Questioner: How do we counter balance the power of social structures put on by popular culture? It feels like it sometimes holds youth in ignorance and has them carry out a suede perception of self-worth, and can also lead people to destructive behaviors like drugs and alcohol because it’s so cool.
This is the most common thing amongst us young people – marijuana, alcohol, bad habits – it’s pushed onto us from pop culture. What do we do? We can’t avoid it. It’s everywhere. How can we stay on our path and ascend? It’s human to fail in these habits but it does not feel right. It is impossible to escape. What do we do?
Sadhguru: Oh, I see it’s a popular question. See, instead of looking at these things as moral stuff, whether it’s right or wrong. Because never have we been able to really decide what is right and what is wrong, isn’t it? For thousands of years we have debated the same things, without being able to arrive at what is truly right and what is truly wrong. One generation thinks this is it, next generation thinks that’s trash. Yes or no? All the time.
So, let’s look at it this way – to enhance your life, is it the goal? Is it the reason why you’re in the university? In some way you want to enhance your life, isn’t it? Hello? Well, somebody wants money, somebody wants wealth, somebody wants knowledge, somebody wants relationships, somebody wants love. Why? Because you believe it’ll enhance your life in some way. Yes or no? Enhancement of life. We are not looking for money, power, love, anything. We are actually looking how this [self] can be little more than what it is right now, isn’t it?
So, if you want to be little more, is it important that all your faculties are little more heightened, than what it is right now? I’m just saying for simple ways of looking at things. Suppose you could see better than the way you’re seeing right now, would your life be enhanced somewhat? Yes or no? If you could think better, see things better mentally, would your life be enhanced? So, essentially enhancement of your faculties is enhancement of life, in many ways.
This question is everywhere. Youth in India are asking me all the time, “Sadhguru, you have influence in the government. Why don’t do make marijuana legal for us?” I said, “Why marijuana? I’ll make cocaine also legal. You want meth, we’ll make that also legal. What’s the problem?” The problem is just this – so I asked them, “See, let me take you, you know, I’m a licensed pilot. So not me, but we’ll get another pilot for you. On a small plane will take you on a nice ride, but the pilot comes smoked up. You want to fly?” No, they don’t say, no. They say, “Ahh…”, because they think by smoking, they are flying.
Then I say, “Okay, you’re not getting it. You need a major surgery. And the surgeon comes really smoked up. You want this surgery?” “Ohh, no.” So, you understand, it lowers your faculties. If you think by lowering your faculty you will become better, then all the best. All the best, because you will need lot of luck and a lot of blessings, because you will not live out of your own competence for sure. Yes or no? This is why I think everybody is talking empathy, compassion because they don’t want to live out of their own competence. They need other people’s boost all the time.
No, if you lower your faculties, your life gets lowered or high? Lowered. So never use the word ‘High’ again. You say, “I smoked and I’m low”. This is not a moral issue for me. I have no morality in me. But life should work, isn’t it? Suppose my eyes become dim, do I live better? I’m asking. Hello? If my mind becomes dim, do I live better? Why do people think by lowering faculties, life gets high? No, it doesn’t. It’s just giving you an illusion like that, for which you will pay a price. At this stage in your life, you must look for those things which will heighten your faculties, not lower your faculties, isn’t it?
If you’re interested, you come, I’ll show you – look at my eyes, I’m always stoned! Yes, look at me. Never touched a substance, because the greatest chemical factory on the planet is here [self]. Hello? The question is only whether you are ecstatic or anxious is determined by – are you a good manager of this [self] one or are you a lousy manager. That’s all that is determining this. If you’re a lousy manager, you are importing chemicals from outside. If you’re a good manager, you are conducting this the way you want, and blissed out all the time.
There is a high when you can see better, hear better, think better, visualize better, there is a tremendous high with life. I want you to know that high, not foggy high!
