I come from a generation when Che Guevara was our hero,
they’ve been hired… and they've been asked to... they were given a mandate,
“Write something negative about him!”
1.3 billion people
we could take this massive population across from one level of living to another.
Everybody is telling me, “Sadhguru, don't step into this political arena…”
I still carry an Indian passport, I can speak (Applause).
Questioner: Sadhguru, in recent times,
your speaking strongly about the well-being of our nation
seems to have unleashed a motivated campaign of wild personal attacks on you (Laughs),
by a small section of media.
I’m shocked and intrigued as to why speaking about the nation’s well-being
should evoke such negative emotions.
Sadhguru, I’ve been here for a while,
and I personally don’t feel you are against anybody,
but do you think that these people feel that you are in some way against them,
and that’s the reason they are attacking you?
Sadhguru: (Laughs)
That’s a very small segment.
In this also, there are various types.
Let’s say there are three types of people who are reacting to whatever I’m saying.
One is – these are left-overs from the socialist era.
Well, I come from a generation
when Che Guevara was our hero, tch,
we were all thinking of an armed revolution.
Really, we thought that’s the only solution.
But those times have passed.
The time for armed revolution anywhere in the world is over,
because it’s like, still that second amendment thing that’s going on in United States.
Still, this whole thing was made because
– my property, my family, I can defend with my shotgun and my rifle,
but today, you’re talking aboutfighting the U.S army with your shotgun and rifle.
Have you lost it?
So I’m saying armed revolution is over, because arms have gone to another level.
It’s not possible anymore to bring about change, you can only destroy something with arms,
you cannot change things with arms anymore.
So they are still leftovers from there, they’re still dreaming about an armed revolution.
If you speak anything for the democratic values of this nation, they react.
They’re okay, because I feel they’re bit misguided, but genuine people, in some way.
There’s another set of people who are religious people in the garb of atheists.
They’re actually deeply religious people,
but they have discovered that being… talking atheism is a good way to spread their religion.
They are always attacking me, it doesn’t matter what I say.
They see my name, they will go at it.
Well, that’s an extremely small number, so let’s ignore them.
There’s another set these are professional times.
People have to do something to earn a living.
It’s a pathetic way to earn a living.
When you don’t do anything significant in your life,
you make a living by constantly deriding somebody,
whatever they’re doing,
without even looking at it, you go on saying something negative,
and you make a living out of it
– it’s a pathetic way to make a living.
And above all, journalism is a… in a democracy, it’s a sacred profession.
It’s a sacred calling.
Well, you may also earn something – that's different.
But today, there is a bunch of journalists – not all of them, a bunch of them
– who can be bought and sold, and they are trying to earn their living.
If I say, “Everybody should vote,” – “Who is he to tell us we should vote?” (Laughs).
Whatever, it doesn’t matter.
If I say, “Democracy is about all of us getting together and creating a wonderful nation,”
– “Oh, what does he know about democracy?
No, democracy is about criticizing each other!” (Laughs).
Something,
because… it’s quite hilarious, because...
they’ve been hired,
and they’ve been asked to… they were given a mandate, “Write something negative about him!”
Sometime ago, somebody asked me this question,
“Sadhguru, what is your greatest achievement,
in all this many things you’re doing,
what do you think is an achievement?”
I said, “See, I don't really look at life like that,
but if you… if I have to say something,
the greatest achievement for me is,
I have made thousands and thousands of people – hundreds and thousands of people
– to shift from working for a living,
to simply doing something that means something to them in their life (Applause).
So my… major part of my activity is to shift people
from making a living to make a life out of this (Referring to oneself),
a significant life out of this (Referring to oneself).
Significance not in the world.
Significant as a life.
Not because I think I am great,
simply that the life has to become significant.
Life becomes significant when it reverberates in a certain way.
When it functions beyond its own survival.
But unfortunately, a few people have to live a pathetic life where they sell themselves
to say whatever they are expected to say,
no matter whether it makes sense for them or not.
But these are small numbers, it’s okay.
We will continue to speak about the nation,
not because I’m very nationalistic, as such – I am not.
But right now,
for me, India is a large segment of humanity – 1.3 billion people in one nation,
and a large number of them have had such a bad deal in the last ten to fifteen generations,
because of occupation and slavery and so many things.
Poverty.
Right now, we’re sitting on a threshold,
where if you do the right things in the next five-ten years,
we could take this massive population across from one level of living to another.
I don't want some idiot to mess it up,
that’s the reason why I am standing up and speaking for the nation (Applause).
Because this is a kind of possibility that’s never happened before in the history of humanity.
Never before this many people had the opportunity to move from one level to another.
The only other nation which has done this in recent times is the China.
Lot of you are here.
But the Chinese did it the hard way, in a forceful way.
Well, that was a different level of slumber that nation was in, and they did it in a very hard way.
But in India, right now, we are sitting on a threshold where,
in a democratic way,
we can take nearly six hundred million people from one level of living to another.
This can happen in the next ten years’ time, we are just on the edge of that.
I don't want this possibility to be destroyed by anybody because of their personal agendas.
That’s the only reason why I am speaking strongly, stepping out.
Everybody is telling me, “Sadhguru, don't step into this political arena…”
I am not going to get into politics.
But I still carry an Indian passport, I can speak (Applause).