With the neighbors…?

"We enjoy it."

Osho,
I read in your paper that in your press conference you gave only a one-word answer when asked if you and the neighbors would ever coexist peacefully. You said, 'Never.' That's a long time.

"That's true. In the first place, we don't have any neighbors here. In these 126 square miles, we are alone, an island in itself. In the second place, I don't believe in any compromise. If they are right, we will mix with them, we will drop our own philosophy of life. And if we are right, then they have to drop their prejudices. But I don't believe in coexistence, I believe in existence; either we, or they. Coexistence is a political word, and coexistence is simply a cold war. Just to avoid ( postpone ( real war, politicians go on talking about coexistence. If I love you, we don't coexist, we exist together. Only enemies coexist. I don't have any enemies: if they are hostile, that is their problem ( we are not hostile toward anybody."

I see you use the word coexistence. It has become political, indeed, but you are saying that you coexist in the sense that you have to live with these people, so you tolerate it; and you're saying that you would rather enjoy living with these people. Do I interpret you correctly?

"Tolerance is an ugly word. To tolerate means you have already humiliated the other person, you are already higher, holier, more understanding. The people who talk about tolerance are the most intolerant people. I never tolerate; either I accept, or I simply forget all about the person. Why should I tolerate? He has the right to be himself, I have the right to be myself: there is no need for any tolerance. And they are hostile, we are not hostile. So we enjoy their hostility; that is the only entertainment in this desert."

But it's no longer a desert, as we have seen.

"We will change it into an oasis ( are changing."