“2020- An Odd, Yet Wonderful Year” (Linkedin)

 My new article on Linkedin “2020- An Odd, Yet Wonderful Year”

As a kabbalist, I think that 2020 has been the best year in all the years that I recall. It is the year when humanity began to shake off and get rid of everything it had in the former life: chasing after money, excessive self-indulgence, and other forms of taking where our only thought was about reception, and nothing else. In this year, nature came and slapped us, commanded us to stop, and we had no choice but to go home and quarantine ourselves. The pandemic forced us to think about life, or at least get rid of the previous life, and this is why it’s been so good.

For humanity, I think that 2020 will be remembered as an odd year, “the year of the blow.” It is a year that stopped everyone’s regular life, when people went to work, entertained themselves, traveled, and so forth. I think people will remember that all of a sudden, this blow came, the special virus that forbade them to come out of the house, run around wherever they want, shut down movie theatres, even parks, occasionally, restaurants, and bars. In other words, the virus shut down the rat race that forced us to look at others and want to do the same.

The drive to go to bars, movies, travel, and so forth is not inherent in us. What is inherent in us is the drive to be like everyone else. If I see that others are doing something and they tell me that it’s good, I am compelled to do the same. We are a herd.

But who is the shepherd? The shepherds are the people with money and power who want to manipulate us into going to movie theatres, bars, and restaurants, to travel and engage in various activities that are lucrative for them, and which give them power.
This way of life is over, thankfully. We will not be as before. Even if we see people trying to return to the previous way of life, it won’t work. It won’t be the same, won’t feel the same, and even if we travel, dine out, and do everything we did before, we won’t be able to enjoy it like we did. It will seem pathetic, empty, lame.

Nature is teaching us to change our relation to our lives, to natural treasures, and to human society. Bit by bit, we will see that the Covid-19 pandemic is changing us. The year 2020 is indeed a very special year; it is the year of the birth of the new humanity.