16. Seeking does not let you Rest🔗

Someone asked me, ‘Swamiji, when people know that something is wrong, why do they choose it?’

It is a right question. Many times, people enjoy wrong knowledge. They choose wrong knowledge. They don’t want right knowledge, because right knowledge sometimes hurts you. It is constantly reminding you to get enlightened. It is like a constant nagging, ‘Get enlightened. Get enlightened. Get enlightened.’ You just want to switch it off.

Understand, that is why there is so much of alcohol everywhere! Alcohol dulls your mind; it makes you insensitive, lethargic. It makes sure that right knowledge doesn’t enter into you - because right knowledge awakens spiritual seeking in you, which is very costly! Your whole life will be different. You have to enter into a new zone, a new space which is risky, unknown. So you want to remain in your old, cozy zone. You say, ‘No! Forget about it. This house is enough; this wife is enough; this car is enough; this office is enough; this life is enough.’

You are afraid to enter the zone of seeking, because seeking is such that it will just take away your whole life. It is an internal tsunami. It just changes you. Nothing else is required. You are new. You are washed. You are fresh. Whatever needs to be taken away from you leaves you. Only whatever needs to be left is left. It is a very powerful internal tsunami.

In the world, there are only two categories of people: seekers and addicts. That’s all. You can’t be in-between. Either you are a seeker, or you have to be addicted, because you have to escape from right knowledge. You have to switch it off. You have to divert yourself, because right knowledge constantly asks you to seek further, seek further, seek further. It doesn't let you rest. It doesn't say, 'It's okay, you can sleep, I will come back tomorrow.' No! It is like a credit card company - constantly calling you, constantly calling you. Seeking does not let you rest. Why do you think, all over the world, in all cultures, alcohol is such a powerful habit? Alcohol is the most consumed product next to food, because man wants to be in wrong knowledge. He wants to be in delusion, because he cannot handle Reality.

Almost all countries have laws about alcohol, but no country is able to ban alcohol. The moment they ban it by law, even more alcohol is consumed illegally, and that becomes a big problem! It becomes a big headache for the government, the police, the law enforcement departments. Nothing can be done. So they lift the ban.

And it is not just alcohol. Food has also become an addiction; sex has also become an addiction; relationships have also become an addiction; money has also become an addiction; entertainment has also become an addiction. Anything that can make men insensitive to Reality has become an addiction

What addiction am I using to escape Reality?