This article is adapted from a talk by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and has been lightly edited for clarity and readability by the Art of Living Editorial Team.
Lovely to be with you all.
Now, tell me, what topic shall we talk about tonight?
We are all playing roles. I am playing the role of a speaker, and you are playing the role of a listener. So, what shall we speak about? Inner peace? World peace? Relationships? Stress?
Happiness? Art of Living? Anything else?
“Why are we on this planet? What is the purpose of life?”
So, we can discuss all these points. But what if I know nothing about any of this? What shall we do then?
Now tell me, does it really matter what we speak about?
You know, we convey more through our presence, our vibration, than through words. Isn’t it?
I can stand here and talk about love for two hours, but a dog in your home, a little puppy, or a small baby, can convey that in no time. In five seconds, a baby looks at you, and you feel it. Right?
Our vibrations matter a lot.
If you have read about quantum physics, what does it say? The whole universe is nothing but vibrations. We are all vibrations.
When someone is stressed but putting on a smile, can you tell? Don’t you think we can all sense that?
Yes.
If someone is welcoming you very superficially, but inside they are angry, can you feel it or not?
How many of you can feel that?
That’s it.
When we keep our communication, our relationships, everything, on a very superficial level of words, we miss the depth that human beings are endowed with.
In day-to-day life, we have so many things to do. No doubt, we get stressed. But we don’t know how to get rid of that stress. That is our problem.
People say, “Don’t get angry.” But it’s not so easy. When anger comes, it is there. It sits in your head, and you don’t know how to get out of it.
This is a big challenge for human society today.
One in every four people in the world is mentally challenged, depressed, or angry. Youth today are swinging between aggression on one side and depression on the other.
College professors, university deans, they all agree: the mind of the younger generation is much more agitated than in previous generations.
In spite of having all comforts, we are still not taking care of our minds—and our vibrations.
So how do we make our vibrations more positive, more joyful, more radiant, more loving?
This is a big question.
And that is where the Art of Living comes in.
You know, the whole human society is one family. This is what we have been saying for a long time, that the whole world is one family. All of mankind is one family.
We are part of each other.
This sense of belongingness makes life much more joyful. But somehow, we are missing it because we have not learned how to get rid of stress.
What is the formula for stress?
Too much to do, too little time, and no energy.
If you have so much to do, you need that much energy. When there is little time and no energy, you get stressed.
And when you get stressed, you brush it under the carpet. But one day, it erupts like a volcano, and that’s it. It takes a big toll on your life.
If you see through my eyes, every child born on this planet is born as a bundle of joy. No bad child has ever been born. Every child is beautiful, bubbling with joy and love.
But as they grow up, due to wrong understanding, ignorance, and a lack of techniques to release stress, they become what they become. Then conflict arises in the family, in society, and in the world.
Are you all still here?
You know what psychologists say? If a speaker talks for ten minutes, the listener takes a coffee break three times!
Because today, our attention span is so small.
Sixty or seventy years ago, the attention span was 45 to 50 minutes. That’s why classrooms were designed that way. After 50 minutes, a bell rings, and a new teacher comes. The same teacher for three or four hours, nobody can tolerate!
You want a change. A new face.
But today, what is the attention span?
Thirty seconds.
Now, tell me honestly, this is a heart-to-heart talk…
How many of you have experienced this: you are talking to someone, and they are not there?
They seem to be listening, but their minds are somewhere else.
Have you had this experience?
Yes.
Raise your hands, how many of you have experienced this?
That’s because we have done nothing to train the mind, to increase our attention span. The mind is so busy, so stressed, all the time.
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Editor’s note:
When the mind feels scattered and stress begins to build, returning to the present moment can be difficult without the right tools. Through simple, time-tested breathing techniques and guided practices, you can begin to experience a calmer mind, deeper awareness, and a more natural sense of ease.
Explore how the Art of Living Part 1 Course can support you in living more fully in the present moment.
