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What direction is the entirety of nature evolving toward? Is there a connection between nature’s laws and human relationships? What developmental potential lies in the saying “habit becomes second nature,” and how is it related to today’s global crisis?
Ongoing scientific research shows that from the moment the universe was created in the Big Bang until today, it has been in a continuous process of development and transformation, and predictions indicate this will continue into the future. Scientists claim the universe is expanding, galaxies are drifting apart or colliding, planets are forming and fading. We also witness changes on Earth such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, warming and cooling trends, shifts in magnetic poles, and more.
Looking at the formation of matter, we see that simple atoms like hydrogen and helium combined to form more complex atoms, which in turn combined into molecules. These molecules joined to form even more complex molecules with increasingly sophisticated properties and functions.
Life on Earth has followed a similar path. The first living cell evolved into a more complex one, which led to multicellular organisms. From there, more advanced, efficient, and complex life forms evolved, both plant and animal life as we know it today.
The Influence of Earth’s Changes on Us
The effects of Earth’s transformations on us are obvious. Humans, plants, and animals are affected by geological and ecological changes. Our dependence on flora and fauna is clear, but in recent years, we have discovered that humanity also influences changes in our world.
Our impact on the environment, such as the ozone layer or global warming — remains a concern for many scientists. Urbanization, industrialization, and deforestation have changed atmospheric oxygen levels and dramatically altered ecosystems across the globe. More than ever, we see the deep interconnection and interdependence between all aspects of nature.
A deeper observation reveals a single rule at work in nature’s evolution: its parts are drawn toward forming a system where everything is interlinked, mutually influential, and dependent. Despite the many natural laws governing the system, they all seem to serve a single overarching law, which we can call “the law of nature’s development.”
Why Understanding the Law of Nature’s Development Matters
Experience shows that knowing natural laws helps us avoid mistakes and achieve success. This knowledge lets us steer clear of dangers and approach what benefits us. Scientific progress has made our lives more comfortable: one farmer can now feed thousands, and similar improvements exist in construction, clothing, and other areas.
Similarly, a deep understanding of nature’s developmental laws can help us better navigate our evolving world and anticipate societal trends.
While inanimate, plant, and animal forms evolve instinctively with their surroundings, humans have the unique ability to evolve consciously. The problem is that we are unaware of how connected or mutually dependent we are on the rest of nature.
Nevertheless, we are being driven, willingly or not, toward closer interconnection. The law of nature’s development pushes all people, nations, and cultures to become more interconnected and dependent on each other.
Will this development lead us to feel, ultimately, that each person is dependent on all others? Will we become like cogs in a single machine? Though this image seems far-fetched, it is precisely the direction that nature’s evolution is revealing today.
The Crisis as an Awakening
Right now, this type of connection seems unnatural to us, and we resist such a law. But if we could feel how we are truly connected, concern for others would arise naturally. We would want everyone to be well, expecting the same in return. In other words, we have yet to internalize how interconnected and mutually influential everything in the world is.
How can we reach such understanding?
Enter the current global crisis. Its purpose is to forcibly disconnect us from the way of life we have grown accustomed to in recent decades, working excessively, earning and spending excessively, seeking financial “safety cushions,” and so on.
Now, however, this approach appears misguided. The deepening global crisis is upending all our plans. Even the wealthy cannot feel truly secure.
Paradoxically, nature’s law of development does not lead us toward personal success, but the opposite. It shows us that true security, prosperity, and fulfillment lie in mutual connection.
We are entering a new phase where a single law affects us all, enveloping everyone under one umbrella. Never before have so many diverse nations faced the same alarming condition. Regardless of culture, religion, or governance, a cloud has descended upon the world, wrapping us all in a common crisis.
A Call for Internal Change
This global crisis signals a mismatch between human behavior and nature’s developmental trajectory. Humans act selfishly, even at others’ expense, while nature tends toward a connected and cooperative system. Our misalignment causes systemic imbalance, and like any closed system, this leads to pressure that seeks to restore balance. In our lives, this manifests as wars, economic collapse, disease, pandemics, and climate disasters, among myriad other troubles.
To live better lives, we must act in harmony with nature’s developmental law. Like other immutable natural laws (physics, chemistry, and biology), this law cannot be changed. It can only be understood and followed.
So, what must we change within ourselves to align with nature?
We are driven by desires to live, feel good, and enjoy. These can be categorized as basic desires (food, sex, family, shelter) and more evolved ones (wealth, respect, power, knowledge). They are all essentially forms of the desire to receive pleasure.
To evolve, we must refine how we use this desire, directing it not only for personal gain but for others’ benefit. Why? It is because, if nature pushes us toward a connected system of mutual dependence, we must begin considering others as part of our common “organism.”
Yet how can we do this, when our nature is self-centered?
Let us take how we feel toward our children. In a healthy family, there is no separation between “me” and “them,” only “us.” We must extend this sense of unity to all people.
The Role of Integral Education
To adopt such an unfamiliar mindset, we need an integral education system that cultivates social unity. One of its main principles is: “Habit becomes second nature.”
From life experience, we see the power of habit. Actions repeated in a supportive environment become second nature. Based on this principle, we must build educational and social environments for all people, cultivating mutual concern through media, discussion, examples, and while it might sound surprising, also role-play.
We must act as if we already care for others as we do for ourselves. What is the benefit of doing so? A new positive environment will form through this conscious game, which gradually cultivates a new way of life.
Children grow through play. They build, fail, and rebuild. Likewise, we grow wiser and stronger through varied experiences. Educators and psychologists invest heavily in age-appropriate games, knowing this is how people truly evolve.
Sports, too, are a kind of game that builds our physical health through repetition and training. Almost every domain of life is shaped by habit. Even people living together develop an unspoken understanding.
Building a New Human Nature
The “habit becomes second nature” principle lets us consciously develop new behaviors that contradict our inborn nature. These can become natural over time.
We see our original nature in infants. It is one of self-focus, demanding fulfillment from the world. This drive continues unless it becomes refined. Using habit, we can train ourselves to care deeply for others.
Today, people exploit one another, leading to conflict. But from this negative state, we become aware of the need for change, to create a society of positive connections. The forces to do this are available, but we must learn to use them consciously.
It is time to address the contradiction between human behavior and nature’s direction. Throughout life, we seek balance between hot and cold, and pressure and vacuum. Similarly, by repairing our relationships, we align ourselves with the law of nature’s development. This brings peace and improvement to all areas of life.
Practical Implementation
We need to develop processes in which each person feels responsible for societal peace and understands their own wellbeing depends on society. At the same time, society must provide living examples of correct human relations. Social sciences show that mutual influence can dramatically advance human development.
This change must begin with media, education, and culture. We must promote discussions about building new relationships on the TV, radio, the Internet, newspapers, music, theater, film, literature, art, and more.
Surrounded by such rich, positive influence and real-life examples, we will each become positively affected. The challenge is that we must educate ourselves collectively, and consciously build the society we want.
This cannot be a manipulative process driven by political or financial interests. It must be a grassroots transformation based on a common understanding of the need for a collective shift.
Together, we must create the social-educational system that will uplift us. As we progress step-by-step, we will develop more refined environments to support deeper mutual responsibility and consideration.
Like in every game, we gradually increase the difficulty to improve. But this is no ordinary game. It is the “game of life,” a quantum leap in human development. Each person becomes an active part of society, creating the supportive environment others need, and growing personally in the process.
This is how we will rise from global crisis to a new level of existence, building a world worthy of human beings.
Based on episode 4 of “New Life” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
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