Amsterdam First Public Talk 14th May 1969
In the first of five public talks in Amsterdam, J. Krishnamurti observes what is happening in the world: the students’ riots, the class prejudices, the black against the white, the wars, the political confusion, tyrannies, bigger nations suppressing little nations, the division in nationalities, the religious divisions and the utter confusion. He points out that one is inwardly aware of the extraordinary conflict, struggle, the pain, the sorrow, the anxiety, the loneliness, the despair, the lack of love, the fear. Looking at all this, outwardly and inwardly, he wonders why we go on like this, why we accept the social morality, which is really quite immoral, the confusion in which one lives, the uncertainty, the endless wars to which man is committed, the national division, religious separation, and so on, why we accept this at all, why we accept the moral, social environment in which we live, knowing very well that is utterly immoral. The probing questions come thick and fast… Why do we accept an education system that turns out not human beings but mechanical entities trained to accept certain jobs and peter out, die? He concludes that education and religion have done nothing to solve the problems of mankind. This leads on to J. Krishnamurti’s recurring theme – the question whether human beings can ever learn to live without conflict, live completely peacefully, and if so how can that be achieved? He goes on to explore the nature of verbal communication and the question how we can achieve a communion that brings about a greater understanding.
