According to Osho, people pour scorn because they function unconsciously like machines, clinging to comforting beliefs and fearing transformation. Whenever truth or a transformative presence exposes their lies, they react defensively, attacking the messenger to protect their identities, crowds, and social structures. For the realized, insults lose sting; truth ultimately prevails despite persecution.
People mock what threatens their comfortable illusions; if you truly know yourself, their insults can’t hurt you.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Osho, why are people constantly pouring scorn on you? Why?
Jesus was only criticized in the small vicinity where he lived. Buddha was critized only in the small province where he moved, Bihar. The name comes from his movement -- the name Bihar means "where Buddha moved." So just in that small province he was criticized. I may be the first man who is being criticized all over the world; irrespective of race, country, religion -- all are agreed about one thing: "This man is dangerous!" This is really something to make one happy! You should rejoice -- something great is going to happen out of it. If the criticism of Buddha in only a small province created so much energy, if the ciriticism of Jesus in a small area around Jerusalem created such an impact on history, then there is great promise. The criticism of me around the world is going to affect the whole of humanity, the whole…
Osho, your philosophy of life is so simple, natural and true—yet why does the crowd still hurl abuses at you?
Dhirendra! Because a crowd is a crowd. Crowds are of sheep, not of lions. Crowds are of the blind, not of those who can see. Those with eyes have the strength to walk alone. The crowd walks by clutching at one another. The crowd belongs to cowards, not to the brave. Lions don’t flock; there is no herd of lions. Why do sheep move in a flock? Because in a crowd there is a sense of safety: “We are so many; danger will be less. There is company; nothing will go wrong.” The crowd is blind. I call its gait the gait of sheep. The crowd’s opinions have no value. If a crowd could understand, it wouldn’t be a crowd—individuality would be born. In anyone within whom even a little wisdom arises, he becomes a person; he ceases to be a fragment of the crowd. Even while in a crowd…
Osho, you often say that this world is an echo point, from where we receive back exactly what we give it: love meets love and hatred meets hatred. If that is so, why were Buddha and Mahavira tortured; why were Jesus and Mansoor killed? And why are you receiving false allegations, slander, and abuse here? And can this world ever find people who offer more guileless love and blessing than you?
These feeling-moments come within you. To block them you must heap every possible abuse on Jesus. You will have to prove to yourself—convince yourself with all kinds of arguments—that this man is wrong; do not go near him, not even by mistake. So remember: man maligns to protect himself. Before giving Socrates the hemlock, the very court that ordered it also felt within… Do you think those who stood to crucify Jesus had no doubt in their hearts? No question arose—What are we doing? Is this right? How is it justified? The same happened with Socrates. The judge felt a great stirring, because this man is certainly unusual, different, unparalleled. But no error appears in him. Nothing could be proved against him in court except one thing: all of Athens is against him. Nothing else was established. But if everyone is against him—the jury against him, the magistrate against him,…
We are in a strange state: if someone hurls abuses that do not apply to us, we may ignore them; but if someone tells the truth about us, it becomes very hard to ignore. Truth hurts more than untruth. So if someone says “thief” and you are deeply disturbed, your disturbance is giving news—you are a thief. If you were not, such disturbance could not arise; you might even laugh, “Some mistake has been made.” Only when the finger touches the wound do you become agitated. When it does not, you are not. I have heard: Abraham Lincoln criticized an opposing leader—harshly. That leader wrote to Lincoln: “Stop speaking untruth about me—otherwise it will not be proper.” Lincoln replied, “Think again. If you want me to stop speaking untruth about you, I will have to start speaking truth about you. Choose between the two.
Osho, when will people understand you? You offer songs, and people hurl insults in return!
You ask: “When will people understand you? You offer songs, and people hurl insults in return!” Anant, this is what they have always done. If they didn’t return abuse, I would be startled: what’s happened? What’s the matter? Did they not hear my songs? Did my songs not touch them, please them? Am I speaking to the deaf? Why didn’t the abuses come? They should! Mulla Nasruddin and his wife went to the station, leaving on a pilgrimage. There was a weighing machine there—stand on it, put in a ten-paisa coin, a ticket comes out. Mulla quickly stood on it, the ticket came out. Before he could pick it up, the wife snatched it. It read: “You are a great hero. Fear never troubles you. In life you may break, but you do not bend. You have great inner strength. God has bestowed you with the wealth of resolve.” The…