Dr. Michael Laitman To Change the World – Change Man

Why do people tend to become radicalized in their believes?

It is a problem that we fail to understand the need to learn what nature requires of us, which is the same law positioned at the foundation of all the world’s major religions: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18).

We are all equal in the need to reach love above all of our differences, divisions, rejection and hatred of each other, as it is written that “love will cover all crimes” (Proverbs 10:12). However, our egoistic human nature, which rejects nature’s requirement for us to positively connect by wanting to enjoy at the expense of others, positions us against each other and is the base cause of all radicalization.

The human ego operates in every person and group. It makes us each see ourselves and the groups we belong to as better than others, thus giving rise to radicals willing to take their beliefs to extremes. Ultimately, the ego serves to destroy our world, and radicalization is one of its natural outcomes.

When we understand that the human ego is the root cause behind all of our division, hatred and radicalization, then we would be wise to focus on how to rise above the ego. We would then feel no need to tie ourselves to any specific orientation, but only on one tendency that is fundamental to nature: the need to rise above the human ego, unite with others above all differences, and also to teach and share the method to do so.

Written/edited by students of Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman

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