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The Bnei Baruch Association
Kabbalah Education & Research Institute.
Kabbalah Revealed
A Cough on Wall Street,
a Worldwide Cold
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by Chaim Ratz |
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As the financial crisis in the U.S. clearly proves, the global markets are inextricably tied to one another. To avert a catastrophe of global proportions we must rethink our interconnectedness and what it means to each of us as individuals, and as a global society. Indeed, what better example to follow than Nature’s, the mother of perfect, integral systems?
George Soros, one of the world’s foremost financial figures, was quoted as saying, “The situation is much more serious than any other financial crisis since the end of World War II.”
During the recent Sub-Prime Mortgage crisis, which begun in the U.S. and spread throughout the world, the collapse has affected stock markets, banks, hedge funds and companies the world over. The crisis also affected many corporations, manufacturers, marketing companies and even hi-tech firms.
Repeatedly, the sense of a global economic breakdown resurfaces. All the attempts to predict economic trends have proved futile. Today, the big question is not “What do we do to get a share of the cake of affluence?” but “How do we restabilize the economic system?”
The Systems between Us
The answer is actually quite simple, says the wisdom of Kabbalah, relying on truths that have held firm for millennia. First, we must realize that we, and everything we do, has to follow the laws of the universal system we call “Nature.”
Kabbalists explain that Nature's plan is to bring all its parts to work in perfect unison. In the human society, unison means that the work of each individual benefits the whole of society.
The best example of such a behavior is the modus operandi of cells in living organisms: they interconnect and work to benefit the body as a whole. In this perfect system, the body provides a cell with everything it needs and the cell is fully dedicated to ensuring the body’s well-being. In his article, “Building the Future Society,” Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag writes that “…each member is obligated by Nature to receive one’s needs from society, and to benefit society through one’s work.” Note: this does not mean that every cell should receive the same, but that every cell should receive what it needs in order for it to be able to focus its attention on the well-being of whole, which, in this case, is humanity.
The systems we have established in society stand in complete contrast to Nature’s plan. At the core of human behavior stands the ego, which propels these systems into motion. Our egos prefer personal benefit to the benefit of the whole, and advocate the pursuit of wealth, honor, and power even (or especially) at the expense of others.
All this bears a direct relation to economics. In our ego-based economy, self-interests of shareholders are the companies’ top priority. Even when companies contribute to the community, it is always accompanied by a media campaign to boost the company’s name and thus promote sales. And fear not, the cost of the campaign is already calculated in the product’s retail price.
Globalization + Ego = Dead End
After thousands of years of egoistic development, we have finally cornered ourselves: the more we try to profit off each other, the more we discover our connection to each other, much like the cells in the organism we described above.
Any fluctuation in a local market can put the entire global market in turbulence, and every action we make as consumers affects a whole gamut of other systems. Just like the "Butterfly Effect" metaphor for the mathematical chaos, "The Consumer Effect" works the same way.
When Rebecca from Philadelphia goes shopping at a nearby mall, she affects numerous other people the world over. The products she purchases may determine whether a factory will continue to operate, whether a family will have to relocate, and whether a child will be saved from starvation.
Similarly, When Dan from Charlottesville zaps through the TV channels at home, he affects the entire advertising market. One click of the remote control can affect the jobs and lives of thousands of people. Globalization has made our world so interdependent that a crack in one link may break the whole chain.
The Way Out
“Nature, like a proficient judge, punishes us according to our development… the more humanity develops, the greater are the pain and suffering obtaining our sustenance.”
-Yehuda Ashlag, “The Peace”
The wisdom of Kabbalah gives us a much broader perspective on our situation. It explains that we are like children in a sandbox called “Earth.” Nature is gradually nurturing us, much like parents teach their children: the more we mature, the more we are expected to play by the rules.
Kabbalah explains that humanity is treading two parallel processes: On the one hand, Nature is pushing us to unite, and on the other hand, humanity’s egoism and alienation are steadily growing.
Yet, the fact that these two processes are happening simultaneously is not a coincidence. One way or another, humanity will have to overcome its egoism and work in unison. But instead of Nature pushing us towards that change, Kabbalists suggest that we assume control, and do it ourselves.
Using educational systems, we can raise people's awareness that we are all connected like a single body. By learning about the overall system of Nature and its principles, people will understand what changes to implement in our social systems in order to balance them with Nature.
By acting in sync with Nature, we will prosper in every realm of our lives, including economics. Fortunately, we already have the science that explains Nature’s underlying plan. It is called “the wisdom of Kabbalah.”
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Chaim Ratz,
Editor in chief of Laitman Kabbalah Publishers, Kabbalist
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Chaim Ratz is editor in chief of Laitman Kabbalah Publishers, associate editor of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Kabbalah (2007, Penguin Group), Translator of Awakening to Kabbalah (2006, Jewish Lights Publishing), and associate editor of World Futures: The Journal of General Evolution, special issue: Disclosing the Science of Kabbalah (2006, Taylor & Francis Group).
The author is also a content editor for the Internet site www.kab.info, and a member of Bnei Baruch—Kabbalah, Education, and Research Institute.
E-mail: chaim.ratz@gmail.com.
Website:
www.kab.info
Recommended books:
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Kabbalah
Kabbalah Revealed
Awakening to Kabbalah
Attaining the Worlds Beyond
Recommended audio books:
Kabbalah audio books
Recommended videos:
What is Kabbalah?
Perceiving Reality
The Needed Shift in Human Consciousness
Further study:
Online Learning Center
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