By Elizabeth Herman| Posted: June 05, 2020

A recent conversation between young people and founder of Art of Living and spiritual master Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar reveals a profound understanding of human nature and the relationship between the old and the new in our hearts and minds. 

On a walk outdoors, he asks a group of youngsters many questions, challenging them to appreciate both fashionable new things and ancient roots in life. “What do you like, the new or old?” Each individual answer is acknowledged, as he pointedly inquires, “You all like the new? You like the new? You like the new. You like the old. New (pointing at each young person as they respond in unique ways).”

When some answer that they like new things, he affirms, “Something different, yes. Your head likes something new, the latest fashion. Nobody says, ‘I like old-fashioned stuff.’ Right? Do you all like old technology? You like new technology. So, in your life, you all like something new and that is from our head, right? But, you know, there’s a value for the old also. What do you take pride in, old friends or new friends? Which is better? Old friends. So old has a place in life? So you like the old.”

He says, “Your heart loves the old. Your head likes the new. And the young generation can sometimes completely discard the old. All the time you’re going for something new, something new, something new.” 

Recognizing new and old 

Gurudev asks, “Are you not tired of running after the new all the time? Sometimes? You get a new phone and then a few months later a new model of phone comes out. Right? And then you pressurize your parents, saying ‘Oh, I want that model.’ You keep running after something new. 

But, how much value do you give old things? Do you like a friend who keeps running after some new friends? Do you like that? Anybody here. No! You want them to be stable, right? And honor the old friendship you’ve been having? Right? Don’t you want recognition? You like to be recognized by your friends in the classroom.” 

“Do you like people to recognize you?” he continues. “You want people to recognize you, remember you. Do you remember your own great great grandfather? Do you know his name? 

I want to ask you to do this: 5 generations back, who was your great great great grandfather? Do you even know their name? How would you like it if after 50 years down the line, after 100 years, nobody knows you. Would you like that? Nobody recognizes you. Would you like it? Do you like it? What do you like?”

“I want to be remembered,” says an audience member.

“Remembered, by who?” asks Gurudev. 

“Everybody!” she answers. 

“Everybody! Do you remember your own grandmother? Great grandmother? Do you know the grandmother of your mother? Great grandmother?”

“Yes, I know my grandmother’s grandmother.” 

“You know your grandmother’s grandmother. Do you know her name? (she shakes her head no) No, you don’t know her name. Then how can you say you know her? You don’t even know the names of 2 or 3 generations back.”

Lockdown learning potential

Recognizing the potential for learning about family heritage during these times, Gurudev says, “Now, in the lockdown period, why don’t you remember? Why don’t you recollect your own great grandmother on both your mother’s and father’s sides? Is it not a time to ponder on your own family tree? And to know something about what they did? So, look, you have the DNA of your great great great grandfather, right? But you don’t even remember him. 

You know you had a great grandmother. Your grandmother’s mother also was there, but you don’t even know their names.” He observes a discrepancy between his listeners' desire to be remembered and their loss of memory about their own family. Challenging them to remember based on their own interests in their own future legacy, he describes in detail the value of his assignment.

“You want to be remembered in the future, right? Do you recognize the value of people who have contributed to this planet? All those old people, all those generations. Sometimes we say old is boring, but we don’t even recognize them. In this lockout, do you know what you’re going to do? Remember, or just get into your own family tree. Get into the history of this planet. Get into the history of your country, whichever country you belong to. Recognize, what are our roots? Where do we come from?”

Life is like a tree

The metaphor of the tree of life, familiar to many spiritual traditions, works well to get Gurudev’s point across, as he asserts, “To be part of your roots is absolutely essential. Life is like a tree. The leaves are new but the roots are old, right? And if you’re going only after something new, that’s in your head, you have no roots. You have no basis. You have no strength,” warns Gurudev. 

Despite his empathy for youths’ interest in new things, Gurudev asserts the importance of a balance between old and new: “And then, there are those other people who are only talking about the roots. They only take pride in the past. They’re only talking about the roots, and you’re put off by the old things. Do you know why? Because those who advocate the old are not trendy, correct? You find they’re old-fashioned, always talking about some old stuff. They’re not fashionable. Your heart longs for the old, the ancient. Your head runs after something new. You have to balance both heart and head.”

An exercise about the past

Therefore, Gurudev’s exhortation to do some family history research becomes paramount. “The exercise for you to do is tell your Dad, grandfather and grandmother. Ask them about their grandfathers and grandmothers. Make notes on your family tree of five generations back. Can you do this? Can you do this? And find out what their qualities were, what they did, if they did something. They must have done something good.” 

Encouraging a thorough investigation, Gurudev urges his young audience, “Go for it. In life, both are needed. The fashion and the technology, the newness that our head wants, our mind wants, and the old that our heart longs for, will make us well rooted in the old. It will build our character and make us strong and stable. It will bring us such depth and dignity in our lives.” 

Ways to balance your head and heart can result from understanding yourself better through techniques of breathing and meditation, as offered in the workshop, Beyond Breath - A Free Breath & Meditation Session - Online Session With a Live Instructor. By exploring this wisdom you can have the best of both worlds!

Elizabeth Herman writes, offers writing support to clients, teaches, and volunteers for a better world. She has a PhD in Rhetoric, Composition and Literature. Find her on Facebook or Twitter.