On the nature of our existence in this world.

"What actual benefit has this industrial civilization given us? In the pursuit of materialism, are we not selling our souls? Is there more to life than working hard for little gain?"

This is from H H Bhakti Vikasa Svami (ACBSP), "A message to Indian youth". Received via mail.

Notes from a devotee :

What to speak of material gain, I know cases where some parents didn't know what age their children where or what they where studying!!!

In all this rat race, no one bothers to ask, "Where are we running for?" If they did, they'd see it was pointless. They spend their whole life earning money so that others may enjoy and then spend it all away in old age for innumerable health problems.

How much does a man need beyond necessities? Upto a point after all needs of the physical body and emergencies etc...etc...have been met, the rest of it is merely for prestige alone -- because the other guy is earning so much, I should not be behind. Lot's of money has merely shifted the problem from the physical to the mental -- in spite of the money, all sorts of quarrels break out at home and where is the happiness -- all gone!

Then more property is purchased and the rest of the life is essentially committed to paying off the loan....Good material for a satire story.

People are dissatisfied in spite of all the facility for enjoyment...none of it makes them happy and yet they pursue these goals as if they will succeed in spite of an eternal record of hopeless failure. We are never wiser for the experience.

Recently a most successful IIT alumnus (of my own hostel), who was academically brilliant, talent sportsman, had lots of friends, socially loved by all, looked as a rôle model, and who did everything a guy could possily do in college to succeed with a track record so brilliant that most people can only dream of, and who also got an excellent education and fat prospects abroad --- He had committed suicide!!!! --- Bringing great shock to everyone who knew him.

I could see personally that day that in spite of being so materially successful, people are never happy. The whole material life is based on fear and anxiety. People earn because they fear emergenices. Some people simply work hard because they fear everyone will criticize them for not having any ambition in life. Who is peaceful?

Moral :- Without bhakti, no one can ever be happy. All claims of being happy by material success is in my experience an infernal lie and merely shifts people's problems from one thing to another. This is what I've practically experienced. It is only a façade and an air of artificial smiles. The truth is merely anxiety, depression, diabetes, quarrels, ruined marriages, heart problems and suicides -- which are all increasing day by day.

There are many people who have spoken to me as to how they have seen that it's all pointless, but unfortunately this comes with a lot of criticism from the rest of the world (family included), the most common of which is that they have no ambition while the rest of the world is "advancing". It is shocking.

The whole goal of the rat race is to try and overtake the guy in front of you -- most people are beyond a point where their needs are fulfilled -- the rest is only for prestige or fear -- "More houses so that if there is an earthquake, I won't be undone." All the money saved on income tax goes in paying off the loan!!

"More money so that I can pay a king's ransom to get my son admitted in a prestigious college (in which he is never really interested in studying)." When I asked a friend why his dad wants to spend half a crore to get him an MBA, he said later he will earn so much that he will repay the loan off. I really wondered if he will ever have any time to enjoy anything beyond what his karma has destined for him.

Indeed these very same people do not have any idea of spiritual life or the Lord, so when they realize they are going aimlessly, they usually settle to drinking, intoxication and things like suicide. That guy who killed himself had no problems as far as I know, but still that didn't stop him -- this is the second such case I've heard in a few years. His friends were shocked like never before.

Material success can't make anyone happy at all -- it is merely the thought that success MAY lie nearby that makes people constantly try to attain it as it always seems just within grasping distance. But in reality there is none. The whole world runs on the lines, "We will attain it someday..." But if they stopped and looked, they'd realize that no one has ever attained happiness even throughout history whatsoever.

Hence each person always looks at the other guy because he knows that his "success" is a mirage. I have seen this everywhere -- everyone thinks that everyone else is successful while I alone am not.

The whole material world runs on the lines, "We will attain happiness someday...". If we stop and observe, nothing has had such a perfect, unbroken and consistent record of eternal failure as the quest for material happiness. Nothing has ever backfired like it, and despite that very few are wise enough to admit that it won't succeed and turn towards the Supreme Lord.