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Part IV : Osho’s experiences as a Journalist
The whole night I was working as an editor of a newspaper, and
in the day I went to the university. For years I could not sleep
more than three or four hours - whenever I could find time
in the day or in the night. person13
I was once an editor, and I resigned from the post because everything
has to be pro-government. Truth is not the criterion. The poor
individual is not to be protected. Government is already powerful
and press also joins with government. That was one reason I resigned.
I said, "I will say what I feel is the truth, whether it
goes against government or anybody."
Second thing I found, that they are not interested in any good
news. They are interested only in rapes, murders, suicides, divorces,
scandal. And I told them that these are dangerous. There may be
a million men, and only one man rapes, and he becomes news. What
about the remaining? last426
Films are full of violence, full of sex, full of murder, rape,
suicide...these are your demands. And the people who are producing
those films or magazines or newspapers are just businessmen. I
myself have been once a journalist but I could not go more than
few weeks. The owner called me, he said, "You should have
been born in satyug."
I said, "What has happened?"
He said, "You will destroy my paper. You have already reduced
my readership to half."
I said, "It does not matter if your paper is finished, that
is not the point. But right things should reach to people."
But he said, "They don't want the right thing, and I am not
here for charity purposes. I am a businessman and I am in a trouble
because we have made a contract for one year. In one year you
will make me bankrupt!" Because I changed all politicians
to the last page, I reduced their speeches to small articles not
covering the whole first page, I removed their pictures, there
is no need for their pictures every day to be insisted on people's
mind. Because there are so many beautiful people and the world
knows nothing about them.
I would like a big picture of Ravi Shankar playing on his sitar
on the front page. People should know....
I would like some sculptor, some poet...the first page should
be for the creators.
And I reduced completely all news about suicide and murder, violence...and
I said, that "It helps nobody. It really creates an atmosphere
that violence is the way of life, everywhere it is happening,
every newspaper is talking about it, everywhere there is rape.
So why you are lagging behind, you also have a woman in your mind
that you would like to rape. When everybody is doing it, then
why not join?"
I told him a story: two men are going to the market and one
says, that "There is a riot between Mohammedans and Hindus
and the Hindus are destroying the mosque. And as Hindus we should
go and help."
The other man said, that "That does not seem to be a right
thing. The mosque has done no harm to us and even Mohammedans
who go to the mosque simply pray there. That is the only place
where they are prayerful and you are destroying it! That is illogical."
Next day the man who was persuading that "We should go and
destroy the mosque" was surprised. The first man was destroying
it. He asked, "What has happened?"
He said, "When I saw everybody is doing it then it must
be right."
When you read every day from every corner: the radio is saying
the same thing, the television is saying the same thing, the newspaper
is saying the same thing, the films are saying the same thing...you
are surrounded by a very subtle mind atmosphere in which you are
going to be drowned.
I told my owner, that "I have been publishing because there
are good things also happening in the world. It is not that everybody
is raping, it is not that everybody is committing suicide, there
are people who are doing some good work, beautifying life, helping
people and I am trying to find those people and their work."
Just that day I had published an article on Baba Amte. Very
few people know about the man that he has devoted his whole life
to the lepers, he has made a beautiful place for the lepers in
Maharashtra. Thousands of lepers and he has proved it wrong that
just by remaining in touch with lepers you will be infected. He
lives with them, his wife lives with them, his children live with
them and they all serve them and he has made all those thousands
of lepers again human beings because they are all producing something.
If their hands cannot do, then their feet can do something. If
their feet cannot do, their hands can do something. Not a single
leper is unproductive. And he has given them dignity. Otherwise
they were thrown out of their towns, they were not allowed in
the towns, nobody was ready even to talk to them, nobody was ready
to give them any work. Now this man should be talked about.
There may be many people who may become Baba Amte. There may be
many people who may be lepers somewhere suffering, may go to his
beautiful place. He calls it `Anandvan' - the forest of bliss.
And it is a beautiful forest and something worth seeing, that
how people which have been for centuries condemned can be raised
back to dignity, to self-respect; now they are earning their own
food, their own clothes and they are not dependent on anybody.
You will be surprised that Baba Amte's colony donates to many
charitable institutions.
And when I used to go to his colony the people were so happy
that we can help other people who are helpless just as we were
helpless some day.
"So let your circulation drop. I know that Baba Amte will
not increase your circulation...Ravi Shankar will not increase
your circulation. But don't be worried, I will not be heavy on
you. I can force to remain for one year here to finish your firm,
but I will not be heavy on you, I can understand you. So I can
withdraw myself. You raise your circulation." last508
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