Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at Semafor’s Next 3 Billion summit in New York said peace and inner well-being are essential for sustainable economic prosperity, highlighting inequality, empathy, corruption, entrepreneurship, workplace stress and the need for responsible technology and human development.
Art of Living founder Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has emphasised that economic prosperity cannot be separated from peace, inner well-being and social stability, saying sustainable development requires societies to address both economic inequality and human welfare.
Addressing Semafor’s The Next 3 Billion summit in New York, Ravi Shankar said peace was fundamental to achieving lasting prosperity. “Prosperity comes with peace. If there is no peace, there can’t be prosperity,” he remarked during a conversation at the summit.
The event brought together political leaders, representatives of international institutions and business figures to discuss ways technology and digital inclusion could create greater economic opportunities for billions of people. The speaker lineup included Kenyan President William Samoei Ruto, Democratic Republic of Congo Prime Minister Judith Suminwa, World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.
During his discussion with Semafor Co-Founder and CEO Justin B. Smith, Ravi Shankar addressed the continuing gap between wealthy and disadvantaged sections of society. He noted that economic inequality remained an issue in countries across the world, including the United States.
According to Ravi Shankar, addressing inequality requires efforts from both disadvantaged communities and people with greater economic resources. He said people experiencing financial difficulties should move beyond what he termed “victim consciousness” and develop a greater sense of responsibility for improving their circumstances.
At the same time, he stressed that people with greater resources should cultivate empathy and understand the importance of sharing. He suggested that economic development should not be viewed only in terms of financial growth but should also include social responsibility and concern for human well-being.
Ravi Shankar also pointed to corruption as a major obstacle to development, particularly in countries of the Global South. He said corruption could prevent resources intended for communities from reaching people at the grassroots level, thereby limiting the impact of development programmes.
While discussing ways to encourage economic participation, he recalled an initiative involving unemployed young people in rural India. According to him, around 500 unemployed youths living near an Art of Living centre had initially rejected 200 projects offered by the government because they believed the projects would not succeed.
A two-month programme focused on developing an entrepreneurial mindset was subsequently introduced. Ravi Shankar said the programme helped change the participants’ outlook and encouraged them to approach economic opportunities with greater confidence.
He added that the model was later taken to several African countries, including Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Botswana and South Africa. The initiative, he said, demonstrated the importance of mindset and entrepreneurship in helping communities make better use of available opportunities.
The Art of Living founder also discussed the impact of stress in workplaces. He said stress could interfere with communication and negatively affect businesses, particularly when employees face uncertainty. He emphasised the need for workplaces to create a sense of belonging and security so that employees can communicate more effectively and contribute productively.
The discussion also turned to artificial intelligence and its growing role in society and the economy. Ravi Shankar responded with a lighter observation, saying, “There’s an absence of intelligence, artificial intelligence, and absolute intelligence.”
The remark highlighted his broader emphasis on human consciousness and inner well-being alongside technological advancement. At the conclusion of the session, Smith said that, if given a choice, he would select the third category mentioned by Ravi Shankar.
Ravi Shankar has also founded the Institute of Absolute Intelligence, an initiative focused on promoting scientific exploration into consciousness. His remarks at the New York summit placed the discussion around technology and economic development within a wider framework involving peace, human values, entrepreneurship, empathy and well-being.
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The summit’s discussions reflected the growing focus on how technology and digital inclusion can expand economic opportunities while ensuring that development remains connected to broader social and human needs.
