Mukti Mohan: Sadhguruji, I have many questions.
Sadhguru: You can throw one at a time.
Mukti Mohan: Yes. Being in a patriarchal world…
Sadhguru: Which one are you? Are you Shakti or Mukti?
Mukti Mohan: I’m Mukti.
Sadhguru: Okay.
Mukti Mohan: I think there is a lot of power in being feminine, there is a lot of power in being nourishing, and attention is power. And somehow, attention is going in a successful way, which is… which was taught in a patriarchal world in a different way. So, maybe we need to undo, unlearn, and re-learn some new things in our everyday lives. So, please suggest how should we protect?
Sadhguru: Hey, don’t blame the men for everything.
Mukti Mohan: No, I’m not. I’m just defining how the power was taught to us.
Sadhguru: Yes… There are many ways to look at it. I’m not trying to make it controversial, but just to make it fun. If men were going wrong, right from thousands of years, women were always there, they could have corrected, if they knew better. So obviously, they also did not know any better, isn’t it?
Human ignorance and human actions on the planet cannot be separated by gender
So, human ignorance and human actions on the planet cannot be separated by gender. Well, certain things can be, a few things, but the larger activity is not gender-based. It is human greed, human aspirations of the time, which does that. Above all, there is only one reason why we have brought ourselves to this brink.
See, this destruction of the planet did not happen because of any evil design. It happened in pursuit of human happiness, human well-being. Human beings want to live better, whatever their idea of better was. It did not happen because somebody wanted to murder Mother Earth. Yes, or no? There was no such intent. So, why our well-being is coming at such a cost? Because in pursuit of happiness…
Destruction of the planet did not happen because of any evil design. It happened in pursuit of human happiness
Let me tell you a story. There was a potato farmer, potato farmer, okay? One day, you know, this is season coming, he wanted to eat mangoes, so he went to a mango tree. But then, being a potato farmer, by habit he started digging, digging, digging… till the tree fell on him. It’s a habit. You want a coconut, you must go up. Instead, you start digging down – the tree will collapse, isn’t it?
So, you want happiness, you should have turned inward, but you tried to squeeze it from the planet. Well, we are where we are. Your well-being will not happen, ever, by the arrangements that you make around you. By arrangements, convenience will come, comfort will come – yes, we need some of it. But, how much comfort we need, if you really look at it? Well, that’s not going to cost the planet. It’s in search of well-being and happiness that we’ve destroyed the planet, not in search of comfort – please look at it. Yes, or no? If you were really well, physically and mentally, we would need actually very little comfort. Yes, or no? Have you noticed this? On a day when you’re very happy, you don’t need anything, you can sit on a rock and be fine. When you’re unhappy, you need lot of cushions. Yes?
So, this is all happening in pursuit of human well-being, human happiness. Because nobody told them, if you want mangoes, you must pluck it, look up and pluck it from there, not dig into the soil. You may be a potato farmer for your lifetime, but when you want mangoes, you must look up, not down. This is the only problem – instead of looking in, we looked out in search of human happiness. And how much ever we do, the damn happiness is not coming. So, we do more, and more, and more – it doesn’t matter, the whole thing collapses.
When I was at the Economic Forum, you know, on that particular year 2008, when there was a certain amount of recession in the Western markets. So, about 1,200 business leaders, every one of them is a billionaire, okay? Whether you’re in single digit, double digit, or three digit, is the only question. But all of them are depressed, because… recession! Because you’re a few billions less than what you were yesterday, or a few days ago. Then, this whole thing was going on, and then the Economic Forum asked me, “Sadhguru, why don’t you do one session on ‘Recession and Depression’?” I said, “Recession is bad enough, then why are you getting into depression now?”
But right now, you have made your economic engine in such a way that if you fail, you will be depressed; if you succeed, we will be damned. Yes! This is like the Panchatantra story, where a man is sitting on the wrong end of the branch, and hacking at the branch. When he succeeds, he will fall. That is our status right now, human beings.
Because right now everybody is aspiring – all over the world, aspiration is what? Somewhere, United States has become the aspiration in most people’s mind, knowingly or unknowingly, okay? The very fact, you know, even here, wherever I see, I see the blue denims. United States has become the aspiration. It is America’s workmen’s clothes, that’s why they used to be torn. But now, you have to pay thousand dollars to tear it in a particular way. So, it’s become the aspiration. Let us understand this. If this nearly 8 billion people on the planet should have what an average American citizen has, in terms of physical things, we need four-and-a-half planets. Right now, we have only half a planet left. One half is gone, please know this. Over 50% of the topsoil is gone, that means one half of the planet is gone. To put it back, it will take 500 to 1,000 years. It’s not going to happen overnight.
Our happiness depends on not having a house, but a warehouse!
So, our aspirations have become like this. Our happiness depends on not having a house, but a warehouse! Most homes are looking like warehouses, full of stuff that they never use. How many things in your home do you use at least once a month? Please look at it. If you’re not using it for a month, please hand it over to somebody who could use it! A lot could happen. Yes! These things have been accumulated not because the usefulness of what it is. These things have been accumulated in pursuit of happiness. Happiness will not come that way.
You want to be blissed out, there’s something you need to do about this one [self], not about all that [outside]. That we do for comfort, convenience, activity – yes. For that, there is enough room, planet is generous that way. We can all be active and well. If we handle our well-being and our joy within ourselves, there is room for all of us here to do whatever we wish to do. But, once you’re in pursuit of happiness, one person, one planet if you give also, it’s not enough!
