September 28, 2008
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Prem Rawat: Making a Difference
Making a Difference
I have traveled the world many times speaking about peace. And people ask me, “How is peace going to be possible?” I tell them, “Maybe you have ten reasons why peace is not possible: There is too much greed. There are too many people who are hungry. I have 6.7 billion reasons why there should be peace on this earth—6.7 billion being the population of this earth, approximately.”
I have the same interest you do, the same quest as you, the same dream as you. And we, the people, can make the difference for peace on this earth.
We have relied on institutions long enough. Institutions can bring us prosperity—ways to flourish on the outside. But when it comes to feeling the peace on the inside, this remains our responsibility. I have gone from village to village. I have seen the poor, and I have seen the rich. These are society’s differences, the glasses they give us that say, “Look at me. I am rich; I am poor. I am tall; I am short. I am a woman; I am a man. I am educated; I am not educated.”
These divisions have pushed people further away from each other, not brought them together. Look at the condition of this world. There are more educated people today than there have ever been. And look what that has brought. If the solution lies anywhere, it is, and has always been, inside of us. It is incumbent upon human beings to bring peace, to bring kindness to each other.
Peace and the quest for peace will persevere. You are the little seeds that, when they germinate, carry on the cause of peace in this world.
What is peace? People think, “If everybody had food, then we would have peace.” Excuse me. Who creates food? Do people create food? No. We can sow the seeds. Nature does the work. Nature grows the trees and the fruit. Is nature partial to what language you speak? Is nature partial to any of the divisions that we have created? No. Can the people of this world be fed? Yes. What does it take? Kindness.
There is a saying: “If you are strong, you should be kind. If you are smart, you should be simple. If you are wealthy, you should be humble.” I agree. The kindness that needs to exist is in the heart of people, but skepticism hides that kindness.
Some people say, “If all the children were taken care of, there would be peace.” God takes care of that child for nine months in the womb. That’s not where the problem begins. It’s when the child comes into our world. Nine months—food, water, sleep—everything is perfectly taken care of.
I am not here to give you peace. I am here to put the idea in your head that peace exists inside of you. Start thinking, that’s all. The thirsty will find the water, because they have the thirst. But if there is no thirst, they could be standing next to a lake, and it won’t make any difference whatsoever.
I am saying, “Let us know the dream of our heart to have that crystal clear water.” Everybody can not only drink from it but bathe in it. This is the dream; this is the possibility. One step at a time.
People come to me and say, “Give me some peace!” How can I give you what you already have? You have that peace inside of you. The attitude that needs to change is: Is peace a possibility or not? This is what you have to decide. I have decided for myself. Yes, peace is a possibility. The drums of peace have been ringing on this earth for a very, very long time.
Your strength lies in understanding your thirst, your need to be in that joy, to be in that happiness. There is a dimension inside of you that is greater than all that you see on the outside. You are more than the sum of all the bad that happens in your life. Peace is inside of you even in turmoil, and you can experience that peace. It begins with understanding your thirst for it.
Prem Rawat
Copied from www.voiceofmaharaji.org Link
Comments (12)
Peace is irrelevant. We are a war species. It’s in our genes. Put two strangers in a room, add irritant, sit back and enjoy the show. There can be only one. <looks to the sky for obligatory lightening bolt….>
@disillusionisreal -
– Actually, it is being increasingly argued that war is a socially learnt behaviour, not a genetically inherent one, and than man-kind is losing its taste for it. The major western powers have not been at war for decades now (except skirmishes related to the cold-war).
@NikBv -
Right, I’ll give you that. What of the chimps, who regularly murder each other? Are they doing this because they saw another chimp do it, or because it is inherit in their nature to the need of survival?
@disillusionisreal - Agreed.
@disillusionisreal -
@logicalemu - You are both evil, and should be punished. However, as I am a sensitive male, I will not seek some hasty, blanket, off the peg punishment, but – out of respect for the individuality of your selves, and all other liberty-respecting individuals, instead try to arrange such pains as suit your individual characters. Yes, so well tailored, that when in days to come you recount the story to your wondering grandchildren, you will choke a litttle, and with a teary eye say, “the punishment was terrible, yet… it was administered with such respect, that we felt almost…. loved.”
I am going to correct you two wimen, but first I have to take a piss, and do some other stuff, and I may be a while.
@NikBv - Thanks for your help with these dissenters, but be careful: I know them well. They are both very fierce, and you could easily have an ear bitten off.
@disillusionisreal -
@NikBv -
@logicalemu - Which impresses us most. I mean, which creates the greatest impression on our feelings? That which we have, and so take for granted, or that which we lack, and therefore pine for? Most of the things that we enjoy come not from our ability to fight, but from our ability to love, to appreciate, and to cooperate. I’m sure I could list a few more similar points, but they would all be pointing towards a basic feature of human nature: we are social animals, and all that we value – in fact that mating activity that causes us, like our ancestors, to be here – is based on our ability to love and cooperate.
Definitely we have a drive to fight and quarrel. But isn’t our frequent use of it a failure to utilise something deeper, rather than a belief that it (chaos and violence) is a superior force? Yet we have some degree of free will, and who – othe rthan a loony – would choose this failure? So, say what we will about the badness in the world, do we not admit to the superiority of a better state by yearning for it, even as we say that it’s impossible?
@darkoozeripple -
Then let the wimen lead. Female mammals in the wild tend to have matriarchal hierarchies, unlike we humans who seem to think that the big, strong male is the better leader for our packs. Males need war. Females want peace with gossip filled
@darkoozeripple -
I will take my punishment like a man. But in a woman’s skin. Or like Joan of Arc, who went to her death knowing that it was for the greater good. I must commend you on your reply above, that was quite a well written statement, had my girlfriend spewing coffee all over my lappy toppy. You make us chuckle.
@disillusionisreal -
never finished my previous statement….females want peace with gossip filled ladies only nights. We may also ask for a catfight or two just to keep our nails sharp.
@darkoozeripple - Psh, I could take you.
Would also like to say that as nice as it is to go on about the things we love creating deeper impressions on us than the things we hate, when you get right down to it, humans are selfish. Actually, that would explain why the things we love bring us greater joy. If war is what will bring us closer to what we want (See: Bush administration and oil) then war it is. Peace and war are but means to selfish ends, and war is often the “easier option” because it doesn’t involve compromise or discussion or careful thought. All you need in war is to be stronger and/or smarter and you win. Simple. Humans are much more simple than we tend to think. Oh, did I mention we’re also an egotistical lot?
@logicalemu - I avoid “interpreting” Prem Rawat, and rather let him speak for himself, but as I understand him, he means that peace is possible for the individual, and if such a state was being experienced by more people, there would be less warfare.
And I am the same, in that the things I love bring me joy. But can we always get them?