Sri Sri Ravishankar Knowledge on Suicidal Tendencies

Q: Guruji, The suicide rate in our country Korea is very high. The children of our country are growing up in an environment where there is too much competition and very less culture and spirituality. Please send us your words of wisdom.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar : When energy goes down you get depressed and when it goes further down suicidal tendencies arise. Through proper breathing exercises, some meditation and through good and loving company energy can go up. Usually when we have some negative things in our minds we share it with somebody and our so called friends confirm our negativity rather than dissolving the negativity. They say, 'Yes what you say is correct and everything is hopeless'. Instead we should raise their level of enthusiasm and energy. It is not only the poor people who commit suicide but those who are rich also commit suicide because it is the state of mind which is responsible for suicidal tendencies. It has nothing to do with material acquisition. I would say that anyone with suicidal tendencies should be led to someone who can teach them meditation, who can make them do some breathing exercises and raise their energy level. And this is possible. Violence against oneself is as bad as violence against someone else. So the world is caught between societal violence on one side and suicidal tendencies on the other side. It is only spirituality which can bring them to the center and which can relieve them from these two extremities. If you find anyone with the slightest suicidal tendency please ask them to do some yoga. Get them around some good company, get them to sing and dance, and make them understand that life is much more than just a few material positions. Life is much more than blame or appreciation from someone. Life is much more than a relationship or a job. The reason for suicide is failure in relationship, failure in job and not being able to achieve what you want to achieve. Life is much more than the small desires that pop up in your consciousness, in your mind. See life from a bigger perspective and engage yourself in some sort of social activity; service activity. Service or seva can keep people sane and keep them out of this mental depression. Mental depression is worse than an economic recession. One has to take responsibility to sail over this and help others around them. The Art of Living is very much involved in working with such people and I would like more people to join and work to eradicate this menace of depression and suicidal tendencies."

प्रश्न : गुरुदेव, इस संसार में प्रत्येक व्यक्ति किसी न किसी समस्या से परेशान है। क्या हम इस दुनिया में केवल समस्याओं का समाधान करने के लिए आये हैं?
श्री श्री रविशंकर : यदि आप उन्हें समस्या मानते हैं तो वे आपको समस्या की तरह दिखेंगे। पर यदि आप उन्हें सृष्टि के खेल की तरह लेते हैं तो वो आपको एक स्वाभाविक खेल की तरह दिखेंगे।
कई बार हम अपनी समस्याओं के इतने आदी हो जाते हैं की उनके बिना हम बेचैन सा महसूस करने लगते हैं| कई बार जब कोई समस्या नहीं होती तो हम अपने लिए खुद समस्याओं का निर्माण कर लेते हैं और फिर अपने आसपास के लोगों के लिए समस्या बन जाते हैं। हमें जीवन के प्रति अपना दृष्टिकोण बदलना होगा। एक व्यापक दृष्टिकोण अपनाना होगा।
यह संसार विभिन्नताओं से भरा हुआ है और प्रतेक व्यक्ति का स्वभाव और व्यवहार एक दूसरे से भिन्न है। इस बात को समझने की आवश्यकता है।