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What is the connection between the different elements of nature? What is the nature of the dependence that now exists between people, organizations, and nations? How should various parts of a single overall mechanism function together? These questions share one common answer, which is the principle of mutuality.
When we study the universe, we see that all systems are interdependent. Planets orbit the sun while also spinning on their axes. The moon orbits Earth and affects everything on it: our health, emotions, ocean tides, and many other phenomena. The sun, of course, has a major impact on us. We feel it through changes in heat and cold, seasonal shifts, variations in solar energy production, and in other ways. Solar energy bursts can be felt on Earth and, if powerful enough, can cause global chaos, damaging our infrastructure and electronic systems.
We live on a planet that constantly burns and boils from within, and yet maintains a very delicate balance. Experts in biology and physics claim that the conditions needed to create life like we have on Earth are extremely rare, possibly nonexistent elsewhere in the universe. Life-supporting conditions require perfect harmony in laws governing gravity, water volume, atmospheric pressure, and temperature. These factors combine into one immense formula that allows for the existence of life.
Weather forecasters rely on complex instruments and vast data to calculate the Earth’s climate patterns. This work is intensive, deep, and data-rich just to forecast factors such as heat levels, wind strength, rainfall, and wave height. Such information is crucial to scheduling flights and ship movements, estimating electricity consumption, watering fields, caring for animals, and planning our daily routines.
This example of weather, like many others, highlights the close connection and mutual dependence of nature’s components. The inanimate affects the vegetative, which affects the animate, which affects the human, and vice versa. However, the human level affects all of the others.
Human Dependence
As humans, we cannot survive alone without a functioning society. Anyone attempting to disconnect from society would face a life of hardship, as one’s personal strength can only meet minimal needs. The more humanity has advanced, the more complex and interdependent we have become.
Recently, our mutual dependence has reached such proportions that require closer global connections. The world has become entirely global and integral. That is why an event in one country can quickly affect all others.
It is no coincidence that countries demand others to follow international norms and change their behavior accordingly.
We have become so interconnected, it is as if we are all holding hands around the globe. No country can act entirely freely, even within its borders, because a wrong decision can disrupt even Earth’s internal balance. An ecological disaster in one place can impact distant regions. That is why efforts are made to establish treaties on global warming prevention and nuclear disarmament, reflecting our growing awareness that we share a single planet and must protect it. Unfortunately, Earth’s critical condition has not yet entered our collective consciousness as a universal concern.
No country today can shape its internal or external policy without considering others, not even the strongest nations. All must act cautiously and consider other states due to this mutual dependence.
Global Interconnectivity
Life proves this well. “Domino effects” and “contagions” between countries and corporations are now routine. For instance, an economic crash in Europe or America is felt worldwide. Trade, finance, and economics have bound us together so tightly that they are essential to our survival. No country today is self-sufficient, unlike in past generations.
In recent years, global connections have advanced further. Japanese companies, for example, no longer concentrate car manufacturing domestically but have factories in Europe and America, since those are the markets they serve. Only the brand name remains Japanese. This pattern repeats across industries. It is often difficult to tell which country stands behind which company or where it operates. Foreign ownership and partnerships are standard everywhere.
This interconnection evolved in stages, starting with trade, then shared production, leading to global banks and financial institutions. Stock exchanges merged, and now anyone can trade globally, in Tokyo, New York, or Frankfurt. Trading is similar everywhere; one only needs to choose where to invest.
A Global Crisis of Relationships
Our awareness of interdependence evolved gradually. The UN was established to prevent wars, and over time, many international organizations were formed in communications, health, and beyond.
For example, the International Telecommunication Union coordinates global radio frequencies to avoid interference. The World Health Organization oversees pharmaceutical coordination and health standards. There is even a body coordinating flag colors to prevent duplication. These examples show how close and connected we have become, requiring international laws in almost every area of life for humanity’s benefit.
We need to grasp this real picture of mutual connections across all sectors. Like it or not, we depend on each other for food, clothing, education, culture, technology, energy, water, electricity, and even air. Pollution from one place spreads into the atmosphere, affecting air quality globally.
As we delve deeper, we see the world has become a vast network of relationships. But since the early 21st century, this network began to limp, as we entered into a crisis in all fields of human endeavor. While there are many causes, the root problem is simple: a tightly connected system requires a deeper and more evolved quality of connection between people.
Until now, we only connected to collaborate in industry, trade, health, and other such external fields of activity. But neither individuals nor nations have ever been required to cultivate a positive and meaningful relationship with one another. We now begin to realize that without such a relationship, we cannot survive in our common home, the Earth.
A lack of sincere, warm connection is the root of today’s problems, from international crises down to family conflicts. The faulty global network has trapped us and blocked progress. Peace or trade agreements on paper are not enough anymore. Even married couples with only surface-level agreements will not last without emotional depth. The same applies globally: genuine connection is essential.
From Family to Nations: The Need for Mutual Responsibility
We must learn to get along, despite our differences. Take married couples with children, extended family, and responsibilities. Despite the complexity, they learn to compromise. Even with personality differences, choosing to live together means accepting that life will not always be rosy. Success requires mutual concession.
This principle applies to societal sectors, organizations, and nations too. We must learn to connect above our differences.
Interdependence among countries is arguably deeper than within families. In a family, one can walk away for a while. But globally, countries are like puzzle pieces as no nation can detach and act independently. If the world cuts off one country, it collapses.
That is why we need a common roof above all nations, a space of mutual understanding and feeling, like sharing one room. In such a room, we cannot live as strangers; we must form warm and heartfelt relationships. We must finally achieve “domestic peace” on Earth, sitting together at a round table, discussing world peace, learning to concede, and forming mutual responsibility.
A commando unit is a great example of mutual responsibility. Each soldier knows their life depends on the team, and they must protect each other. The same applies to nature and technology: in integral, analog systems, all parts are interdependent. Remove one, and the whole collapses.
The Solution: Integral Education
Our interdependence is turning us into such a system, but the world today resembles a broken family. So how do we move toward a safer and better future? Like in family therapy, we need a third-party expert to mediate.
This expert is integral education, a social-psychological method that teaches an optimal form of communication. It includes practical tools such as workshops, exercises, and simulations in order to build positive human connections.
Implementing this method in society will bring us closer, helping us know each other deeply, strengths and flaws alike. This applies to individuals, nations, and all of humanity, ushering in a new era of understanding and dialogue.
We all have unpleasant traits, yet above them, we can build bridges. As it says: “Love covers all transgressions” (Proverbs 10:12). The flaws remain, but through understanding and mutual responsibility, we connect above them.
Like a mother with her child, she sees only beauty. But with a neighbor’s child, she sees their flaws. However, if she also feels warmth for that child, she will see their goodness.
A Safer, Happier World
When we all feel close to one another, the world will be safer and calmer. We will not fear letting our kids play in the park or attend school. We will trust others to help, and we will reciprocate that help. A truly good and perfect society is one where real mutual responsibility exists.
Such a system brings safety, confidence, balance, and abundance. Gradually, we will feel that more and more people want our well-being, and the world will begin to feel like one big family. Then, we will no longer be afraid, ashamed, or anxious because the world will be ours. We will be able to take a deep breath and feel at home wherever we go.
Based on episode 5 of “New Life” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on January 2, 2012. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
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