Prem Rawat speaks to young gang members



Good evening. My name is Christina Recalde
It's a pleasure to be in front of you
I had seen you on videos and
I'm amazed to be standing here asking you a question.
I am a gang leader and
also part of Peace and Respect on the Street Program.
We have seen our brothers and friends die
and we wanted all that to end.
As it says in the videos, we have our own angel which is within us,
and personally, that message has changed my life.
Thank you.
What I would like to say to you, again, is very simple. It's very simple.
You are a human being.
When you got up, I didn't know who you were,
but I knew you were a human being.
That's who you are. Learn to respect yourself.
You see, even when you were robbing people,
you knew one thing if somebody robbed you, you didn't like it.
When somebody stole something of yours, like your, you know, stole your earring or something
- "Where is that thing?!" So you knew but, it's like, you were somehow different than
the people you were robbing. But you're a human being.
Do you know that the breath that comes into you is the same breath that comes into me?
The breath says "OK, I'm coming into you." Not going "You've been bad, so, OK, 'time out'."
No! No. To become beautiful, from inside. To become strong, from inside.
If you want to be wealthy, then learn to be generous.
If you want to be strong, then learn humility.
If you want to be smart, learn simplicity.
That's what it takes. Learn simplicity.
Learn humility. If you want that strength, learn that gentleness towards yourself.
A candle has one thing that it can do, and that is, it can light other candles.
All you have to be, is the candle that lights the unlit candles.
It's better than robbing them.
Because, you know, either way they will remember you!
But one way they will remember you with fear,
and the other way they will remember you with gratitude.
You know you ended up being a gang member because you could be anybody you wanted to be.
You chose that. Can you change your mind? Of course! That's the beauty of it.
That's the beauty of it. But this time be pure of heart.
This time be pure of heart,
and that will be your strength.
Belong to the 'gang' of the really cool!
So, anybody and everybody can help, and everybody needs to. Everybody needs to.
This is a noble cause and it has been dreamt by every single civilization,
and it has been dreamt by every single society, and it is about time that it happens.



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