A business without a vision will eventually go bankrupt. But what about a country? How long can we continue without a clear sense of identity and purpose? What vision could transform us into a people who illuminate all of humanity?
Let’s begin with a broad perspective. The approach by which the world has developed until now is reaching its end. The force of desire that has driven us forward is gradually fading. There is an inner heaviness, a lack of motivation, and a lack of energy to achieve anything. People are even beginning to lose the desire to become wealthy and successful. Human desire is changing. The ego—the desire to enjoy for self-benefit at others’ expense, which is the engine that has propelled us forward—is changing.
Throughout history, the human ego grew and led to social, scientific, technological, commercial, and industrial development. Today, however, the ego has taken a form that prevents us from enjoying the fruits of our progress. Accordingly, we face a multidimensional crisis in economics, politics, ecology, and many other areas. On paper, we could build a paradise on earth for everyone, but poor human relations prevent us from doing so. For example, in an age of abundance, there is still widespread poverty, half the population throws away enormous amounts of food while others are slipping toward the brink of hunger.
Whenever an idea arises to better organize society, the ego prevents it from taking proper shape. It stands between us and destroys every initiative. It locks each person inside their own self-interest. Everyone can speak with pleasant words, but on the ground, nothing changes. Yet despite this, there remains a longing for a more just and equal society, one that is warmer, more considerate, and more friendly.
At the same time, existential questions are becoming increasingly felt today more than ever before. Where are our lives actually heading? Do they have a higher purpose? Is there any meaning behind all this running around?
From this complex situation arises the need to find an entirely new way of working with our inner engine, with the ego. We must move from a state of relentless destructive competition, a state of war, to one of mutuality, connection, and complementarity. We need to understand that we are like different pieces of a puzzle, and only together can a beautiful picture emerge. A person on their own, even if they are the wealthiest in their environment or have the most brilliant career, will eventually feel emptiness, depression, and inner distress. The secret of happiness lies in a deep connection between hearts, not in me or in you alone.
By nature, everyone is egoistic. It is impossible to fight against the ego because it will reappear with double the force. What we can do is build a cultural and educational process, a social framework, which explains human nature, the nature of the world, and the integral direction of development in which we find ourselves.
Year after year, it becomes increasingly clear that we are all in the same boat, mutually influential and dependent. If we fail to learn how to work together, we will simply sink. We need to create a new atmosphere around us. A new awareness. We must surround ourselves with examples of complementary connection, mutual assistance, and support. Just as a glove can be turned inside out, we must take the immense power of the ego and direct it at the benefit of society as a whole. The new code will be integral rather than egoistic: we all benefit together, and not one person at the expense of another’s downfall.
If we begin moving in this direction using all the systems we have built until now, a new perception will gradually emerge. “Love covers all transgressions,” as the sources describe this direction of action, and behind it lies an entire method of connection worthy of deeper exploration.
So what is the next Israeli vision?
Look at yourselves in the mirror and think for a moment: What is most lacking in this country today?
There is a severe lack of personal security, on the roads, in the streets, in schools, parks, and public spaces. Violence has become a code of behavior, appearing in countless troubling forms. In addition, there is a lack of the feeling that someone sees us, understands us, and genuinely cares about us. People say that mutual responsibility existed in Jewish communities throughout the Diaspora, but here, in the Jewish state, we are fragmented. We attach labels. “You are one of us, and that one is not.” Every sector sees only itself, and even within each sector there are countless factions struggling against one another. Of course, many other painful problems could be mentioned.
Now imagine the following scenario:
You live in Israel and belong to an enormous family of thousands, even tens of thousands, of people. A large, loving, extended family. One family member works at the National Insurance Institute, another at a health fund, a third in a garage, a fourth in a supermarket, a fifth in a bank, and so on. Your relatives work everywhere and are everywhere.
How would you feel?
You would probably feel quite secure in life. You walk down the street and everyone smiles at you. You board a bus and relatives happily make room for you to sit beside them. You get into a taxi and the driver offers you chocolate, and a little extra for later. Everywhere you go, you encounter people who care about you, and you feel safe and free. Naturally, no one wants to harm or deceive you; everyone genuinely seeks your well-being. People are always ready to lend a helping hand whenever needed.
What is special about connection in an ideal family is that despite the differences among its members, they remain connected through mutual sensitivity and responsibility. When you love someone and feel responsible for them, even if you think they are mistaken or different from you, you have a special ability to embrace them. You genuinely want them to do well. You rejoice in their happiness and encourage them when they are struggling. You help, guide, and care about them.
When we learn the method of connecting above our differences, we will discover a place within ourselves for everyone. We will begin to understand and accept one another more deeply. But to achieve this, we will need to go through stages of connection between us until we live in a place where everyone acts toward one another out of a genuine sense of the other and responsibility toward them, and until we exist here as one united family.
In such a state, it would pain us if anyone lacked anything, and we would think creatively about ways to provide it. It is impossible to imagine now what solutions might emerge; they can be born only after we break through together to the next level of an integral human existence. This transformation would affect everything: the economy and cost of living, the nature of competition and profit models, and even our definitions of prosperity and growth.
We are in an evolutionary process that is leading us to such a state. It is an unavoidable development that all humanity will undergo. Here in Israel, we need, and indeed must, be the pioneers, a model society. The future, and therefore the vision, can only be found in connection, like that of a healthily functioning family.
Based on “New Life 143 – A New Vision for the Israeli Society” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
Posted in Quora, The Times of Israel