Kabbalah and Science: A Journey with the Same Destination

Empedocles, a pre-Socratic philosopher who lived in Greece in 490-430 BC, had a very interesting theory: he proposed powers called Love and Strife that act as forces to bring about the mixture and separation of elements. In fact, in this theory he grasped the essence of what animates nature: attraction and repulsion. These forces control everything in the universe, from the most simple and basic movements to the most complex ones such as electrons in sub-nuclear levels or even the behavior of men.

If we transfer this theory to quantum physics, which is concluding that every little thing in the Universe is connected, we can infer that there is a force that unites everything, and this force can be called "love."

In Kabbalah, the force that connects, attracts and unites is called bestowal or altruism. Everything that exists in nature works under this law or force. The sun, for example, makes life possible with its heat and light; the moon dictates the tides; the grass grows without sacrifice to feed animals. Everything has its purpose and everything lives in perfect harmony for the sake of the whole. When a lion eats a deer, the deer doesn't think the lion is cruel, nor does the lion feel guilt for hurting the deer. Both act without question according to their inherent nature, and as a result, the ecosystem stays in balance.

If everything is so perfect why is there so much suffering on Earth? All the suffering is created by us, human beings. While nature works in bestowal or altruism (the force that connects everything), men work in egoism (the force that separates everything). Therefore, we have two opposite forces running together in the same place: nature is trying to connect and we are trying to separate. This antagonism causes pain and suffering.

Kabbalah teaches that the source of this suffering is the egoism that acts in this world as a force of repulsion. In nature, everything takes only what it needs for survival and passes everything else on for others. In this way, harmony is maintained and there is enough for all. On the other hand, we function egoistically, thinking only about self benefit. We want more and more of everything, not caring about the impact on the whole. As a result, we have wars, famine, diseases, violence, and the resultant suffering.

How can we change the way we understand this world in order to avoid this 'repulsion' we are experiencing these days? We first have to change our perception of reality. Have you ever seen the Magic Eye 3D puzzles? At first glance, these look like colorful repeating patterns of dots. If you let your eyes go out of focus, however, a three dimensional picture pops out. Nothing has changed but the perspective of the viewer.

Kabbalists tell us that the same happens with our world. When we operate based on our egoistic nature, we perceive a world filled with suffering. If we change our human nature to operate on nature's altruistic programming, then the picture we perceive will be completely different. We will see how our actions affect everyone else on the planet, and we will care more for their well being than for our own. With this new perspective, we will make different choices on how to live.

This sounds wonderful in theory, but is it realistic? Science has already come to the conclusion that everything in the universe is interconnected, but can we realize this same connection on a personal and social level? Kabbalah provides us with a methodology to attain this state of connection and bestowal. In doing so, we will finally be able to understand the true purpose of our lives. We will merge with the force Empedocles called "Love," and "Strife" will disappear.