<\/p>\n
Prem Rawat:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n All stories begin with \u201cOnce upon a time.\u201d The story that I really want to tell you also <\/em>begins like this, but there is a small difference\u2014and the difference is, \u201cOnce upon this <\/em>time there lives you.\u201d<\/p>\n Onscreen:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Once upon this time there lives You.<\/p>\n ONE 2 ONE<\/p>\n WITH PREM RAWAT<\/p>\n NO. 16<\/p>\n Prem Rawat:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Hello, everyone. I hope you\u2019re all well, healthy, and most importantly, thriving instead of surviving. And that\u2019s what, you know, in one of the last videos that I did, I was talking about. That a lot of times, (and I just want to clarify this too), that a lot of times we look at a situation, and whatever our situation is, we look at the difficulty. And not the objective but the difficulty.<\/p>\n So, let\u2019s just talk a little bit about being human, and what does that mean? Well, it means a lot of things, and it means a lot of things to a lot of people. I mean, there are scientists who have looked at it and it means something else to them. They have a different viewpoint.<\/p>\n There are people who are farmers, and they have a different viewpoint. There are people who work with wood; they have a different viewpoint. There are people who work with statues; they have a different viewpoint. There are cooks; they have a different viewpoint. There are pilots; they have a different viewpoint. There are politicians; they have a different viewpoint.<\/p>\n So, trying to narrow it down to one thing would require that a lot of things that happen in our lives have to be excluded. And then you narrow down to just who or what a human being really is. So, you get down to the fundamentals\u2014you need to breathe; you have an innate desire in you.<\/p>\n And a long time ago I had seen this documentary and it was about the Albertine rift. And when that took place, the monkeys were basically divided into two. And those monkeys that ended up with the gorillas, (because the gorillas needed to eat a lot), ended up always fighting for food, always competing for food.<\/p>\n And then those monkeys that did not end up with the gorillas had plenty of food and they would share food\u2014and scientists named that \u201cthe peace gene.\u201d And apparently, we as human beings have this peace gene! So, something very deep inside of us is calling\u2014and calling all the time towards peace, towards being content.<\/p>\n Now, again, peace, the word \u201cpeace,\u201d it means so many things to so many people. But then to find out what really peace is, you have to disregard all those other things\u2014and come down to what really peace means.<\/p>\n And to understand that there is an innate desire in every human being to be in peace\u2014and this is extremely important. That you can try to distract yourself\u2014and people do! You know, you have technology; you have communication; you have this; the, yeah, all the stuff….<\/p>\n And, \u201cDistract me, distract me, distract me.\u201d And one of the things that has become so obvious in this time of pandemic\u2014that people just cannot be with themselves! They want to socialize; they want to be with somebody else\u2014but not with themselves.<\/p>\n And there would have been a time that human beings would have rather been just with themselves. You know, and a lot of the change of language and written language and all of that, this is relatively all new. This is not old stuff; we\u2019ve been around for a really long time\u2014and in very hard, very difficult circumstances. And something drove us; something moved us forward.<\/p>\n And that, that one thing that\u2014the betterment, to be better. To be better at so many things. Not just one thing, but to be better as being a human being: \u201cHow can I be a good human being?\u201d Not looking at it from the rules of the society\u2014but my innate thirst that I have as a human being, (that peace gene in action), is it fully able to manifest its self?<\/p>\n So, peace, then, is not fulfillment of wishes\u2014but it is something much more fundamental. It is to be content; it is to be in clarity. It is to feel that joy inside; it is to be happy. It is to be clear. All these things are the same facets of peace.<\/p>\n These are\u2014maybe they sound all different but they\u2019re not. They\u2019re just\u2014it\u2019s, peace is like a beautiful, beautiful diamond\u2014and it has many sides; it has many facets. And this is what makes it shine.<\/p>\n And there\u2019s clarity\u2014there\u2019s understanding; there\u2019s compassion; there is joy. There is empathy. There\u2019s forgiveness. These all start to become different facets of that diamond. And it\u2019s not like you can just say, \u201cI just want one facet\u201d; no, it\u2019s part of the whole package. <\/p>\n So, if that\u2019s peace\u2014and you as a human being are going to have, always, a desire to feel that\u2014now, mind you, I\u2019m not saying that you\u2019re not going to want to feel other things! Yes, you\u2019re going to want to feel this world; you\u2019re going to want to try this; you\u2019re going to try that. And you have become very good at that.<\/p>\n I mean, just imagine, a few thousand years ago, that if somebody wanted to go from London to Los Angeles, what that would entail. If they wanted to go from London to New Delhi, what that would entail. I mean, it would be a journey that you took once. And you would be extremely lucky if you got to Los Angeles from London in one piece.<\/p>\n I mean, before there trains, before there were ships, how would you even go? And, well, you know, the kind part of that is, you probably didn\u2019t even know that there was any place called \u201cLos Angeles\u201d because there wasn\u2019t!<\/p>\n But to travel meant like, everything that you had to do! And yet, it\u2019s amazing. It\u2019s absolutely amazing\u2014today, no sweat; no problem. We can fly from Los Angeles to London, (eleven hours, twelve hours) and we can fly from London to Los Angeles, (maybe thirteen hours, twelve hours, fourteen hours, something like that, depending on the headwinds).<\/p>\n So, all this has been accomplished\u2014and we have become very good at that. But what about that other part of us, that gene that is waiting to also be fulfilled? The curiosity gene in us is one hundred percent. The discovery gene in us is going overtime; the communication gene in us is going at it. The socializing gene is full force ahead\u2014but what about the peace gene?<\/p>\n And unless all of these things…. And that peace gene is\u2014that request that it <\/em>has\u2014is accepted and fulfilled, life is going to feel like something is missing. And indeed, something is missing. That clarity about who you truly are is missing!<\/p>\n So, there are people\u2014and they look at themselves, \u201cAnd I am so-and-so.\u201d But they\u2019re not \u201cso-and-so\u201d; they\u2019re a human being. So let me, let me just put it in perspective and maybe this is a bad example\u2014you know, because I\u2019m not trying to play down anybody for, for any reason. And that\u2019s not the point of my example.<\/p>\n But my point is basics. So, say, I have a friend. And he has never been to any college; he\u2019s never been to any school; he, he knows very little about, so far the world is concerned\u2014but he\u2019s a farmer. He grows food; he keeps cattle. He\u2019s a simple man\u2014and we\u2019re friends. We talk to each other and\u2014and he grows\u2014you know, he has his farm and he does quite well.<\/p>\n And in our community, in our neighborhood there are professors; there are scientists; there are, you know, people who are artists. There are musicians\u2014at top of their game. <\/p>\n And then one day there\u2019s a horrific earthquake. And all of a sudden, all the communication is dead; electricity is gone. Everything\u2014no schools, no universities, no restaurants, no nothing\u2014I mean, everything is finished\u2014finished.<\/p>\n But as a human being, you\u2019re still going to feel hungry\u2014if you are still alive, you\u2019re going to feel hungry; you\u2019re going to thirsty; you\u2019re going to need sustenance; you\u2019re going to need<\/em> something.<\/p>\n And maybe when everything was thriving, when everything was incredible, everybody else had some part to play. The musicians had some part to play. They could entertain us. There were actors; they could, they could entertain us. If we wanted to know something, we could be taught!<\/p>\n But now that all, everything is shut down, who, all of a sudden, has become incredibly important? And I\u2014for me, at least, from my viewpoint, that farmer. Because he continues to grow his vegetables. For him, he was never plugging in his plants into electricity for them to grow. Everything came from nature. And this is what he had learnt!<\/p>\n And his learning, at this point in time, becomes extremely crucial\u2014and I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if everybody from the community beats a road to his house, his hut. Because he has, at this point in time, in the very basics, that which the community and the individuals in the community need.<\/p>\n So, all of a sudden, his level, when everything was \u201ca certain way,\u201d quote-unquote, was very low, relatively speaking\u2014and everybody else, very high. And now that the society isn\u2019t the same way, it has switched. So, somebody who may not fulfill all those \u201cquote-unquotes\u201d of the society\u2014but he has something to offer which is incredibly important\u2014sustenance, becomes extremely important.<\/p>\n The same way, when the world is a certain way, maybe we get distracted and we see \u201cThis is important; that\u2019s important; that\u2019s important; that\u2019s important.\u201d But we really cannot lose, and we cannot afford to lose the focus of what truly is important.<\/p>\n It is like a mother who may be watching a movie on television and very distracted by that. And her baby is crying. And she wants to focus on the movie, not on the baby. How long is that going to go on? It is an imbalance! Because the first priority needs to be for that mother to be with that baby.<\/p>\n Why? This is not a rule that was written by society; this was a rule that was written by nature. A long time ago, nature made\u2014not that nature made babies cute. But nature made sure that when we look at a baby, we think the baby is cute. We think\u2014we immediately sympathize with that baby. We become compassionate when we see that face. We become compassionate.<\/p>\n I mean, even\u2014and this not only goes to baby human babies but also to other animals! And you look at the kitties\u2014and they\u2019re so cute! You look at puppies and they\u2019re so cute! And, you know, you have to ask yourself, \u201cWell, why do they look so cute?\u201d It\u2019s because we have in us this natural tendency to view it that way\u2014because it\u2019s important.<\/p>\n And so, yeah, but you know, we live in this world today and we\u2019re like, \u201cOh my God, you know, we\u2019re so different.\u201d But we\u2019re not\u2014all this just is very recent.<\/p>\n And the way it has been going on for a very, very long time is that the human beings have really tried to better themselves and better themselves and better the societies and better the countries and \u201cbetter and better and better and better,\u201d and we cannot lose that focus.<\/p>\n It is not just the responsibility of a few\u2014to make the society better. It is the responsibility of all <\/em>of us to make the society better. And this needs to be understood; this needs to be remembered.<\/p>\n So now, coming back to my original point, you as a human being have this desire to be in peace, to be fulfilled, to be in joy. And this is so innate, so fundamental.<\/p>\n I\u2019m not talking about a \u201cdesigner human being,\u201d by the way. Because these days, it\u2019s like, \u201cOh, yeah, do this and you will become this, and do this and you\u2019ll become this, and this is trending. And this is important, and this is this way and this is that way.\u201d I\u2019m not talking about a designer human being; I\u2019m talking about fulfilling the fundamental part of you as a human being.<\/p>\n So, what, in my opinion, is a designer human being? It\u2019s like, \u201cOh, yeah, you wear clothes a certain way; you have your hair a certain way; your beard is a certain way; you talk a certain way.\u201d And people are like, \u201cOkay, that means this, and that means this, and that means this, and I have achieved this, and I have achieved this\u201d\u2014that this is what we get into.<\/p>\n So, as a normal human being, we\u2019re nobodies. Basic? \u201cNobody. Yeah, you have to do this; you have to do this; you have to….\u201d<\/p>\n I mean, you know, and when I was little, I had a bicycle. And I would decorate that bicycle. I wanted that bicycle to be beautiful! I wanted that bicycle to have everything! And I bought a horn for it, an electric horn, and then I modified it so that every time you put on the brake, the horn would go off.<\/p>\n I bought a light for it\u2014and it was one of those generators that, you know, when the tire went around, the generator produced the electricity and the light came on. And then, of course, I would put balloons on it so that it would make the noise of a motorcycle.<\/p>\n So, having the basic bicycle was not acceptable. That was nothing! Something, some improvement had to be made on it. And somewhere, we have gotten on that tangent of \u201cimprovement, improvement, improvement, improvement, improvement\u201d\u2014to, what is original, what is basic means nothing to us.<\/p>\n So what is that basic human being? What are that basic human being\u2019s needs? (Not wishes and wants but needs?)<\/p>\n If you were there in the 1960s\u2014and you just, you know, having come from this time and you said, \u201cWhere is my phone?\u201d Everybody would look at you; it\u2019s like, \u201cWhat do you mean, \u2018And where is your<\/em> phone?\u2019 Your house has a phone; you have a landline. It\u2019s not your <\/em>phone.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s, whoever is living in that house or household, however many members, they all share that phone. You\u2019re talking about your cell phone\u2014and there were no cell phones at that time. Not\u2014at least, people didn\u2019t have them.<\/p>\n So, all these wishes that we have, change with the time, change with the inventions. There was a time that you couldn\u2019t\u2014you couldn\u2019t buy a car with an automatic transmission. And now, you know, most of the cars have automatic transmission. So, our wishes, our wants change with the time.<\/p>\n But as fundamental as we are as a human being, the needs haven\u2019t really changed\u2014and they won\u2019t. So we need to put nutrition into our bodies, yes! And that should be not harmful to us, yes. And we should\u2014we need to drink water and that water should satisfy our thirst, yes. And it shouldn\u2019t be harmful to us. Yes!<\/p>\n And should we be aware of what\u2019s around us? Yes! And should we do things that are harmful to the nature around us? No! No.<\/p>\n And so, all these things then also come and march very slowly and very beautifully to that one thing which is peace. Should we have peace in our life\u2014is that a wish? Is that a want? Or is that a need? This is where everything changes. Because there are people who, through the years, have said, \u201cIt\u2019s not a wish; it\u2019s not a want; it\u2019s a need.\u201d<\/p>\n Today our attention is so distracted\u2014you know, we\u2019re thinking about this, thinking about that. We\u2019re just, we\u2019re not even focused anymore. And we need to be focused. And it takes a very little bit of that time to focus in ourselves, within ourselves\u2014and feel that feeling that is in us.<\/p>\n And that little bit of time spent with yourself is so powerful, is so incredibly powerful\u2014that wandering all day\u2014and it\u2019s balanced. \u201cWow.\u201d Just a little bit of time spent\u2014it\u2019s like, of twelve hours, one hour spent with yourself can balance out the eleven hours of just completely being out there. That\u2019s quite a deal, I think. That\u2019s an incredible deal.<\/p>\n And people\u2014even then, you know, and then I\u2019ve been a part of it for such a long time, listening to this: \u201cOh, but I don\u2019t the time; I don\u2019t have the time; I don\u2019t have the time.\u201d Yes, you do. It\u2019s your time.<\/p>\n You <\/em>should be the first person to dictate what you do with your time. You\u2019re the one who was born and you\u2019re the one who\u2019s going to die. And between the birth and the death, this is the time that you have\u2014and you should be the first person to dictate what happens with this time.<\/p>\n There are other people who would like to dictate! And they should not <\/em>be allowed to dictate. And your boss wants to dictate how that time should be used? Well, do whatever it takes to make the boss believe that he is dictating your time. But you be clearly, in your life, be in charge of the time that is yours.<\/p>\n Maybe the story sounds very complex; maybe the story sounds very complicated to some people\u2014but it isn\u2019t. It\u2019s really simple. And even if, in the midst of this pandemic, there is a simplicity and a want to be fulfilled, to be filled with joy, to be content, to be filled with clarity\u2014and it needs to be addressed.<\/p>\n And if I can remind you of that? Wonderful. Great. That\u2019s how it should be. If I can remind you of that which makes sense to you<\/em>\u2014if I can remind you of that which you know to be true, then that\u2019s a very good<\/em> reminder. That\u2019s a very, very good reminder.<\/p>\n You know, pilots have to follow checklists. And it\u2019s a good idea to follow checklists. But what is a checklist? The thing is, the pilot knows that he has to do these things. But the checklist is just to make sure that they happen. That\u2019s what a reminder is. Because it is the habit of human beings to forget. To forget. And it\u2019s no reflection….<\/p>\n There was a bomber and it was being tested by these pilots, and they were all crack, top-top-top pilots\u2014but they didn\u2019t follow a checklist. And they did not remove the control locks, and they went barreling down the runway, tried to take off, and the plane didn\u2019t take off; they all crashed; they all died.<\/p>\n So, there were people at that time saying, \u201cOh, the airplanes have become so complicated that, you know, normal human beings can\u2019t fly them.\u201d And then when they really sat down and studied the whole thing, what they realized was that \u201cThere needs to be a checklist.\u201d Wow. You know?<\/p>\n Kabir was writing checklists. And he was writing checklists in forms that people could remember! There were no airplanes at Kabir\u2019s time. But Kabir was writing checklists. Guru Nanak was writing checklists for mankind\u2014to remember those things that are important.<\/p>\n So, be reminded\u2014and accept that reminding as a wonderful gift. And enjoy it; enjoy being reminded. Enjoy that feeling of certainty\u2014because that\u2019s what happens. When you follow a checklist, you know you have done what needs to get done.<\/p>\n Stay safe; stay healthy; I\u2019ll talk to you soon.<\/p>\n Continuing onscreen text:<\/em><\/strong> <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n An extensive library of content is available at www.TimelessToday.tv<\/a><\/p>\n