MBR_Issue_27 -January 2017 low res

Malta Business Review
TALKING POINT
Ynet:
12
Terrorism, waves of immigration,
Brexit, Donald Trump, jingoism,
ISIS, the legalization of soft
drugs, climate crises, raging
social networking, and a host of
negative dramatic events plagued
us in the past year. Summarising
the year is the easy part; the
wisdom is in understanding
what must change so that next
year’s summary will be better.
Rav Laitman with an optimistic
prediction for the year 2017
“2017: An Optimistic Prediction”
2016 was a year of many upheavals in the
entire world. It was a complex, intense
year full of sharp turns that ultimately
permeated the public consciousness
with the recognition that we are in a
problematic social, economic, and security
situation. This recognition is also the best
thing that has happened to humanity, and
it also grants an opening to great hope.
It turns out that we can succeed in anything
or at least prevent deterioration if we just
change our way of thinking. The secret of
success lies in identifying the connection
between the various negative events,
locating the factor that motivates them,
neutralizing it, and in this way, balancing
the course of events in 2017.
The End of the Era of Egoism
According to Kabbalah, the factor that
links a variety of events, both positive
and negative, is the egoistic nature of
humans—the desire to receive pleasure
and delight—the attempt to benefit
maximally and succeed in all areas of life,
even if we trample others on the way
there.
What is surprising about the year 2016 is
that there already are clearly recognisable
signs of the end of egoistic development
after the thousands of years of the
existence of the human species. The wars,
crises, and great disappointments that we
experienced this year are a sign that the
egoistic system in its exploitative form
doesn’t work anymore.
The egoistic fuel has run out. There is
no more drive to enter into financial,
commercial, political, military, and
cultural competition because the end
is in sight. In this way, no one wins; all
of us lose. Combine the processes of
globalisation, advanced technology, and
three-dimensional printers in the equation
occupying the world, and the conclusion
is that the future in the labour market
starting from the year 2017 will be very
different than what we have been familiar
with up to now. In such a situation, even
more severe events are liable to happen
than what we were exposed to in the past
year.
A Time for Renewal
Egoism will not disappear. It is inherent
in us from birth. But the moment the
understanding becomes more clear in
the consciousness of humanity that if
we continue to operate only from our
egoistic nature, we will fall into an abyss,
only then can the need for an essential
change be awakened, and from it, we can
begin to search for a new method that will
transcend the negative power of the ego
for somewhere new and positive.
The desire for profit, the drive to
succeed, and mutual competition that
have motivated us up to now—the
characteristics and inclinations of human
nature—will not blur or become extinct.
We need to learn to use them wisely and
beneficially, instead of for an individual’s
personal benefit, directed toward the
benefit of all of society.
The method of connection that the ancient
wisdom of Kabbalah offers provides a
way that can change our attitude toward
Michael Laitman
others, treat each other correctly, and
make a living from each other, but with
respect. With the help of a process
that integrates study and experiential
workshops, the ability to connect with
each other is developed. We become
closer to each other emotionally, and we
transcend our innate egoistic nature to a
broad, eternal, and higher reality.
Symbolically, the end of the year is
celebrated with the end of Chanukah, the
Festival of Lights. From the darkness, the
Light breaks through; from the crack in
the ground, the plant sprouts, and from
the crisis, life is born. I have never been so
optimistic toward a new year in which the
two components required for achieving
a good and happy life have been placed
together before our eyes: despair in the
results that we have achieved so far, and
in contrast, the wisdom of Kabbalah is
available to everyone who desires it; it
provides the right direction toward the
royal road. The future is in our hands. 2017
can be optimistic. MBR
EDITOR’S
Note
Michael Laitman is a
leading global thinker and
the founder of the ARI
Institute. He has developed an educational
method that can be applied to every area of
our lives; social, economical, educational and
environmental.
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