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Question: How do I Overcome Self-Loathing Due to the Recognition of the Evil Inclination?
I recently attended a workshop where we discussed the concept of “feeling the friends.” One of the excerpts we read, from Baal HaSulam’s “The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose,” delved into the idea of the evil inclination. The article explained that as we develop spiritually, we increasingly loathe our own egoism. The more developed we become, the more we reject our egoism and start to feel sparks of altruism.
Here is the excerpt:
“Baal HaSulam, ‘The Essence of Religion and Its Purpose’
The crass, undeveloped person does not recognize egoism as bad at all. Therefore, he uses it openly, without any shame or restraint, stealing and murdering in broad daylight wherever he can. The somewhat more developed sense some measure of their egoism as bad and are at least ashamed to use it in public, stealing and killing openly. But in secret, they still commit their crimes, but are careful that no one will see them.
The even more developed sense egoism as so loathsome that they cannot tolerate it in them and reject it completely, as much as they detect of it, until they cannot, and do not want to enjoy the labor of others. Then begin to emerge in them sparks of love of others, called ‘altruism,’ which is the general attribute of goodness.”
While I understand that recognizing and rejecting our egoism is a necessary part of spiritual development, I find myself in a miserable state, loathing myself for these traits. I know there is no mitzvah in suffering, but I feel stuck and unable to see beyond this stage. How can I navigate this difficult phase of development and move towards a more positive and altruistic mindset? Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated.
Is there any significance to the blue and white color scheme of KabU and Bnei Baruch or is it just Ravs favorite colors?
It seems like a “correlation, not causation” situation. I have heard in our sources that have pointed out that individuals are more malleable in the three states Todd mentions: confusion, mild intoxication, and fatigue. However, the key factor is not the substance itself but the state of mind—particularly, the state of decreasing intellectualization?
In my Group of 10, what should I do when no one shows up for our meetings? When I join a meeting and find no one there to participate in the workshop, it can be disheartening. Some friends have RSVPed to say they couldn’t make it, but the majority don’t inform the group at all. Should I become indifferent to their lack of communication and participation? It seems we are not supposed to criticize our friends. However, using the analogy of a parent with a child, a parent would not be indifferent but would actively encourage the child to participate. After having this conversation several times, what should I do? What is your advice for handling this situation?
In the morning lesson, there was exciting news about the development of the world Kli and the next steps of Bnei Baruch. It is very exciting to be part of the school right now. My impression from the lesson was that we are looking for ways to reach the next level of building community? In the 90s, Rav built community aimed at the study of wisdom, but now we are returning to focusing more on building community itself? There was a workshop where the organization asked for suggestions. So I wanted to contribute an idea if that’s OK.
One idea I had during this workshop was to use an analogous franchise model. A franchise model uses a playbook where the parent organization provides a business model to the franchisee for success. The franchisee runs the playbook and is responsible for that node within the greater organization. What if BB used a franchise model to grow the organization? Not to make money, but to expand the organization.
A franchise model emphasizes marketing, with a large initial marketing push to gain business. If Bnei Baruch had franchisees worldwide, those sub-franchises would handle local marketing. For example, I live in Michigan. A local Bnei Baruch franchise here would be responsible for local marketing to raise awareness of the organization’s goals, better understanding local market conditions. From my own experience, I would be more likely to get involved with a local spiritual organization than a global one I knew little about. This model could also enable groups to divide by regions, according to the franchise model.
Another key element of this franchise idea is developing a comprehensive playbook, detailing how to market to the local community, build local relationships, and divide labor to help Bnei Baruch grow. The franchise model is a proven method for exponential business growth. Regions could be divided to avoid overlap and ensure clear interactions between local nodes. The franchise model provides a reliable mechanism for scaling a single business.
The current state of technology supports this idea well. Imagine an AI-powered learning management system covering leadership, community, and theoretical training, all scalable and sophisticated. I’ve always dreamed of an electronic “My10” app. Instead of using Zoom or other platforms, this app would facilitate meetings with workshop suggestions and other features, available on iPhone or Android. It could also push workshop questions or articles globally. Although the current websites are fantastic, an app would streamline things towards 2024 standards. The app could cover all aspects of the world Kli, allowing instant global dissemination of workshops or exercises.
Returning to the franchise model, it was mentioned in the morning lesson that we need to engage younger people with the wisdom. A franchise model could use market research to develop a formula for reaching young people, possibly through targeted TikTok or Instagram messages. The content formula, rather than specific content, would be key for the BB Franchise Playbook. There are already many talented, professional participants in the school who are fully invested in its wisdom. They could help develop a market research-based franchise formula for one community, which could then be scaled up globally.
Anyway, I was watching the morning lesson and listening to the conversation and thought this could be a way to quickly scale with a proven model. Thanks!
