We'll be seeing a lot more of this each man (or state) for himself attitude as the global energy crisis keeps escalating and threatening life as we know it here on earth.
I have a very special treat for you today - part of Rav Laitman's speech that he will be giving first thing Monday morning at the World Spirit Forum in Arosa about the deepening global crisis and how everyone is trying to cover it up because they don't have answers. This is a big day for the world - I hope you will read right down to the end where he speaks about altruism being nature's program.
Obviousness of Crisis
The general global crisis of humanity is obvious – depression, drugs, collapse of the family, terror, uncontrollable social systems, the threat of the use of nuclear weaponry, ecological catastrophes, and more. For example, according to the data that was published by the European Council in “Gruenbuch”, Europeans suffer from serious depressions that lead to 58,000 suicides a year, while 30% of all citizens of European Commonwealth suffer mental disorders.
The imminent threat to the existence of humanity is steadily growing as a result of the use of nuclear weapons. In the leading scientists’ opinion, humanity does not have that much time to prevent this crisis from development in an undesirable direction – toward a world thermonuclear war or a global ecological catastrophe.
Correct Diagnosis Half The Treatment
The signs of a crisis are evident, but due to the seeming impossibility of getting out of it, its existence and aggravation are concealed by governments, social organizations, scientists, sociologists, and psychologists. The reason for this deliberate concealment of the global crisis lies in the fact that they see no means of correction of the present state. As a result, this ostrich policy merely aggravates the problem and accelerates the approaching catastrophe.
As medical doctors say, the correct diagnosis is a half of the treatment. The concealment of a disease and underestimation of its seriousness constitutes a direct threat to life.
Although the main problem of civilization is overcoming the global crisis, in order to start solving it, first a solution to a problem of no lesser complexity should be found: the problem of explaining the crisis situation to society. A great number of people are still looking for a solution in scientific, technological, cultural, and social progress, while forgetting that relying on this progress has brought us to the state of crisis.
How can we prevent the deepening of the crisis?
To overcome further deepening of a crisis we have to:
1. Acknowledge the existence of a crisis.
2. Reveal its causes.
3. Realize the existence of an alternative and the possibilities of getting out of it.
4. Create a plan for getting out of the crisis.
5. Realize the plan.
Sources and Nature of the Crisis
What is the cause of the crisis? Indeed, not only man, his health, and the forms of his relationships in society are in a critical state. All of nature is advancing towards catastrophe together with man. Hence, in order to understand the sources of the crisis, we have to analyze the foundations of nature itself.
Egoism is The World’s Matter
All of matter constitutes different measures of desire to be filled with power, life, and delight. The magnitude of desire to be fulfilled creates various levels of nature: inanimate, vegetative, animate, and human as well as determines all processes that occur in them. Every higher level is a manifestation of a bigger desire, and it includes all the previous levels. The phenomenon of man `and his place in the world becomes clear from the realization of unity of nature’s material.
Peculiarities of Human Egoism
The peculiarity of man as compared with rest of nature lies not only in the power and character of his desires, but also in the fact that man’s desires are constantly changing and evolving, causing the development of civilization.
With the exception of man, all of nature consumes only what it needs for its existence. Man desires more than he needs in food, sex, physical comfort, and especially in desires that are inherent only in him: for wealth, power, honor, fame, and knowledge.
Therefore, the desires for things that are necessary for man’s existence are not regarded as egoistical. Only man’s egoism is egoistical. Human egoism is growing continuously, hyperbolically. Its growth stimulates and determines the progress of humanity, but at the same time, it leads to a dead-end, to a global crisis.
Man’s excessive and developing egoism testifies to its incompleteness. By egoism dominating over man, it deprives him of instincts that ensure his survival.
Imbalance
All of nature’s forces except for human ego are in balance. All of them form a single system of nature’s forces and only man disturbs their harmony. Everything in nature is interconnected and aspires to equilibrium within itself and with the surrounding reality. The violation of similarity leads to the violation of equilibrium, beyond the limits of which, the organism starts disintegrating. The possibility of restoring equilibrium is the condition of life.
Emergence of a Conflict
No creature in nature but man relates to others with the intention to harm, use, and exploit them. No other creature derives pleasure from the suppression of others or enjoys their grief. Only man can enjoy the grief of another.
The egoistical (i.e., with the intention of self-elevation at the expense of a fellow man) use of human desires leads to a dangerous imbalance with the surrounding world. Our egoism is the only destructive force in the world. This is why the world will not be able to exist unless man changes his egoistical attitude towards society.
Altruism is Life’s Principle
On the other hand, altruism exists in nature, which is care for the welfare of one’s fellow man.
An object that receives from its environment and gives to it is called a living object. Every living organism consists of a combination of cells and organs that work together while complementing each other. In this process, they are obliged to concede, influence, and help one another. The law of integration of cells and organs according to the altruistic principle “one for all” is effective in every living organism.
Egoism of a Part Leads to the Death of the Whole
If the cell of a living organism starts acting egoistically with regard to other cells, it becomes cancerous, kills the entire body, and, as a result, itself. A cancerous cell is continuously dividing. It devours all around it, having no obligations to them and no reactions to the organism’s commands. The same applies to egoism in nature; while developing by itself, it leads everything, including itself, to death.
Altruism Is Nature’s Program
Only by interacting as a single whole can cells exist, develop, and multiply. Otherwise, the general law of nature (as a general system) will influence them in an oppressive way. The law of altruistic interaction functions in every created being except in man. Man is given freedom of will to realize the need for altruism and to observe this general law of nature.
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