A certain segment of society.
on one level
they’re talking about gender equality,
on another level
constantly denigrating the female form …
when your very presence has influence over people,
how you keep yourself is very important,
Text on Screen: Koffee, Cricket & Youth Icons - Sadhguru's Take
The first question is from Ritika.
She asks about a recent issue
where cricketers made a statement about women on a popular TV show.
What do you see as a source of the problem?
Is it success or the parenting or just josh?
And what is the solution to it?
Sadhguru: Well, I don't know the full detail of what they said,
but they showed me one part of the conversation.
Definitely there seems to be a problem with the parenting a bit (Laughter).
Apart from that,
I think it's also a certain type of
what to say…
a certain segment of society.
I don't have a proper vocabulary.
Probably we can say that page three or what page?
I don't know they have moved to some other page now.
That kind of society is in this kind of bravado
where on one level they’re talking about gender equality,
on another level
they constantly denigrating the human the female form in many, many ways
in many ways.
So probably these young boys are little carried away with that kind of thing,
and they thought they will look a little more…
Moderator: Cool.
Sadhguru: Yeah, snazzy in front of the society
by saying such things.
Well, I think
they must be penalized to some extent.
At the same time,
you should not destroy their careers,
because they still are young men.
One of them, I think, came out and said, “I will never again do this.”
Some penalty has happened,
shaming has happened, I think it's enough.
There's no need to hang them for that.
It's not necessary to do that.
But at the same time,
creating a culture around us
where we must create a culture
where gender matters only in certain places.
Rest of the time,
what do I care what is your gender?
Hmm?
No, no, why do I care
whether you are a man or a woman?
What is my business with you?
Well, if you want to go to the bathroom,
you must know what gender you are (Few Laugh).
If you want to be in the bedroom,
you must know what gender you are.
Rest of the places,
why should you know whose gender is what?
You value them for
what they can do and cannot do?
Isn't it?
You're a journalist.
My trouble with you will be,
what kind of journalism will you do?
Why do I care whether you are a man or a woman?
Isn’t… should it not be so?
Only then,
gender equality will happen (Applause).
Gender is a small thing.
We have made it too big.
We have made it so big,
simply because
this gotten into our heads,
it's not staying in our bodies.
Gender is a bodily thing,
it must stay with our bodies, isn't it?
If it gets into your head,
it becomes a perversion of all kinds.
Moderator 3: So, Sir Prashanti wants to know,
there are many people
who are considered youth icons
who have touched my life in a big way,
but I see that they themselves are miserable
in their personal life (Sadhguru Laughs).
Why would you like to…
what would you like to tell those icons and
how can you help?
Sadhguru: See, what I say maybe a bit extreme for you.
But I'm saying this
because if we don't make these corrections now in our societies,
we will simply go away like this.
Going away this way means,
for example,
right now,
thirty-eight percent of the European population is on psychiatric medication.
Thirty-eight percent!
Not a small number.
Why I'm taking Europe as an example is,
this is a society
which has enjoyed a longest period
of material well-being.
How that well-being came is another matter, okay (Laughter)?
But whichever way it came,
people have enjoyed such a long period of material well-being,
but thirty-eight percent is psychologically ill.
If you want half of Europe to go crazy,
you just pull out a few pharmaceutical formulations
from the market,
thirty-eight percent will go crazy,
totally out of control.
Seventy percent of American population is on prescription medication,
not just psychological
but all kinds – prescription medication.
So to be healthful, you need chemicals.
To be peaceful and balanced, you need chemicals.
You are going this way simply because
you have not handled a few fundamental things right.
Because you're trying to adjust
your inner way of being using external circumstances
– to fix this (Referring to Oneself),
you want to fix the whole world.
You can never fix the whole world, believe me.
It doesn't matter who you think you are.
You cannot fix the outside situation hundred percent the way you want.
Yes or no?
No one more human being will ever happen
hundred percent the way you want them.
Does anybody happen?
No.
There is only this (Referring to Oneself) person.
This (Referring to Oneself) person must happen hundred percent your way.
This one person.
If this (Referring to Oneself) person doesn't happen your way, you’re gone.
Now you’ve become an icon
or whatever you call them
– they may be sports people, they may be musicians,
they may be actors,
they may be dancers, whatever.
In some way
they became that, it's fine.
But it's very, very important,
we must understand,
when your very presence has influence over people,
how you keep yourself is very important, isn't it?
It's a tremendous privilege that
by your very presence,
people's lives are being transformed
either positively or negatively.
When you have such a responsibility and such a privilege that you can touch so many lives
because whatever physical activity we do,
we may think on the surface many things but actually
the only thing that matters is
whether our activity touches another life or not.
Yes or no?
Do you want to write something that nobody reads?
No.
Do you want to build a building that nobody wants to live in?
Do you want to sing a song that nobody wants to listen to?
Because the need for human being to expand and touch another life means
somehow, you kindle life in other person.
This is important.
It is because of that,
somebody has become an icon.
When such a privilege has come to you,
that you can actually make things happen in another person's life
through your very presence,
or song or dance or talk or whatever,
it's extremely important that
you keep yourself in such a way that
you will lead to a positive result for everybody who's in touch with you.
But this responsibility has not been exercised properly.
And, you know, like...
I've been active in United States for the last almost twenty years now.
For some reason, for whatever reason,
there’re many aspects,
United States has acquired a leadership position
– it's become iconic in its own way.
Whatever they do,
everybody else wants to do, now.
See today, I'm not…
I’m not somebody who makes comments on your clothing or something, because
well I was like that when you're your age,
that's a different matter.
But today,
if you look at any Indian city,
or anywhere in the world for that matter,
below the knees,
what are they wearing?
Almost sixty percent are wearing American workmen's clothes.
Whatever they wear, everybody wants to wear.
Whatever they eat or drink,
everybody wants to eat and drink.
Well, India has phenomenal amount of cuisine, all right?
No other culture has the variety of cuisine that India has.
If you want to experience this,
you must come South.
North is become all little
just one kind of masala everywhere (Laughter).
But now you want to eat a burger.
This was made for a hippopotamus (Gestures) (Laughter).
How do you eat like that?
But that's become our way.
Because why? Because Americans are doing it.
Well, even a kindergarten child knows,
this body needs oxygen.
You also know, right?
Even though you're a journalist, you still know (Laughter/Applause).
But they put carbon dioxide in a bottle and they say, “This is the real thing,” and
the whole world drinks it, all right?
This means America has become an icon
– whatever they do, everybody does.
So I said, “If America meditates, the whole world will meditate.”
That's why I'm revving it up in America.
So let's say, for example,
somebody like Michael Jackson,
suppose he meditated, believe me,
twenty million people would be meditating tomorrow morning (Few Laugh).
If I have to get twenty million people to meditate, I have to work for years (Laughs).
So icon means
– other people have started investing in your life.
Now it's very important you behave responsibly, extremely important.
It's a privilege that you should not exploit.