Description

Prof. Ervin Laszlo talks with Rav Michael Laitman, PhD about the need for a critical mass of people to affect positive global change.

Transcript

Critical Mass
(December 2006)

Dr. Laitman: You travel and participate in various conferences, congresses and all kinds of forums. You meet various people from kings to the simplest people, in all countries. Does it seem to you that awareness is really awakening in people and they are beginning to be aware of the catastrophe we're facing? Do they realize that we need to transform human nature; or do they think that it is enough to repair the flaws we cause nature through technology?
Prof. Ervin Lazlo: I can't say that very many people recognize the depth of change that is required. But many people are willing to change and are beginning to change. I think it comes because a wisdom has to grow also. As people are beginning to change, perhaps they'll see that they have to go further. Not long ago, I participated in a conference on survey what we call the 'culture creatives'-that's a new culture; they're trying to live responsibly. And it turns out that there are many more people worldwide; there may be one fourth of the adult population in America already trying to live in a more responsible way. Over a third of the Italian population-as we just found out in a survey that we conducted-it is very important to bring this just below the level of awareness, just important to bring it up to above the level of awareness so that they finally-this kind of a movement-can create a weight and can take off, it can spread, it needs to spread in the world.
Dr. Laitman: So it means that we essentially turn to the middle layer of society. We don't turn to those that are total failures, nor to the rich who have no concern for anything; rather we turn to these two or three billion people who on the one hand can face this problem, and on the other hand are ready to hear about change.
Prof. Ervin Lazlo: What we talk about is a critical mass. We don't know how many people have to change for it to spread, but I'm sure that the work you are doing contributes to bringing about the critical mass. I just now came back from India, where I was living with a famous Indian leader who is convinced that maybe it takes sixty-four thousand people in different parts of the world who will create a critical mass. So we don't know, but the fact is that when people begin to think differently, begin to act differently, that has an effect on others-it spreads.
Dr. Laitman: Mmm hmm. As far as I understand, we have to create a worldwide educational channel and try to reach every single person so as to guide the step-by-step gradual and phased progress. Actually, we need to present a new education to humanity. In your opinion, isn't this basically the essence of our influence over the world that would bring it to correction? Isn't this raising of awareness dependent upon explanation and education?
Prof. Ervin Lazlo: Yes, absolutely. Education and information. I mean, education should be based on relevant information, but very often it is not. The problems that we are facing-individual and above all collectively-are not part of the standard curriculum in schools. They should be there already in grade schools and in high schools. They're not even there in universities. We are now trying to create another university, an alternative university, called the World University, where these kind of problems and solutions will be discussed. But education is the safest way, but it's also the slowest; it's relatively slow because it takes years for people to go through the system. Information and informal education or adult education, if you like, is a much faster way. So I think here, using the Internet, using all the modern telecommunications technologies to talk to people, to discuss it with them and to help them... Not so much to educate them, but to enter into a dialogue with them so that we can learn from each other; we can enter, insert that element of wisdom that you are inserting through the Kabbalah. I'm trying to insert using wisdom from the sciences. I think that we have to insert that element and then begin a dialogue; and the dialogue will develop and spread, because the ground is ripe, the times are mature. We know that change has to occur and therefore we must start the process.