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We are living in a remarkable era, one in which the world is changing before our eyes from end to end. Some people are more concerned about the situation, others less so, but the situation is not tragic or so terrible. We should actually be glad for what is unfolding in our times, because we are standing at the threshold of a new life, a life that can be filled with hope and anticipation, despite all the negative phenomena we perceive playing out before our very eyes,
To see this, we need to understand what is happening in the world at large and to each of us personally, and why it is happening. Are these developments just random outcomes of mistakes we have made in life, or is this a process we had to undergo in order to reach a better world?
Many experts describe the global condition as a comprehensive crisis that extends economic, social, educational, cultural, ecological, and other activity. A crisis, however, can be a gateway to new life.
In Chinese, the word for “crisis” is made of two characters, with one symbolizing danger and the other opportunity. In ancient Greek, the word “crisis” means decision, a turning point. In Biblical Hebrew, the word for “crisis” (“Mashber“), refers to a birthing stool, i.e., a place where new life begins.
Personal and Global Crises as Turning Points
In our personal lives, we occasionally experience crises, especially during transitions. At first, there is always some difficulty. It is not easy to leave a familiar situation and move into something new. We find it hard to quit a job, move to a new home, and the like, because we are accustomed to our surroundings and have no need to invest much effort anymore. We are naturally drawn to what already exists and feels secure.
Change and transition are rarely pleasant unless we move toward something certain and can clearly see a better future. However, when the future is unclear and the transition is difficult or threatening, the situation indeed feels tragic.
We should thus first ask ourselves: Are we really facing immense threats—wars, revolutions, bloodshed, total chaos in the streets, alongside environmental issues that scare us? Or could these existential threats actually serve to accelerate the birth of a new world order?
In other words, could the stress and pressure we feel, which seems irresolvable, be necessary because life needs to be “born” in a new form?
Such a state resembles that of a fetus before birth. Throughout pregnancy, the fetus develops safely inside the mother’s womb. But as the moment of birth approaches, a process of intense mutual pressure occurs. The fetus must leave, and the mother can no longer contain it. They experience a mutual rejection, and thus labor begins. In the end, the baby becomes born into a world that welcomes it with love and offers a new, elevated level of life: it becomes a human being.
This process mirrors what we now experience. It seems that the situation we are in today is like birth contractions, leading to the emergence of a new world. We have gone through many stages of historical development, with some being very dramatic, but these were not true transformations or “births,” just evolutionary stages. The situation we find ourselves in today, however, is fundamentally different.
A World in Crisis, a World in Transition
The world today is experiencing a crisis that spans all areas of life. Painful challenges emerge in relationships and child-rearing. Violence increases in schools, streets, and public areas. The cost of living is soaring. Social gaps are widening, with about one percent of the global population holding a majority of the world’s wealth.
The global economy is in ongoing crisis. Even the American Dream is collapsing, as more and more people in the U.S. live in poverty.
Humanity’s relationship with nature is also malfunctioning. We are polluting our shared home and harming the ecosystem. Natural disasters strike us repeatedly, and weather patterns are shifting dramatically.
While history has seen periods of climate change, which led to major societal changes, today all types of changes and pressures—natural, human, and social—are happening simultaneously.
The main problem is that we no longer know where we are headed. In past transitions, human society always progressed toward a more advanced form. There was always a visible goal, such as moving from slavery to a more enlightened society. Even if such transitions involved wars, revolutions, or violent upheavals, the new, better future was visible and achievable. Some societies embraced the change, while others resisted.
But now, the sense of losing direction is shared by all. We feel something fundamental is not working globally. There’s a strong sense that everything must change, yet we are unsure how or where to go.
Global Interconnection: A Blessing or a Threat?
Amid growing difficulties in human relationships, we observe a paradox: the world is becoming increasingly interconnected.
To understand this, just consider what we wear, what we eat, how our homes are built, and what our work depends on. It is hard to find a country not involved, directly or indirectly, in producing the goods we rely on. Raw materials come from one place, components from another, machines from elsewhere.
Over time, social evolution has made human society global and interconnected. Banks, industries, and factories transfer goods and materials around the globe, while culture and education spreads globally in an instant through globally-interconnected media and the Internet. Everything has become globally interdependent and interconnected.
Such interdependence can be positive, like in a healthy family, which provides security. However, in an unhealthy family, dependence creates tension, leads to conflict, and often ends in divorce. We as humanity, however, cannot divorce each other. We are stuck together on this thin crust of Earth and cannot escape.
In the past, a local conflict could stay local. Today, any conflict risks global escalation. We have reached a state of mutual dependence among individuals, organizations, and nations. The rules of the game have changed. From an individualistic world where everyone acted separately, we have shifted, almost unknowingly, to a global and integral world where everything, including the economy, ecology, politics, and society, is interconnected.
“Global” means whole. “Integral” means linked, with each part dependent on the others.
Understanding the Present to Birth a Better Future
A smooth and safe birth into a better world requires us to understand what is wrong with our current situation and clarify what prevents us from enjoying life.
Compared to previous eras, humanity now lives in an age of advanced technology, abundance, and prosperity.
So what is the problem? This is what we must continue to ponder.
Based on episode 1 of “New Life” with Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman on December 27, 2011. Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman.
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