The Magic Influence Of The Environment

Question: World War II veterans recall that during the early days of war they were uplifted, full of excitement and joy. However, when the real clashes began, all this changed to horror.

Answer: I myself watched the joy and turn to terror during the military actions I participated in, in this country (Israel). The exhilaration was quickly replaced by a desire to make it all end quickly. This is actually the case. And people can’t explain it.

Anybody can be transformed under the influence of the environment; one easily can be stopped from doing what he used to enjoy previously.

Take the anti-smoking campaign for example. I am a smoker too, so I can tell how it affects people. Many quit smoking. Thirty or forty years ago, everyone was smoking everywhere, in all public places: on buses, on the streets, and in buildings. It was normal and it caused no objections. Strangely enough, people didn’t even pay attention to the fact that everyone around them smoked!

Today, it’s prohibited to smoke even at bus stations, sometimes even in the street, not to mention cafes or any other public places.

In other words, we see that, if a society sets a certain objective, the environment influences a person to the extent that it can change even his firm habits such as smoking. Everyone realizes how important it is to a smoker to have a cigarette, and yet, people quit smoking.

If we only could “tune up” our society toward the changes that would lead us to integral growth and unity, we would certainly succeed! The problem is to make quite a stir—governmental and international programs—aimed at implementing integral liaisons among us. Otherwise, we will still have to go through this process but in a dramatic way.
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From a “Talk on Integral Upbringing” 5/25/12