Interviewer: You seem to do so many things!

Sri Chinmoy: Life is activity. It is like the ocean. The bottom of the ocean is peaceful, but on the surface it is all tumultuous. Activity and life go together. If we want to become good citizens of the world, we have to be part and parcel of the world. We cannot enter into the Himalayan caves and ignore the world. If I consider my fellow citizens to be members of my family, then there has to be mutual give and take. I give you what I have; you give me what you have. One person does not and cannot have everything. But if we are united, I offer you my goodwill, good wishes and whatever I have, and you offer me what you have. Only in this way can we establish a oneness-world-family.

I have been to many parts of the world and met with world leaders. This same theme we have discussed: how we can bring about world peace. We sincerely try. Still world peace is a far cry, but we have made an attempt. There is nothing wrong in making attempts. If we fail, we fail. I take failures as the pillars of success. Yesterday we failed; today we are failing. That does not mean that tomorrow also we are going to fail.

It is the same in all spheres of life. Last year, at the Olympics, it seemed that Carl Lewis would fail in the long jump. He was not even among the first three places. Then all of a sudden he became the gold medallist.