Sadhguru: Respect is not something that you ever demand in your life. You can only earn it.
It doesn't matter whether it's parents, or teachers, or spiritual teachers,
political leaders, or god himself came down and he said something stupid, you must be able to question him.
When you have such a responsibility, you have to ensure
that truth is the only authority - authority is not the truth.
Moderator: Sadhguru, how do you suggest that we appropriately question authority,
without being disrespectful towards them, because from our very childhood
we've been taught to obey our elders because they know better and they are right.
But they're only human, and it's possible that they are wrong, or they make an error in judgment.
So, do you think… so, I'm not talking just in context of parents,
it could be political leaders, scientists, experts…
Sadhguru: Me also, me also... (Laughter)
Moderator: Spiritual leaders as well; how do we question them
to look beyond the traditional paradigm? Sadhguru: Just the way you're doing it right now. (Laughter)
Moderator: Without being disrespectful… I do, I understand, but it is possible that they take it as…
as challenging their authority.
Sadhguru: Respect is not something that you ever demand in your life.
Please, don't ever do such a vulgarity, that you demand respect.
You can only earn it, you cannot demand it.
The moment you demand it, it becomes vulgar. Yes, or no? Participants: Yes.
Sadhguru: So, you stand one step higher than somebody, and you demand respect;
or, the only stupid thing that you did is, you came here a few years earlier than someone else,
and you demand that "I'm senior" - it must be happening in the college also, hmm? (Laughter)
"One year senior I am, hey, you better respect me!" (Laughter)
"Just one year ahead I joined the college, and now I'm senior, okay?"
So, this is an unfortunate reality that's well established in the world,
that in the name of religion, in the name of authority,
in the name of parenthood, in many different ways,
we have been trying to establish 'authority is the truth.'
No, authority is not the truth - truth is the only authority.
This is why "Youth and Truth." (Few laugh)
Truth is the only authority, nothing else is the authority.
So, if I ask a question, somebody freaks.
See, if you ask a question somebody freaks because they don't know the answer.
Suppose you go, sit in your examination, and look at the question paper,
you don't know a damn thing - don't you freak? (Laughter)
Just like that they're freaking, why don't you understand? (Laughs)
Hello? (Laughs) See, they gave you a question paper, you have no clue - do you freak, or no?
Participants: Yes. Sadhguru: So, they are also freaking.
So, you must understand and be little compassionate,
when you ask a question somebody freaks means obviously they don't have an answer.
So, you must be compassionate, considerate, because they're your seniors, okay? (Laughs)
They came ahead of you, but they're no better than you, so they're freaking a bit.
Please make way for them a little bit, what to do?...
They've grown a little bigger than you, (Laughs)
but at the same time, there is no need for anybody to succumb to that.
It's all right, there is no need to confront people.
A question, first of all… see, a question is a tool.
A question is a tool to dig little deeper, isn't it? Hello? Participants: Yes.
Sadhguru: But somebody is asking a question to prove a point - that's not good.
So, don't ask a question to your parents, or to somebody else, just to prove your point.
No, ask a question because it's a genuine question!
So, people were asking me, "Sadhguru, what kind of questions can we ask, what can we not ask?"
I said, even the dumbest question you have, if it means something to you, it means something to me;
if it doesn't mean anything to you, don't ask such stupid things, because it doesn't mean a damn thing to me either.
But if it means something to you, maybe it's a stupid question, somebody thinks it's a stupid question,
but it means something to your life, it means a lot to me.
So, please make sure your questions are genuine, whether you ask a parent,
or a political leader, or a spiritual leader, it doesn't matter who the hell you ask a question.
When you ask a question, you must understand: the purpose of asking a question is to expand yourself
from what you know to enter a territory where you do not know something - that's the idea of asking a question.
But you ask a question to prove them stupid;
then, maybe they're getting mad. (Laughs)
See, you're entering their territory now, but you have to make sure in your life…
because your life is not just about your life,
how you conduct your life will determine the nature of this world, isn't it so?
When you have such a responsibility, you have to ensure
that truth is the only authority - authority is not the truth.
It doesn't matter whether it's parents, or teachers, or spiritual teachers, political leaders,
or god himself came down and he said something stupid;
you must be able to question him, that is the nature of this culture!
See, even when those entities which we considered divine came,
in India all we did is ask questions, endless questions.
When Shiva came, his wife Parvati freaks him with a million questions.
When Krishna came, Arjuna asked 1,000 questions, questions, and questions, and questions.
I must tell you this, we were trekking in Tibet,
a group of people almost from 42 different countries.
So, an Indian man who was settled in United States wanted to ask a question.
I said, "You can ask questions," immediately he raised his hand and he stood up.
He asked a question which lasted over 8 minutes, and it was going on.
I said, "See, this is too long a question." (Few laugh)
Then I told the others, because they were all looking like this (Gestures) because they're from different nations,
they can't understand this question, I said, "See, this is a very Indian question." (Laughter)
Question inside a question, inside a question, inside a question, inside a question. (Laughter)
Indians are experts in this because they have 15,000 years of culture,
they've crafted questions like this. (Laughter)
It doesn't matter Shiva comes, Krishna comes, they want to bowl a googly to him,
(Laughter) that's the whole intent.
So I said, "See, this is an Indian question," and I tried to explain to them
what is an Indian mind, and why it asks such questions (Laughs) - so much of culture.
Then one Chinese lady says, "Sadhguru, I was working at the United Nations,
even there, only Indians ask questions. (Laughter)
We never ask questions, only the Indians were asking questions all the time."
I said, "That is India." (Laughter)