Interviews
An Interview with Deepak Chopra about Fire in the Heart
This is your first book written especially for teens. What inspired you to write for this audience?
Deepak Chopra: First of all, I noticed an absence of books that talked to teenagers at their own level about spirituality. For every hundred books for adults there may be one or two for teens, and those often use religious terms. I wanted to write something holistic that would be free of the word God, a book that would begin with everyday experiences and then lead the reader toward eternal questions.
How does this book differ from your books for adults?
DC: It's actually quite a lot like The Way of the Wizard, in that a magical teacher appears out of nowhere to bring wisdom to a young person. (This book was tentatively titled I Met a Man of Wisdom at one stage.) The difference is that Fire in the Heart stems from my own perspective as a teenager and expands on it for teenagers today.
You dedicate Fire in the Heart to "all the teenagers today and tomorrow upon whom the fate of the world depends." In your opinion, what are the greatest challenges facing teens today?
DC: All the challenges of globalization have a spiritual dimension. Whether it's war, overpopulation, a deteriorating environment, or uncontrollable epidemics of disease, huge problems face us in the future, and only by drawing together as a common humanity can we solve them. I think my generation, born just after World War II, is probably the last that can indulge in the fantasy of becoming enlightened while the rest of the world suffers. Today's teens will find themselves entangled in a world situation.
Do you hear from a lot of teens?
DC: We have an active teen program at the Chopra Center, where I am amazed to find that teens are often profound seekers, and my two children always talked to me throughout their teenage years -- that was very fortunate. Too often teens get isolated from family life, and this is especially damaging on the spiritual side.
Do you think this sort of book is needed more today than in other eras?
DC: Not really. The spiritual path connects a person with reality at its deepest level. It makes you see yourself as a cell in the body of the universe but also as a creator in that universe. This hasn't changed and never will.
Fire in the Heart opens with a 15-year-old boy gazing down at a lush valley in India. The boy is you. Do you think today's teens will be able to relate to your spiritual journey as a young boy?
DC: I find that I relate the most to personal stories if they are told honestly and with passion. This book contains both, I hope. The fact that it's set in an exotic locale like India is really incidental. It could have opened with a 15-year-old girl staring at a wheat field in Nebraska or a vineyard in Italy. If a story speaks from heart to heart, readers connect to it.
What was your experience as a teenager?
DC: A mixture of restlessness and curiosity, and a strong yearning to find something meaningful to believe in. I didn't really find it until I was already an adult and a practicing physician, so I hope this book saves some young people a lot of years of searching.
On "Day One" in Fire in the Heart you encounter Baba (an Indian term of respect that is given to someone who is considered a wise or holy man) as you walk to school. Why do you feel that you were chosen for this spiritual journey at that time?
DC: Baba is a composite for all the reclusive holy men that one of my relatives loved to visit. I went along and met quite a lot of these "saints," as they are called in India. They didn't have their full impact on me until much later, although in the story I make it a one-on-one relationship, a kind of spiritual Karate Kid.
You pose four main questions in Fire in the Heart: Do I have a soul? How do wishes come true? What is the Supreme Force in the Universe? and How can I change the world?. Why do you feel that these four questions will "spark" the "fire" in one's heart?
DC: Experience and tradition. These are the four questions I still ask myself every day. And history tells us that humans have been wrestling with them for centuries.
How can parents and educators best share Fire in the Heart with teens?
DC: The book is only educational in the broadest sense. Teens are always being told how to live, and they feel ambivalent about that. On the surface a teenager will act as if the opinions of adults are very unwelcome, while if asked what they most want in their lives, the number one response is more attention from their parents. So I would respect both sides. As an adult, show that you care about spiritual things, but don't use the book to instruct your teen about how to think or behave.
What are you working on now? Would you like to write another book for teens?
DC: Another book for teens is gestating in my mind right now. I keep returning to the theme of the spiritual warrior, which I've never written about before. Maybe teens will be the first to hear about it! I think boys would be interested right off the bat, so I'll be sure to put in as much for girls as possible. Empowerment is a huge issue for all teenagers.
