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The prevalent subject today is called sustainability. All around the world, NGOs, humanitarian workers, and societies are using this word. When we consider its meaning, sustainability signifies something long-lasting. Modern technology, however, is not sustainable. Computer technology changes nearly every month, every day. A very expensive computer or laptop bought five months ago is already considered old, compelling you to buy a new one. This modern technology is not focused on sustainability, but on economics—on developing the economy more and more. This means you give money to buy something, but the seller does not have enough from this transaction while you still have money in your pocket. Consequently, the seller or manufacturer thinks about how to extract more money from you by adding new features you do not yet possess, so you will buy again. This kind of technology has made humans, how to say, ill. You are increasingly running and working, running and working, amidst challenges and competition. Yet, there is some sustainable development within technology. A telephone, for example—whether cordless or with a wire, what you call a mobile or cell phone—this is sustainable. For how many years has the telephone existed? I think 80 years or something, and we still have this technology. When I came to Vienna in 1975 and wanted to phone India, I had to call the telephone exchange office in Vienna. They would then call England, and England would call back to schedule a connection to India via the cable line through the ocean. They told me in three days, between 12 and 1 o'clock, they would connect me. So after three days, between 12 and 1, I was sitting near the telephone the entire time. This was the situation everywhere. In Czechoslovakia, you couldn't phone everywhere, especially internationally. Times change; technology is definitely developing. So the telephone is good. Television is also a sustainable technique. Emails, the internet. But other equipment being developed is not sustainable. Similarly, you can create a child, no problem, you will get a child. But a spiritual, healthy, long-lived child—we wish for such children. We wish for every child good health, long life, and to be spiritual, healthy, and happy. Another way I understand sustainability is that it automatically maintains itself; it is self-supporting. Like the trees, nature is self-supporting. There is now a concept called sustainable humanity. So in every subject, there is sustainability. With music, you have to dance. We are also saying Yoga in Daily Life is for sustainable humanity. Sustainable humanity means good health: physical, mental, social, and spiritual health. This slogan we have had for 30 years: harmony of body, mind, and soul. All these principles were created by ṛṣis and yogīs. Long ago, people constructed lakes to purify water. That is sustainable. These lakes are 100, 200, 300, 400 years old, and everyone still benefits from them. That is sustainable. But if you make plastic water bottles, they are not sustainable. In any case, it is said we should do something which is long, long-lasting and not limited only to yourself. If we practice sustainability, your economy will go down. You buy a soft drink, open the bottle, consume the liquid, and throw the bottle away. We now exist in what is called the throw-away society. Dnes je to tak, že si koupíte něco k pití, nalejete si jednu skleničku z umělohmotné lahve a lahev vyhodíte. Tak takhle funguje naše společnost. Je to odpadková společnost. So the people who are working for the environment, a lidé, kteří pracují pro životní prostředí, they say, throw away, but where? Tak říkají, vyhazovat, ale kam? That's it. So we are destroying the environment. A tak si ničíme životní prostředí. Then we have to clean it again and spend money again. All these things are not sustainable. If you do not use sustainable things, you are destroying the environment. Therefore, think about it. Similarly, relationships should be sustainable. Today, when even the relationships between you do not last, what more do you want? You get married this year and divorced the next. That is how it goes. That is also not sustainable. The changes are in the human mind; that is illness. Therefore, we must have sustainability. In spirituality as well, if you change the master; you change this and that, it means you are not thinking about sustainability. You are living in a throwaway society. This indicates you have not realized what reality is. You do not know the value of what you want, and you are comparing something with someone. When you begin to compare, you will either lose the value of what you have or gain the value of what you have. Mostly, you will lose the value of what you have. You will lose the feelings inside, and that means your spirituality will decline. Therefore, it is said it is also not advisable to read too many books on different subjects. If you want to protect your spirituality and protect your way, then do not try too many things and do not read too many things which will confuse you. Instead, read something that will support your path and your spirituality. Once in Vienna, a lady began to tell me something; she was comparing with something, and I said, "Oh, Allāh, oh, God." Now I understand why her spirituality is falling down. Constantly, her spirituality is declining, and she is not able to give up comparing. That's it. So, do not compare. On the day you compare your husband with other men, your married life falls into disharmony. Or if you compare your wife with other ladies, your married life becomes imbalanced. You do not know what will come of it. You may compare different things, but not within that relationship. But why do you compare? If you tell an apple tree how lemon trees are, do you think tomorrow the apple tree will also bear lemons? Or if you ask to compare cherry trees with melons, do you think tomorrow the melon plants will grow cherries? That's it. Do not compare. This is this. But this world has become crazy. You are always transplanting something, crossing apples with pears and pears with other fruits, and so on. That is called manipulation. We have manipulated all kinds of grains, all kinds of trees, fruits, animals, and humans. God Kṛṣṇa spoke very clearly: "Maintain the quality, otherwise we will be Varṇa Saṅkara, we will be born." Varṇa Saṅkara means not a real race, mixed, and the mixed blood or mixed fruits, mixed vegetables; this manipulation has lost the originality, the quality. But we are now like this. When someone is cooking and adds salt, then we mix more salt inside. The deer and the rabbits, they do not mix salt in their food. It is a habit. In any case, mixing thoughts and mixing feelings will confuse your spirituality. Therefore, decide and then work on it. No comparisons, no challenges. And do not expect miracles. The biggest miracle you have is that you are still normal, and that is the specialty of Yoga in Daily Life: sustainable normality. Recording location: Czech Republic, Strilky, Weekend seminar