It was my first visit to Atlanta, a city with several Vaishnava communities. I was welcomed by the devotees in North Atlanta and also invited to offer the Sunday program in the main and original temple downtown, which was established during Srila Prabhupada's days. This temple has become famous in ISKCON through the grandiose and festive celebration the devotees arrange every year for the Panihati Festival, inspired by HH Jayapataka Maharaja. Up to this very day, Maharaja is always visiting Atlanta for this occasion even though it is not easy for him to travel in his present health condition. Sikhi Mahiti Prabhu, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada who I regularly meet in Mayapur, serves here as the Vice president and helped facilitate my visit. I had a nice time associating with the devotees who highly appreciated the topics I presented, especially on prajalpa and envy - something which is relevant to us all...!
In the building next to the temple is the room where Srila Prabhupada stayed for around a week on his visit to Atlanta in 1975. I was in awe when I visited this simple and yet so holy place, remembering how Srila Prabhupada sacrificed himself to give us Krishna consciousness.
I am gradually meditating on compiling my next book dedicated to the children - a crucial topic for us ISKCON devotees. Let us remember, that in a culture where sense enjoyment is the main goal in life, children are viewed as a disturbance and burden – they are spoiling the adults' fun in life and taking their independence away.
Of course, kids are also giving some pleasure to the parents and family members – after all, while they are little, they are very cute, and people like to affectionately fondle and play with them. But only for a short time of the day, until they are put into a day-care centre – sometimes already at six weeks of age. This is the reality of modern life; just to free the parents, especially the mother, to pursue her professional career, earn lots of money and enjoy life. The child is dropped off in the early morning and picked up in the evening – separated all day from the mother. Sadly, they are pushed aside and neglected. In a culture promoting sense gratification, they have no place and feel left out, not fitting into a world centred around fun for the adults. As a result, children are oftentimes bored and depressed, with child suicide being a significant issue nowadays. We may not realise how many children take their lives because they don’t feel wanted and needed.
Historically, this trend developed in rather recent times and has its roots in the Second Industrial Revolution (1870s to 1914) – a period of rapid technological and industrial growth that transformed economies and everyday life around the world. During the two World Wars, more women had to enter the work force since men were fighting in the war and oftentimes losing their lives. In the 1960s, the feminist-movement sprung up, propagating the same rights for men and women which led to the so-called ‘Me-movement’ bringing about a strong emphasis on independence, self-development, self-absorption and personal goals and happiness. In the 1980s, we experienced a surge of technological and economic development leading us to a greater emphasis on consumerism, business success and market-orientated values. As a result, people became increasingly selfish and less interested in family values.
During this period of rapid and drastic social changes, the propaganda began that a modern and progressive woman has to have a professional career and work outside the home; it was the cool thing to do and a part of the ‘Me-Me-Me culture’ placing a strong emphasis on individualism, self-promotion and personal success of a woman – commonly at the expense of family responsibilities. In such a culture, individuals focus heavily on their own needs and goals, and personal achievements and recognition are highly valued. This trend is further encouraged through social media propagating self-presentation and self-branding as the path to success and happiness. As a result, people have become more concerned with ‘me’ rather than ‘we’, and the mood of service towards others is fading away. In this way, Kali-yuga has rapidly progressed with people becoming increasingly self-centred, forgetting the lasting satisfaction of deep and meaningful relationships based on selflessly serving one another, in God consciousness. Needless to say, in such a culture centred around personal success, professional ambitions and economic development, the interest in spiritual life and self-realisation also rapidly decreases.
As a result of this drastic shift within society, children have been separated from their mothers and given to day-care centres leaving them in the hands of strangers all day long. They are pushed aside and abandoned – for the sake of the enjoyment of the adults. We tend to forget that society has shifted, but the needs of babies and small children don’t shift – they have remained the same as hundreds of years ago!
As we are surrounded by materialistic influences with its intense propaganda, we may easily accept this negative attitude towards children into our hearts, our spiritual lives and our communities; viewing them as an obstacle and disturbance in our devotional life. We may get frustrated that we cannot attend an interesting program because our child is too small to sit through it without getting restless and noisy. We may even harshly chastise our children for making noise, telling them to be quiet or go outside – in the mood of ‘I want to attend this interesting program, but you are disturbing me. Go away!’ We may want to attend a festival with great sadhus speaking and singing in kirtan, but these kids are in the way! How can we keep them quiet? If we are honestly introspecting and reflecting, we may have to admit that we maintain such an attitude in our hearts.
I have witnessed a mother commenting to another devotee – in the presence of her small child: “I can’t wait until he enters school! Then I can finally have more time to myself and do service at the temple! I can’t wait!” We can’t even imagine what negative impressions such words and attitude may leave on the child’s heart?
In due course of my travels around the world, I sometimes meet young couples who don’t want children, thinking them to be an obstacle or disturbance in their spiritual progress. It is a common misunderstanding – a sign of immaturity. Factually, children put another dimension to our grihastha-ashrama! However, if we don't take raising children seriously, if we don't accept any training and education in the art of parenting, not understanding what an important service it is, then naturally, we will experience our children as a great burden and disturbance. As a result, neither our children nor we as parents receive any spiritual benefit. But if we decide to take it seriously, everyone receives so much purification and upliftment. In this way, seeing children as an obstacle and disturbance is based on a rather shallow and immature understanding coming from our materialistic mindset and conditioning – the ‘Me-Me-Me culture’ within ISKCON.
Even within Krishna consciousness, we may have the attitude of me, me, me – my service, my reading time, my project, my trip to India, and so forth. It is selfishness, although employed in Krishna consciousness. As a parent, we learn to become selfless and put the mindset of me, me, me on the side. Now there is another little Vaishnava who appeared in our life, and who needs our undivided attention, affection and care, which impels us to learn to become humble servants.
In a culture centred around God-consciousness and self-realisation, the goals and mindset are rather different. There is a strong emphasis on a spiritual purpose which is far beyond personal ambition, material gain and success. Service to others is given great importance, especially towards family members, elders and children. People strive to cultivate virtues, and moral character traits such as honesty, selflessness, gratitude, kindness, humility, patience and so forth. In contrast to the ‘Me-Me-Me culture’, a God-conscious culture generally emphasises ‘God comes first, then others and myself last’ – as opposite as day from night.
On the 13th of May I moved on to Columbus...
Your servant, Devaki dd
Please visit www.theholynameretreat.net
www.therootsofspiritualculture.net
https://www.facebook.com/instituteforspiritualculture/
Of course, kids are also giving some pleasure to the parents and family members – after all, while they are little, they are very cute, and people like to affectionately fondle and play with them. But only for a short time of the day, until they are put into a day-care centre – sometimes already at six weeks of age. This is the reality of modern life; just to free the parents, especially the mother, to pursue her professional career, earn lots of money and enjoy life. The child is dropped off in the early morning and picked up in the evening – separated all day from the mother. Sadly, they are pushed aside and neglected. In a culture promoting sense gratification, they have no place and feel left out, not fitting into a world centred around fun for the adults. As a result, children are oftentimes bored and depressed, with child suicide being a significant issue nowadays. We may not realise how many children take their lives because they don’t feel wanted and needed.
Historically, this trend developed in rather recent times and has its roots in the Second Industrial Revolution (1870s to 1914) – a period of rapid technological and industrial growth that transformed economies and everyday life around the world. During the two World Wars, more women had to enter the work force since men were fighting in the war and oftentimes losing their lives. In the 1960s, the feminist-movement sprung up, propagating the same rights for men and women which led to the so-called ‘Me-movement’ bringing about a strong emphasis on independence, self-development, self-absorption and personal goals and happiness. In the 1980s, we experienced a surge of technological and economic development leading us to a greater emphasis on consumerism, business success and market-orientated values. As a result, people became increasingly selfish and less interested in family values.
During this period of rapid and drastic social changes, the propaganda began that a modern and progressive woman has to have a professional career and work outside the home; it was the cool thing to do and a part of the ‘Me-Me-Me culture’ placing a strong emphasis on individualism, self-promotion and personal success of a woman – commonly at the expense of family responsibilities. In such a culture, individuals focus heavily on their own needs and goals, and personal achievements and recognition are highly valued. This trend is further encouraged through social media propagating self-presentation and self-branding as the path to success and happiness. As a result, people have become more concerned with ‘me’ rather than ‘we’, and the mood of service towards others is fading away. In this way, Kali-yuga has rapidly progressed with people becoming increasingly self-centred, forgetting the lasting satisfaction of deep and meaningful relationships based on selflessly serving one another, in God consciousness. Needless to say, in such a culture centred around personal success, professional ambitions and economic development, the interest in spiritual life and self-realisation also rapidly decreases.
As a result of this drastic shift within society, children have been separated from their mothers and given to day-care centres leaving them in the hands of strangers all day long. They are pushed aside and abandoned – for the sake of the enjoyment of the adults. We tend to forget that society has shifted, but the needs of babies and small children don’t shift – they have remained the same as hundreds of years ago!
As we are surrounded by materialistic influences with its intense propaganda, we may easily accept this negative attitude towards children into our hearts, our spiritual lives and our communities; viewing them as an obstacle and disturbance in our devotional life. We may get frustrated that we cannot attend an interesting program because our child is too small to sit through it without getting restless and noisy. We may even harshly chastise our children for making noise, telling them to be quiet or go outside – in the mood of ‘I want to attend this interesting program, but you are disturbing me. Go away!’ We may want to attend a festival with great sadhus speaking and singing in kirtan, but these kids are in the way! How can we keep them quiet? If we are honestly introspecting and reflecting, we may have to admit that we maintain such an attitude in our hearts.
I have witnessed a mother commenting to another devotee – in the presence of her small child: “I can’t wait until he enters school! Then I can finally have more time to myself and do service at the temple! I can’t wait!” We can’t even imagine what negative impressions such words and attitude may leave on the child’s heart?
In due course of my travels around the world, I sometimes meet young couples who don’t want children, thinking them to be an obstacle or disturbance in their spiritual progress. It is a common misunderstanding – a sign of immaturity. Factually, children put another dimension to our grihastha-ashrama! However, if we don't take raising children seriously, if we don't accept any training and education in the art of parenting, not understanding what an important service it is, then naturally, we will experience our children as a great burden and disturbance. As a result, neither our children nor we as parents receive any spiritual benefit. But if we decide to take it seriously, everyone receives so much purification and upliftment. In this way, seeing children as an obstacle and disturbance is based on a rather shallow and immature understanding coming from our materialistic mindset and conditioning – the ‘Me-Me-Me culture’ within ISKCON.
Even within Krishna consciousness, we may have the attitude of me, me, me – my service, my reading time, my project, my trip to India, and so forth. It is selfishness, although employed in Krishna consciousness. As a parent, we learn to become selfless and put the mindset of me, me, me on the side. Now there is another little Vaishnava who appeared in our life, and who needs our undivided attention, affection and care, which impels us to learn to become humble servants.
In a culture centred around God-consciousness and self-realisation, the goals and mindset are rather different. There is a strong emphasis on a spiritual purpose which is far beyond personal ambition, material gain and success. Service to others is given great importance, especially towards family members, elders and children. People strive to cultivate virtues, and moral character traits such as honesty, selflessness, gratitude, kindness, humility, patience and so forth. In contrast to the ‘Me-Me-Me culture’, a God-conscious culture generally emphasises ‘God comes first, then others and myself last’ – as opposite as day from night.
On the 13th of May I moved on to Columbus...
Your servant, Devaki dd
Please visit www.theholynameretreat.net
www.therootsofspiritualculture.net
https://www.facebook.com/instituteforspiritualculture/
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