The problems of the world

are so complex. Understand and so to resolve them one must approach them in a very simple way. And simplicity, do not depend on outward circumstances nor on our inner moods. The solution obviously lies in the creator of that problem. The creator of this mischief, the creator of these problems, is the individual, not the world as we think of it. The world is your relationship with another. The world is not something separate from you and me. It is the relationship that we seek to establish between each other. So you and I are the problem, and not the world. To understand the world we must understand ourselves. That world is not separate from us and our problems are the world's problems.

We are so lazy in our mentality that we think the world's problems are not our business. They have to be resolved by the United Nations or by experts. It is a very dull mentality that thinks like that, because we are responsible for this misery in the world. To transform the world, we must begin with ourselves. And what is important is the intention. The intention must be to understand ourselves and not to leave it to others to transform themselves.

It is important to understand that this is our responsibility. If we can transform ourselves, bring about a radically different point of view in our daily existence, then perhaps we shall affect the world. The process of understanding ourselves, which is not an isolating process. It is not withdrawal from the world. You cannot live in isolation. It is the lack of right relationship that brings about conflicts. If we can transform our relationship in the world, it will be like a wave extending all the time. I think it is important to see that the world is our relationship. Revolution does not depend to any particular pattern, but it is a revolution of values. To find these true values which will bring about a radical revolution, it is essential to understand oneself.

Self-knowledge is the beginning of wisdom. To understand oneself there must be the intention to understand - and that is where our difficulty comes in. Although most of us are discontented. We desire to bring about a sudden change, our life is canalized merely to achieve a certain result. We either seek a different job or merely succumb to environment. Discontent, instead of causing us to question life, the whole process of existence, is canalized.

Therefore it is important to discover these things for ourselves, because self-knowledge cannot be given to us by another. We must discover, and to discover there must be the intention. The transformation of the world is brought about by the transformation of oneself, because the self is the product and a part of the total process of human existence. To transform oneself, self-knowledge is essential. One must know oneself as one is, not as one wishes to be which is unreal.

To know oneself requires an extraordinary alertness of mind, because 'what is' is constantly undergoing change, and to follow it the mind must not be attached to any particular belief, to any particular pattern of action. To know yourself, there must be the awareness, the alertness of mind in which there is freedom from all beliefs. If you want to know what you are you cannot imagine something which you are not. If I am greedy, violent, merely having an idea of non-violence, is no value at all. But to know that one is greedy and understand it, requires an extraordinary perception. It demands honesty, clarity of thought. If one pursues an ideal away from what is is an escape; it prevents you from discovering and acting directly upon what you are.

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