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Psychologists today describe a phenomenon called “compassion fatigue,” where people who engage in charitable or volunteer work suffer from emotional, physical, and mental burnout. They give a lot, but in the end feel drained, frustrated, and powerless.
It is because in such instances, we try to do something that our ego finds no support in. On the surface, it appears as if we perform altruistic acts. But beneath the surface, the ego wants results, to see some success, recognition, or impact. When those expectations remain unfulfilled, then the ego experiences disillusionment.
Then, we feel that such efforts are in vain. We come to hate what we once cherished, because the ego wants to win and to feel fulfilled.
Altruism, by its very nature, demands a contradiction to egoism. We hit a wall and cannot further progress, not because the actions are wrong, but because the inner intention is still egoistic.
So what is real charity? What kind of giving does not lead to burnout?
Real charity is not about fulfilling someone’s immediate needs or easing their suffering temporarily. True giving is when we act with the purpose of bringing the world to its corrected and perfect state, and doing so with a clear understanding of what that perfection is.
What is this perfection?
It is only in human unity. Human unity is not unity of one group against others, but a genuine unity and mutual care among all people and nations. It is the development of the inner sense of unity between hearts. We have never truly attempted this. People unite around flags, identities, and ideologies, which one way or another are always in opposition to others. Unity for the sake of unity itself, i.e., for the sake of restoring humanity’s original integral state, has never been done.
Holding the intention to achieve that level of perfect human unity is the essence of real charity. It is because such unity requires each one of us to rise above our egoistic nature and help others do the same, so that humanity can come to feel itself as one body. That is the only work that will not lead to burnout, because it aligns with the very purpose of creation.
Based on KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on January 13, 2020. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
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