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One day, there was a man who had never seen an elephant; he had never seen an elephant. So, he decided that he wanted to go see an elephant; so he inquired. And he was told that there is a village in Africa where they have big elephants. So the man made his journey to Africa. He went, and he saw a very big elephant.

And never having seen the elephants, he was really surprised. And then he looked, and he saw that the elephants were tied with a very small thin rope around their feet—and that was it. So, he was surprised. Such a big elephant, only being held in place by a small little rope? So he went to the chief, and he said, “Chief, these elephants, they’re strong, aren’t they?”

And the chief said, “Oh, yes. They’re very, very strong.” He said, “Chief, I have a question. How can such a big animal, so strong, so powerful, be held back with just this tiny little rope?” And the chief said, “Oh-ho! Let me explain. When they were babies, we used to tie them with this rope. And they tried to move, but they couldn’t move! And we kept them like that.

“And now that they have grown big and strong, they stopped trying. And they think that this tiny rope should still hold them in place. Of course, if they tried, this rope cannot hold back such a powerful animal. But the elephants have given up trying."

So, why did I tell this story? Because in a way, this is what is happening. Who we are, who you are is much bigger than the sum of your problems. But these problems come, and they’re holding you back. And you do not realize your own power. You don’t realize your own strength!—that as a human being, you have the strength in you to go beyond these barriers.

- Prem Rawat

So in this existence, there's going to be—in your life, there's going to be many battles. But there is only going to be one war.

I don't know why, but as human beings, we are obsessed with winning the battles, and we are so obsessed with winning the battles that we forget everything about the war.

What is the objective? What is the final war? The final war, my friends, is to be content. That's the war. The battles you fight are your formulas of how you can be content. "I have to have this in my life; I want this in my life; it has to be this way in my life; this person should be this way; this person should be this way; this person should be this way; I want that to be there; I want that to be there; I want this to be this way; I want this person to talk to me like this." I mean all of these are battles. They are. And you are obsessed with them because you want to win the battle, win the battle, win the battle. And I'm here to tell you: don't care about the battles. If you win a few, good. If you lose a few, fine. Don't even think twice.

How many of you have witnessed, somebody said something wrong to somebody and that somebody got very upset? And that could be mother-father, husband-wife, daughter-mother, son-mother, son-father. Right? And they are not talking to each other, and they are mad at each other, and they're upset with each other and you are obsessed to make it right.

And when you obsess with the battles, you lose track of winning the war. Every day of your life you have to understand that you must win the war. Nothing in this world ultimately should be able to take away your serenity. Nobody should be able to take away your clarity. Nobody should be able to take away your peace. Nobody should be able to take away your understanding. Nobody should be able to take away your joy.

Regardless of what happens, then you are the victor and you have won the war. And to have won a few battles does not make you a victor. The war still goes on. You are the warrior. Do you know that? Do you know you are a warrior? And do you know, you have to fight? You have to. Because you have to claim what is rightfully yours. Do you know what is rightfully yours?

Peace is rightfully yours. Rightfully. Tranquility is rightfully yours; truth is rightfully yours; light is rightfully yours. Rightfully. Rightfully! Belongs to you! Rightfully. You are the heir, but you must fight.

Prem Rawat

Individual: [reading question]

“I have done something in my life that I cannot forgive myself for. I killed two of my children and nearly killed myself because of the abuse I was suffering. I want to feel the peace that you are talking about, but I think I have lost the capability to feel it. Is there any chance for me?”

Prem Rawat:

Well, do you think there is any chance for this person?

Audience:

Yes!

Prem Rawat:

There is the answer. Sometimes you may have walked too far away from your home. And when she did what she did, she walked a little bit too far away from her home. But her home is still there. And it may be a long journey, and it may take a little while, but the home is still there.

– Prem Rawat

I really hope, like that first flight of 21 seconds and 120 feet that changed the world, that what gets launched out of this platform is truly revolutionary, and it makes a difference for the people of this world.

And more than anything else, all I want you to do is think about something that I may have inspired in you. Give it a thought, because how many people do you think looked at those Wright brothers and said, "this isn't going to work"? But these two guys only knew how you work with bicycles. They were bicycle repairmen. They were tinkerers. They had an imagination and they did not understand the word "no." Regardless of how many people told them, "No, no, no." They didn't acknowledge the word "no." That's called persistence.

They made this little machine that was incredibly flimsy. And I'm sure there were people, when this thing finally took off, who closed their eyes and said, "Oh God! They're going to kill themselves." This had never been done. This was a unique moment, but it happened. And the world has never been the same.

Please don't underestimate the power of being here today. Let's spark a revolution for peace. Let's spark a revolution for kindness. Let's spark a revolution that makes a difference in this world. Not only in Malaysia. Why not every country? Why not … why not you, who are sitting here, the participants? Be the makers, movers, and shakers of that incredible, incredible possibility.

— Prem Rawat

I’m not the first one to ever say, “What you are looking for is inside of you.” So, if you are looking for peace, that’s inside of you; if you are looking for hope, that is inside of you; if you’re looking for clarity, that is inside of you. If you’re looking for joy, that is inside of you.

And the question is, “Why is it easier said than done?” Because we don’t know ourselves. We don’t know what our strengths are. We don’t know what our strengths are. You are stronger than you realize. Even in the face of calamity, you are stronger than you realize. But because you don’t know yourself, you’re ready to surrender to the calamity—and you do!

You are worried about all those things you don’t know. And in the list of all the things you don’t know, you also don’t know yourself.

We look for strength, but not in us—in other people. People come to me, and people ask this question, “So, when you have a problem, what do you do?” They think I’m strong.

I’m only strong when I’m connected to the strength inside of me. Otherwise I am weak too. I’m a human being, and I have to remember, there is an incredible strength inside of me. When I don’t tap into that strength, nothing is strong. When I do, I am strong too. Same thing for you.

It’s simple! It’s not complicated. We can make it complicated, but it’s not complicated. It’s very, very simple.

- Prem Rawat