And Now, And Here-第31章

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if　you　remove　one　leader；　you　will　find　another　……　and　if　he　is　removed　you　will　find　a　third。

and；　in　fact；　while　you　are　removing　one　leader　you　will　have　first　made　sure　who　you　want　for　your　next。

and　so　leaders　all　over　the　world　know　very　well　the　need　for　leading　opposition　parties。

they　know；　with　confidence；　that　when　the　people　get　fed　up　with　one　leader　they　will　automatically　elect　the　second；　and　when　they　get　tired　of　the　second　they　will　replace　him　with　the　first。

thats　why　two…party　politics　goes　on　all　over　the　world。

everywhere；　people　are　the　same。

i　was　in　raipur　during　the　last　elections。

a　friend　of　mine；　an　old　resident　of　raipur；　had　been　successively　elected　several　times　as　a　member　of　parliament；　but　this　time　he　was　defeated。

another　friend　of　mine　who　was　totally　unknown　and　had　recently　settled　in　raipur　was　elected　in　his　place。

i　asked　my　friend　how　this　happened。

how　did　he　lose　and　a　total　newer　win　the　election？　

he　said；　〃its　very　clear。

people　have　bee　too　used　to　me。

this　man　is　a　new　face；　people　dont　know　him　yet。

dont　worry；　let　him　bee　a　familiar　figure　and　he　will　be　defeated　too。

i　will　have　to　bide　my　time　until　then。

by　then　i　will　be　unfamiliar　once　again；　and　then　i　will　have　the　upper　hand。

〃　

deep　down；　it　is　not　a　question　of　whether　to　remove　this　leader　or　that　leader；　whether　to　do　away　with　this　superstition　or　that　superstition　……　that　is　not　the　issue。

the　question　is　to　bring　about　a　fundamental　change　in　man。

a　scientific　mind　will　not　care　much　about　superstition；　but　superstition　will　continue　to　exist　as　long　as　man　is　content　with　his　blindness。

if　a　man　is　not　ready　to　open　his　eyes；　then　blindness　is　bound　to　exist。

and　let　me　ask：　who　among　us　is　really　willing　to　open　his　eyes？　none　of　us　is　willing　to　see　with　our　eyes　open；　because　with　our　eyes　open　we　may　see　truths　we　dont　want　to　see。

thats　why　we　close　our　eyes　and　see　whatsoever　we　fancy。

have　you　ever　opened　your　eyes　and　observed　closely　what　life　is　like？　have　you　ever　seen　yourself　with　your　eyes　open？　that　you　never　want　to　do；　because　then　you　will　see　horrifying　things。

everyone　considers　himself　to　be　absolutely　pious；　a　mahatma。

if　he　were　to　open　his　eyes　and　look　closely；　he　would　find；　to　his　horror；　the　greatest　sinner　of　all　hidden　within　himself。

he　doesnt　want　to　see　that；　of　course；　because　then　it　will　be　difficult　for　him　to　be　a　mahatma。

and　so　he　shuts　his　eyes　to　himself。

and　not　only　that；　in　doing　so　he　uses　those　people　who　can　help　him　shut　his　eyes　……　around　him　he　gathers　all　those　people　who　e　and　tell　him　what　a　great　mahatma　he　is。

thus　he　goes　on　gathering　followers。

around　him；　he　gathers　all　those　people　who　cooperate　in　keeping　him　blind。

and　there　are　many　wonderful　tricks　for　collecting　people；　incredible　deceptions　are　practiced　in　this　respect。

one　of　the　tricks　for　gathering　people　is　to　keep　on　shouting；　〃dont　e　near　me！　i　dont　want　anyone　around　me！〃　people　are　terribly　impressed　with　this　trick。

they　flock　to　such　a　man。

the　more　he　drives　them　away；　the　greater　the　mahatma　they　think　he　is。

an　ordinary　mahatma　would　wele　people；　but　this　one　swings　his　staff　and　sends　them　away。

he　shows　no　concern　for　anyone。

i　have　heard　about　a　man　who　had　wandered　a　beach　in　california　for　years。

he　had　bee　a　kind　of　attraction。

the　story　that　went　around　about　him　was　that　he　was　such　a　simple　man　that　if　you　offered　him　a　ten…dollar　bill　and　a　dime；　he　would　pick　up　the　dime　cheerfully。

thats　how　innocent　he　was。

out　of　curiosity；　a　man　visited　him　five　or　six　times　and　always　found　him　surrounded　by　a　crowd。

people　would　ask；　〃baba；　what　do　you　want　……　this　or　that？〃　and　he　would　pick　up　the　dime　at　once；　saying　he　liked　it；　he　liked　the　shine　of　it。

people　found　him　such　an　innocent　man。

the　curious　man　found　it　hard　to　believe　that　even　after　so　many　years　this　fellow　could　not　recognize　a　ten…dollar　bill！　that　was　too　much　innocence！　one　evening；　after　the　crowd　had　disappeared；　this　curious　man　approached　the　fellow　and　said；　〃i　have　been　watching　you　for　the　last　twenty　years；　and　i　am　astonished　to　find　this　game　going　on　for　so　long。

do　you　still　not　recognize　a　ten…dollar　bill？〃　

the　fellow　laughed；　and　said；　〃i　knew　it　was　a　ten…dollar　bill　from　the　very　first　day；　but　if　i　had　shown　i　recognized　it　the　game　would　have　stopped　right　then　and　there。

by　not　recognizing　the　bill；　i　have　collected　dimes　from　thousands　of　spectators。

if　i　recognize　it　once；　then　that　will　be　the　only　bill　ill　ever　have　in　my　hand　……　no　other　bill　will　e　from　these　people　afterwards。

so　if　i　really　want　to　make　money；　then　i　must　spurn　riches　……　and　the　bills　will　start　piling　up　on　their　own。

i　have　a　good　understanding　of　the　whole　thing；　my　job　is　going　very　well。

during　the　day；　i　collect　up　to　five　hundred　dollars　from　the　crowd。

the　game　will　continue　for　sure。

〃　

the　so…called　mahatma　also　knows　the　value　of　money；　although　if　you　talk　to　him　about　money；　he　will　say　he　never　even　touches　it。

but　his　disciple；　sitting　nearby；　will　pick　up　the　offerings　and　put　them　in　the　safe　……　because　the　mahatma　never　touches　money！　

what　can　anyone　do　if　a　man　wants　to　remain　blind？　who　will　be　stupid　enough　to　do　anything　about　it？　that　fellow　on　the　beach　is　not　the　cause　of　mischief。

the　mischief…mongers　are　those　people　who　approach　him。

it　is　because　of　their　mischief　the　poor　fellow　has　to　put　on　the　act。

let　me　tell　you　that　if　he　had　not　done　it；　somebody　else　would　have　done　the　same　thing。

and　people　are　stupid：　wherever　they　can；　they　will　continue　to　do　what　they　did　with　this　fellow；　they　want　somebody　to　snatch　their　money　away　from　them。

hence；　such　acts　will　continue。

they　can　only　be　brought　to　an　end　when　we　begin　to　destroy　the　stupidity　of　man。

so　dont　worry　too　much　about　breaking　the　chains　of　superstition；　because　if　the　man　who　is　wearing　the　chain　remains　the　same　he　will　make　new　ones。

he　cannot　live　without　chains。

the　kind　of　man　he　is；　he　will　create　new　chains。

all　religions　strive　to　break　these　chains；　and　every　religion　creates　a　new　chain　……　so　things　remain　the　same。

the　world　has　seen　so　many　religions。

they　were　all　founded　to　bring　about　reforms；　they　all　proclaimed　their　intent　to　eradicate　all　prevailing　superstitions；　but　in　the　process　of　destroying　superstitions　nothing　ever　really　gets　destroyed。

of　course；　those　who　are　fed　up　with　the　old　superstitions　replace　them　with　new　ones　and　are　very　happy；　feeling　they　have　brought　about　change。

in　fact；　an　intelligent　man　never　holds　on　to　anything　……　not　even　to　any　belief；　let　alone　to　superstition。

he　lives　intelligently；　he　doesnt　hang　on　to　anything。

he　never　creates　any　chain　because　he　knows　there　is　immense　joy　in　living　in　freedom。

dont　create　any　chains。

so　the　real　question　is　to　awaken　enough　consciousness　in　each　individual　that　will　create　a　desire　in　him　to　bee　free；　to　bee　intelligent；　to　bee　self…realized；　to　be　filled　with　awareness。

if　the　tendency　to　live　blindly　……　to　bee　a　follower；　a　pursuer；　a　believer　in　somebody　……　could　be　reduced；　all　superstitions　would　crumble。

but　in　that　case　it　would　not　be　that　one　kind　of　superstition　would　break　down　and　another　would　survive　……　all　would　collapse；　they　would　leave　all　at　once。

otherwise；　they　will　remain　forever。

actually；　what　needs　to　be　understood　is　that　nothing　happens　by　merely　changing　clothes。

let　anyone　wear　whatsoever　he　pleases。

if　someone　wants　to　wear　ochre…colored　clothes；　let　him　do　so；　why　stop　him？　if　someone　wants　to　wear　black　clothes；　let　him　do　so。

what　one　needs　to　realize　is　that　a　change　in　clothes　does　not　equal　a　change　in　ones　life。

once　this　is　realized；　then　there　is　no　need　to　change　clothes；　because　the　man　who　will　make　you　change　your　clothes　will　immediately　replace　them　with　clothes　of　a　new　kind。

a　sannyasin；　wearing　ochre　clothes；　went　to　see　gandhi　and　told　him　he　was　very　impressed　with　his　ideas　and　would　also　like　to　serve　the　country。

what　gandhi　told　him　was　highly　significant。

he　said；　〃thats　fine；　but　first　you　will　have　to　give　up　your　ochre　clothes；　because　they　will　e　in　the　way　of　your　service。

generally；　people　serve　those　who　wear　ochre　clothes　rather　than　being　served　by　them。

〃　this　was　very　true。

but　then　gandhi；　having　made　him　drop　the　ochre　clothes；　made　him　wear　clothes　of　khadi；　of　handspun　cotton。

now　those　who　are　wearing　khadi　are　doing　things　even　the　people　wearing　ochre　clothes　never　did　before。

what　difference　has　it　made？　now　the　khadi　people　are　accepting　service。

the　poor　ochre　people　never　accepted　as　much　service　as　those　who　are　wearing　khadi　are　doing　now。

so　khadi　has　proven　to　be　very　costly　for　this　country。

the　sannyasin　was　very　happy　that　his　superstition　about　ochre　clothing　had　dropped　……　but　now　he　wears　khadi；　now　he　is　holding　on　to　the　superstition　of　khadi。

whats　the　difference？　

the　real　question　is　not　of　letting　people　drop　one　thing　and　making　them　take　on　another。