Questioner: Sadhguru, this question is from Priyanka. Namaskaram Sadhguru,
a lot of times you share strong views on political matters, but sometimes I don't agree.
I might be a part of the left wing liberals, which you call as fanatics or WhatsApp University folk.
How do I reconcile with you being m guru and yet...
yet us having these opposing views on political matters (Sadhguru Laughs)?
Sadhguru: I'm far more left than you imagine (Applause).
But I'm not crazy left, where you will make sure people are left out of all development and all possibilities.
If that is your idea of left, that is not my idea of left.
My idea of left is a more fair and just administration.
I just said more fair and just – there is no such thing as absolutely fair and just society.
There's no such thing anywhere. Its never happened till now at least.
Even people used to refer, Mahatma Gandhi used to continuously referred to Rama Rajya
as a just and fair society. Even there, I'm sure Rama's wife, Sita herself, felt this is very unfair,
what's happening to me, all her life. I'm sure his children absolutely felt, it's absolutely unfair
what's been done to them. And I'm sure at many points in his life,
Rama himself felt it's unfair what's being done to him.
So there has never been an absolutely fair society or an absolutely just society,
but largely most of the things are happening in a fair manner that at least people have...
people may not be equal, at least people have equal opportunity – that's all we can create.
Having said that, Priyanka I want to tell you, I have never expressed a political opinion.
If I express my political opinions, you will faint (Laughter), so I have never expressed.
I only pointed out a few facts. If you do not distinguish between what are facts and what are opinions,
then there is a huge problem. If you believe that your opinion is much more sacred
than people's will, in a democratic society, then you have a fundamental problem.
You're looking for a total revolution. Total revolution in today's world also means total annihilation.
These ideas of armed revolutions are from 19th century and early 20th century.
Time for those revolutions are over, considering just the weaponry that we have today.
If the revolutionaries get the weapons and the forces get the weapons, all that'll happen is destruction and death,
nothing more will happen. So armed revolution or the period for armed revolution, you're born a little too late.
Yes. When we were young we all thought about armed revolution, always.
Those were the times of Charu Mazumdar and Somalu and all grand stories,
and we all want to go there and fight. But time for that is over because
now if you want to bring any change, especially in this country, you can only do it through democratic process.
Democratic process means if two people stand for election, one will win, one will lose,
like in any other game. So if the losers want to pass laws,
losers want to carry the trophy, you think that is fair?
Is it fair, those who lost the game will carry the trophy on their head? This is not fair.
But right now that's what you're asking. People have elected a certain government,
if they pass the laws – because the fundamental duty once you get elected is to pass the laws.
If they pass the laws, you say, "No, no, no, we should pass the laws. You cannot pass this law."
You cannot say that. You can express your opinion, what is wrong with the law.
You can write, you can vote against it in the parliament or assembly or wherever else,
whatever other democratic body you're in. But you cannot say
an elected government should not pass laws, that's not democratic.
Well this whole left, or people who think they’re left – they're not left.
I... I see the way they've structured their life, their ideas, their opinions their emotions.
Left means, your life is not about yourself, your life is about the community, that's what communism is.
I don't know what kind of left you are because your lifestyle doesn't show that you are left.
Your attitude towards others does not show you are left.
And you said, "I'm a left liberal," you're definitely not liberal because only you have the freedom of speech
and nobody else has– this is not liberal in my understanding. My idea of liberal is,
whatever is in my heart, I will speak. You must listen to me and tell me what's wrong with what I've said.
No (Laughs), you cannot point out one thing, you just say, "No, I don't like it."
Well, this is like a domestic situation. These things happen between husband and wife,
should not happen between you and me. If there is something wrong,
if you... there is something where you can point out, "This is not correct.
This is not logically correct, this is not factually correct," if you tell me, I will bow down to you and correct myself.
But you simply don't like it. Well, what can I do, if you don't like it? What can I do if you don't like it?
People have elected a government, government passes its laws.
We have some concerns about a certain law, we can say, "This is our concern, please fix it."
But still it is their choice whether they want to fix it or they want to go ahead with it.
If you are so concerned about the nation and you want to pass the laws,
you must strive hard to win the next election – that's the only way you can do it in a democratic country.
That is what democracy means. You lose the election and you want to pass the laws.
Life doesn't work like that. It is just that you're not able to digest this simple fact...
You think I'm expressing my opinion.
This is not my opinion, this is the fundamental and the foundation of democratic process.
So you say, "I will take it to the streets. My right to protest."
You have right to protest for sure, but you have no right to disrupt even one citizen's life.
You have no right to block the road. You have no right to block the highway.
You have no right to cut off the water or electricity or whatever else that you're doing.
You have no right to disrupt anybody's life. You have right to protest.
You must ask for permission, find an area, sit there and protest.
You have no right even to use a microphone and blast it into my home – you have no right.
But you have a right to protest in proper platforms.
Democratic process has enough platforms where you can protest.
You have every right to protest, but do not misunderstand right to protest as right to disrupt.
You want to do Quit India movement now, why? you want to do Non-cooperation moment now?
You should have done it in 1936. Time for that is over. This is your country, this is your government.
Now you say, "No, it's not my government," that is not democratic, I want you to understand.
Majority of the people when they elect a government, even if you don't like them;
personally you may not like them, I'm not saying you must like them; but it's your government.
It's Government of India, Government of Tamil Nadu, Government of Karnataka, or whatever the state it is.
It is not somebody's government, as everybody's referring to these days, it's become fashionable
for everybody to say "Modi government". It is not... in my mind, in my heart, it's not Narendra Modi's government.
For me this is India's government. Because it's Government of India,
I will support the Government of India (Applause). Not because I'm somebody's fan,
not because I belong to any political ideology, simply because I am a citizen of this India.
What that means to me, means, is… because I'm a citizen of this country,
the country is offering a certain order, certain facility, certain fundamentals for us to live and work.
For that, I bow down and say whatever the government says by law,
I will follow that, I'll abide by that because that's the law.
"Oh, what... The laws that you form, I don't agree." If you don't agree, there is a Supreme Court,
or a court where you can go. If it's in any way illegal, it'll get knocked down.
But if it's legal and you still don't like it, you must win the next election, that's the only way.
You don't have the necessary commitment to strive, to work for these five years,
and somehow win the election next time; you don't have such a commitment.
You wanted to sit at home and wine and dine all your life
but you protest about everything that the government does. I'm telling you,
my attitude towards Government of India is the same irrespective of who is ruling the country right now.
Because for me, Government of India is ruling the nation, not Modi government or
Manmohan Singh government, or somebody's government. In my mind and my heart,
it is Government of India and I will support. Well, you don't like that.
Well, that means you don't like the democratic process.
So you should become the Prime Minister without any effort. And what are your credentials?
Only thing is, you don't like what I say. That's the only credential you have.
Now between you and me as a guru (Laughter) Tch, you must listen carefully.
This happened. A group of friends went to a restaurant. They were all together, boisterous, you know.
They were good friends in college, they've not met each other for a long time, five, six years.
Now they've come together, they're all together. Then they saw a live music was going on,
somebody was playing an instrument. It looked vaguely familiar, all of them knew what it is,
but they couldn't figure out the name. So they call the waiter, and said,
"Can you go and find out what is he playing?" So waiter went, came back and said, "It's a violin."
(Laughter) That means you're just hearing things, you're not listening.
If you genuinely listen, then you will understand I've never expressed one opinion about anything
because I've never formed one in my mind. If I see something,
I say this is a fact right now, this may have this, this, this kind of consequence.
Right now... Well, if I say, probably we need some more lockdown.
This is not my opinion, there are enough facts supporting that.
But still it's a decision we should take measuring various realities,
whether it's going to work for us or work against us, can we afford it or not?
This is a decision we take. If we decide for lockdown or if we decide against it,
both will not be a perfect decision, this we already know. But it's a judgement. No judgement is perfect.
But weighing things according to our priorities, we arrive at a judgement.
If you think that is my opinion, that suppose I say more weeks of lockdown,
"Oh, this is your opinion! We don't like it." This is not my opinion.
Removing the lockdown is one option, extending the lockdown, another option.
We have to weigh losses and profits of this, pros and cons of this and arrive at something.
It is always a compromise. How much compromise, there always can be a debate.
What I think, you may think it's not so. But this is not about me concretizing opinions about anything.
Especially about the nebulous political happenings in the country,
very difficult for anybody to form an opinion. But I want you to understand this,
I've lived my life with great discipline, not to form opinions about anybody around me.
Those people who've been around me for twenty, twenty-five years,
I still don't have an opinion about them. I still look at them fresh as they are today.
They've been many things to me; many, many pluses, few minuses, they've been many things to me.
But today, if I see them, I see them as they are. Based on that, what evolves out of that situation evolves.
This takes a lot of discipline and inner work to not arrive at any opinion.
So when it comes to the spiritual dimension with me and you, you must listen, not hear.
If I ask you what is playing, you said violin. You think I thought, it's a piano or something (Laughter)?
So anyway, I don't know how left you are, I'm seriously left. Tch.
Because, see the Yoga Center is... is a commune, in a way it's a... it's a communist arrangement.
Nobody is asking how much do you have. Nobody's asking you what is your religion,
what is your caste, where do you come from, who is your father. I don't even care if you don't have one.
No, just in case you're one of them (Gestures) (Laughter).
Even if you're that, we will just treat you like we treat everybody else.
In case you rise and show some special qualities, we will honor that also.
But otherwise, even if you came from above, we still... still treat you the same.
If this is not left, what else is? This is absolute left. I don't think you're living like that.
I'm sure you're living in your own home, talking left philosophy.
But if somebody asks you to give away your phone to somebody who doesn't have one...
Not give away, alternate days, you know, share it with your neighbor
because after all, you're a party member, maybe. Try and see (Laughs).
Here we do such things very effortlessly. So, don't get into this thing
and somehow you've come on to the spiritual path stay on the track.
Don't go left and fall off or don't go right and fall off. I hope you don't think I'm right (Laughter/Applause).
You definitely can't say I am right wing. It takes two wings to fly. I have both the wings.
I flap, as it is necessary (Gestures) (Applause).