Well, You Know-We All Want to Change the World

Most people agree that there is a general crisis in the world. Gas prices are soaring, people around the world are unable to afford the bare necessities of life, and stories of hatred and terrorism dominate the news. We have reached the point where our exploitation of the earth's resources may threaten the existence of humanity. For the first time in history, parents no longer expect that their children will have it better and easier than they had it. Optimism about the future is at an all time low.

It's not that we haven't tried to solve these problems. After decades of warfare, the generation of the late 60's and 70's popularized social reform. This reform movement branched into environmental activism, social liberation, and many other movements. Yet for all the efforts of Feed the Children and Greenpeace, the world only plunges deeper into social hatred and environmental catastrophe. In the words of John Lennon, "You better change your mind instead."

In the world, there are a growing number of people who are looking for new answers. They feel a true desire to love others, and often have a nameless longing for something that they can't quite identify and which never seems to be satisfied. In Kabbalah this desire is called "a point in the heart." This is the little spark inside that causes a person to tirelessly search for the purpose of life. This is a person who no longer finds fulfillment from the pleasures of the world, and who may even have given up on saving the environment. Yet there is an inner light that burns and pushes these people to keep searching for meaning. The future of humanity rests in the hands of these people.

Kabbalah tells us that before we can save the world, we must first change ourselves. The first step is to engage in serious inner work. This inner work consists of examining the self and one's own ego, observing the way one reacts to the world and exploring the reasons behind these reactions. The reality is that everything we do is for our own self benefit. While this realization is disturbing, it is precisely what is needed in order to motivate us to change.

Through this exploration, the point in the heart grows, and the nameless desire that one feels becomes more and more specific. It is a desire to feel truly connected to others, to be able to love and be loved. This requires us to change our nature through a process called "correction." Instead of acting for personal benefit, we will only act when it benefits others. This is not the altruism we know in our world, where we still receive a benefit, even if it is only feeling good about ourselves. It is also not false martyrdom - "see how generous I am, even though it means that I suffer." No, it is a complete transformation of our nature so that the only thing we care about is the rest of humanity.

When we are able to do this, Kabbalists tell us that a whole new reality will open before us. In this reality, we will be able to see the connections between all the events in the world. By changing ourselves, we will also change everything in the external world, and the crises of the world will be resolved.

We cannot save the environment by giving money to Greenpeace. We cannot make others love each other, until we ourselves love each other. The only way change will ever happen is if all the points in the heart take it upon themselves to work on inner correction. It might sound impossible, but it is really like a wave that reaches critical mass and washes away everything in its path. Internal correction creates a chain reaction of complete and authentic change throughout the entire system. It is the responsibility of everyone with a point in the heart to do this work, or change will not happen.

Like John Lennon said, "Don't you know it's gonna be alright." In our times, the method of correction, Kabbalah, is available to all points in the heart. We must gather together to create that wave of critical mass, thereby transforming the world into one of mutual love and support.