Gurudev in conversation with Justin B. Smith, co-founder and CEO of Semafor, at The Next 3 Billion in New York — on why prosperity follows peace, the mindset that keeps people poor, and the intelligence that sits one step above the artificial kind. else.
From Semafor: “At the intersection of the global AI expansion and the urgent development agenda, The Next 3 Billion spotlights the leaders shaping a more inclusive and prosperous future for the world’s most ascendent regions.”
On Why Prosperity Follows Peace
Smith: Before we talk about the themes of this forum, could you share a little about your journey, the founding of the Art of Living, and what your mission is?
Gurudev: Prosperity comes with peace. If there is no peace, you can’t have prosperity. Just yesterday we had World Peace Day, and I feel the tension in the world today is rising so much. We started the Art of Living Foundation 45 years back, and the main goal of this foundation is to see a violence-free society, a stress-free and disease-free body, a mind which is more focused — generally bringing happiness into the lives of people. We teach many breathing techniques and meditation. It is a volunteer-based organization, and it has come up everywhere in the world.
“Prosperity comes with peace. If there is no peace, you can’t have prosperity.”
On the Disconnect Inside Every Country
Smith: The broader theme here is how to integrate large parts of the world into the productive global economic systems that are emerging, especially powered by technology. What are your thoughts on that challenge, and what is your advice for the leaders here?
Gurudev: Justin, you can see the disconnect even within a country. Even within a village there are sections of people who can afford things, and sections of people who can’t. This disconnect between the haves and have-nots is so prevalent — and I mean including us. Every country has this. The effort to bring them together is to understand that our growth is only when we join hands and increase the buying power of the people. Right there, the business can also flourish.
Gurudev: On one hand there are those who think charity is their right — that they have to be given, by government or by people who have — and they don’t want to put any effort into getting up. On the other hand, there are those who have no sense of empathy for those who are really in need of it. So it’s a double-edged thing that one has to work on.
On the Victim Consciousness That Blocks Progress
Gurudev: I’ll give you one example. In India we had our center in a very rural area, with villages around it and many unemployed youngsters. I called them all — about 500 of them — and I invited the government, which has many projects. The director of small-scale industry presented them 200 projects, and they just negated everything. How this cannot work. That was the mindset they were coming from. What is it that you want? I want to be a driver in the bus. I want to be a policeman. You can’t employ everyone like that. One has to have this entrepreneurial spirit.
Gurudev: So we started a two-month training program to kindle the entrepreneurship in them. We did it in Kenya, in Nairobi, in India, and also in Ghana, in Nigeria, in Botswana and South Africa. That inner motivation helps them to be more entrepreneurial in spirit. Instead of reeling in a victim consciousness, they now become proactive entrepreneurs.
Gurudev: You have called this the psychology of progress. I think that is a very apt thing to look into. But for progress you need the right psychology. You can’t be in a victim consciousness, or in a culprit consciousness. You have to be in a progressive mindset, in which you see that you have something to contribute to the world — and on the other side, you see the value in sharing.
“You can’t be in a victim consciousness, or in a culprit consciousness. You have to be in a progressive mindset.”
On Why Material Growth Is Not Enough
Smith: A lot of the conversations today are about technology growth, economic growth. What you’re saying is that these material types of growth alone are just not enough. How should societies embrace the non-material growth, and how should leaders lead into that?
Gurudev: Suppose someone is working in a setup. They can’t treat the business like a slot machine. They have to see that this is my livelihood, so I need to be committed to the company I’m working for. That encourages people to be more productive — and it comes when one is free from stress.
Gurudev: Someone who is stressed — the first thing that happens is the breakdown of communication. And that costs very big, in almost any business setup. So to improve communication, it is necessary that they become free from stress, that they have a sense of belongingness, a sense of security. And uncertainty should be handled. Today there is a lot of feeling of uncertainty in almost every field, whether they are the CEO of a company or a blue-collar worker. That sense of insecurity and uncertainty is eating our society up.
“Someone who is stressed — the first thing that happens is the breakdown of communication.”
On the Three Kinds of Intelligence
Smith: How do you think about artificial intelligence superimposed onto the picture you just described? Is it an accelerant? Does it make things that much worse? Is it an opportunity?
Gurudev: AI is a tool. It’s an opportunity. It’s how you use it. It beckons you to be more creative. AI can only present what is already present somewhere in the world. So you have to be more original and more creative, and that is what AI beckons you to do. I think AI is a very good challenge for human consciousness.
Smith: I know AI also has a different term for you.
Gurudev: I think AI has three, Justin. One is AI — the absence of intelligence, which you see in so many places. Then there is artificial intelligence. And one step higher is absolute intelligence: we recognize that there is a unifying power in the whole universe, from which everything has come. That power of consciousness, I would say, is absolute intelligence.
Smith: And you’ve set up an institute focused on that.
Gurudev: We have set up an Institute of Absolute Intelligence, which explores the brainwave frequencies — how our brain can function to its optimum, and can tap into the area of consciousness, and come up with more creative things.
Smith: Well, there you have it. You have a choice between the absence of intelligence, artificial intelligence, or absolute intelligence. I would choose the third myself.
“One is AI — the absence of intelligence. Then there is artificial intelligence. And one step higher is absolute intelligence.”
