From Ignorance to Innocence - Osho - Oshorajneesh.com

CHAPTER 27. BAPTISM: WADING FOR GODOT
His innermost center is in darkness, and the society, the religions, the parents, the cultures,
civilizations – nobody is bothered about his being awake. Their concern is that he should do things
which are comfortable to them, convenient to them.
They reward you, they give you respectability, and they encourage your greed: so even in the other
life, if you go on doing the right thing you will be immensely rewarded, and if you do the wrong thing
you will be punished, heavily punished.
Centuries of conditioning have made you ask this question. I am not at all interested in what you do,
because a man who is asleep, unaware of himself – whatever he does is wrong.
Let me repeat it: whatever an asleep man does is wrong.
He may be doing virtuous acts: charity to the poor, opening hospitals, schools, colleges, universities;
educating people, donating to every cause, helping in every calamity – but I still say whatever he
does is wrong, because he is asleep.
He cannot do right.
In sleep it has never been possible to do right.
lust the other day, Sheela brought me the news: in India, in one of the biggest cities, Bhopal, a few
days ago there has been a great accident. One big factory which produces some poisonous gas –
must be for military reasons – exploded. It is just in the middle of the city. Two thousand people who
were close to the factory died immediately, and one hundred thousand people have been seriously
injured.
It is a big accident, and naturally – you can guess – Mother Teresa is running from Calcutta to
Bhopal, because these people like Mother Teresa are praying every day to the Lord, ”Give us an
opportunity to serve.” And the Lord, their Lord, is so compassionate, he goes on giving opportunities
to serve. She went to Bhopal, moved around the injured, went to the families whose people have
died, and what she said to them is very important. She said, ”Don’t take it as a tragedy.”
This is what the religions have been doing for thousands of years: befooling people. This is a
tragedy. She told people, ”Don’t think of it as a tragedy, it is a great opportunity. Look positively. It
has brought the best out in man. So many people are serving others, helping in every way. Look at
this side of it: the situation has brought the best out in thousands of people. They may never have
done anything good in their life, but they are doing it now.”
But do you understand the implications of it? It means it should happen in every factory! It should
happen in every city, because it brings the best out in people. What can be more beautiful than this?
A great opportunity to be good, to do good, to serve those who need your service, to help those who
are in a helpless condition. This is a God-given opportunity for do-gooders. And nobody objected to
her!
Perhaps I am the only person here, on this whole earth, who is objecting that this is befooling people.
This is creating a camouflage, a bogus spiritual jargon. If God has any sense, any intelligence at
From Ignorance to Innocence 394 Osho