Originally, all people were internally connected. We felt and thought of ourselves as a single human being, and this is exactly how Nature treats us. This “collective” human being is called “Adam,” from the Hebrew word, Domeh (similar), meaning similar to the Creator, who is also single and whole. However, despite our initial oneness, as our egoism grew we gradually lost the sensation of unity and became increasingly distant from each other.

Kabbalah books write that Nature’s plan is for our egoism to keep growing until we realize that we have become separated and hateful to one another. The logic behind the plan is that we must first feel as a single entity, and then become separated into egoistic and detached individuals. Only then will we realize that we are completely opposite from the Creator, and utterly selfish.

Moreover, this is the only way for us to realize that egoism is negative, unfulfilling, and ultimately hopeless. As we have said, our egoism separates us from each other and from Nature. But to change that, we must first realize that this is the case. This will bring us to want to change, and to independently find a way to transform ourselves into altruists, reconnected with all of humanity and with Nature—the Creator. After all, we have already said that desire is the engine of change.

Actually, altruism is not an option. It just seems as if we can choose whether to be egoistic or altruistic. But if we examine Nature, we will find that altruism is the most fundamental law of nature. For example, each cell in the body is inherently egoistic. But to exist, it must relinquish its egoistic tendencies for the sake of the body’s well-being. The reward for that cell is that it experiences not only its own existence, but the life of the whole body.

We, too, must develop a similar connection with each other. Then, the more successful we become at bonding, the more we will feel Adam’s eternal existence instead of our passing physical existence.

Especially today, altruism has become essential for our survival. It has become evident that we are all connected and dependent on one another. This dependency produces a new and very precise definition of altruism: Any act or intention that comes from a need to connect humanity into a single entity is considered altruistic. Conversely, any act or intention that is not focused on uniting humanity is egoistic.

It follows that our oppositeness from Nature is the source of all the suffering we are seeing in the world. Everything else in Nature—minerals, plants, and animals—instinctively follow Nature’s altruistic law. Only human behavior is in contrast with the rest of Nature and with the Creator.

Moreover, the suffering we see around us is not just our own. All other parts of Nature also suffer from our wrongful actions. If every part of Nature instinctively follows its law, and if only man does not, then man is the only corrupted element in Nature. Simply put, when we correct ourselves from egoism to altruism, everything else will be corrected, as well—ecology, famine, war, and society at large.

Enhanced Perception

There is a special bonus to altruism. It may seem as if the only change will be putting others before ourselves, but there are actually far greater benefits. When we begin to think of others, we become integrated with them, and they with us.

Think of it this way: There are about 6.5 billion people in the world today. What if, instead of having two hands, two legs, and one brain to control them, you had 13 billion hands, 13 billion legs, and 6.5 billion brains to control them? Sounds confusing? Not really, because all those brains would function as a single brain, and the hands would function as a single pair of hands. All of humanity would function as one body whose capabilities are enhanced 6.5 billion times.

Wait, we’re not done with the bonuses! In addition to becoming superhuman, anyone who becomes altruistic will also receive the most desirable gift of all: omniscience, or total recall and total knowledge. Because altruism is the Creator’s nature, acquiring it equalizes our nature with His, and we begin to think like Him. We begin to know why everything happens, when it should happen, and what to do should we want to make it happen differently. In Kabbalah, this state is called “equivalence of form,” and this is the purpose of Creation.

This state of enhanced perception, of equivalence of form, is why we were created in the first place. This is why we were created united and were then broken—so we could reunite. In the process of uniting, we will learn why Nature does what it does, and become as wise as the Thought that created it.

When we unite with Nature, we will feel as eternal and complete as Nature. In that state, even when our bodies die, we will feel that we continue to exist in the eternal Nature. Physical life and death will no longer affect us because our previous self-centered perception will have been replaced with a whole, altruistic perception. Our own lives will have become the life of the whole of Nature.

Now Is The Time

The Book of Zohar, the “Bible” of Kabbalah, was written approximately 2,000 years ago. It states that toward the end of the 20th century, humankind’s egoism will soar to unprecedented intensity.

As we have seen before, the more we want, the emptier we feel. Therefore, since the end of the 20th century, humanity has been experiencing its worst emptiness ever. The Book of Zohar also writes that when this emptiness is felt, humanity will need a means to cure it and to help people become fulfilled. Then, says The Zohar, the time will come to present Kabbalah to all of humanity as a means of acquiring fulfillment through similarity with Nature.

The process of acquiring fulfillment, the Tikkun, will not happen all at once and not simultaneously for everyone. For a Tikkun to occur, a person must want it to happen. It is a process that evolves out of one’s own volition.

Correction begins when a person realizes that his or her egoistic nature is the source of all evil. It is a very personal and powerful experience, but it invariably brings one to want to change, move from egoism to altruism.

As we have said, the Creator treats all of us as a single, united created being. We have tried to achieve our goals egoistically, but today we are discovering that our problems will only be solved collectively and altruistically. The more conscious we become of our egoism, the more we will want to use the method of Kabbalah to change our nature to altruism. We did not do it when Kabbalah first appeared, but we can do it now, because now we know we need it!

The past 5,000 years of human evolution have been a process of trying one method, examining the pleasures it provides, becoming disillusioned with it, and leaving it for another. Methods came and went, but we have not grown happier. Now that the method of Kabbalah has appeared, aimed to correct the highest level of egoism, we no longer have to tread the path of disillusionment. We can simply correct our worst egoism through Kabbalah, and all other corrections will follow like a domino effect. Thus, during this correction, we can feel fulfillment, inspiration, and joy.

The above text was taken from the book Kabbalah Revealed: A Guide To A More Peaceful Life by Dr. Michael Laitman with foreword by Prof. Ervin Laszlo. Also available as eBook (PDF, Kindle & ePub formats), and for free PDF download.

Dr. Anatoly Ulianov: A few days ago I met a young man who spent all of his time in virtual space. As a result, he lost his job and was evicted from his apartment. The question is: If this virtual space is so attractive and corresponds to the laws of Nature, then where is the correlation between the virtual space and the physical one? Should I still devote time and attention to earning money so I won’t be evicted from my apartment?

Dr. Michael Laitman: This is an important problem: How do we realize ourselves in the integral community in our day-to-day lives? Me, my family, my job, society, and the world—how does our unity on the internet impact our world and our lives, and accordingly, how do we gradually transform our families, our relationships with our relatives and with the people close to us, the government, our country, and the world? How do our social and economic relations change according to this, as well as industry and government? This is an important topic that requires considerable attention.

Today humanity is beginning to feel Nature’s challenge—that something unknown and menacing is rising before us. This call of Nature is quickly becoming real, and our problem is only how to partake in this realization in order to feel ourselves swimming along with the flow rather than paddling against it, thus suffering unexpected cataclysms and crises.

Dr. Ulianov: And what if I haphazardly give myself over to this virtual, integral game?

Dr. Laitman: But you have to participate in it intelligently, understand it, and make independent moves. It requires your live participation. You cannot say, “I’ll jump in and let the current take me wherever it goes.” The current won’t take anyone anywhere because Nature requires that we participate consciously, ascend to a level where we feel the whole world and participate in the process together with everyone. You press on your linkage with the whole world! And this is exactly what Nature requires of us.

Currently, it is leading us on the harsh path, showing us that if we don’t press on our linkage with everyone else in order to act congruously, it will hit us. This is the reason for today’s crises, which will force us to achieve collaboration.

The above points were taken from the book The Psychology of the Integral Society by Dr. Michael Laitman and Dr. Anatoly Ulianov. Also available as eBook (PDF, Kindle & ePub formats).