Are You Standing at a Crossroads in Your Life?

Michael Laitman
4 min readApr 8, 2024

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Two roads met at a crossroads, a narrow one and a wide one. The wide one said: “Look at yourself. You are covered in sharp rocks and crevices. Look at me: I am beautiful, smooth. Alongside me there are cafés, restaurants and villas.” It uttered, sighed and fell silent.

“Why did you suddenly go silent?” asked the narrow road. “Isn’t life good for you?”

“It is all well and good,” it replied, “but at the end of me lies an abyss, bottomless, dark and gloomy. People do not even suspect it. And those who do know about it, they just shrug it off. I am afraid of slipping into it one day. And you, how do you live?”

“It is tough!” sighed the narrow road. “And those who tread on me go uphill, it is not easy for them. But at the end of my path, up there on the hill, they are all so bright, joyful and happy. I want more than anything to be there.”

The roads conversed and went their separate ways. A man who heard it all remained at the crossroads. It is strange, but that man still stands there, pondering which road to take.

Indeed, that choice lies ahead of us.

Why does the man not take the narrow road? After all, he hears that it leads to paradise. However, that paradise will be somewhere and someday later. For the time being, there is a splendid road in front of him, which he walks down calmly. He might sit down at an establishment, like a restaurant or a café, grab a bite, rest a little, and then continue on. Life entices us with such options.

The man standing between the two roads, not knowing which one to take, remaining still and being torn in his indecision, hearing them reflect how one leads to hell and the other to paradise, reflects how we feel from one moment to the next.

While we are at such a crossroads at every moment of our lives, how can we decide which way to eventually go? We actually make no decision here. Rather, it is decided within nature’s program, known and predetermined, and we are led as we need to be.

Most importantly, we should agree with the decision that is made above us, to not be worried, and to connect with nature’s laws, program and supreme force in our lives. They will take us by the hand and lead us to where we need to go. We then obediently correct ourselves. We should thus agree with nature’s laws at every moment.

When we stop at this crossroads for a moment, we have to agree with nature’s laws and head where they lead us. Such a motion creates a straight line. A straight line is comprised of a curve at every point where there is a bend. At every point, we make a turn, which is why it becomes a straight line. In other words, we ourselves do not choose our path. It is chosen for us within nature’s program and plan, but we can continue drawing this line of agreement with nature.

Why should we reach this agreement time and again? It is because it is the only correct option. We do not set ourselves up for anything supernatural, or make any special decisions, but we simply wish to flow in life’s currents while agreeing with nature’s laws and plan because their guidance over our lives is inherently above our mind’s grasp.

Eventually, we reach the understanding that any decision we make to take a certain road that is not in agreement with nature will be a failed attempt. In such moments, we look like revolutionaries who think they can power forward with their egos at certain moments, only to later find emptiness and dissatisfaction in the direction that they seemingly chose.

Making a true revolution is when we agree with the altruistic laws of nature, because they are opposite to our egoistic human nature. We then gain nature’s forces to rise above our egoistic nature. We constantly struggle with our egoistic nature that continually demands self-aimed fulfillment, and which makes our decision-making always favor personal benefit. Therefore, making a true revolution in our decision-making means to let nature decide for us, and not decide according to our egoistic nature that wishes to serve itself. It is as if we need to leap toward nature’s laws, grab hold of them, and be led in a flight forward in such a way.

We are but tiny particles within the immense wise force of nature that sets everything and everyone in motion. Indeed, we are given the opportunity to realize that there is something higher than our intellectual and emotional grasp of reality, which governs us. Agreement with the control of the single force of nature over us becomes our wisdom if we can uncover it.

When we understand that the single altruistic force of nature controls our reality, then subjugating to this force becomes the most reasonable act we could conduct. Moreover, we should subjugate ourselves to this force not out of weakness, but due to the rationality of doing so. The more we enter into such an agreement with nature, then the more we head on a course to a good, harmonious and peaceful future.

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Michael Laitman
Michael Laitman

Written by Michael Laitman

PhD in Philosophy and Kabbalah. MSc in Medical Bio-Cybernetics. Founder and president of Bnei Baruch Kabbalah Education & Research Institute.

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