- 5/28/2025
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00:00So Achai Raji, the question is raised from here, that if I choose philosophy as an ordinary routine subject, will it be able to leave a deep impact? Will it be able to penetrate with it?
00:11So you give up philosophy and you take up history. What's your inclination towards history from?
00:21That's a much bigger question to ask. Here there is 10% doubt and there there is 100% doubt.
00:26Yet you are ready to side with 100% doubt. You are never going to be 100% sure as a young person. That's not going to happen, never.
00:34You have to operate on probabilities. Yes, obviously it is possible that this affinity for philosophy is a fleeting one.
00:43It's possible that in the course of time you say, no, I don't like philosophy. If that happens, drop philosophy, fine.
00:49Pranav Achai Raji, my name is Kranali Nayak and I am a student of Humanities Stream in class 12.
00:58So now the time is approaching when I have to choose subjects for my graduation.
01:02Keeping in mind my inclination and interest, I found it appropriate to choose philosophy which is closest to life.
01:11But when I discussed it with a close relative of mine and he gave me many other perspectives, one of the basic things that he wanted me to understand was that philosophy is a subject for which you need to get prepared to reach to.
01:26He stated that approach philosophy with love, with questions and not as a subject of your, not as a subject, which is just a part of your curriculum.
01:47And then after that, I also read Osho Ji on this and then he said that be careful with this subject.
01:56It makes you very intellectual unnecessarily.
01:59So Achai Raji, the question is raised from here that if I choose philosophy as an ordinary routine subject, will it be able to leave a deep impact?
02:09Will it be able to penetrate with it?
02:12You know, philosophy is not a doer or an agent with consciousness.
02:21You are the one choosing, deciding, acting.
02:27It depends on what you want from any of the choices you make.
02:32You could choose philosophy, you could choose engineering, you could choose botany, you could choose history.
02:38It depends on what you want from your field.
02:44Nothing will do anything on its own to you.
02:50The doer is not history or philosophy or science.
02:57You are the doer.
02:58If you want to just exploit the subject to fatten your intellect, the subject will be used for that.
03:11If you want to have a love affair with philosophy or history or science or architecture, that too is possible.
03:25See, it's a weird thing to say that if you are in love with something, then you should not let it become your life.
03:40I have heard this kind of reasoning before.
03:46If you love philosophy or whatever, music, then you should not approach it in a formal way.
03:55You should let it remain some kind of behind the screens love affair.
04:02I do not know what that means and why that kind of thought should be entertained.
04:12If I love the Gita, for example, the field of wisdom and self-knowledge, I would rather devote time to it.
04:22I would let it become my life.
04:24I would let it permeate my 24 hours in as many ways and as deeply as possible.
04:35I won't say that I would rather work in a slaughterhouse and then on the weekends, I'll pick up the Gita to ease my guilt.
04:50But that's how the world approaches love.
04:52He says your regular life should be an affair of lovelessness.
04:58And then behind closed doors, you can fulfill the urges of your love.
05:19Right?
05:20So you can have a secret library.
05:25Kamu is there, Dante is there, Dostoevsky is there.
05:30And all these people are there and all the Indian philosophers are there.
05:36And when nobody is watching, then you go to them and read two pages and then go to sleep.
05:46I don't know why the real thing in one's life has to be a covert affair and an exercise in stilth.
05:59Why can't one boldly come out and declare her love?
06:03First of all, I'm assuming here that there is love.
06:08If there is no love, then this discussion is meaningless.
06:15But I'm assuming that you have a certain real inclination towards knowing, understanding.
06:25Philosophy is not just an intellectual process.
06:28It is deeper than that.
06:30In the name itself, there is love.
06:35Philosophy.
06:36You know that, right?
06:38Very obvious.
06:39The name itself consists of love.
06:43So, if there is love, please do not consign it to the backyard of your life.
06:56Please do not make it something hidden secret, part time or past time.
07:08Let it become your heartbeat.
07:11Come out with it.
07:13Express it.
07:14Live it.
07:16Right?
07:17I do not know what kind of careers are possible in philosophy, but that should be none of your
07:23concern.
07:24That's a very boring question.
07:30What's going to happen after three years, after five years?
07:37It's a pretty stupid thing to ask.
07:43One might not even be alive after five years.
07:48It's an unnecessary speculation.
07:52Do what you love to right now.
07:57And the future will take care of itself.
08:00No need to worry.
08:02Anyway, in the middle of love, one anyway does not have the time or space or inclination
08:08to worry.
08:09Sir, but their main point that they want me to understand is that if you are pursuing,
08:18especially this subject, in terms of philosophy they talk, if you are pursuing this subject,
08:22then you won't be able to have it as the core of your life.
08:26If you make it very formal and curriculum based, you won't be able to reach to the essence
08:31to what great people have tried to tell you.
08:34Why?
08:35I just don't see where that argument is coming from.
08:38Why?
08:39It's like saying, you know, Papa, I love tennis.
08:45Papa, I love tennis.
08:46Alright then, you enroll in history.
08:55And then two hours per week you play tennis.
08:58And then you will be able to make tennis your life.
09:03If you want to make tennis your life, go to a tennis academy.
09:09But here the argument is just the opposite.
09:12The argument is saying, if you choose to study philosophy, then philosophy will not become
09:18your life.
09:19How?
09:20And how will philosophy become your life if you rather study science?
09:26I don't see where that argument is from.
09:34I know where that argument is from.
09:37I should stop pretending.
09:41The argument is, do not burden your love with your livelihood.
09:47That's the argument.
09:48You are saying your livelihood should be from some regular source, regular and secure.
09:57And then once you feel relieved of the pressures of livelihood, then for a little while, every
10:06week or every month, you can attend to your love.
10:10That's what the argument is.
10:12But the argument is still equally specious.
10:15There is a thing in this argument.
10:21It's an argument coming from insecurity and fear.
10:26First you assure your money and then you should look at your passion.
10:35That's a very lifeless and loveless argument.
10:38You attend to your love.
10:43And forget about money and livelihood.
10:50These things have a way of taking care of themselves.
10:56Nobody who very honestly, very sincerely pursued her love was found dying of starvation ever.
11:07You may not become a millionaire, but your genuine needs will be taken care of.
11:20Don't worry.
11:22The world has a great need for people who can understand, who can think, who have some intellect, who have some depth.
11:35That's a great need for people.
11:36So you'll be paid.
11:37Don't worry.
11:38Sir, the concern is not about the career option that I would get later on.
11:48If I approach the subject from the perspective of, okay, this is what the professor is going to teach me tomorrow, or this is the kind of assignment that I need to complete.
11:57So I would make it more memory based, less than what you...
12:02You know what the reality is?
12:06You don't make philosophy the subject of your academic pursuit and you will find you are not even reading philosophy at all.
12:22One must learn to be a little sceptical of herself.
12:27If you are pursuing architecture, you really think you will find time and motivation and reasons to immerse yourself in philosophy?
12:37Really is that going to happen?
12:39Where have you seen that happening?
12:42Except in the rarest of exceptions.
12:52You are pursuing whatever, sociology, mathematics, physics, MBBS, whatever and you think you will have the need and the time and the urge to still go deeply into philosophy?
13:08You won't even pick up the books.
13:10Or even if you will pick up the books, that would be like ticking a box.
13:17Don't trust yourself so much.
13:23On paper, it always feels one has a lot of time.
13:27But time has a way of slipping away.
13:32You might think, okay fine, I'll attend my college classes eight to two, then I'll return, then I'll attend to this, then I'll eat, then I'll play a little, then I'll sleep a little and then I'll have four hours to read philosophy.
13:47That's not materializing girl.
13:50That won't happen that way.
13:55So wherever there is a need, rather an opportunity to discipline yourself, use that opportunity.
14:04If you get something worthwhile, find a way to tie yourself to that thing.
14:13And ensure that the knot is tied in a way, it cannot be easily opened.
14:22Yes.
14:23Rare is the one who finds something worthy of love.
14:31And once you find it, you must learn to trick yourself into being coupled irreversibly with it.
14:45Just holding hands won't suffice.
14:48Tie a knot.
14:50A very difficult, hard knot.
14:57Otherwise, you'll never know when the other has slipped away, rather when you have slipped away from the other.
15:09Commit yourself.
15:10Commit.
15:11Commit yourself.
15:12If you ever find anything wonderful, commit yourself to it.
15:19That's the best expression of choice.
15:24To say, in this matter, I give up my choice.
15:31I give up my right to choose in favour of separation.
15:41Yes.
15:42Sir, what if my interest towards the subject is just a result of conditioning?
15:55Conditioning.
15:56Okay.
15:57Or maybe I'm trying to make myself secure.
15:59That because, see, the way you said, that if I'm not going to read the subject otherwise,
16:04it's better to take it as a mainstream subject.
16:06Right.
16:07So, you give up philosophy and you take up history.
16:11What's your inclination towards history from?
16:14It is also a result of conditioning.
16:20That's a much bigger question to ask.
16:21Here, there is 10% doubt and there, there is 100% doubt.
16:26Yet, you are ready to side with 100% doubt.
16:29You are never going to be 100% sure as a young person.
16:35That's not going to happen.
16:36Never.
16:37You have to operate on probabilities.
16:39Yes, obviously it is possible that this affinity for philosophy is a fleeting one.
16:48It is possible that in course of time you say, no, I don't like philosophy.
16:51If that happens, drop philosophy, fine.
16:53You have a lot of time.
16:56But if you drop philosophy right now, my question is, what reason do you have to choose the other
17:02thing?
17:03Do you have any love for that?
17:04No.
17:05For that I have zero love.
17:06So it's 100% certain there is no love.
17:08In the case of philosophy, it is 80% certain there is love, but there is some 20% doubt.
17:13So I'm using that 20% doubt to take a different decision, not logical, not sensible.
17:26So when I was listening to the question, which the lady was asking, so I got the reply.
17:33I understood that as well, but I got reminded of a quote from Kiril Gibran, which probably
17:38I also felt when I heard.
17:40So it says, travel and tell no one, live a true love story and tell no one, live happily
17:49and tell no one.
17:50People ruin beautiful things.
17:52So in what context is Kiril Gibran saying this?
17:56The quote must be coming from somewhere.
17:59So that is the context.
18:01It must be part of a story or some other work.
18:06So wherever it is coming from, that thing is the context.
18:10There are times when you will say, let it be manifested, let it be radiated, tell everyone.
18:19There are times when you say, tell no one.
18:21The contexts are different.
18:25Maybe what he is saying here is that the real things must not be done for the purpose of social approval, social sanction, social aggrandization.
18:43So tell no one.
18:44So tell no one.
18:45So tell no one.
18:46Others should not form the core of your action.
18:52So in that sense, tell no one.
18:56That's all.
18:59More poetic expression.
19:00More poetic expression.
19:02Maybe it is said to someone who is too fond of declaring things at the market square.
19:12He will be told, sir, if you have something real with you, live it, eat it, breathe it.
19:19It is not there to be publicly exposed.
19:24To that kind of person, this thing will be said.
19:28He can't be told.
19:40But you will do the right for experience.
19:43When he was called Woahgis.
19:47Positiveheid.
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