Posted: Post Date – 10:45 am, Monday – Jun 6, 22
Photo: Facebook
New Delhi: Isha Foundation founder Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev said on Sunday that gun violence in the US was linked to the mental health of young people.
In an exclusive interview with the ANI, he said that the violent culture in the US is increasing due to the content of television programs, movies and video games.
“Mental health and violence are very connected. I am asking: haven’t we made violence very popular? A five-year-old boy is playing a video game. What do you think he is doing? You think he is playing badminton; he is shooting someone. Most of the time he is filming something. From age five to 18, if I’m that kid, if I’m still shooting on screen when I’m 18, would I want to not graduate into something more real? said the spiritual Guru.
Recently, 21 people were killed, including 19 children and two teachers, after an 18-year-old opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde in Texas.
Sadhguru further narrated an incident, highlighting the rise in mental health conditions following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I met a psychiatrist lady; she said that in my 20 years of practicing psychiatry, no one ever came to ask me this, but, when the COVID-19 pandemic was raging, many young women came and asked ‘can you suggest where we can learn yoga and bring some balance? to ourselves’. That search for inner balance has moved people. Some people have stuck with it, others have just forgotten it, thinking they can solve it over a glass of beer,” she said.
The founder of the Isha Foundation was recently in the US as part of his ‘Save Soil Movement’, a global movement to raise awareness of declining soil health and generate a conscious response.
The movement was started by Sadhguru in March 2022, who embarked on a 100-day motorcycle journey, passing through 27 countries. June 5 marks the 75th day of the 100-day journey.
Sharing his experience of the US on a motorcycle trip and projecting the culture there, he said there is a disconnect between youth and their happiness and well-being.
He also pointed out the violence that is promoted on various platforms. “Look at all the movies you do, the TV stuff you do. If you and I argue, the only way is for me to pick something up and hit you over the head or hit you in the face or shoot you in the head. Isn’t that how all disagreements are resolved in most movies, TV shows, and everything else? We are setting that example, this is the way to resolve every argument, every disagreement, while the whole process of civilization is even if we fundamentally disagree on the basic aspect of life: we can still sit down and discuss it, debate it. and if we can’t, we can step back a little bit,” he said, adding “this is civilization, but aren’t we reversing that on our television screen, movie screen, and video game screen? Aren’t we seriously trying to reverse the basic process of civilization where instead of punching you in the face, I can talk to you? Regarding gun violence in India, Sadhguru said: “It’s not on a large scale because only urban kids in India can do those things. Even then, only a percentage of well-to-do kids get to do those things. It is not as widespread as in the United States.”
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