Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman responds to questions from Oren Levi, which emerged after a research on rats showed that rats that had more of a genetic connection were able to better cooperate. The following is a loose transcript of the talk… Oren Levi: Do man’s genes determine the measure to which he can cooperate with others? Kabbalist Dr. Michael Laitman: Cooperation passes through the genes, but it is not ordinary genetics like with rats. Oren Levi: Who is there to blame when a person has bad genes and he is more antisocial, apathetic, and won't cooperate with others? Dr. Laitman: The person is to blame for not getting ahead with the cure. A person can release himself through his attitude toward others. It starts with the understanding, "I need to reach a state where I care about others. Others also need to care for their friends." In the quality of cooperation each of us is a wrong-doer. We're all egoists and all of us need to correct ourselves, to invert ourselves from reception to bestowal. Everyone will have to perform this correction. When a person who was born with poor cooperation genes inverts himself, he will be better than everyone. But he'll have some hard work to do: the greater the minus, the bigger the plus. Nature did not screw anyone up, so to speak. Everyone has the ability to invert themselves from minus to plus, and by doing so, discover their spiritual world. To the measure he loves everyone, he starts feeling that he is in the world of the Creator. What does that feel like? God's world. A person loves everyone, understands everyone, feels everyone. This person treats everyone in a good and nice way, seeing themselves as a means to help others. The person is enjoying himself all the time because he can bestow. He or she can give to everyone, and that's unlimited, that's heaven. Everyone can be that way. Not only is there hope for everyone but everyone has to go through this.

How can organizations ensure that employees at every level feel important and appreciated? While hierarchy is necessary, it can lead to comparison, competition, and separation between higher, middle, and lower workers. These obstacles can be overcome if everyone is included in working together toward a common goal. Management should hold regular talks to emphasize that mutual benefit can be achieved only through the efforts and participation of every worker and all will prosper through working together. All are equal participants toward accomplishing the goal, and even simple work is essential. We are all mutually dependent, each one does their part for the good of the whole, and recognizes the value of each one’s unique contribution. Everyone is responsible for creating an environment where everyone is valued, where each one is greeted as a friend by all the others. Upon entering the gate of the workplace, each one should peel off all their shells and enter with a warm heart and uplifted spirits for having been granted the opportunity to work together in common purpose.

Being equal to others is generally not enough for us; rather, we want to stand out, to be unique and different in some way. If not, if we compare ourselves to others and measure our worth as “less than” or “not enough,” we feel great suffering. We measure ourselves through the eyes of others. We need to look for how we can give our unique gifts to others. If we help and love those around us, no one will stand in our way. There is room for everyone. Even a small contribution is important since it joins with others’ contributions to create success for the whole. The most successful people are those who properly arrange their mutual connection with others. If we pay attention to where our gifts can match others’ lacks, there is no doubt that our lives will be lifted by the appreciation of others for the positive effect we have on our environment. By recognizing each one’s specific offering, we become equal partners in attaining the goal, and by our mutual help we will reach the top.

A conversation between Rav, Dr. Michael Laitman and the "Kabbalah for All" writers team

Today, as never before in history, we experience internal pressure to fulfill our growing desires. We are never content, always trying to outdo others, which leads to great stress and dissatisfaction. Although we have unprecedented abundance, the experience of satisfaction disappears as soon as our desires are met and only emptiness remains. According to the wisdom of Kabbalah we can find fulfillment only if we connect to each other and nourish each other. We need to learn together how to receive pleasure through fulfilling the desires of others, to connect to others so that the more we give the more we are filled. If we can think about others and not about ourselves, we will feel emotionally balanced, tranquil, and internally elated.

Previously we have spoken of the modern world appearing as hostile and unpredictable to humanity. Scientists believe that as a result of this, humans have experienced a shift in decision-making processes, and they inform us that we are becoming more definitive. More precisely, seeing things either as black or white. There is no gray area—no room for normality—it is all extremity. Such examples as to whether something is moral or not, does God exist or not, is there a need for the death penalty or not. Scientists state that humanity is on the verge of grave tribulations and will need wisdom and negotiating skills instead of jumping to conclusions—learn to live by rules of peaceful coexistence, even though it is apparent that we know less of how to live in this manner. While this is correct, I see the future as awful for humanity, one of intense repercussions and dramatic reactions that impact humanity. We probably are not able to escape them. Baal HaSulam, one of the acclaimed kabbalists, wrote that a third and even fourth nuclear world war is possible. If we do not listen to what the science of Kabbalah requires for us to do, then only disaster and blows can change us. Nature urges us to realize the evil inclination of our human nature so we may begin to change. Such is the law of nature. It will not change but only manifest itself increasingly before us. It has to be felt on our skins, on ourselves, that we hold the evil inclination within. It is impossible to bypass this step. Nature will keep combing our flesh raw with a rake, and there is nothing we will be able to do about it. We will need to reach the realization of the full depth of our terrible egotistical self and the need to change it, even of our own volition. Suffering will make this happen. We must arrive at a point and ask that nature change us internally in our inner qualities, in our minds. Why does nature drive us into such a dilemma? After all, realizing and drawing conclusions from the quality of our inferior nature can be relatively easy. Almost everyone will agree that human nature is cruel, and that we are incapable of holding positive relations. We cannot and will never be able to change on our own. It requires systematic kabbalistic education to explain how to invoke nature’s positive forces on us all. Over several years, these benevolent forces will gradually bring about changes in us. It all depends upon the extent to which we can draw these forces into our lives, wishing for them to implement these changes. A happy ending is possible, but we cannot jump to it. We can soberly look at what is happening and keep trying to raise human awareness. We can do nothing but constantly and sensibly add in such a direction. It will eventually sprout over time and with a lot of effort, drop by drop.

Nature creates generation gaps so that humanity will advance. It is impossible to convey the wisdom of life to younger generations, so we need to establish an environment that reflects positive values. If an adult has a desire to give, he should try to learn what is good for the young person and give that. A parent should be close to his child, like a friend, so that he can speak to him freely about everything without moralizing or criticizing. Only love can help us communicate and bridge the generation gap. We should show a child that if he does something wrong, he makes us change our attitude toward him. There is a wide pipeline between our child and us through which love constantly flows, but the key to the tap is in the hands of the child.

The education system needs to teach children how to behave in relationships. Children who grow up in families with violent communication will likely feel insecure and want to escape. They should withdraw from their violent family environments in order to succeed in building new, corrected patterns. They need positive examples to learn from. The first principle we should teach is the principle of equality. If someone relates to us with verbal violence, we reflect the same back to them, like a mirror image, so they will feel their need for correction. Behind the principle of equality, there is a desire to be built by each other, to build the right patterns for ourselves.

Children need to be encouraged to not harm anyone and that, if we preserve our environment and the integrality of nature, we will gain from it. We need to tell children the extent to which we are infinitely connected to nature and emphasize the unity between the forces of nature. We educate them by giving examples and then explaining. We should first ruin as little as possible and then see how we can better our environment. We avoid doing unnecessary things and, by the mere fact that we don’t destroy anything, we already start building. Examining and determining my attitude to everything that happens in advance, from every angle, before we act, is what we need to learn from life.

In a corrected life, we scrutinize the conflicts between us with the intention of reaching love and peace above them. In order to quarrel correctly, we need to learn the method of relationships that is explained in the wisdom of Kabbalah. Men and women are innately different. Quarrels should be regarded as the necessary revelation of each one’s nature in contrast and opposition to the nature of another. The natural gap between them can be bridged when we openly express our preferences, respect each other’s views, set a good examples for one another, and establish mutual understanding.

A long time before kids leave home, we need to get them used to calling their parents once a day and visiting them weekly. It is important for the parents to share what they go through, to show that they care, to ask questions, and to set an example. The parents should prepare their children for the phase of leaving home and raise them to be independent. Kids who have not received the right preparation for life will feel weak, and will find it hard to build themselves and establish a connection with a life partner. Parents should give their children a sense of security, guidance, and a feeling that we are always there for them.

In an emotionally balanced family, the members of the family know how to get along with each other and how to help each other. The emotional balance of each individual in a family depends on the family as a whole. Children who grow up in a connected environment know how to relate to others correctly, are comfortable to live with, and don’t invade anyone’s space. A child can cause a family to lose its balance and upset the general atmosphere. Parents should show that they are not impressed by a child’s extreme behavior. They should set an example by the kind of attitude that they show to others and by keeping their own emotional balance. The parents’ goal is to show that there is a limit to any emotion or relationship.