Not only is Shah Rukh Khan one of the best actors (and the biggest superstar) in the country, he is also a wise man whose eloquence and wit is at a very high level. Recently, the Raees actor delivered a TED talk in Vancouver which was filled with insights and life lessons that only a multi millionaire superstar can give. In case, you have not yet seen the video (you can find it at the end of this article) for whatever reason, here’s a quick recap of some of the most pertinent points. 

Adaptability is necessary for a human being to survive

“I truly believe that humanity is a lot like me. It’s an ageing movie star, grappling with all the newness around oneself. Wondering whether it got it right in the first place. And still trying to find a way, to keep on shining regardless,” said SRK in the first couple of minutes of the talk. 

Difficult moments can be your biggest teacher

“I do remember the night my father died. And I remember, the driver of a neighbour who was driving us to the hospital, he mumbled something about dead people don’t tip so well. And walked away into the dark. And I was only 14, then. I put my father’s dead body in the backseat of the car, and my mother besides me, I started driving back from the hospital to the house. And in the middle of a quiet crying, my mother looked at me and she said, ‘Son, when did you learn to drive?’ And I thought about it and realised, and I said to my mom, ‘Just now, Mom,'” said SRK. 

Don’t pay attention to the bile spewed by some people

“Four years ago, my lovely wife Gauri and me decided to have a third child. It was claimed on the net that he was the love child of her first child (Aryan), who was 15 years old,” SRK said. A horrific accusation worth condemning, but then the superstar shows how one mustn’t pay attention to such ludicrous stuff. 

Love triumphs all

“I’ve learnt that from these people that neither power, nor poverty, can make your life more magical, or less torturous. I’ve learnt from the people of my country, that the dignity of a life, a human being, a culture, a religion, a country actually resides in its ability for grace and compassion. I’ve learnt that whatever moves you, whatever urges you to create, to build. Whatever keeps you from failing, whatever helps you survive is perhaps the oldest and the simplest emotion known to mankind. And that is love. A mystic poet from my land, famously wrote, ‘Pothi padhi padhi, jug bhaya. Pandit bhaya na koi. Dhai akshar prem ke, padhe so pandit hoye.’ Which loosely translates into, ‘All the books of knowledge that you might read, and then go ahead and impart your knowledge through innovation, through creativity, through technology, but mankind will never be wiser about its future, unless it is coupled with a sense of love and compassion for the fellow being,'” SRK said.  

“The future you has to be a you that loves, otherwise it will cease to flourish. It will perish in its own self absorption,” he added. 

That’s not all. For more, do watch the video that has been embedded below.