Questioner: Sadhguru, I have a very difficult question.
For me, it’s a very difficult question.
Generally power corrupts everybody,
including me,
but I am now in a very special spiritual path because I’m your devotee.
I want to avoid power overruling me,
making me corrupt, and… and I don’t want to be slave to that power,
whatever power I’m having.
Power is entirely corrupting the whole world – you know it –
but I don’t want to get
trapped in that crazy thing.
Can you advise me, Sadhguru?
Namaskaram Sadhguru.
Sadhguru: Power doesn’t corrupt,
whoever said that.
People are corrupt.
When they get empowered,
it becomes super visible.
When they’re somewhere,
the microscope is not on them,
so you don’t see it.
When they come to a positions of power,
their corruptions finds volume,
a different dimension of expression.
But someone who is not corrupt will not become corrupt because of this or that.
First of all let’s understand what is corruption.
The moment (Laughs)...
Fundamental definition of corruption, okay?
Later on I’ll come to the political definitions (Laughter).
The fundamental definition of corruption is just this
if there is something called as ‘me’
and there’s something called as you,
corruption has started
because
what is me is more important than what’s you, isn’t it?
Yes or no?
Once 'me' comes,
what is mine and what is not mine will come.
Once ‘this is mine’ and ‘this is not mine’ comes,
corruption is deepened.
If you get very attached to ‘what is mine’ and ‘what is not mine,’
then it’s well established.
Like this, it goes on.
So all I have been trying to do all these years is
to make corruption galactic.
The problem is it’s happening small scale.
So, all I have been saying is let us make corruption cosmic
because the nature of who you are is such,
you have to identify with something.
If you identify with just this body,
one level of corruption.
Then you will get married and identify with two bodies,
another kind of corruption;
corruption multiplied.
There is a
There is a thing that used to go out – not anymore, because
things have changed now in this generation
in the previous generation when we were in school, college,
there was a thing going around in the universities.
It’s like this.
When you’re a student, everybody is a communist.
The moment you find employment, you become a socialist,
you know?
The moment you get married,
you become a capitalist.
The moment you get children, you have become corrupt (Laughter).
Because (Laughs)
when your identification
is with this body, you’re already corrupt but it’s so small scale, nobody notices it.
Or everybody accepts it,
“Oh, it’s natural.”
But when it becomes two, the corruption becomes little bigger.
People can see the conspiracy.
Family is the first form of corruption.
Yes. I’m not speaking against it, I’m just telling you.
It is so
because suddenly what is ours and what is not ours becomes important.
Then comes community,
then comes nation,
then comes race,
then comes religion – like this,
different levels of corruption.
Essentially corruption means
whatever thoughts of well-being,
acts of well-being that human being is able to commit,
he’s excluding somebody, isn’t it?
Yes or no?
Yes?
Right now there is something here –
I want to give little more to this person, little less to this person –
this is corruption, isn’t it?
The more strongly you’re identified with what is me and what is mine,
you have become more corrupt.
Only thing is it may be
The question is whether it is socially accepted forms of corruption or not.
If something happens to your family, your children, when buckets of tears will come
when children are running around without clothes or food in their belly on the streets,
no teardrop ever came to you, no thought came to you
you’re corrupt… essentially you’re corrupt.
If we make you the Prime Minister, your corruption will be reported in the media.
Yes (Laughs).
Right now your corruption is not worth reporting
because it doesn’t have so much consequence to other people.
But I’m saying if bucketfuls of tears will come
if your child’s life is in danger
and a whole lot of them running on the streets,
not one moment of anything,
that means you’re hardcore corrupt.
Yes or no?
You don’t like it?
It’s okay (Laughter).
Corruption is not always a conscious thing.
Most of the corruption on the planet is
because you’re identified with something limited.
Limited identity is corruption.
The moment you’re identified with ‘what is me’ and ‘what is mine,’
youare corrupt… essentially corrupt.
If you become the Prime Minister it will be visible to everybody.
Every single act that you do has huge impact on millions of people,
so it is seen.
Right now, between your right hand and left hand
you made one superior, one inferior –
in this state
if you become a Prime Minister… (Gestures),
isn’t it?
This is superior hand (Gestures), this is inferior hand (Gestures),
you know.
So in this state, how can you not be corrupt?
You’re corrupt;
with empowerment it becomes more and more visible.
That is why we are aiming at the powerful
and the people who are in positions of responsibility and power,
because if you at least make their identity little larger
See, if you make your identity yourself,
you will rob the person next to you.
If you make your identity for your community,
you will do good things to your community at the cost of some other community.
If you’re identified with the nation,
you will do good things to your nation at the cost of another nation.
Yes or no?
But that is not perceived as corruption, but it is corruption.
The whole world is full of corruption –
one against the other all the time, isn’t it?
‘What is mine should do well, what is yours should die’ –
this is corruption, isn’t it?
So it is not that power corrupts.
I don’t know who said that.
People are corrupt.
With power, corruption finds expression.
With power, everything finds expression.
If you’re intelligent,
your intelligence will find expression.
If you’re loving, if you become powerful,
your love will find expression.
If you’re corrupt, your corruption will find expression.
Without changing the basic quality of who you are,
you want to fix the outside – no.
There is a tree which produces flowers,
there is a tree which produces thorns
the more you empower both of them,
one will produce more flowers,
another will produce more thorns.
So let’s fix the… our pedigree first properly
If you fix the… your pedigree first from where you’re coming
Have you come from your biological identity
or are you… have you
do you want to live here with your divine identity?
That’s the choice you have.
If you’re identified with the biology of who you are,
you will be anyway corrupt.
How can you not be?
Because biology is a limited process.
If you’re identified with this, everything outside will be outside.
If you’re identified with the Divine,
when you say, ‘I’m a devotee’, that’s what it means,
that ‘I have dissolved all my limited identities and my identity is with only one thing.’
If it is so,
you should become the Prime Minister of the world and it’ll be great;
world will be fine.
Not one’s well-being at the cost of another
well-being as it can be for all life on this planet,
that’s when you’re not corrupt, isn’t it?