The politicians have always been stupid; this is nothing new. Otherwise why should they be politicians? They would have been poets, they would have been mystics, they would have been painters, they would have been musicians, they would have been dancers. But when a person cannot be anything, when he has no talents, no intelligence, then, the last possibility is he becomes a politician – because in politics, stupidity is an asset. The more stupid you are, the more is your possibility of reaching to the top – because it needs arrogance, violence. It needs insensitivity, it needs hatred, jealousy, ambition, to reach to the top of the ladder. And it needs utter unintelligence.

 

Otherwise who should be interested in just becoming a ladder climber? Life has much more to give. Just sitting under a tree and playing on your flute is far more satisfying than being a president of a country. Just being in love with a woman or a man is far more satisfying than having all the riches of the world and all the power that it can give.

 

When Alexander the Great came to India and conquered the frontier provinces, he was surprised to see one thing: that people were so contented, so happy. He could not believe his eyes. There was such order, and there seemed to be no imposition on them. He asked the king, whom he had conquered and defeated…

 

In fact, the king was defeated because the king had never prepared for war. His whole energy had been devoted to peace. It was a beautiful country, and people were happy, and people were still singing and dancing, and people were grateful to God. They had not thought that somebody was going to conquer them. For what? In fact, no resistance was given to Alexander the Great. People were not ready at all; they were simply surprised by the whole idea that somebody had started on a great movement, a struggle to conquer the whole world. They were puzzled: ”For what?”

 

Even Alexander was puzzled and surprised, seeing the peace and the contentment and the joy. Even when the people were defeated there was nothing – as if nothing had happened. Things continued as they were, as if nothing had happened.

 

He asked the king, ”How have you managed this, this order? And I don’t see much military, much police; I don’t see much government machinery. And people are living with such love and brotherhood. How have you managed?”

 

The king said, ”It has nothing to do with me. My prime minister – he is a mystic. It is his work. ” ”Where is your prime minister?” Alexander said. ”I would like to see him, I would like to talk to him, I would like to learn something from him. I would like my country to also be in such order, in such inner discipline. I have fallen in love with this grace that I see all around. Although you are defeated, I don’t see any sadness… as if I don’t mean much.”

 

The king said, ”But the prime minister has become a sannyasin now; he has moved to the mountains. It may be difficult to find him.”

 

But Alexander was insistent so messengers were sent; but messengers came back – they said, ”That old man has said that he is not interested in showing himself off to any Alexander, to any great king and conqueror, because the very idea of conquering others is so stupid. ’I am not interested in coming. You just go and tell him that I don’t think that he is even worthy enough to be given any advice.’”

 

The politician’s whole mind is nothing but ambition, and ambition is violent, ambition is murderous. It is ambition that has made the whole earth a hell.

 

– Osho, “The Secret, #9”