There are many ways in which man can progress and one of the best ways is to be very happy on this earth. For that we must work, for that we must prosper, for that we must shine. There is no doubt about it - we have come on this earth and we must do the duties that earth demands of us. But that is not all we are meant to do. We have come; we don’t know how. So we have come from the hereafter from “somebody” and we have to go hereafter back to “somebody.”
Now my idea to talk to you is a very simple idea. There is a certain responsibility which rests with you and with your ego. Granted that your backgrounds are not right, granted that you are all learning… but I have understood one thing - once a man adapts himself to righteousness, then no sacrifice is painful. As long as a life of righteousness is not adopted, everything is painful.
My concern is very simple. You may not understand this concern. There are thousands of people who are lonely, there are thousands of people who want to commit suicide, there are thousands of people whose homes are broken. There are thousands of children who have parents, but because their egos clash with them, because they are sexually desirous, because they are unlimitedly unwise, these children are leaving their homes.
I can understand that these white turbans and these white clothes have given you security. I can understand we can all collect together and we can pull everything together. But we are not all!
We are a very, very, very minor fraction of the total society, and you can’t forget that. This is why I wanted to talk to you and remind you, because you have lost your ambition because you are pretty secure now. Everybody has an ashram, everybody has students around, so everything is okay. Those who want it should come, and those who don’t, should not come. Why should we go anywhere?
But that should not be the attitude. You must have the door of your home open so people can call on you, people can trust you, people can get help from you, people can approach you for many, many reasons. There are many reasons for which people will need to relate to you. The coming times are going to be very hard on society as a whole. So my attitude is that there may be 10 casualties, 50 thefts, 20 robberies, 100 rapes - all that which is going on in the society. Do you know who is responsible for it? We all are.
All acts of insanity are the responsibility of the sane people, because the sane people are lazy and they could not spread wisdom through to the insane people, to give them some hope. This is how I look at it.
Now, the era of drugs is over. The era of freaking out is over. Society is feeling a great impact and requires comfort from anybody who can give it. The greatest thing on this earth is to serve the people of God. That is the highest act a man can do for any other man, but it has to be positive, not that you can go help somebody and you go and drag yourself down and get into the pit yourself. You have to be very firm, very honest, very constant, very insistent and very persuasive. In spite of that you have to be very sweet, very kind, very serviceful and very righteous. These things go together.
You are not on a trip to convert people. That is not your responsibility; you are not a missionary who has to count how many Christians you convert. But you can proudly say, “I have comforted 50 people.” Provide people comfort, go into society, live for people. If God, out of His mercy, has pulled you out of that insanity, then is it not fair for you to serve those who are still suffering?
I told you to be like me, to tie a turban like me, to grow a beard like me. I told you to live like me so that people can trust you like they trust me. I wanted to have more extension; it was a very honest desire. But I also want people to trust you as they trust me. I want you to go and serve people as I serve people. Don’t try to get into your own cages and be uptight. That won’t serve the purpose; you have misunderstood the whole mission.
In another 10 years hospitals will have iron windows and people will try to jump out. There will be tremendous sickness. There will be unhappiness and tragedy on this earth. Then, will it be fair for you to just come out with stretchers? Can’t you do something when there is still hope now?
Your main mission is to be healthy, happy and holy. You have to live healthy, happy and holy and try to reach people so they can live healthy and happy. Don’t worry if someone ties a turban or not or if somebody keeps their hair or not; what is that to you? You’re doing what you’re doing in the Name of God; you’re not doing it in somebody’s name. Why should you just be just? Rather go out and help.
Try to understand that this is the time that you can still hold your ground, you can still change the times on this planet. Do you remember five years ago I used to say that in 1974 there would be a lesson, and none of you believed it? See what ’74 brought for you? It has brought you gas price of 69¢ a gallon and an energy crisis and every belt is tight; everybody is getting crazy. It is time to have courage, it is time to have will, it is time to have God-consciousness. It is time to save humanity. Don’t have some mark on your forehead whether you are God or what - just in the Name of God, go and help people. Just knock on a door and say, “Do you have any problem we can help you with? In case of any difficulty, please, here is a card and this is my telephone number.” Start making contact with people. Don’t just sit around tying turbans and becoming teachers.
You funnies, you have started becoming very egocentric. That is not what Guru Nanak taught. That was not the mission of Guru Ram Das. You have totally misunderstood and you are freaks! Guru Ram Das used to walk 15 miles from his throne with hot water and a towel to wash the feet of those who used to come for meditation in the morning. What are you doing? Who are you following? Growing a beard doesn’t make a man happy, healthy and holy and it doesn’t make him a god.
You have to live like gods; you have to be universal. You have to go and serve people. You have to spread hope and give them hope! God will do the rest, I can assure you. But go and give them hope. Let them not kill themselves. They are lonely to death and they have nobody to talk to, but they are afraid of you. They think you are weird. You know who you are. Why don’t you go into the community? Why don’t you offer your services? Why don’t you meet people?
The time is now. It will be too late later on. You’ll not be in a position to do anything. There will be so much insanity that you will be only there to save yourself. It is much better to save humanity now. Your little families, your little world, your little home, your little money, your little ego - man, you are just talking like idiots! Your dead bodies will lie on these roads, your children will be orphans and nobody will kick them, rather people will eat them alive. That is the time we are going to face. There will be a tremendous insanity.
Has anybody gone with some instrument and called the hospital to say “We’ll come if permitted, and we will go around and play music?” Have you gone to the Senior Citizen homes where people are sick and lonely, to give them music and take them food? What good have you done for anybody? You are just kicking around Yogi Bhajan and 3HO. Guru Nanak said that, “The little worm who lives in the stool has the capacity to get into it and into it. When you take it out, it dies.” Are we getting into this maya like that? Or will we come out and serve people who are suffering? Expand. Get out and spread yourself. Give people hope, give people love, give people service, give people trust. Tell people you care for them. It doesn’t matter whether you look alike or you look different. You look different so they can recognize you better. Do something now. If you fail to do it now, this “now” will never come back to you, and then you will be sorry like all the others.
One candle is enough to take away the darkness from a huge area. One white-clad follower of the healthy, happy and holy life should be enough to take away loneliness and sickness from the whole locality. Serve the people of God. God in return will serve you.
Hope is brought to people by the people - people who believe in God and experience God consciousness. They are the image of hope and they go where there is darkness. I have done enough running around and now it is time for you to start doing it. I am telling you because you call yourselves teachers. This is one of the responsibilities I want to share with you. I’m doing my bit, you have to do yours, and if we all get together, we can do a lot.