Prem Gaffar, a new sannyasin, says: “I’ve started to stand off and observe things and it looks as if… people are destroying themselves… The world is destroying itself.”
Don’t be worried about these things, mm? If you can save yourself you have saved the world. These are unnecessary problems and you cannot do much about it. If it is going to be destroyed, it is going to be destroyed. So what? Every planet has to die one day. Maybe the time has come for the earth to die; nothing remains forever. Just as people die, planets die, stars die. Everything is alive one day then dies one day. Maybe the day has come. So nothing to worry about! Nothing will be lost; the universe will be perfectly happy. If humanity is gone no problem arises out of it. Without us existence has been there forever. Without us it will be there, perfectly beautiful; there will be no problem. The moon will not miss us.
The people who are pessimists think that this is just destruction; that is not so. If the ecology is destroyed, if humanity comes to a point where life becomes impossible here, then we will find something. Maybe we will find sky cities which can float, big balloons. We will find sea cities which can float or we may start migrating to some planet.
Only a big problem,
a big crisis,
brings a change in
human consciousness.
Don’t be worried about these things. My own approach is that whenever some problem arises, it is good; it helps the mind to find a solution. For example, people suffered for many many centuries because of darkness, cold, then they invented fire. Not that they had not known about fire; fire was there sometimes, wildfire in the forest. They knew about it but when it became too much and their life was being destroyed, then only… Necessity is the mother of invention; they invented. Since then we have been inventing and inventing and inventing. Now we have come upon a point where we are destroying ecology. Nothing to be worried about! And you will not be there to face it so why be worried? (laughter) The people who are there will take care! I think Gaffar will not be there. At least for the thirty, forty years you are here, things will continue; nothing to be worried about.
If petrol disappears, we will find something; that is the only way to find. Who knows? – some day our cars will run by water; there is no problem in it. If petrol disappears we will have to find something. Maybe just the sunlight or maybe just air or just water. And who knows? one day we may have vehicles which run only through willpower! (laughter) It is possible, and man only finds out things when things become impossible, otherwise why bother? Petrol is available, so go on! When you have finished with petrol then you have to think about it.
The American
intelligence
is pessimistic;
it only thinks
of the coming doom,
doomsday.
Only a big problem, a big crisis, brings a change in human consciousness. That’s how we have been growing. One day we killed so many animals that life became impossible, so we started cultivating; it was the same problem. Just think of those people who had lived only on hunting. They hunted too much and they killed so many animals that it became impossible. They must have been suffering in the same way. They must have asked, ‘Now what? How are we going to survive? We have killed so many animals.’ Then they stumbled upon cultivation.
This is how humanity has been surviving. And the problem has always been there some way or other; the problem has to remain there. Out of the problem one grows. So never be pessimistic, mm? The American intelligence is pessimistic; it only thinks of the coming doom, doomsday. Ecology is destroyed, this is destroyed, that is destroyed, petrol is finished and the water and air are polluted. It is perfectly right, it is happening, but it cannot be stopped either.
The only way to go beyond it is to find some solution. Not that you can replace ecology; that is not possible. Man cannot go back, man can only go ahead. Maybe that’s why so much energy is put into going to the moon and to Mars. Maybe within thirty, forty years we will need a great migration. We have been migrating down the ages. We have been migrating only on the earth, from one continent to another continent. When food was finished on one continent, we migrated to another continent. Now, we can migrate to another planet and it will be a beautiful journey, don’t be worried. At least I’m not worried at all… about anything. Whatsoever happens is good.
Rather, you meditate! Good, Gaffar!
Osho, The Open Door, Ch 25 (excerpt)
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