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How many people do you know who look around and are satisfied with what they see? More so, how many people do you know who are satisfied with themselves and feel at ease? Let us admit it, most of us feel some level of dissatisfaction. We do not understand the benefit of the flaws we see around us and within ourselves, which raises the question: Why were we created imperfect? Why do negative phenomena even exist in our lives?
All development in nature unfolds gradually like fruit that becomes large, beautiful, and sweet only when ripe. Perhaps we too are advancing step by step toward perfection. Still, it is hard for us to justify the painful, sad, and unpleasant situations we experience in life.
Today, we find ourselves at a dead end, like wanderers in a desert. This is clearly not the state we would like to be in. Just look at the society we have built, how humanity looks wise, powerful, and wealthy. This was not our dream. But there is a silver lining: we are beginning to recognize that human egoism is the root of all evil, a crucial step in our development. Even doctors say the hardest part is to diagnose the illness early enough, because only then can healing begin.
From a broader perspective, it seems we repeatedly make the same mistakes in life. On a global scale, this manifests as dramatic events like power struggles, wars, and major crises. But these errors are intended to lead us to greater perception, since what distinguishes us from animals is our intellect.
Wisdom Misused
From generation to generation, we grow wiser and more knowledgeable. But it seems that we fail to use our knowledge correctly, in ways that truly benefit us. Ancient history teaches us that science can be used for both good and evil.
Philosophers like Plato and Aristotle, the fathers of modern science, warned their students not to hand over knowledge indiscriminately. They recommended sharing it only with ethical individuals who would use it for the betterment of humanity and to cultivate positive human relations. They feared that if wisdom and science were handed down without caution, people might misuse them out of egoism, developing deadly weapons and destroying the environment.
We clearly see this today. Despite the benefits science has provided, we find ourselves misusing advanced technologies. Einstein once said, “I don’t know what weapons will be used in World War III, but I know what will be used in World War IV—stones!”
The issue is not limited to security. Consider the content disseminated by advanced media platforms. We and our children are constantly exposed to messages soaked in chauvinism, sexual manipulation, glorification of self at others’ expense, and humiliation. Even teenagers today acknowledge that this content encourages negative behavior. Clearly, our current reality falls far short of our potential.
Despite the early warnings of Plato and Aristotle, the gates of science were eventually flung open for profit, fame, and control. Science has become a tool for increasing human egoism. A massive weapons industry was built to dominate others, medical treatments were developed, some unnecessary or harmful, and countless products that no one really needs were created to enrich producers at buyers’ expense.
A Turning Point in Evolution
We have likely made mistakes throughout our entire evolutionary history, leading to our current state. But acknowledging these mistakes is the first step toward change. Herein, we must apply our intellect to identify our errors and immediately correct them so we can move forward.
The key lies in how we use our ego, our human abilities, especially science and technology. If we use them correctly, examining each action by asking “Is this right or wrong?”, these inquiries can guide us from bad to good. It can be likened to a contraction-expansion mechanism, similar to breathing or heartbeat, or how a car or bicycle wheel moves forward by turning partially backward. Every form of progress involves opposing forces working in harmony.
To advance, we do not need to destroy what already exists in the world. We simply need to apply intellectual scrutiny to everything done so far and learn how to correct society. The evil revealed in our lives can then become a solid foundation for progress. In such a way, we can build a balanced and harmonious human society, one that is just and considerate, where everyone receives support from the collective and contributes their unique part to the whole.
Understanding Human Desire
Desire propels us forward. To better understand our path, we should examine the structure of desire. There are three main types:
1. Physical Desires: These include basic needs: health, cleanliness, comfort, rest, and nutrition. Like animals, we instinctively strive to maintain our bodies in good condition.
2. Human Desires: These are desires for wealth, honor, control, fame, and recognition. It might be uncomfortable to admit, but we grow beyond the animal level through egoistic impulses like envy, lust, and pride. These drive us to rise above others and sometimes exploit them.
You might wonder: “But animals also fight for dominance and eat each other.” True, but among animals, this is instinctive, not intentional. When animals hunt, they do not aim to harm or dominate others. Instead, they act purely to survive. For instance, a lion hunting a deer is simply following nature’s commands.
Humans, however, harbor constant egoistic drives. We compare ourselves to others, our neighbor’s grass, car, children, and salary. Our entire life satisfaction is measured relative to others. There are studies that show how people prefer to earn less money if it means earning more than their neighbor.
3. Desire for Knowledge and Wisdom: This uniquely human desire compels us to understand the purpose of life, how nature works, and why things are interconnected. Each discovery reveals another layer of nature’s laws. Science evolves not by creating new laws, but by uncovering those that already exist.
The Direction of Development
To wisely lead humanity forward and out of this crisis, we need people who understand that nature has a direction in its development.
Balance is nature’s goal. All movement, as explained by physics and chemistry, aims at equilibrium, balancing pressure, water flowing downhill, the spread of heat and cold, even storms and volcanic eruptions.
Humanity is part of this system. But unlike inanimate or biological elements, humans must achieve balance on their own, rising above our egoistic nature. This is why we were given intelligence.
There are three levels of balance:
1. Physical Balance: Living a healthy life with reasonable consumption. Not asceticism, but knowing our optimal consumption level. Ancient doctors said that it is better to consume a small amount of “bad” food than an excess of “good” food, since overconsumption causes harm.
2. Social Balance: Creating a society based on equality, consideration, and mutual responsibility requires a practical social-educational process that reaches everyone. Without widespread education, we will continue descending into egoistic power struggles.
3. Cognitive Balance: Understanding nature’s laws and aligning ourselves with them means that if we balance relations among ourselves, we will also align with the general law of nature’s development, and likely feel less pressure from life.
When we strive for balance across all three levels—physical, social, and cognitive—we resemble a perfectly ripe fruit.
The Role of Integral Education
Reaching this state depends on making integral education a central public and personal priority. The ability to feel all humans as one family and to act accordingly requires major social effort—but none is more important.
Through new knowledge and social experiences, we can upgrade ourselves and reach the enlightened world now within reach.
Integral education begins in small groups and expands outward. Through positive social influence, we can evolve from consideration to responsibility, and from responsibility to mutual guarantee. The more we expand our circle of care with warmth and goodwill, the more wisdom and depth of emotion we gain. This development helps us feel as integral parts of nature, enhancing our overall perception of reality.
A nurturing environment is key for human growth, just as our parents lovingly supported us as infants. Even as adults, we still crave love and support. Why not build a world where every kindergarten, school, university, and workplace offers the same caring atmosphere?
By building such mutual relationships, we create an environment worthy of human development.
Toward a Bright Future
We are facing a significant and wondrous process of growth and development. Our hope is that together, we can move forward into a new, joyful, beautiful, and far better life than anything we’ve known so far.
Based on episode 10 of “New Life” on January 8, 2012 with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
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