Part I — Interview with The Record newspaper

MJW 2-3. On 2 November 1998, Sri Chinmoy was interviewed by //The Record// newspaper, Bergen, New Jersey, after he had lifted a Piper Arrow III plane plus eight men (total weight: 4,748 lbs.) at the Sparta Aviation School, Teterboro, New Jersey.

Interviewer: Why do you do this?

Sri Chinmoy: I am trying, according to my humble capacity, to be of dedicated service to the world. I have been going to the United Nations to offer meditations since 1970. In addition, I have composed many songs and poems, plus I have done thousands and thousands of paintings. All this I am doing to inspire others. Similarly, others also do many, many things to inspire me. If I am inspiring people and people are inspiring me, then we become good human beings. When we are inspired, we try to do many, many good things for mankind. When we are not inspired, we do many, many bad things. Inspiration is a divine element inside our life. When we are inspired, we try to climb up the Himalayas. When we are inspired, we try to swim the English Channel. When we are inspired, we go from one country to another country to inspire people and to be inspired by them. I feel that when we inspire humanity, we automatically become good citizens of the world. This is my philosophy. My weightlifting feats I have done solely to inspire humanity.

What humanity wants is joy, and inside joy is peace. If we are happy, we will not go and strike others; we will only go and shake hands with them or embrace them. But if we are miserable, we may go and strike others to get rid of our misery. People who are happy will never do bad things. Only unhappy people are fighting, dropping bombs and killing one another. If I am happy, will I go and find fault with my neighbours? Is there any human being who is happy who has done bad things? Only unhappy people do bad things. Here, with my weightlifting, I am inspired and you are inspired. We are only thinking of making each other happy. And when we are happy, we get peace.