Osho : Are Politicians Serving People?

No, because they are spiritually sick, says OSHO

Politics is mundane; politicians are servants of the people. Religion is sacred; it guides people’s spiritual growth. Politics is the lowest as far as values are concerned, and religion is the highest as far as values are concerned. They are separate. I want politics not to interfere with religion. The higher has every right to interfere, but the lower has no right to do so.

Religion has been raising human consciousness for centuries. Whatever man is now, whatever little consciousness he has, the whole credit goes to religion. Politics has been a curse, a calamity; and politics is responsible for whatever is ugly in humanity. But the problem is that politics has power; religion has only love, peace and experience of the Divine. Politics has been interfering with religion all along, and it has destroyed many religious values which are absolutely necessary for the survival of humanity and life on this earth.

Religion has no mundane power like nuclear weapons, atom bombs and guns; its dimension is totally different. Religion is not a will to power; religion is a search for truth, for godliness. And the very search makes the religious man humble, simple and innocent. Politics is aggressive; it has, for centuries, just been destroying people: The whole history of politics is the history of criminals and murderers. In 3,000 years, politicians have created 5,000 wars. It seems that inside the politician, the barbarous instinct is very powerful; its only joy is to destroy, to dominate.

Politicians are spiritually sick people. The will to power and to dominate arises only in a sick mind. It arises out of an inferiority complex. People who are not suffering from an inferiority complex do not care about power; their whole endeavour is for peace, because the meaning of life can be known only in peace - power is not the way. Peace, silence, gratitude and meditation - these are the basic constituents of religion.

Religion Is The Physician
Religion cannot be allowed to be dominated by stupid politicians. The situation is as if sick people are trying to dominate physicians, directing what they should or should not do. Accept it - sick people are in the majority, but does that mean that the physician should be dominated by the majority? The physician can heal wounds, cure sicknesses... religion is the physician.

Politicians live on lies and promises - but those promises are never fulfilled. Their only quality is that they can manage to befool people - or, in poor countries, they can purchase their votes. Once they are in power, they forget completely that they are servants of the people; they start behaving as masters of people.

As far as I can see, all politicians should be meditators, should know something of the inner world. They should be more conscious, more compassionate, should know the taste of love. They should know the experience of the silence of existence, and the beauty of this planet, and the gifts of existence. And they should learn to be humble and grateful.

I Am Not A Politician
Religion should be the teacher of all politicians. Unless politicians have some religiousness, there is no future for humanity. Problems go on increasing; politicians have proved impotent to solve them. But they will not go to the people who have clarity and can give them direction and advice.

I am not a politician. I have never voted in my life and I am not going to vote - ever - because what is the point of choosing between two chimpanzees, just because they are holding different flags; just because they have different symbols? Chimpanzees are chimpanzees.

They need a deep respect for religion, for religious people, because one thing is certain: religious people are not going to fight the elections - no religious person is going to beg for votes. Basically, he has no desire to fulfil his ego and to cover up his inferiority complex. In his silence, in his peace, in his blissfulness, he has known the ultimate superiority. Now there is nothing more than that, nothing higher than that. He has become a temple; his god is within his being.

The Hidden Splendour, courtesy: Osho International Foundation, www.osho.com