Russell Barber: On a more practical level, with regard to athletics, how do you feel about the fact that politics have been somehow made a part of certain athletic competitions, like the Olympics? Are you unhappy about that?

Sri Chinmoy: I am extremely unhappy, because in athletics we are always trying to establish a oneness-family. People come from various parts of the world to represent their own countries. They go beyond the barriers of their individual races. They conquer in their minds national barriers, and they try to offer the capacities that they embody. It is like the United Nations, with each nation a flower in the garland of nations. But when politics enters into sports, it is a very painful and deplorable experience. Politics should not interfere with our oneness-heart.

Russell Barber: You've been in the West some twenty-two years. You come from the Hindu tradition. You speak of peace, and whenever you come to "The First Estate" there is always a sense of peace that comes over us. I want to thank you for giving us this peaceful moment and good meditation. God bless!