Prem Rawat:
Hello everyone; Prem Rawat here.
And I am making this video just to wish everybody a very Happy New Year. I hope that this year is prosperous for you, that it’s filled with peace for you.
Because so much happens in our lives. You know, (I guess this is a little bit of housekeeping because some people wrote these questions to me), and one of the questions or a comment that a person made was, “You know, it’s just so bleak when one says that ‘It just all disappears after you, you know, go.’”
And I know, you know, it just doesn’t even make any sense! It’s like, all of this? And then, all of a sudden one day, you’re gone! And, yeah. But it’s not about going; it’s about being here every day that you have.
It’s like arriving at a show. And it’s an incredible show. But you thought it was at some other theater. So, you were standing in front of that, and waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting. And then you finally find out, “Oh, it’s somewhere else,” and so you rush over there.
And now you have a choice. You’ve got maybe five minutes left. And you will catch the last five minutes. Or just say, “No, I don’t want to catch any of it.”
And this is the point. Because for so much time in our lives, we just lollygag around; we’re doing this; we’re doing this; we’re doing this; we’re doing this. And in everything that we do, we’re not really, really focused, not really trying to take advantage of everything that we have been given, all the resources that we have, understanding and peace and joy.
You know, we’re trying to be happy. But just, that’s all it is; it’s just trying to be happy. Trying to be successful. Somebody comes along and makes a little comment. And you can see that on, (you know), with all the social media that’s around. One person makes a comment and people are like, “Oh my God, you know, this is horrible; this is terrible; why did you make that comment?”
But is this what life is all about? Getting approval from other people, getting approval from this person, getting approval from that person? Or is it your life, and when do you take the ownership of that?
And it’s easy enough to come out and sit down on this chair and wish everybody, you know, “Have a prosperous New Year.” And I really hope you do. But it’s up to you to make it prosperous. You’re the key. You’re the key person; you’re the fulcrum; you’re the main point around which all this revolves, (at least, your life).
And is that what you want? To be focused for once? Instead of just, again, you know, the opportunity that you still have, not taking it and going, “Well, what is it going to be like?”
You know, all I can think of is there’s a drop. And this drop—is a drop. And maybe at one point, it was a vapor, and it went up. And at some point it became a drop. And then as a drop, it maybe hung out on a branch somewhere, maybe on a flower somewhere. And then it dropped. And it dropped, and it became part of a little stream.
And then that stream became a little bit bigger, and a little bit bigger, and a little bit bigger, and maybe it became a river. More little streams joined it. And from that river, it eventually flowed and flowed and flowed and flowed and flowed. And it merged with the ocean.
And many times you see rainclouds over the ocean. And that water came from the ocean—and went up, became a cloud, and now it’s raining. And for that moment that that drop leaves that cloud, it is a drop. And it’s only a drop. But then when it merges back with the ocean, what is it? It is once again, the ocean. It is not a drop anymore; it is once again the ocean.
And this is what we keep forgetting. We see only the drop, only the “drop” part. We don’t see the “ocean” part. And we have to, in our lives, start seeing the bigger picture, and the bigger picture is that ocean.
So, yes, this year can be very prosperous—if we make it so. This year can be very good, if we make it so, despite all the problems, yes, despite all the problems. Because isn’t that what we have done all our lives, waited for the outside to change?
We have waited, “Oh, yeah, when I get a better job, then I’ll be happier; when I get a better wife, I’ll be happier; when I get a better husband I’ll be happier; when I get a better boyfriend I’ll be happier. When I graduate from this school, then I’ll be happier. When I graduate from the college, I’ll be happier; when I get my doctorate, I’ll be happier.”
And all those things happen—and you find yourself back again in the loop of hoping that the things change on the outside. But it is really the appreciation coming from the inside that’s going to make a difference.
You have to do what you have to do on the outside, of course. We have elected as a species to live in a very social order. And in that, it is required, and there are benefits to it and there are drawbacks to it. And you can see what the drawbacks are. We have wars; we have problems; we have disease; we have people who murder, people who do bad things….
And then as a society, we don’t have to go foraging for food. As a society, you know, we are provided a certain amount of infrastructure; we are provided a certain amount of protection. And we like that.
And the thing is, if this is how we want to be, we have to understand that it is the strength of each one of the individuals that makes the society strong. Not the wealth—but the strength of each individual.
There are so many people who are so weakened by their thought, again, day after day after day, hoping, wishing, hoping, wishing, hoping, wishing, and nothing changing. Nothing changing. Nothing! For the poor people on the face of this earth, so little changes. It’s the same! Sunday is the same; Monday’s the same; Saturday’s the same. There is no difference.
But the strength that is needed to even bring the change about comes from every single individual. And we can make this society a good society. We can make the society a successful society. And that’s what prosperity is all about—where everybody prospers, not just one. But where everybody prospers.
And so, having this wish to have a wonderful, wonderful New Year. You know, and this, (hah), this pandemic, and then all the variants, and all of this stuff that has been going on has been really something else.
And you see, “How strong is this society?” That it lies divided. There are people who are like, “No, and this is not how it has to be,” and the other people are like, “Well, no, this is how it has to be.” And governments are caught. Governments are caught between the opinions of people. Governments have become slaves to opinion polls.
And in the midst of all this, I think it’s sheer lunacy, in a way, to wish for a successful, peaceful year. But I do! And the reason why I do is because I know that that peace that we are looking for is not on the outside, but it is on the inside. And to me, this is what it is all about. You, accepting, understanding the peace that lies within you.
So, I really hope this is a nice year for you, that you find that fulfillment in your life, that you find that peace in your life. That that dream of the heart comes true, gets fulfilled. That your journey is successful. That you not only are successful, but feel successful.
So, those are my wishes for everyone on the face of this earth. Thank you very much; take care. Pretty soon, I will be traveling again and coming to different places. And I am very much looking forward to that. So, I will see you soon.
