Why VOTE
Pat Gounden
JaiGuruDev Dear Ones
Alarming stats reveal that of all persons eligible to vote in South Africa approximately 17 000 000 are not registered to vote. Approximately 70% of those registered actually cast their vote, leaving another 6 000 000 that don’t vote.
The state of the nation is therefore not because there are many “bad” people, but because approximately 23 000 000 Good people remain silent.
Walk like a lion and be a Good servant to South Africa by casting your vote on 7 May 2014. Exercise your democratic right and encourage all those around you to do the same. Stand for what you believe in and be COUNTED.
Some profound wisdom from His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar :
Gurudev, we must all vote 100%. But if 100% of the candidates in the elections are not good, then what do we do?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
I understand your question. I am also in the same dilemma. There are many wrong candidates contesting the elections at different places in the country. But when it comes to electing people into the parliament at the centre, then you should focus on the greater interests of the country.
So if you see a candidate who has a few flaws, then also it is alright, as long as he is strong and morally upright. This is because a strong leader will be able to manage the issues of the country in a proper manner.
When it comes to the elections in your own state, then your focus should be on the character and track record of the candidate. If he is very corrupt, then you should show him his rightful place.
When it comes to electing your city’s Municipal Corporation, then you should only vote for a person of good character and a clean record, regardless of which party they may belong to. This is because the municipal corporation of the city has to work for the city day in and day out, for issues like your roads, water supply, electricity supply, etc.
Members of the parliament or state legislative assembly cannot look into issues of the city. It is the officials of the Municipal Corporation who will look into such matters.
So you should use a different yardsticks to select and elect candidates of different platforms of governance.
Q: Guruji, how do I know which political party to vote for?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: In my opinion, first we should not let anybody remain in power for too long. We should keep changing parties. Power corrupts people. Even good people become bad. Therefore, we should give holidays to everybody, and let them churn themselves. Without giving a holiday to somebody, and extracting too much work out of them is like making the same horse over-run, then it will become lame.
Think of all political parties and politicians as horses. Tell them to work and if they get tired, give them some rest. Eat, rest, and recuperate for five years, then come back. You should hold the horses’ reins in your hands. If the horses run without their reins, we don’t know where the horses or the country will end up running. It is the youth who should hold the reins! I think this is a good idea (Loud clapping). Oh, everybody agrees, good!
Second, we need to check the background of the candidates. We need to look for honest candidates that are contesting, vote for them, and help them progress. There should be a vote bank of honest people. Then, the muscle power, and the money power which is happening now, will be relieved. Also, don’t speak wrong about anybody.
Question: Are you frustrated with what has been happening on Wall Street?
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Wall Street has lost the trust of people, as have the government and the church. We need to bring spirituality, the type of spirituality that Mahatma Gandhi spoke about, into politics. We need to spiritualize politics, socialize business and secularize religion. Religious leaders need to worry more about people than their institutions. They should care for people more. At the same time politicians should think about the values that leaders like Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela and George Washington had. This country had Lincoln. He was a great visionary. There have been leaders who have given their whole lives in service to the people rather than out of a desire to achieve something. There is the Lincoln Memorial here, but it was not Lincoln who asked for it to be built. He stood for justice, equality and truth. That is real spirituality. I consider the founders of this nation and also the founders of India, South America and South Africa as people who had zeal. They were innately spiritual in their nature. This indicates how spirituality relates to politics. The backbone of business is trust. If lost, it cannot survive too long. So businesses should practice corporate social responsibility. We should care for one another. Otherwise, when we lose love for people, when we have no friends, we think money brings us happiness. It doesn’t.