Only Machines Can Be Equal; Man Cannot Be

“If you want man to be equal, then you will have to destroy his humanity and make him a robot.

“It is very simple: just as two faces are not the same, in the whole world even two fingerprints are not the same – and you want two beings to be the same? You don’t value the being more than the fingerprint even?

A very absurd idea of equality has become widespread.

“Why it became so influential can be understood very easily. Everybody feels inferior to somebody, either intellectually, financially or physically. In some way everybody carries deep down an inferiority complex, because he is continuously comparing himself with others. Naturally, somebody has more intelligence, somebody has more physical strength, somebody can run faster than you, somebody can swim better. It is impossible for anybody not to feel inferior if he starts comparing.

“Even a man like Napoleon. You would not think that he would ever feel inferior. For what? He was one of the greatest conquerors, one of the greatest fighters and warriors in the world. But on one point he was very touchy. His height was only five feet, five inches – even his bodyguards were taller – and that hurt. That gave him pain, and he could not even say it to anybody.

“One day he was trying to fix a picture on his wall, and the nail was a little high up, beyond his hand’s reach. His bodyguard said, ‘Sir, I can do it. I am higher than you.’ Napoleon became so angry. He said, ‘Take your words back, otherwise I will kill you right now, here.’ But he said, ‘What have I said?’ Napoleon said, ‘You are taller than me but not higher than me. I can tolerate taller; but higher? – I cannot tolerate anybody.’ He had touched his wound.

“Even the people who have immense power in some way or other feel inferior when they start comparing. That leaves almost the whole of humanity feeling an inferiority complex. And this is the root cause why communism is so influential. It has nothing to do with economics, nothing to do with capitalism. It simply fulfills a deep desire in every man that everybody be equal. He feels gratified even to think that everybody is equal. Then there will be no wound, no hurt feeling, there will be no question of comparison.

Nobody has looked at communism from a psychological viewpoint. People have been studying communism only as an economic theory. It is not. Basically it is a psychological consolation to all those who are feeling inferior in any way.”

Osho Times International – courtesy Osho International Foundation – www.osho.com

To continue reading and see all available formats of this talk:
Osho, The Last Testament, Vol. 2, Talk #1 – I Am Not a Man Who Plans