The Divine Conspiracy

If nature were oriented toward self-benefit as we humans are, our bodies would instantly disintegrate. Instead, nature is inherently altruistic, and this is what enables life. But if nature is altruistic for its own benefit, why aren’t we?

The financial collapse is inevitable. In a profit-oriented society, someone will always gain and someone will always lose. And because those who gain become more powerful, it is easy for them to gain more: more money and more power, at the expense of others. This trend exists in all societies on earth, hence the majority of wealth and power is always concentrated in the hands of a small minority.

It would be reasonable to assume that this social deformation is a result of corrupt people, regime, or social structure. But the fact remains that whatever the regime, whatever the social structure, and whomever the people in power, they all perpetuate the same basic pattern by which a small, wealthy, and powerful minority controls the destiny of the majority.

The Challenge of a Non-Profit Society

This brings up the question: “Can we create a just and sustainable social structure that is not based on the desire for profit?” The answer is “No.” The desire for profit is inherent in human nature; it is the underlying motivation behind everything we do.

In truth, the desire for profit is another way of asking, “What’s in it for me?” Without some gain, we would not be able to lift a finger, much less create a sustainable social structure. In fact, the desire to gain, and especially the desire for superiority is so inherent in us, it seems as though there is a Divine conspiracy here, a built-in structure, devised in such a way that we cannot defeat it because it is our very nature.

If you examine the writings of contemporary Kabbalists such as Baal HaSulam and others, you will find that they’ve all acknowledged this conundrum and have been pointing out this inherent flaw in human nature for centuries. Moreover, Baal HaSulam stated that if we do not find an alternative motive for action, we will end up in total chaos. The resulting political turmoil will produce fascist regimes, and the consequent collisions between countries will culminate in a third and even a fourth nuclear world war.

While these predictions seemed far-fetched when they were first written, about 60 years ago, today they seem far too likely for us to brush them off.

Sharing the Wealth

The crisis, according to Kabbalah, is not in the breakdown of the monetary system. The crisis is simply a symptom of our inherent self-centered nature. Therefore, the solution to all crises, including the current one, is to change our nature from profit-oriented to sharing-oriented.

If we could just change our orientation from self-benefit to collective-benefit, we could not only create a naturally collaborative society, but the collective itself would guarantee the well-being of every individual within it. In other words, we would not have to fend for ourselves; the whole of society would do that for us, and we, in turn, would do so for the whole of society.

In such a society, all regulating mechanisms, armed forces, law enforcement, and tax collection will be redundant. Crime will not exist because no one will want to hurt another person. On the contrary, people will wish only to share and give. Naturally, a huge amount of resources and people will be freed to engage in socially beneficial enterprises. Within a few years, the world will be so profoundly different that we will look back to our former days of exploiting others in disbelief, marveling at how blind we once were!

Man: A Unique Being in the Universe

To change human nature from inherently egotistical to inherently integral, we need a method that is unrelated to us and not subsidiary to our current selfish modus operandi. This is where the wisdom of Kabbalah comes to our aid. Kabbalah is a science that shows how the already-existing integral structures in nature apply to individuals and to human society at large.

In the whole of nature, humans are the only self-centered being. Atoms, molecules, cells, and organs all collaborate in greater systems than themselves. So do plants and animals. Everything in nature is perfectly fitted to its place in the system - except man.

You might ask, “Then why were we built in contrast to the system to begin with?” The answer is, “There is no other way to learn about a system while you are in it.”

The purpose of our lives is not to dominate others, but to understand and become consciously integrated in the inclusive nature through caring for others as we care for ourselves. The wisdom of Kabbalah is the wisdom of integration. Its techniques allow us to gradually learn our place in the universe. Step by step, it ushers us towards integrating with it.

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