Generation Gap, Part 1

Question: The eternal topic: fathers and sons—the gap between generations. Why are we so different and do not understand each other? Every 10-15 years a new generation comes, and it is different from the former by its perception of the world. What will help us live in peace with each other with all the differences of views?

Essentially, the generation of fathers has built the entire material basis for our lives, and succeeding generations are less and less compelled to engage in materiality and are more committed to internal human research. How deep in reality is the gap between generations?

Answer: The gap between generations needs to be measured not in quantitative indicators, but in qualitative ones. And this is very difficult because to assess the quality you need to measure the deficiencies: What is this generation aspires for, what is most important for it, that is, what is its scale of priorities?

If we take clear, basic desires: food, sex, family, money, power, and knowledge and measure at what level they stand in each generation and what their priorities are, then we can compose a picture of each generation. But I do not think that someone was engaged in such research.

The wisdom of Kabbalah studies human desires, but does not compare generation to generation. For it, this is not so important. We know that humanity is constantly moving forward, in fact, approaching a great crisis.  

In the end, desires for food, sex, family, money, power, and knowledge will not give a person any fulfillment, and he will want to develop above them. The wisdom of Kabbalah is intended to help in this.

And as long as humanity will not engage in such development of man, he may get stuck in ephemeral material desires for many years and even centuries. We always think that at the next level of desire we will grasp the essence of our life. As if it is there in wealth, in honor, in knowledge that the mystery of life lies, and that by revealing it, we will become happy.

So humanity gradually ripens, until it finally gets disillusioned in all its development, which essentially spun between these six basic desires. But we can shorten the time required for our development. We already see that development leads us to a global crisis, leaving a person completely devastated and swearing that it is better to die than live such a life.

A person cannot live without pleasure, but modern man will not be able to receive pleasure because the egoistic desire completed its development. Man is left without desires, in despair, and does not know where to continue further. But Kabbalah explains that all human evolution from the very beginning was absolutely a lost cause.

Realizing this, we reduce our ordeals for many hundreds of years and avoid wars, disputes, great suffering, and tragedies on the level of individual, the family, and the state. With the help of integral education, Kabbalah can lead humanity to realization of all its mistakes, without having to go through them all on its own skin.

And this is what Kabbalah advises people: give a person the right education as soon as possible so that he understands that the race for six material idols: food, sex, family, money, honor, and knowledge does not promise any success. Then this race will be short, thought through, and will quickly end, giving a beneficial result, that is, leading to the realization of evil.
[205649]
From KabTV’s “New Life” #851, 4/17/17