Hello to all of our friends around the world.
Today, we are starting an essential series. We will be studying a book I wrote, but it doesn't only contain only my original content; it also includes teachings from the sages of Israel throughout the generations.
The book is called "Brit Shalom" in Hebrew. As you know, this book has already been translated into 18 languages. It serves as a kind of book of Jewish law intended for all people worldwide. The book is also known as the "Shulhan Arukh for the children of Noah."
Although the book is brief, it encompasses several topics. Today, we will focus on a non-legal subject. We will be learning the introduction I wrote. So, let's examine what is said here.
Humanity today numbers around seven billion people. Since first I wrote this, we may have already moved closer to eight billion. Humanity has never reached such proportions before. The constructive forces hidden within this large population are immense. At the same time, however, the destructive forces are also great. Today, we are in a situation where the world can either develop in a positive direction or be destroyed in a very short time. We are, therefore, at a very significant historic moment where there is both danger and great potential. The future is uncertain; everything depends on human behavior, whether people direct their powers towards building true happiness or the destruction the results from pursuing false happiness.
There is a tremendous struggle today over the question of the values by which we should live our lives. In other words, contemporary struggles differ from those of the past. Today, the battle is not about power and who controls, exploits, or oppresses. Instead, the struggles are about which values we should follow. Are they the values of liberal Western democracy, the values of Islam, or the values of Eastern spirituality? Many contenders are offering their values. This struggle is commonly referred to today as the clash of civilizations. The primary battle is between the various facets of the Western world and the Islamic world.
The offshoots of this struggle are evident in other processes, such as the rise of the status of Far Eastern culture and New Age culture from the other side of the world. The significant changes humanity has undergone in the last few centuries, some of which have advanced the world beyond recognition, have also created confusion and emptiness. The bloody world wars have added to the despair of finding a meaningful future for humanity.
Although this sounds pessimistic, next time, we will continue to explore what solution might be available to us.
