People always kept account of money and things that they have. But, very few people kept accounts of how they are. Are they progressing, or regressing, or what is happening. People have taken on this mode – if small things go wrong in their life, they’ll find one little person down there and say, it’s because of him. I’m talking about the husband. If big things go wrong, it’s because of him [pointing upwards], the big guy up there. This guy [pointing to self], never in account. The little people, or big people – this one [pointing to self]… ‘This one’ acts really big when he has to receive something, but when he has to give something he really acts very small. People taken on this mode.
‘This one’ [self] acts really big when he has to receive something, but when he has to give something he really acts very small
This is because there is no clear accounting process, and no clear-cut balance sheet – this is where I stand in my life. If there was an accounting process – if you, shall we make an audit? Yes. Little bit of life audit. When you are five years of age, how joyful you were. Today how joyful you are. The balance sheet – is it profit or loss? That means it’s loss.
I was speaking to a group of people at the Princeton University and I looked around, a whole lot of people sitting with long faces. Particularly in university, the faces are extra long. Maybe it’s the weight of knowledge, I don’t know. So I looked around, except for three, four faces which were young faces, which were bright, all others [gesturing long face]. Then I asked them, what’s happened to all these people over 30 years of age? Why are they carrying such long faces? One lady stands up and says – they are all married. This has happened only because there is no day-to-day accounting.
Every day, before you go to bed, if you had a balance sheet going. Today am I a little better human being, or am I little worse? Every day – if you had accounts… once a year if there was a clear audit, external audit, then very quickly you would have recovered. But after 25 years, one day you realise you are deep in the red. Now very difficult to recover because it’s gone to another place.
Where to a point, where a whole lot of people have an argument that – it is not practical to be joyful, in the accounting job. A whole lot of people are actually arguing that it is not practical to be joyful. You met lot of them! Yes or no? People are making a case that it is not practical to be joyful.
Is it practical to be in various states of stress and distress, and still function properly in the world. If one has to function in variety of atmospheres, in variety of situations, variety of challenges on day to day basis – one fundamental thing is, this [pointing to self] must be a peaceful and joyful being, isn’t it? Otherwise, how is it practical that a person under great stress, or distress can function effectively in any field, or any area of life!
