“Our first, and foremost commitment is to do seva in the world. When you make service your sole purpose in life, it eliminates fear, brings focus in your mind, purposefulness in action, and long-term joy. When we do seva, it brings naturalness, and human values back in society, it helps in building a society that is free from fear, and depression.” - HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
With the aim of building a world that is stress-free, and violence-free, HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is directing innumerable service initiatives. Addressing global issues which are critical to the development of the individual, and the community, the Art of Living is providing sustainable support to under-privileged people throughout the world.
The unique aspect of HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s initiatives is specificity, and sustainability. The former because the Art of Living meets the challenges born out of local circumstances through tailor-made solutions. The answers, it provides, are rooted in its philosophy of training local populace in the required skills. Kapsi, a once drought-prone area of Maharashtra (India), illustrates the success of Art of Living’s blueprint for service. Art of Living volunteers, directed by HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, build dams, and reservoirs in the area to store rain water. Next, the agrarian population of the village were trained in chemical-free farming techniques to give a boost to the poor produce. Gradually, other areas of daily living like better sanitation practices, de-addiction, women’s health, and environmental protection were introduced.
The result? A prosperous, progressive village with plentiful water, rich crops and healthier people.
These initiatives are carried out by Art of Living volunteers in conjunction with local people. Often, the Art of Living carries out leadership workshops for village youth called the Youth Leadership Training Program (YLTP). Thousands of village youth in India have gained direction in life through these initiatives, and are working towards building a progressive society.
By addressing diverse challenges such as escalating global crime rates through the prisoner rehabilitation programme, bringing peace to conflicting communities, and those caught in the line of fire, providing educational opportunities to underprivileged children, helping struggling communities stand on their feet, the Art of Living touches the lives of thousands of people daily. From developing villages in India to helping an entire nation of people deal with trauma in Iraq and Kosovo, the Art of Living is committed to reaching out to people everywhere.
HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has brought diverse people from all walks of life on a common platform to find unified solutions through innumerable conferences, and symposiums. The common solutions, when integrated with the service rendered at the ground levels, are proving to be a strong platform for change.
HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar envisages a One World Family – Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – where individuals, and communities inhabit a world that is stress-free, and progressive.
No comments:
Post a Comment