In a session at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, Sadhguru responds to a question about Indian youth aspiring to live and work overseas. In this context, Sadhguru points out the main issues that need to change for the country to become more attractive and livable.
Questioner: Sadhguru, I am from Punjab, and every able person I see there dreams of going to Canada. They have only one motive, “We will go there; we will earn in dollars, send back money, and adopt a village, build roads, hospitals, and schools.” Then I see soldiers, farmers, social activists, and teachers who are working at a grassroots level. Which route should I take?
Sadhguru: I am not saying you should not go abroad. If you think you are going to learn something better there, acquire some more skills than you can gather here, or even if you are going to work there, that is fine. But do not think in terms of earning dollars and then coming back and building your village. That is a long shot. What we need in this country is not necessarily dollars. What we need in this country is corruption-free, clear, focused, and dedicated people. That is what we are missing.
We do not really need money from outside. It is just that we are constantly busy working against each other at so many levels. Our energies are spent throwing things at each other all the time. Just turn on one of the English news channels in the evening to see how much energy is wasted in endlessly saying rubbish against each other. And we slowly are losing all sense of civilization in these arguments.
Hurling abuses at each other is not a debate. A debate means to use two brains instead of one to explore something.
Apart from this immense waste of energy, a whole lot of people simply do not know what integrity is. This is because we are a nation that is not controlled by any moral code. No one told us, “Thou shall not…” do this or that. In this culture, we managed ourselves by constantly stirring up human consciousness in every generation.
Morals can be subverted by anyone, but when consciousness arises within you, it is a natural expression of who you are. This has been the process. But over a period of time, this system of invigorating human consciousness has largely collapsed.
If you are going abroad to pursue some form of skill, education, knowledge, or even a profession which is not available here, it is fine. But if you are going there to make dollars and send them back, please do not waste your life like that. There is so much to be done here if you have integrity. I am focusing on integrity because this has been a scarce thing in India.
Whether it is politics, or any profession, including spirituality, unfortunately one ingredient that is really weak in India right now is integrity. If you think you have integrity, please stay in India; we do not want one more to escape.
