Up until the time I was 31 years old, in Spain, I still didn't know how I was going to pay the rent.
It is people who go through suffering that have an empathy for the suffering of others.
There are some parts of the business world, in my judgment, that are actually trying to ensure that the U. S. does not take on board the preponderance of arguments for global warming, and that is something I am really very concerned about.
The corporate sector per se is bottom-line oriented. It can be very corrupt and it is not very principled. That is why I don't think it is sufficient just to have voluntary codes of behavior. I am in favor of legislation which helps to ensure that there is an even playing field and rewards those who play by the rules.
The UN may not be very effective but I am a fan of the idea of the United Nations. I have been there, I know the problems. To parody Winston Churchill: It is the worst system, except we don't have any other.
I want to see a UN that enables a gathering of energies in which business plays its proper role.
When we see companies who are in complicit relationships with China, for example, making huge profits by providing China with the very software that enables the state to censor its own people, that is not acceptable. We need to engage with such companies to make their responsibilities clear.
Sometimes the subconscious mind manifests a wisdom several steps or even years ahead of the conscious mind, and has its own way of leading us toward our destiny.
I like the world we've got. If there is anything special and magical, I have to find it in the ordinary stuff.
Children, when we go to the temple, do not hurry to have darshan, then make some offering and return home in a hurry. We should stand there patiently in silence for some time and try to visualize the beloved deity in our hearts. If possible, we should sit down and meditate. At each step, remember to do japa. Amma doesn't say that the offerings and worship are not necessary, but of all the offerings we make, what the Lord wants most is our hearts!
Our preferences for stability and security blind us to the opportunities for adventure when they present themselves.