The price of technology includes obesity, poverty, taxation, elitism, laziness, pollution, accidents, stress, moral decline, unemployment, neurosis, war and the extinction of simple living.

 

Windmills, Hybrid Cars, Solar Panels and HDTV's

 

Things are changing faster then the historians can write it down. Last year president Barak Obama took office when the whole world was reeling in anxiety about the rapid changes to the economy, strife between nations, and the Energy Crisis.

 

Our president has set forth a variety of plans for each of these pivotal concerns but the one we are interested in scrutinizing here is his understanding of how to make more energy available at lower prices without relying on foreign sources. In that regard President Obama is promoting plans to generate 25 percent of our energy from renewable sources by 2025. He intends to do that by making unprecedented investments in clean, renewable energy – solar, wind, bio-fuels, and geothermal power.

 

It all sounds pretty good right? Well not if one understands the laws of nature. The first sentence Cyril Northcote Parkinson wrote in his landmark essay published in The Economist in 1955 was:

 

Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.

 

This later became well known as Parkinson's law. Since then several variations of this pithy maxim has found its way into our daily conversation.

 

Data expands to fill the space available for storage.
Spending habits tend to expand to the amount of income that one earns.
The demand upon a resource tends to expand to match the supply of the resource.

 

It is the last version of this famous Law that we are most interested in considering at this time. When applied to our attitude about energy we find that even if the people of the United States do generate 25% more energy at lower costs over the next 15 years, the demand for that new energy will also increase by 25%! If that is the case then all this new effort surrounding energy consumption won't improve anything! At best we will only be able to postpone slipping into a more dire situation!

 

This hypothesis is exactly what studies at the Energy Information Administration International seems to confirm when they project our expected energy demand out to the year 2035.

(Energy consumption in units of Quadrilion BTU's)

 

1970 200 Q-BTUs

 

2010 480 Q-BTUs

 

(240% Increase from 1970; Average of 6% increase Annually)

 

2025 600 Q–BTUs

 

(25% Increase from 210); Average of only 1.66% increase annually!)

 

For More Details:

 

Trends in Energy Consumption

 

The real question we need to be asking is what do we need all this energy for, how much energy is enough and why? The unspoken assumption is more is better but that is based on the following unquestioned formula:

 

More Energy = More Technology = Better Standard of Living = Greater Happiness... ?

 

In the early 1950's Television was introduced to the public and it gave us the ability to transmit a crude form of B&W vision to anywhere. Since then the technology has improved tremendously and now we have 55inch 1080p, 240Hz, LED 16:9 wide screen television technology that allows us to see things from a distance in High Definition color! Meanwhile the electronics manufacturers are already engineering 3D televisions to make the seeing experience even more enamoring! The pattern is the same: Technology will expand to whatever degree it becomes available.

dhyayato visayan pumsah sangas tesupajayate
sangat sanjayate kamah kamat krodho 'bhijayate

 

"While contemplating the objects of the senses, a person develops attachment for them, and from such attachment lust develops, and from lust anger arises." - Bhagavad-Gita Gita As It Is Chapter 2 "Contents of the Gita Summarized", Text 62.

 

What Are We Using Technology For?

 

Social scientists study behavior and have generated all sorts of conclusions about how Television technology alone has had a huge impact on the way people view the world. The television has influenced how we think about crime, sexual behavior, violence, drugs, social engagements and countless other subtle things. It has promoted musicians, actors, and athletes to superstardom status even though these individuals have proved over and over again that they are afflicted with all the same serious foibles the general population suffers from.

 

Every tool can either be misused in a crippling/dangerous way as implied above, or it can be the catalyst for constructive/positive things. Technology has also brought us educational television, airplane transportation, medical imaging, and the ability to do remarkably fast research on the internet via Google etc!

 

The bottom line is even if we live longer, eat better, get to places faster, and have more comfortable homes, how does that help us in the long run if we are destined to perish and recycle into another meaningless unexamined life? A long life with all the technology we could ever imagine will not help if one does not utilize that time to become conscious about the purpose of one's own existence.

kim pramattasya bahubhih paroksair hayanair iha
varam muhurtam viditam ghatate sreyase yatah

 

"What is the value of a prolonged life which is wasted, inexperienced by years in this world? Better a moment of full consciousness, because that gives one a start in searching after his supreme interest." -Srimad Bhagavat Purana Canto 2, "The Status Quo", Chapter 1, "The First Stage in God Realization", Text 13.

 

Now we have social networking, instant messages, Facebook, LinkedIn, and enough technology to literally "Twit" our entire life away 140 letters at a time! It may make us feel popular to have huge networks of friends, but how will the latest state of the art help us when we breath our last breath unless it is used now to restore our lost relationship with the supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna?

 

Later Is NOW!

 

Many times people will say they intend to get more serious about focusing their consciousness on God later in life when they get older and life is less distracting! But this is like an alcoholic saying they will give up their addiction to liquor later in life when they get older. How could either of these things be possible?

 

People who are addicted to the influences of the material energy will say whatever convenient thing they need to in order to avoid getting serious about how, where, when and what they will invest their consciousness on today.

 

Many delude themselves by thinking that they will have plenty of time to get their head straightened out later in life. But that is not suggested in the popular phrase: "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." We are creatures of habit and we become set in our ways very quickly so it is important to consciously decide as soon as possible to develop good habits when we are still young and impressionable. This is exactly the example set by Svayambhuva Manu even though he lived much longer then we can hardly comprehend today, despite all our so-called technology.

ayata-yamas tasyasan yamah svantara-yapanah
srnvato dhyayato visnoh kurvato bruvatah kathah

 

"Consequently, although his duration of life gradually came to an end, his long life, consisting of a Manvantara era, was not spent in vain, since he ever engaged in hearing, contemplating, writing down and chanting the pastimes of the Lord."

 

PURPORT BY HDG A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami: As freshly prepared food is very tasteful but if kept for three or four hours becomes stale and tasteless, so the existence of material enjoyment can endure as long as life is fresh, but at the fag end of life everything becomes tasteless, and everything appears to be vain and painful. The life of Emperor Svayambhuva Manu, however, was not tasteless; as he grew older, his life remained as fresh as in the beginning because of his continued Krsna consciousness. The life of a man in Krsna consciousness is always fresh. It is said that the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening and its business is to reduce the duration of everyone's life. But the sunrise and sunset cannot diminish the life of one who engages in Krsna consciousness. Svayambhuva Manu's life did not become stale after some time, for he engaged himself always in chanting about and meditating upon Lord Visnu. He was the greatest yogi because he never wasted his time. It is especially mentioned here, visnoh kurvato bruvatah kathah. When he talked, he talked only of Krsna and Visnu, the Personality of Godhead; when he heard something, it was about Krsna; when he meditated, it was upon Krsna and His activities.

 

It is stated that his life was very long, seventy-one yugas. One yuga is completed in 4,320,000 years, seventy-one of such yugas is the duration of the life of a Manu, and fourteen such Manus come and go in one day of Brahma. For the entire duration of his life - 4,320,000 x 71 years -- Manu engaged in Krsna consciousness by chanting, hearing, talking about and meditating upon Krsna. Therefore, his life was not wasted, nor did it become stale." -Srimad Bhagavat Purana Canto 3, "The Status Quo", Chapter 22, "The Marriage of Kardama Muni and Devahuti", Text 35.

 

This Issue HOT LINK: Web Suicide

 

Some people are waking up to how addicted we have become to computer technology and they want to end that addiction. Unfortunately cyber space does not die easily so some creative individuals got together to make it easy to remove your legacy from cyber land. The video at this site is obviously intended to be a promotion to encourage people to feel good about committing web suicide, but it does that by pointing out how we have allowed electronic signals to become more important to us then even our own progeny! (SuicideMachine.org)

 

 

Main Article by HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

 

 

Seeing Technology in a Spiritual Light

 

This exchange between His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and some of his students took place on a morning walk in Chicago, in July 1975.

 

Student: Earlier you were saying that the Western world is spiritually blind and that India is technologically lame, but that if they combine their resources, then both India and the West will benefit.

 

HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami: Yes. If the Western world, the blind man, takes India, the lame man, on its shoulders, then the lame man can point the way spiritually and the blind man can sustain them materially, technologically. If America and India pool their technological and spiritual resources, this combination will bring about perfect peace and prosperity all over the world.

 

How blind these Americans are. They have attained the human form of life -- such an intelligent form of life -- and yet they are utilizing it for riding motor boats in the lake. You see? A human being should use every moment for regaining his God consciousness. Not a single moment should be wasted -- and these people are simply finding new ways to waste time.

 

Of course, the Americans are doing things in a very nice way, with great technological advancement, but what they are doing is blind. You may be a very good driver, but if you are blind, then how well will you drive? You'll create disaster. So the American people must open their eyes spiritually, so that their good driving capacity will be properly utilized. Now they're trying to see through microscopes. But as long as they remain blind to their own spiritual identity, what will they see? They may have microscopes or this machine or that machine -- but they are blind. That they do not know.

 

Student: I think most Americans are more interested in raising a family than in self-realization.

 

HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami: Krsna consciousness is not hindered by family life, one way or the other. Ahaituky apratihata. God consciousness cannot be checked by anything -- if you are sincerer in any circumstances you can be engaged. You can execute Krsna consciousness in four ways: pranair arthair dhiya vaca -- by your life, by your money, by your intelligence, and by your words. So if you want to be a family man -- if you cannot dedicate twenty-four hours daily -- then earn money and use it to spread Krsna consciousness. And if you cannot earn money, then use your intelligence. There is so much intellectual work to do -- publication, research, and so on. If you cannot do that, then utilize your words to tell people about Krsna. Wherever you may be, simply explain to someone, "Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Just offer your obeisances to Krsna." Finished. So where is the scarcity of opportunities? You can serve Krsna in any capacity, provided you want to serve. But if you want to engage Krsna in your service, that is a blunder. People are going to church -- "Krsna, serve us; give us our daily bread."

 

People manufacture their own problems. Actually, there are no problems. Isavasyam idam sarvam: God has arranged everything. He has made everything perfect and complete. You see so many fruits for the birds -- so sumptuously supplied. Purnam idam: Krsna has already supplied everything in sufficient quantity. But these rascals are blind -- they do not see this. They are trying to "adjust:" Why do they need to make an "adjustment"? Everything is already sufficient. It is just that people are misusing things. But otherwise, they already have sufficient land, sufficient intelligence -- everything is sufficient.

 

In Africa and Australia they have so much land -- and instead of relying on nature's bounty of crops, they are raising cattle to kill them. This is their intelligence. People are growing coffee and tea and tobacco, even though they know these things hurt their health. In some parts of the world people are dying for want of grain, and yet in other parts of the world people are growing tobacco, which will only bring disease and death. This is their intelligence.

 

The problem is that these rascals do not know that life is meant for understanding God. Ask anyone. Nobody knows. They are such fools. Don't you see how much care they are taking for dogs'? They're blind: they do not know whether they'll be God conscious or "dog conscious." The dog runs on four legs, but people think they have become advanced because they can run by car -- on four wheels. They think they have become civilized, but their business is running, that's all.

 

Student: And the purpose for the running is the same -- eating, sleeping, mating, and defending.

 

HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami: Yes. If the purpose is the same as a dog's, then what is the use of running by car? Of course, you can use the car for reaching people with the message of Krsna consciousness. You can use everything for Krsna. That is what we teach. If there is a nice car, why should I condemn it? Utilize it for Krsna: then it is all right. We don't say, "Give it up." Nor When you have produced something by your God-given intelligence, it is all right -- if you use it for God. But when you use it for other purposes than Krsna, then it is nonsense.

 

Take this car -- so nicely decorated. If I say, "It is all nonsense," is that very intelligent? Nor "The purpose for which you have created this car -- that is nonsense:" So we simply want people to change their consciousness. We don't condemn the things they have produced.

 

For instance, with a knife you can cut vegetables and fruit, but if you use it for cutting your throat, that is bad. So now people are using the knife of technology for cutting their own throat, for forgetting all about self-realization, Krsna consciousness. This is bad. Our human body is just like a good boat -- with our human intelligence we can cross the ocean of nescience, the ocean of repeated birth and death in this material world.

nr-deham adyam su-labham su-durlabham
plavam su-kalpam guru-karnadharam
mayanukulena nabhasvateritam
puman bhavabdhim na taret sa atma-ha

 

"The human body, which can award all benefit in life, is automatically obtained by the laws of nature, although it is a very rare achievement. This human body can be compared to a perfectly constructed boat having the spiritual master as the captain and the instructions of the Personality of Godhead as favorable winds impelling it on its course. Considering all these advantages, a human being who does not utilize his human life to cross the ocean of material existence must be considered the killer of his own soul." -Srimad Bhagavat Purana Canto 11, "General History" , Chapter 20, "Pure Devotional Service Surpasses Knowledge and Detachment", Text 17.

 

We have a favorable wind -- Krsna's instructions in the Vedic literatures -- plus we have a good captain, the bona fide spiritual master, who can guide us and enlighten us. With all these facilities, if we cannot cross the ocean of nescience, then we are cutting our throat. The boat is there, the captain is there, the favorable wind is there, but we are not utilizing them. That means we are killing ourselves. "Seeing Technology in a Spiritual Light" (Back To Godhead Magazine – 14-11, 1979)