On the occasion of Independence Day, Sadhguru explains why the wellbeing of the nation is vital for our own, why the Western model is not the way to go, which qualities need to be built, where our hidden strength lies, and why, at the same time, it’s all about each individual.
Sadhguru: We are still not able to address the entire humanity as one unit. A nation is the best possible way to address a certain segment of humanity. Right now, when we say “Bharath,” we are talking about 1.4 billion people. That is a massive amount of humanity. Essentially, nation building is about the wellbeing of the people.
Essentially, nation building is about the wellbeing of the people.
The wellbeing of people can be measured in Western terms such as GDP, income, wealth, etc. Another way of looking at it is that all the material arrangements that we make in our lives are only for convenience and comfort. Wellbeing will not happen out of them. The United States of America, one of the richest and most affluent nations in the world, is a great example of that. Currently, around 46 percent of Americans will have a mental health condition at some point in their lives.
The initial reason for an individual person, a society, or a nation to seek affluence is to have nourishment choices. Once nourishment is taken care of, then it is about lifestyle choices. One of the richest nations in the world which has an enormous choice of nourishment and lifestyles has huge physical and mental health problems. So, wellbeing does not happen through material wealth.
If a nation like ours, with 1.4 billion people and the land resources that we have, tries to imitate the Western model, it will not work.
If we are really looking for wellbeing, it is very important for us that India does not repeat the Western model. We have to come up with our own. In this country, wellbeing for human beings means first of all nutritious food, clean air, pure water, rich soil, a peaceful and joyful mind, and, of course, other arrangements that come with money and material wealth. These things have to be arranged.
If a nation like ours, with 1.4 billion people and the land resources that we have, tries to imitate the Western model, it will not work. The American and European model evolved during the imperialist time. Imperialism is a nice word for, “Rob the rest of the world of all their resources, and just feed your people.” That model is a thing of the past.
Now, the entire world is aspiring to be well and feed their people. So, it is very important that we are resilient. That does not mean to close the door to the world; we must be an open gateway to the world, but we must also be self-resilient and self-sufficient.
We need to be an open economy, but a resilient one. This is particularly important in times like this pandemic, where everything could turn upside down in a matter of a few months. We have seen how economies that have been considered to be very large and successful were turned upside down in a matter of three months. If thirty, forty, fifty years of work can be wiped out in a matter of three months, obviously, this is not a secure way of building human wellbeing or national wellbeing.
We need to be an open economy, but a resilient one.
Essentially, a nation is a platform without which we cannot function in today’s world. The nation provides us a certain framework of law, a certain protection, and a certain opportunity. If we want to thrive as individual human beings, as families, as communities, as states, and ultimately as a nation, this structure of a nation must be strong and stable.
Creating a stable platform in the form of nationhood is vital for our individual wellbeing. Every human being should understand that. You must respect, regard, and value whichever nation allows you to have a platform to function. If there is no stable platform of nationhood, our entire life will go into petty, endless conflicts. A nation means there are certain laws, rules, and regulations so that all of us can perform whatever we do without clashing with each other on a daily basis.
Every one of us must contribute in whichever way we can, because the stability of the national platform is vital for our existence.
Whether you are an intellectual, a poet, a painter, a yogi, or whatever else you are, you have the responsibility of contributing, because the nation is providing you the platform without which you cannot function. Every one of us must contribute in whichever way we can, because the stability of the national platform is vital for our existence.
One important thing that we have always focused on in this culture is individual people. Without healthy individual human beings, there is no healthy nation. Without strong human beings, there is no strong nation. Without capable human beings, there is no capable nation. Without prosperous human beings, there is no prosperous nation.
It is essential for us to focus on individual people, because the greatest asset we have right now is human beings. We have a massive population, and a large number of them are below thirty-five years of age. This is the time to build the nation. If we want to build the nation, we have to build very strong, resilient human beings. To create youth who are inspired, focused, well-balanced, and competent is most important. If we do this, 1.4 billion people will be a great miracle.
A piece of geography alone does not make a nation – it is the people who make the nation.
Without developing individual human beings, we cannot build the nation. A piece of geography alone does not make a nation – it is the people who make the nation. Steps need to be taken in this direction. During this pandemic, there may have been lapses here and there, but for a population of our size and density, we have done incredibly well. Hats off to the Indian people; the police forces, the medical workers, and the citizens have done a fantastic job to make the lockdown reasonably successful.
When people have this much discipline in a moment of crisis, we must make use of this pandemic to build a strong and resilient population who will commit themselves to creating a strong and resilient nation. Without building people, there is no nation building.
No other culture has gone into the depths of the human being, looked at it as a science, developed such a level of understanding, and created methods to evolve human beings into their ultimate nature to the extent that this culture has. We know that if you do certain things, it will produce certain results in a human being. To put it bluntly, we have technologies to manufacture enlightened beings.
If we want Bharat to really rise in the world, the easiest way for us to rise is through our wisdom.
For many generations, millions of people have invested themselves in this dimension, which has created a certain level of expertise. If we want Bharat to really rise in the world, the easiest way for us to rise is through our wisdom. Even if you are not enlightened in any sense, even if you do not perceive anything, the accumulated knowledge alone is so fantastic. Right now, let’s say you go to the United States or Germany, not every professor in the college may be a scientist, but there is so much accumulated knowledge. Just with that, they have become superpowers.
India has a tremendous opportunity, but we should have the agility and willingness to grab it. During this pandemic, many people have lost relatives and friends. But for those who want to build something, for those who want to build a nation, there is no time for grief. In India, there is a saying – a king has no time to grieve. People may fall dead all around him, but he has to go on doing what he has to do.
India has a tremendous opportunity, but we should have the agility and willingness to grab it.
Right now, we are a democracy; that means every one of us is a king. The Tamil word for democracy is jananayakam – that means the people are the leaders. Now all of us are kings in some way; all of us are leaders. We are still a nation with a high level of malnourishment, a high level of child mortality, and with many people living without their basic needs being met. If we want to fix that in this generation, there is no time for grief.
We must look ahead and see how to create a nation that all of us will be proud of, a nation that will be able to serve every human being who lives here in this country.
