What is The Meaning of Life?

Today we are in a very beautiful and good state. Humanity is beginning to see the end of a period of its development by the ego; by the forces of the mind and heart, thought, and desire, which our ego pushes for development. We have developed throughout history from sticks and wheels, to all kinds of devices that are really very sophisticated and complex.

We travelled to the moon, went down to the depths of the sea, and we are very special in painting, in music, and other creations. We build towers that are almost a mile high. We can literally circle the earth in ships and planes. There is apparently no limit to our ability to organize a good life for ourselves.

At the same time, we see how our nature that pushed us to all this development, also pushed us in the development of our negative behaviour. Somehow, everything we develop eventually turns out to be bad for us. Everything we have developed from even the most material form to the most spiritual form in human society is all ultimately not intended for the benefit of man.

Why is this happening? Because our foundation is bad.

We have common sense, we have emotion, we have a lot of good, potential abilities, with which we are able to do a lot of things; but somehow it is always directed against others. This is the expression of the principle of our nature, the foundation of human nature, which is called the “evil inclination.” Therefore, we get to a point where we are desperate for our development. One has to understand matter-of-factly and see how much we actually need change here, and how we have no control over our nature.

Here we come to the uniqueness of our time where all the preparations we have gone through so far, were meant for this moment.

We are entering the beginning of a process of consciousness awakening, which is why more internal questions arise:

What do I live for?

What is the purpose of life?

What is the essence of life?

What is the meaning of life?

The question of what is the purpose of life must take us to qualitative development, meaning focusing on our human development. This is about learning to transcend the ego by connecting with all other human beings. Then we reach a completely different standard of living, called spirituality. This transition is just like a new birth.

In practical terms, to the extent that we connect, then in the power of our union, in the power of connection between us, we release the positive forces from nature that affect us in a positive manner. Then in the gap between the forces that separate us, and the forces that connect us; in the gap between these two forces — we feel new life. This allows us to exist above these limitations.

In doing so we acquire the ability to go against our nature, to build something that is contrary to our nature because all human nature is egoistic. And we want to open a new form of existence that is the opposite to the previous form. This form is called a spiritual form. We are moving to a different mindset: extroverted instead of introverted. Outside of us.

Beyond the limiting confines of the human ego, we will discover the meaning of life, and we will experience true freedom and fulfillment.

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“Thus, when we examine and thoroughly grasp the above plan, we will see that the whole difficulty lies in changing our nature from a desire to receive for ourselves, to a desire to bestow upon others, since those two things deny one another. At first glance, the plan seems imaginary, as something that is above human nature. But when we delve deeply into it, we will find that the contradiction from reception for oneself to bestowal upon others is nothing but a psychological matter, because, in fact, we do bestow upon others without benefiting ourselves. This is so because although self-reception manifests itself in us in various ways, such as property, possessions for pleasure of the heart, the eye, the pallet, etc., all those are defined by one name, “pleasure.” Thus, the very essence of reception for oneself that a person desires is nothing but the desire for pleasure.

And if this is so, then what does one receive during one’s life? If we assume that one obtains twenty percent of pleasure during his lifetime and eighty percent of pain, then if we put them one opposite the other, there would still remain sixty percent of suffering unrewarded.
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But this is all a private calculation, as when one works for oneself. But in a global calculation, the individual produces more than he takes for his own pleasure and sustenance. Thus, if the direction were to change from self-reception to bestowal, the individual will enjoy the entire produce he produces without much pain.”

Baal HaSulam – Peace in The World, Pain Vs. Pleasure in Self-Reception