Cultivating Leadership at all levels (Courtesy:Sadhguru of Isha Foundation)

The more powerful are always bullying the less powerful. Whether it is in the form of nations, communities or individual human beings, bullying is happening everywhere, all the time. We have structured the world in such a way that if you do not learn to bully, at least in society’s eyes, you won’t get anywhere. Bullying can either be crude, just on the strength of muscle, or it can be done in subtle ways, but it is happening all over the place. I want you to understand, the world, the international situation, is not any different from the street corner. The strong lean on the weak in so many ways. It is still a caveman’s world of ‘survival of the fittest’ conducted in a more cunning manner. It is not straightforward.

Leaders are always bullies who know how to elbow their way through everything and then fist you down in some way. We have set up a system like that in the world, where only bullies can be leaders. Because we have not produced the right kind of leaders, bullies are considered leaders. Compassionate human beings – people with a larger vision of humanity – are not considered leaders; they are considered philosophers in this world. They are dismissed as visionaries. This has to change, but it is not going to change overnight.

We are in the process of starting an ‘Isha Leadership Academy.’ Various programs that will nurture and develop leaders, and we are launching this in grand fashion at the end of the year. Right now in this country, if a good leader comes up, people will worship him. But different tiers of leadership do not exist. So, one of the important things is to produce many tiers of leaders which will support the main leadership. Leadership should not be in the Parliament or legislature alone. On the street, at home, in your office, wherever — we need people who take charge of situations. We want to offer programs to people at all levels because anybody who can impact five to ten people is a leader. This needs a lot of work on humanity. General statements and slogans on the street will not help; it needs pointed work on individual human beings, but there has not been enough infrastructure to do that kind of work.