What do we mean by political action which is different from all other actions? Why do we separate politics from all other actions? Why do we separate politics from our daily living? Why do we separate a political activity of the left, right, center, or extreme right? Why, if one may ask, why is political action so very different from our action of relationship, action with regard to fear in ourselves, and so on? Or is politics part of our life, not something separate? Politics according to the common usage, which is in the dictionary, is the art of govt, science of govt. Why do we give this art to politicians? They apparently are a separate breed, different from us. This is really a question that involves, why do we depend on a politician, a guru, a priest, on anybody to govern us? Why do specialists take charge of our life?
Is it that we have no so-called confidence in ourselves? We are not sure of ourselves, and we attribute to this clarity to the politicians and to the others. Is it in ourselves that we are insufficient and somebody out there is going to make us sufficient?
So, are we to treat life as separate factors: political, religious, economic and so on? Or are we to treat life as a whole? Is it that we are so fragmented in ourselves — as a religious action, political action, family action, individual action, collective action? Or do we treat life as a total movement in which all these activities are included? But if we separate one from the other, we’ll inevitably bring out contradiction. A religious life is incompatible, one will say with political life, a religious person will have to part with politics, because generally politics is such a crooked affair, controlled by big industrialists, by wanting great deal of money for the party, and they’re depending on rich people and so on. There is increase of armaments; just now they are destroying each other, killing each other for — god know for what…
And what is a political action? Would you like to start a new party, social democratic party? Or look for a new leader for the next election; condemn the present leader, and when the new leader comes into being next election, again there is doubt about him — you know the whole?.. . when the honeymoon is over, then begins the whole problem. So what is your answer?…. Do you want to ask if there is an activity, if there is action which is not divisible, an action that includes politics, religion, economics, everything — the whole bundle of life. And is that possible?
One sees corruption right through the world — black market, rich people, getting tremendously richer, the privileged classes, and so on. Where do you begin to bring about an action that will include all actions? Where do you begin? To go very far, one must begin very near. Right? So, what is very near? Me. I am the nearest person, so I begin — not as a selfish activity, or self-centered movement — I am the the nearest, or I am the center from which I start; not out there. Can I live a life that is absolutely not broken up?
