#3.1. How are we to live in this world?

The Sufi Bayazid says this about himself:  “I was a revolutionary when I was  young and all my prayer to Almighty was- ‘Give me the energy to change thy world.’ ” 

“As I approached middle age and      realized that half my life was gone without my changing a single person, then I asked- ‘Give me the grace to change all those who come in contact with me. Just my family and friends, and I shall be content.’ ”

  “Now that I am an old man and my days are numbered, I pray- ‘give me the grace to change myself.' Had I prayed for this right from the start I should not have wasted my life.”

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Right from the beginning we should make certain things very clear: this should be a serious dialogue, it

is not an intellectual or emotional entertainment. Also one may point out; we are not trying to do any

propaganda for any ideals, for any beliefs, for any conclusions, for any concepts. Together we are going

to be aware sensitively, without any prejudice, without any identification, without any choice, to be

aware of what is happening in the world, not only externally, outwardly, but also inwardly - what we

have become, what society, which human beings have built, has come to. We are going to sensitively,

without any choice be aware of what is happening in this world which we have created, a world which

is disintegrating, a world where there is tremendous violence, division, nationalities, religious

separation, all culminating in the division of human beings. And if one is aware, not from any particular

point of view, but aware, objectively, with certain attention and feeling, one cannot help but observe

that human beings, we, have brought about a society, a community of people who are being educated

by others, by the specialists, by the technologists, and we are not educating ourselves - not according to

some philosopher, ancient or modern, not according to some psychologist, or some committed

sectarian, but rather to educate ourselves and be totally responsible for ourselves, and not be dependent

on anybody psychologically. We are dependent on the postman, the market, and so on. But apparently,

as one is aware and observes, in our so-called freedom we are destroying ourselves.

If we are really willing to enquire, we should never start with conclusions. And all the ideologies we

have made regarding ourselves and our surrounding, all our belief systems and all the generations of

conditioning of the Human Brain are nothing but the conclusions we draw out every moment. Thereby

we try to go into this step by step and gradually. We see right now that there is war within and between

individuals and conflict between nations. In this permissive society everything is allowed – killing,

riots, the cynical oppression of one country by another, and nobody does anything about it because

interference might mean world war.

Does that mean to live in a different way? Yes, but we should be very clear whether we are asking for a

new ‘life’ with the understanding of the prior one or a modified version of the same vicious circle. Does

this desire for change come from the clarity of things or from the discrimination between ‘pleasure’ and

‘pain’?

To deduce the way to live in this world, one must understand the ‘world’ in its complete sense. The

world is not in reality a distinct entity from us. It is the relationship of individuals with themselves and

others. If we see misery, hate, violence, etc.in this world isn’t it the outer manifestation of human

being’s inner division. See the irony. Humans themselves created these structures of misery and

suffering and they themselves now wish to escape it.

Mankind has lived on this earth over fifty thousand years, and perhaps much longer or for less duration.

During all this long evolution man has not found peace on earth - 'pacem in terris' has been preached

long before Christianity, by the ancient Hindus and the Buddhists. And during all this time man has

lived in conflict, not only conflict with his neighbour but with people of his own community, of his own

society, with his own family, he has fought, struggled against human for the last five thousand years

and perhaps more. Historically there have been wars practically every year. And we are still at war. 

And the religious hierarchy, not only the Catholics but the other groups have talked about 'pacem in

terris', goodwill among men. It has never come about - to have peace on earth. And they have talked

about peace when you die you go to heaven and you have peace there.

One wonders, if one is at all serious, why a human kills another human being - in the name of god, in

the name of peace, in the name of some ideology, or for his country - whatever that may mean - or for

the king and the queen, and all the rest of that business. Probably we all know this: that human has

never lived on this earth, which is being slowly destroyed; why human cannot live at peace with

another human being; why there are separate nations, which is after all a glorified tribalism. Nations are

at war, groups are at war, ideologies, whether it is the Russian or the American, or any other category of

ideologies, they are all at war with each other, conflict. And after living on this earth for so many

centuries, why is it that man cannot live peacefully on this marvelous earth? This question has been

asked over and over again.

However in a way our question itself is contradictory for we are making this world an opposite of what

we wish ‘it’ to be. However the opposite is contained within, and determined by its opposite; it exists

only in comparison, and things that are comparative have different measures of the same quality, so

opposites are in a way similar. Hence this change is not at all change but just a pleasurable game,

seeking mere satisfaction of doing something. So I think we should reframe the question – “How am I

to change?”

Therefore it is very important to bring about in the human mind, a Radical Revolution. There is still a

great deal of animal in man. He is still acquisitive, competitive, brutal, selfish and frightened. Moreover

he has built a society along these lines. Can we ever come out of our psychological drama? As Human

Beings become more empowered, there is a fundamental need for us to become more conscious and

responsible, rather than reactive and compulsive. With a very sharp knife able to do tasks effectively and

no steady hand to handle it properly, we will end up stabbing ourselves.

And lest we forget, we have very little time in our hands. There is no savior here. There is no master to

teach and disciple to learn. We ourselves are the master and the disciple. Are we willing to do so is the question, that is the Real Thing.

                                            Part 2