Question: Sweden is known for its emphasis on work-life balance with generous vacation time, parental leave, and flexible working hours, which generally contribute to lower burn out rates compared to other countries.  Despite this, some studies indicate burn out is still a growing issue in Sweden and some research suggests that younger workers may be more susceptible. It seems the problem is that people cannot manage their time correctly.

Question: How can you fill your free time? A vacuum forms. How can a person fill it so he does not suffer?

Answer: With the meaning of life. The meaning of life is what you need to fill it with!

And it is nowhere to be found. The lack of meaning eventually begins to suffocate a person! He sees his whole life before him; after all, we keep developing. A person sees where it begins, how it continues, and where it ends. And now, instead of 50 to 60 years, life has become twice as long. Who needs this?

Question: What is the solution?

Answer: To reveal the true meaning of life given to us by nature. This is beyond our egoism, beyond our comprehension. To do this, you need to grow. To do this, we need to open our eyes and see a completely different nature, the system in which we exist, not our egoistic one.

Change the basis of mastering the universe and you will see where you really are and what kind of world you can discover for yourself. Press the button and change the whole world.

Question: Where is this button? Where can I find it?

Answer: In the human heart. Naturally! One must understand he needs to change himself and thus change the world.

Comment: In one of your programs, you said that the desire to search for the highest meaning of life cannot be bought. That is, you cannot find it and appropriate it.

My Response: Yes, it is impossible. If a person needs to discover the upper world, the meaning of life, then it is there, if not, then not. But judging by the current state of humanity, we see we are all headed there.

Today, many people are getting carried away, looking for and hoping to find at least another universe. Another universe! That is, I want to go beyond this ecumene, I want to see something else. If I depict this world to myself, and it is drawn in me, then I want to picture it differently. I want to draw it.

This is when the science of Kabbalah emerges and says: “Please, here are your brushes, here is a blank canvas for you—paint!” This is what people need to engage in.

Comment: It is a very optimistic picture. On one hand some entity destroys all the cardboard houses in a person as if dragging him into a new corridor. But a person, in the midst of this destruction, does not see this corridor. It is like there is some kind of partition.

My Response: This is our inner consent to reveal the insignificance of our understanding and the limitations of our feelings. It will pass. Life teaches us. I am a big optimist.

Question: Can you depict the new reality? You said, “Push a button in your heart, and you will reveal the new reality.” What will it look like?

Answer: “A button in the heart” means you need to push yourself and start perceiving the world around you and yourself differently. Then, you will see that you actually exist in another reality. This is truly a miracle, but it happens through you when you change yourself, reverse your values, and see another world—the opposite world.

Here we need to understand that our whole nature, our whole universe, and our whole world exist only in our imagination. And this imagination is currently egoistic. By changing it to an altruistic one, we will see a different world. This will be the upper world—the world of altruism, the world of love.

Question: Will it be the same world, but will we see it differently?

Answer: We do not see our world either. We see it in us, in our properties. If our properties change, we will see a new world.

We only need to change ourselves. This whole world around me, it does not exist. It is in our minds. Only in our minds! It is in the heart. Only in one’s heart.
[257162]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 12/9/19

Related Material:
Expand The Meaning Of Life
New Values
A World In Which Evil Is Found Everywhere

There is a powerful exercise that is quite simple and I started using many years ago.

Whoever I have met on my way, be it man or insect, the first thought that I allow is: “I wish you happiness!”

But the most important thing is that this thought should really come first: “I wish you happiness.”

This thought will completely change what happens between you and this person. I say this from personal experience.

Sometimes it is very difficult when you meet an enemy, when you find yourself face to face with an unexpected, tough situation. But it is at this moment that you get the opportunity to create a different space around yourself. Before the negative emotion takes over you, you have time to transform it: “I wish you happiness.”

Try it and see how much everything in your life changes” (Richard Gere).

Question: Can this first thought “I wish you happiness” change the space between people?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Why?

Answer: Because one person sets himself in a positive way toward another without expecting anything in return.

Comment: That is remarkable.

My Response: It is incredible, yes.

Question: If I practice this exercise and mechanically try to do it, can it change me?

Answer: Yes, from egoism to altruism, from being a cold person to being kind.

Question: Can a person change?

Answer: Yes, this is the desire of a person to change. If he does not let go of this desire and constantly imagines how he can change in every instance, it transforms him.

Question: And does it work?

Answer: That is why it works.

Question: Tell me, can this exercise really be applied when meeting an enemy you hate, when emotions are overwhelming? Can one manage to insert this thought?

Answer: This needs preparation. A person must understand how he should relate to the enemy.

Question: But how? After all, it is still an enemy.

Answer: Why is it an enemy? This requires significant preliminary work. If such work has truly been done, a person would not be able to harm another. I am absolutely sure of this because we must become different. We must make the world different. If it depends on us, on people, we must remake ourselves.

Question: And where is the Creator in what you are saying?

Answer: The Creator does not want to be among people.

Question: Among such people?

Answer: At all! He gave us nature, He gave us the foundation to change ourselves. Based on this, He will relate to us differently.

Question: So do we have this spark within us to change ourselves? This point of light?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Even in complete darkness?

Answer: We are the most sophisticated egoists.

Comment: And still, you say there is this spark of light inside.

My Response: Yes.

Question: Why does Richard Gere, and you as well, insist that this thought must be the first, before all others, that it must push its way through?

Answer: Yes, before it gets spoiled.

Question: So all other thoughts spoil it?

Answer: Yes, but this thought, if it is first, it is interesting to see how a person will respond to you.

Question: If you constantly practice this exercise, falling, getting up, succeeding or not succeeding, can it change a person’s perspective on the world? Could this world suddenly become bright?

Answer: Yes.

Question: But isn’t it dark? Or is it bright? What is it?

Answer: It’s neither. That is, we can make it bright.

Question: If I tell everyone, “I want you to be happy,” and suddenly it works, does the world change and become happy?

Answer: Yes.

Question: But who is happy? The world or me?

Answer: You are happy.

Question: I am happy? So, the whole thing is for me to change?

Answer: The world is just a reflection of our inner states.

Question: So what I have inside is what I see?

Answer: Yes.

Question: What spiritual principles are involved here? Human principles are clear, but what about spiritual ones?

Answer: The spiritual principle is very simple: If you wish happiness to another and act on it, you create wonderful relationships between yourself and them.

Question: And that is a spiritual principle?

Answer: Yes.

Question: Can we say that in this way I also establish similar relations with the Creator?

Answer: Of course.

Question: And He with me?

Answer: Yes.
[338626]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 12/9/24

Related Material:
Wish Happiness for Yourself or for Others?
Benjamin Franklin’s Two Paths to Happiness
How Can You Make Happiness Follow You?

Comment: Some scientists believe that the most important process underlying creative genius is the tendency to pay attention to things that are usually ignored.

My Response: That has long been observed.

Question: For example, when Alexander Fleming noticed that blue mold was killing the bacterial culture in a Petri dish, he could have just washed it down the sink. But he continued his research and discovered penicillin.

Another example is that when we go for a walk in nature, our clothes can pick up burrs, which we simply clean off. But George de Mestral, while walking in the forest, paid attention to this phenomenon. While examining burrs under a microscope, he uncovered the principle behind Velcro.

To draw ideas from everything around you—unpleasant people, opponents, the world itself—you need to be an active listener, fully immersing yourself in your surroundings, and treat every moment as an opportunity for growth. Is this useful for an ordinary person?

Answer: An ordinary person will not benefit much from that. You truly need to be a Fleming or Einstein to notice such peculiarities of manifestations in nature to see something special in them that is interesting and warrants study.

How many people have cleaned mold from their dishes and pots? So what? You have to be a scientist to think: “What is this interesting formation? Why does it occur? What is the reason?”

For this, you need either to be a scientist or have an eccentric mindset—that happens too, but it is rare. Only then can you see a natural phenomenon and realize that it could inspire the creation of something, like a machine.

Comment: You have said that people in the society of the future will be valued for their inner beauty, involvement, and kind attitude. Right now, however, people seem to do the opposite; they focus on themselves, their own thoughts and emotions, and ignores what is happening around them.

My Response: That is actually good.

Question: Can the cognitive disinhibition of scientists help an ordinary person learn the inner beauty we need to achieve?

Answer: No, it cannot. That is not the way to achieve it. Humanity progresses very simply—only negative events lead to positive outcomes. If I see that something seriously hinders me, only then will I transition from it to something positive. That is the law of negation.

Therefore, there is no easy path to good outcomes for people. Only our negative discoveries about our lives, relationships, and everything within us will serve as a driving force for fostering better relationships.

Question: Can it not happen the other way around?

Answer: It is impossible! It is a law of nature. You need to argue more often. You must provoke such states deliberately, so you can later achieve better relationships.

Question: What does it mean to deliberately provoke?

Answer: “Let’s argue!” You cannot imagine how much this will free you from negative energy and how much you will uncover in a friendly way. And it must be friendly! Because you did not want to argue, but are now discussing things openly.

You start saying truthful things to one another and perceiving them in an entirely different way. In principle, you do not see each other as enemies, opponents, or adversaries. That is why you will perceive objections and remarks differently, in a friendly manner. It will become difficult to object to one another.

Comment: When we act friendly, there really is no inner defensiveness. A person becomes open to what the other is saying.

Answer: Exactly. Try combining these two approaches, and you will see how successful you become and how much less you argue for real.

Comment: People argue over trivial things because they simply do not hear each other.

Answer: No, it is not trivial! Never think that. Inside, there is a serious contradiction. A trivial matter is just a trigger that brings this state out, like in a war—something seemingly insignificant ignites the whole situation. But, in reality, a massive amount of explosive material has been building up inside.

Sports function this way, to defuse tension.

We need to reach a breaking point, an explosion, and only then can we continue developing positive relationships. Without these explosions, it is impossible. Without a moment of hatred, we cannot move toward the next degree of cooperation. It is a law! There is nothing you can do—it is a law.

There can be no good without evil. We must properly manage both states.

Question: How can a person value evil as the starting point for achieving good?

Answer: By treating both equally. Only then can we maintain balance, approach life correctly, and use both the positive and the negative to advance along our life’s path.

Question: How can this be done

Answer: By rising above both the bad and the good.

How? Only in the right environment with the science of Kabbalah can we transcend our nature. Then you will be able to manage it.
[259229]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 1/25/20

Related Material:
Life Is A Continuous Movement Forward
The Force Of Good And The Force Of Evil, Part 2
Understanding The Goal Of Life

Question: A British movie called Before We Disappear dynamically changes scenes and storylines based on audience feedback. It uses technology to analyze audience reactions and adapts the story depending on the viewers emotional engagement.

If we could program the storyline of our own lives the way we want instead of being dictated by circumstances, could there be an interesting development of events?

Answer: Only a very egoistic person would think about controlling the world in this way. After all, I live in a world where billions of other people also exist. If I want to change myself, my existence, my life path, I inevitably would influence the destinies of everyone else. I cannot act solely based on what I want without affecting others.

Thinking about it is, of course, possible, but it is absolutely unrealistic and will never work! What could work is this: If I wish well for everyone, always think and act in ways that benefit everyone and I know what “good” truly means without making mistakes, then I can positively influence the world.

Question: What if it is not just one person but everyone who wants to do good so that everyone benefits?

Answer: For that to happen, we need to reveal the bigger picture—the fact that we are all interconnected, part of one network, and there is no escaping from each other!

If even in my thoughts I wish something negative for others, even just a little, I am already distorting the entire system of our connections. The system then turns back to me, the one who caused this distortion, and forces me to correct it. It bends me back into place. That is why we are all so unhappy.

We all try to bend each other to our will, but the system works differently, it bends us because each of us creates faulty connections.

Question: What percentage of people would need to desire to develop a caring scenario for this system to change?

Answer: It depends, are we talking about a specific country or the world as a whole? But, in principle, it is possible. Even in a particular region or group of people if they truly desire it. However, this requires changing the individual. And a person can only be changed through education. Without a serious educational system and a thoughtful approach to people, it will not happen.

How can you even approach people with this? First, they need the desire for it. Today, such desires are slowly forming.

Only then can you approach people and share what you have. And what do I have? I have the key to happiness, not just any happiness, but eternal, perfect happiness! At this point, people become bewildered: “What eternal, perfect happiness? I do not even want to open my eyes in the morning.”

Question: Can a person desire this on their own?

Answer: To do so they would need to go through very serious trials.

Comment: This leads to a very pessimistic scenario.

My Response: I am not pessimistic because the program of nature exists and it will lead us to this outcome. I only wish to soften its course. That is all! I have no pessimism whatsoever. I act, I believe, to the fullest extent possible.

Comment: It is a life’s work. When people dedicate themselves to their life’s work, they draw inexhaustible motivation from the process itself.

My Response: You might think that a Kabbalist has endless energy, that their inner volcano is constantly bubbling and erupting with steam through its summit.

Question: So what is the constant driving force for a Kabbalist?

Answer: Only one thing—direct connection with the Creator who governs everything and with whom you must constantly feel mutual action, a partnership.
[230485]
From KabTV’s “News with Dr. Michael Laitman” 6/8/18

Related Material:
To Change The World
A Small Step For A Person, A Giant Step For Humanity
Can I Manage The World?