What You See Is Who You Are

How do you use Kabbalah to turn egoism into altruism? From a Kabbalistic point of view, the first thing to do is to realize that the corruption and egoism you see in the world around you are reflections of yourself on the inside. Let’s see how.

In Chapter 3, we discussed the nature of perception. We said that the five human senses cannot perceive everything and that Kabbalah develops a sixth sense, or Kli, which is the intention to use the desire to receive in order to give to the Creator.

We also showed how the senses perceive not the thing itself, but a personal interpretation of the thing, according to our qualities. On that basis, we suggested that what you perceive is influenced, if not determined, by what you already know, and what you experience is on the inside, not on the outside.

So what you and I see outside, in society, is really a reflection of our internal states, not an external reality. You and I are the society in which we live. As we’ll see in the next chapter, the best thing you can do about the maladies of the world is to change yourself.

Before we head in that direction, however, one last look at human desire is necessary to clarify how our evolving desire is not only part of the problem, but also the solution.

_____________________________________________________________

Off Course

Correction works only from the inside out. We shouldn’t fall into the trap of thinking that by changing our social and ecological environment we will be making any real change. As long as we haven’t corrected our egoism, the world cannot truly be a better place.

___________________________________________________________________