What Are Some Key Differences Between the Way Eastern and Western Civilizations Think?

There are currently no clearly defined civilizations. Broadly speaking, Eastern civilizations are more committed to religion while Western civilizations deal more with issues of their material existence. There is thus a big difference between them.

There are people in Eastern civilizations who care deeply about preserving their spiritual values, and who are ready to fight for them. On the contrary, Western civilization generally wishes to preserve its modern materialistic form that it has developed. It is very difficult for these two inclinations to establish a common ground.

Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag (Baal HaSulam), in his article “The Solution,” discusses two opposing forces in nature that developed the material universe:

“There is a positive force, meaning constructive, and a negative force, meaning negative and destructive. They create and complement the entire reality in general and particular through their harsh and perpetual war with one another.”

The spiritual and material inclinations play out in humanity through the Eastern and Western civilizations. It is in the structure of their souls, that there is a certain interplay of positive and negative forces leading to the revelation of higher states of unity and the emergence of new creations.

We do not know how long this confrontation will last, but we see no end to it in the near future. However, Kabbalists describe that humanity, in its future final state, will emerge as a single unified entity in perfect alignment with nature’s laws: a new harmonious and peaceful world with the sublime force of love, bestowal and connection in full revelation to all. Achieving such a state depends on constructing positive connections throughout society above our self-centered divisive drives.