Praneet: Sadhguru, nowadays we see a lot of young people are in relationships.
So, a public display of affection - PDA -
is quite common and popular among the young generation.
And it’s very normal for all of us to, you know,
hug our friends, or kiss our partners, openly in front of others.
But if we say, our previous generation,
they consider PDA as something vulgar.
So, it’s very strange that… how love offends someone.
So, my question is that, whose outlook do you support?
Is it the young generation, or your own generation?
(Laughter/Cheer/Applause)
Sadhguru: What makes you think you’re younger than me, ah?
(Laughter/Cheer/Applause)
No, no, I don’t agree that you’re younger than me. (Laughs)
So, there are many aspects to this question.
You said, today young people have relationships.
Unfortunately, you have come to a place where you think that
a relationship means it must be body-based,
there must be something biological involved.
Biology is a part of our life.
But the significance of becoming human, compared to other creatures is,
they are complete biology; we are only part biology, we have other dimensions to us.
We have an intelligence, we have an emotion,
we have a consciousness which is of another dimension.
Biology is only one part of us.
If an earthworm says, “I have a relationship” and it…
both of them tangle each other - I understand.
If, when a human being says, “I have a relationship,”
it could be a friend, it could be a brother, it could be a sister,
it could be variety of relationships, and also body-based relationships.
So, this thing about using the word “relationship” only with biological stuff,
is essentially because somewhere, unknowingly,
unknowingly - maybe because of internet - you've gotten enslaved to America.
It all started in United States;
relationship means, it has to be opposite sex, or something sexual.
Why can’t you hold relationships of other kind? Hello?
Are we not capable, I’m asking?
Can’t we have very intimate, profound relationships with people,
without fondling their bodies, I’m asking?
Possible, or no? Participants: Yes.
Sadhguru: Biology is not the most prominent aspect of being human;
it is there, it’s not something that you can, you know, put it under the carpet.
It is very much there, but it is not the dominant aspect of being human.
With other creatures it is so; with a human being,
the most significant aspect of who we are is our intelligence,
our emotion, our consciousness - these are big things!
Body is just one part of it.
I'm not saying you must ignore the body - body is there.
Now, when you say “young people” (Laughs)
you're talking about those people
whose intelligence has been hijacked by hormones.
When you were 10 years of age,
you looked at people - everybody was fine, they were quite okay.
You became 14, 15, you looked at them...
every little bump on their body, suddenly became a world by itself. (Laughter)
Yes or no?
You have to wait for some more time, when the hormonal thing goes down,
then you look at people - again they’re all looking normal! (Laughter/Applause)
So, it’s not a question of right and wrong,
it’s not a question of morality, it is just a question of priority:
what kind of priority do you want to give
to your own bodily compulsions?
In Delhi, just now when I was coming to your college, somebody, in a main street,
was standing there, and urinating.
When he feels like it, he does it. What’s the problem? Hello?
Any problem? No problem. Because when you feel like it, you do whatever you want.
And you think it’s your right.
He also thinks it’s his right – when he feels like it, he urinates on the street.
What’s wrong? Dogs are doing it, donkeys are doing it,
cattle are doing it, everybody is doing it - "be natural!" (Applause)
This is the philosophy you're talking about!
I’m saying, there is a certain sanctity to relationships,
especially body-based relationships.
If you don’t maintain that sanctity, it will become after sometime vulgarity, definitely.
So, somebody is seeing it before you,
that if you go like this tomorrow, it will lead to something else.
This does not mean being a moral prude - no!
But if you don’t maintain that sanctity, you will regret that,
how relationships will become, how much pain they can bring in your life later on - you will see!
So, one... you’re talking about previous generation - I don’t belong to that,
nor do I belong to your generation. I belong to the future generations,
that’s why I’m like this. (Laughs) (Cheers/Applause)
The previous generation that you’re talking about,
was a generation which came just post-independence.
You must understand their reality.
They lived as an occupied nation for a period of time.
Some of them fought, others slinked around, whichever way;
their ideas of morality, essentially, was of their masters.
It is British prudery that they carried within themselves.
Their idea of being right is, that they must be in a straitjacket all the time.
You don’t have to go by that, nor do you have to do something stupid in reaction to that.
You must conduct your life sensibly.
You must conduct your life in such a way,
that this will work for you for your entire life, in some sense.
You do something wacky today, and there may be a payment tomorrow.
So, why don’t you think it through: what is the best thing to do?
How much of what to do? Hmm? Isn't it?
How much of what should I do, how much of body,
how much of intelligence, how much of emotion, how much of consciousness?
In your life you must decide which should dominate your life;
accordingly, you conduct it - it’s fine.
Somebody doesn’t like it, they need not see it.