by Stayaway from Bnei Baruch

Created on: May 30, 2009   Last Updated: May 31, 2009

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

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