Life is a dream.

War exists not because different groups of people in the external world fight each other; at its root, war exists because man is in conflict. The root of war is within man; externally, you only see the branches and leaves. Every ten years, humanity needs a world war. In ten years, man accumulates so much anger, madness, and insanity within himself that he needs an eruption.

Until we transform the human script itself, until we give man a completely new program for life and existence, we can continue to talk about peace, but continue to prepare for war. This is what we have been doing for thousands of years: talking about peace and creating war. And the absurdity is that even in the name of peace, we fight: the greatest wars have been fought in the name of peace. The past has been utterly destructive. With the same energy, humanity could have created paradise on earth, but all we have done is create hell instead. But the question is not about changing political ideologies in the world, the question is not about teaching people brotherhood, because all this has already been done, and it has all failed.

Something deeper is wrong. Man is split; the very people who talk about peace are the cause of this split. They have divided man into good and bad, lower and higher, earthly and divine, material and spiritual. They have created a crack in the human soul, and there is a constant war within. All people are fighting with themselves, and when they get tired of it, they start fighting with someone else.

That is why, during times of war, people seem more cheerful. Their faces shine with enthusiasm, their gait becomes dancing. They tremble because, for at least a few days, they don't have to fight with themselves; they have found a scapegoat—outside. It can be a fascist, it can be a communist, it can be a Muslim, it can be a Christian—it doesn't matter, but someone outside. This is an escape from inner conflict; and in a very unhealthy sense, it is relaxing. But one cannot continue war constantly; sooner or later, man is forced to return inside.

My vision is of an integrated soul. The body is respected, not denied; it is loved, valued, and appreciated. Matter is not denied; it is enjoyed, and it is part of spiritual growth. There is no duality: there is a dialectic of growth. This is how we walk on two legs. This is how a bird has two wings. Matter and spirit, body and soul, lower and higher—these are two wings...
Osho