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Chapter 26 - Life's aim is life itself
been intelligent, they could have seen that there was something unknown: you are not asking for freedom and they are ready to give it to you; what new factors have come into existence?
But nobody bothered about it. They were simply happy because they were getting old and if freedom did not come soon, then it would not be in their lifetimes; perhaps in the footnotes of history their names would remain, but they would not be great leaders of the country.
They were so happy, like children, that freedom had come. But they never thought about it: has any empire, any imperialist country, ever, on its own been in such a hurry to give freedom to the slaves, when the slaves are perfectly happy and no revolution is happening?
And there was no possibility of any revolution for at least another twenty years.
The situation was clear, but it needed intelligence. There was no question of memory, because the situation was new. India had grown to the point of four hundred million people, and Britain could see by the rate of growth that this country is going to die from hunger and starvation, and they did not want to be responsible for it.
I started saying in 1950 that India needs birth control, and I was condemned: "You are talking against religion. God sends the children -- how can we prevent them?"
I argued with them: "When you fall sick, God sends the sickness -- why do you call the doctor? If God wants you to be well, he will send the medicine too."
They argued with me. The shankaracharya of Puri himself argued with me: "Birth control methods are artificial."
I asked him, "What do you mean by artificial?" He said, "They are not created by God."
I said, "Do you think railway trains are created by God, airplanes are created by
God? The medicines you are using are all artificial."
And he was wearing heavy glasses on his nose. I said, "What about this -- have you come from God's house? Have you brought these glasses with your birth? God has given you eyes and you should remain with your eyes -- what is the need of having these heavy glasses?
These are artificial. Everything else artificial is okay, but birth control methods cannot be used because they are artificial."
He became so angry with me that he refused to speak from the same stage, in a meeting, saying "I cannot speak with this man on the same stage. Either he will speak or I will speak."
And I was telling them that soon they would be in trouble, but even today the government is afraid, the religious leaders are afraid. It goes against their memory system; otherwise, a small intelligence would be enough to show them...
Scientists are predicting that by the end of this century, India will have one billion people
-- that is one thousand million people, and that is the lowest estimate. The more progressive and more intelligent people have estimated that India will have one billion and eight hundred million people by the end of this century, almost the double population of today.
Fifty percent of India is going to die by the end of this century, and when one in two persons, is going to die, what do you think about those who will be left living amongst corpses? Their situation will be worse than being dead. The dead will at least be at rest.
But to talk about birth control or the birth control pill goes against the memory, against the system, against the mind that has been told something for centuries but is not aware that a totally new situation has arisen. India has never been the most populated country -- it was Osho - The Hidden Splendor
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