher path, one who believes that everything can be achieved by force. So they quarreled among themselves. All this is inside a person.

Question: So this strong path, Cain, prevailed? And is this what humanity has become as a result? Is what we see today all the consequence of Cain in us?

Answer: Yes.

Question: It is said everywhere that this happened because of envy. What is this in us, Cain as envy?

Answer: I would say that they both have envy. The only difference is in the implementation of this envy. Cain’s implementation is forceful while Abel’s is diplomatic and peaceful. That is, envy also came to us from the collision of two forces. That is why all these periods are called forefathers.

Question: The story about Cain and Abel says that the Creator, before this murder, said to Cain: “Why are you so vexed, and why is your face downcast? After all, if you do good, you will be forgiven, and If you do not do good, sin lies at the entrance, and you are attracted to it.  You rule over it.” These phrases have become known worldwide, everyone repeats them. What is it like when they tell you: “Come to your senses. Sin lies at the entrance. You must rule over it.” What does this mean?

Answer: It means to rule over your sin, over your impulses, over the Cain in yourself. And, of course, it does not work out.

Question: And what is it that the Creator says to man? Where does it come from? How does this manifest itself?

Answer: This is the inner conscience, this is the inner strength of a person which, in principle, tells him that this is not the right thing to do. But, as you can see, this does not help to this day.

Question: Yes, this does not help yet. Does everyone have this inside?

Answer: Everyone has it, of course.

Question: So the very last scoundrel has an inner conscience?

Answer: It is much easier to kill and bury.

Question: Exactly! This is so relevant!

Why was this done? Why was this released into the world? This is about the basics.

Answer: It is so that a person can be convinced that the only correct path is the path of love for each other. But it is very difficult!

Question: So the foundation is still love?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Does this show us that this path is wrong? But humanity has followed this path.

Answer: This is our nature.

Question: How can we return to the path of love, which is at the foundation of everything?

Answer: Realize it. Now we need to realize that the path we have taken in our development over thousands of years is wrong.

Question: To do this, it was necessary to go through suffering, murder, and now everything continues?

Answer: Of course. But we do not know how deep it is. How much of a revolution this must be within a person’s entire system, his relationship with himself and with others.

Question: So what should happen between Cain and Abel?

Answer: They should understand how to treat each other. And they should correctly divide among themselves what they received from the Creator.

Question: So, if the Creator preferred Abel, then what should Cain have done?

Answer: Break himself. But I cannot imagine how it is possible.

Question: Although, this phrase is said: “Sin lies at the entrance. You must rule over it.” So this is the main phrase here?

Answer: Yes.

Question: And we cannot do this?

Answer: No.

Question: How can we do this? We could not to this day!

Answer: I don’t know. Killing the root of evil in you is impossible. This is how the Creator created us. But we still have to ask Him.

Comment: This is an instruction from Him, “You must rule over it.”

My Response: I want to rule over myself, over my original sin, but You must help me with this. This was practically Cain’s mistake.

Question: And now it is the mistake of humanity, which does not find Cain within itself, by and large?

Answer: Yes. Look how everyone justifies themselves.

Question: What should we do to find the Cain, the murderer, the envious person in us?

Answer: Our most important task must be the truth! Rise above our nature, above egoism. Today, this is absolutely a fantasy!

Question: Why is it getting worse and worse?

Answer: Man is developing. These are all layers of development; they accumulate and cover each other, and eventually become…somewhere there, in their depths, even their original cause is not visible.

Question: Yes. We do not see that we are like that. We do not see that Cain is at our core.

What needs to happen so that love and truth suddenly prevail in a person?

Answer: This is called awareness of evil.

How can we get there? I don’t know. To do this, we need the Creator to reveal to us that we, all people are relatives to each other, so that like my little child, or grandson, anything, let’s say that is as the most precious thing I have, I can see that it is in a stranger. Somehow we need to understand this.

Comment: That is, I can still somehow see this in my child, but I need to see it in a stranger.

My Response: In someone else’s child, in a stranger, you should see something so close, so dear and beloved that is higher than you. Then maybe it will work out.

Question: Is this possible?

Answer: If the Creator shows our connection between us, our dependence, where truly a stranger becomes closer to you than you are to yourself.

Question: Anyway, we should come to this prayer?

Answer: Yes.

Question: And then, perhaps, He will show. But will He show?

Answer: I am sure of it!

Question: Do you have hope only in Him, generally?

Answer: Of course! Certainly. There is no hope for anything anymore. Only if the Creator does it for us. Let’s hope.
[320105]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 10/19/23

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Lack of Harmony in the Material World

738Question: When we look at the nature of our world, we see that there is still harmony at the inanimate, vegetative, and animate levels. Is the manifestation of egoism observed mainly at the level of human nature, at the level of society?

Answer: No, egoism affects all the lower degrees too. Are animals not egoistic? Are plants not egoistic? They have an egoistic intention to act only for their own benefit; it is just that it is not as complex as ours.

Question: So there is no harmony at all in our earthly nature, at all degrees?

Answer: No. In nothing.
[320345]
From KabTV’s “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah” 10/10/23

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Manifestation of Shattering In Our World

222Question: How is the shattering of the single system of Adam HaRishon manifested in our world today?

Answer: It is manifested in the fact that all of nature is egoistic, built on so-called materialistic laws, and we live in it according to the same laws.

But the wisdom of Kabbalah is gradually being revealed and explains that there is a completely different nature that we do not see in our world, an altruistic one, based on properties of bestowal and good mutuality.

Now we are approaching a state where we have no other choice but to begin mastering this second nature—the nature of bestowal and love; otherwise, we will not be able to exist.
[320253]
From KabTV’s “Preface to the Wisdom of Kabbalah” 10/10/23

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