In his seminal preface to the translation of Srimad Bhagavatam, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada writes:

Human society, at the present moment, is not in the darkness of oblivion. It has made rapid progress in the field of material comforts, education and economic development throughout the entire world. But there is a pinprick somewhere in the social body at large, and therefore there are large-scale quarrels, even over less important issues. There is need of a clue as to how humanity can become one in peace, friendship and prosperity with a common cause. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam will fill this need, for it is a cultural presentation for the respiritualization of the entire human society.

There are a number of different indices that indicate the growing problems faced by human society, and in fact the whole planet.

One of the most glaring and incontrovertible is the phenomenon of global warming. It’s becoming increasing hard to ignore the situation. The calls of “it’s a natural cycle”, and “it’s nothing to do with human activity”, always pretty far-fetched, are losing the little bit of credibility that they had, even with the most gullible of people. The question of “if” has now become one of “when” and “how“.

While the arguments about how to deal with climate change roll on, scientists in the difficult business of working out just how it will affect our future are sounding increasingly urgent warnings. (from news.com.au)

I’m on a training course downtown in Brisbane, Australia right now. At lunchtime I walked through King George Square, in the city center with Param, my wife, and Prahlad, our son. Param pointed out to me what was previously the fountain. It is now a sludge consisting of water logged bark. A sign advises that Brisbane is experiencing the worst drought in 100 years, and the fountain has been converted into a “Watersense” garden to preserve water supplies. As the sign goes on to explain, Brisbane is currently under Level 2 water restrictions. The Council website warns: ” As the dam levels drop, stronger restrictions will be put in place.”

The three dams that supply Brisbane’s water are at less than 35% of capacity. This has been the hottest year on record in Australian history.

The greenhouse effect, where heat is trapped in the Earth’s atmosphere by high levels of carbon dioxide, is caused by industrialization, especially the combustion of fuels for energy. Ironically, as the temperature rises in Australia, more people buy air conditioners. The waiting list for a major domestic goods retailer (Harvey Norman) for someone to perform the installation of their air conditioners is six months. Increased use of air conditioning causes greater consumption, and hence production, of electricity. Electricity in Australia is produced through burning coal. Burning coal produces more greenhouse gases, resulting in higher temperatures. Welcome to hell.

As I mentioned previously, a new concern in New Zealand are environmental refugees - people fleeing to New Zealand because their own environments have become uninhabitable. As things get worse in more places, demand will increase. The social structure and urban infrastructure of New Zealand cities, especially Auckland, is already under strain. A massive influx of displaced peoples will only make this worse. And New Zealand has its own environmental problems to deal with. According to a recent report, New Zealanders receive 40% more UV radiation than North Americans living at similar latitudes. This is due to ozone layer depletion, caused by the release of industrial gases. The situation is even worse here in Queensland, Australia.

Srila Prabhupada once remarked wryly:

We are not against technological advancement, even though it is suicidal.

If you look at the economic and sociological forces which are drivers for these problems, global warming / the greenhouse effect, and ozone depletion, the situation does indeed seem bleak. Analyzing them to expose the root cause reveals deep rooted practices and a prevalent lifestyle that people are simply not willing to give up, especially on the large scale that is needed in order to avert the impending disaster.

As Albert Einstein so perceptively observed:

No problem can be solved by the same level of consciousness that created it.

The world is crying out for leadership in this area.

I would like to reiterate a quote of Srila Prabhupada related in Tamal Krishna Goswami’s autobiography Servant of the Servant:

The mission of this Krishna Consciousness movement is to be recorded in the progress of history as having saved the world.

The Krishna Consciousness movement, the movement for a revolution in consciousness, a return to sanity, to an individual lifestyle and a social organization that remove the impulses in the individual that in their aggregation are causing our now globalized human civilization to slide closer and closer to an irredeemable disaster, is the only hope. It addresses the root cause of the problem: the fundamental misconception of the self as matter, the loss of consciousness of our intrinsic identity and our relationship with the universe, the loss of consciousness of our purpose in this universe, and indeed the purpose of the universe itself.

Life is not simply about living and trying to squeeze as much enjoyment out of life, out of other people, out of this body, out of objects, out of the environment, as possible. Life has a purpose - you were born with a purpose, and ultimately it is a spiritual purpose. It is related to that part of us that is alive, the persistent identity that experiences the different bodies from birth to childhood and on to adulthood. Without fulfilling our spiritual needs, without knowing our spiritual nature, our spiritual identity and relationship to the complete whole, we will never be able to be satisfied.

As the sage Canakya Pandit says:

There is not enough gold, grains, or women in this world to satisfy the desires of one man

When we have a civilization of such people, organized and with industrial capacity and advanced technology, the result is a disaster. Widespread war over resources, uncontrollable resource exploitation, and unbridled resource consumption with attendant pollution.

When we understand our identity and our purpose, and act on that platform, we are able to be satisfied, and the raging desire for “progress” and “growth” that is thinly disguised serial exploitation of people and products in a disposable society subsides.

Read our books: Bhagavad-gita, Srimad Bhagavatam. Talk to some of our people. Examine Krishna Consciousness for yourself with a critical and inquiring mind. We are looking for good men and women, who are willing to head up this crucial mission. Now is the hour of need. Who will step out of the crowd and give their life for the most worthy cause, and who will simply remain in pointless participation in the madness of so-called material progress, in pursuit of pleasure which always remains out of reach, until the body and the environment have been destroyed through that pursuit?

Krishna wants you, and the world needs you.

“Teach the science of Krishna Consciousness to everyone. On my order, become qualified as a teacher of real knowledge and save this land. ” - Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu