Questioner: Hi Sadhguru. How are you doing? So, my question is that, we learned that we are sophisticated machinery, and that we must learn how that sophisticated machinery works. But how do we approach that? How do we go about learning how this sophisticated machinery works?
Sadhguru: Unfortunately, we have created a movement in the world, education being the core of it – there are many other aspects – education is the core of it, where it’s always about conquering the world. Right from kindergarten, they’re only asking, “Who is number one, who is number two, who is number three, who is number last.” It’s always about being better than somebody. It’s always about conquering something.
See, conquest is one way of having things, but inclusion and embrace is another way of having things. If you have somebody in your life that you have conquered, “I have conquered him and he has to be here.” Well, he will ensure that my life is miserable moment to moment. Yes or no? Dhanya, can I trust you on that or no? Yes, you will. But, if I have included him and he is here by choice, now, he will be a great asset to have around me. This is the choice you have.
But unfortunately, the orientation of the education – education is a consequence of the general attitude in the society, we have become a conquering mode. I think this is a fall-out from the imperial way of existence that we’ve had for last three centuries. That we think we are powerful and we are good only when we have everybody at our feet. Well, with technology, with worldwide growth of human aspiration, having everybody at your feet, times are over. Everybody needs to come to their senses. Having people at your feet, those times are over. Because many things have changed in the last one century, that you cannot conduct the world that way. But still we have not managed to change the education system fundamentally. Here still you’re struggling, “Who conquers whom?”
When you want to race with somebody or when you think life is a race, all you want to do is get to the finish line fast, isn’t it? Hello? If entire life is a race, finish line is death. Why don’t you get there quick? Hello? Is that what you want? People are telling me that is also happening in the universities unfortunately. That is also happening, most unfortunate. Why would a young person want to take his own life? But such a thing is happening. I’m telling you, in India in 2017, 18,600 students below eighteen years of age, committed suicide – below eighteen. Out of this, 7400 students were below fifteen years of age. Can you believe it? Twelve, thirteen, fourteen-year-old children taking their own life! How? What is it?
If thousands of children below fifteen years of age want to commit suicide, don’t we realize that we’re doing something fundamentally wrong? Hello? A child, a child of twelve, thirteen, fourteen must be exuberant, full of life, excited about everything in the universe, but they want to kill themselves! And ninety-nine percent of the time, it’s because of the education system. The burden of the education system – because not everybody is geared for being a conqueror. Many people feel distasteful when they have to conquer something. Some people feel like this [pumped up]. Other people, more sensitive people feel horrible when they have to sit on somebody else’s head. Hello? Yes or no?
But the only way to succeed is that I must trample on you. It is distasteful for me, but if you don’t give me any other way, I may do it. But when I can’t do it, I’ll do something else. This needs to be looked at. This is not an individual issue. This has become a global phenomenon. This is not in one place, this is not in one university. Schools, I’m saying below eighteen years of age, below fifteen years of age – when they want to take their own life, we are doing something very fundamentally wrong in the society.
The main problem is this – we want everybody to be conquerors. Not everybody has a heart to be a conqueror. Not everybody wants to conquer anything. Hello? Everybody would want to explore, engage, understand, but not everybody wants to conquer. But we have set the whole world in a conquest mode. So, the only way is, all the sensitive people will get trampled, the crudest lot will get to the top. Not a good way to structure this society in this world. This needs to be addressed.
The students, the youth of this world should take it up, bring it to a debate. Instead of debating all kinds of things, “Should we make marijuana legal or not, cocaine legal or not”, you must debate this – that what form of education do we want? Not just at the university, it must start at the kindergarten. Is it about making you into a sensitive, intelligent human being or is it about making you a fighter who kills everybody, and stands there like this over somebody’s blood? If somebody falls down with bleeding injuries, I can’t do this. Hello? Can you? All of you?
Suppose I smash you up in the face and you fall down there bleeding, my heart will bleed, I can’t do this [pumped up], when you’re down. Very few people can do that and they must remain few. Hello? They should not run this world. Yes or no? Their number should remain few, they will always be there, but they must be few and they should not be the empowered population of this world, ever in future. In the past, it was so. Whoever had the biggest muscle, he was the boss. Yes or no? Today, if you have big muscles, at the most we’ll put you at the security gate. So, the world has changed. It’s time we change the structures which make people. Education is an important process because nearly ninety percent of the human population is passing through that one sieve, isn’t it? Hello?
There are many other structures in a society. We may go there, we may not go there, but nearly ninety percent of human population is going through this one sieve called education. This sieve should become a sensitive, very humanistic sieve. This should not be an imperial sieve. This should not be a, you know, an Adolf Hitler or Alexander the Great kind of sieve. Right now, we’re trying to produce them. We’re trying to produce them always. We’re trying to produce tyrants who will enjoy other people’s failures, isn’t it? Hello? I want to be number one, means what? I enjoy all of you have failed. Why? Why have you brought this about? It’s time the youth of this world stand up and demand a more sensitive, humanistic education process for your own growth, well-being and the well-being of the world, because this world is yours tomorrow.
