Even if we win the rat race, we still remain rats
Our materialistic society sets before us worldly goals such as sensations, relations, positions or possessions. Because the number of people seeking these goals is so [...]
Our free will is never lost, but it is constricted by misuse
“Are addicts forced to indulge in their addiction? Have they lost their free will?” Such questions often confront addicts and those associated with them, especially [...]
Just because we can’t live without something doesn’t mean that we can live with it
Sometimes people may have some addiction such as alcoholism that they feel that they can’t live without. But their feeling that it is essential doesn’t [...]
The capacity to choose is itself not freedom – the maturity to choose wisely is
Today’s ethos exalts freedom as the supreme virtue. Anything that infringes on freedom is labeled dictatorial and unacceptable. But consider addicts. They do have the [...]
Temporary relief from self-inflicted torture is not pleasure
Suppose a person who is dragged by a noose around the neck feels relieved when that dragging stops, and mistakes that relief to be pleasure. [...]
Freedom is most endangered by the illusion of freedom
When people feel that their freedom is threatened, they often protest – and protest vehemently. But if they are led to believe that they are [...]
The source of misery is not frustration of desire, but domination by desire
When we don’t get something that we want and feel miserable, we attribute that misery to the frustration of our desire. But might such an [...]
We may not be caught for our wrongdoings, but we will be caught by our wrongdoings
Many people think that immoral behavior is ok as long as no one catches them. For example, people from culturally conservative families may think that [...]
Indulgence makes our bonds thicker, rougher and tighter
When anti-devotional worldly pleasures tempt and torment us repeatedly, we may feel that indulging in them will bring relief, getting them out of our way. [...]
Our bonds are not prisoner’s shackles, but puppeteer’s strings
We treasure freedom as an inalienable right and resist anything that threatens it. However, we think of freedom largely in terms of the freedom [...]
A liberty that ends in slavery
Liberty. Freedom. Independence. These words appeal to us for they express the universal longing of the heart. However, these words have in recent times been [...]
A prison of promises and pretenses
“Purchase this and you will be happy.” “Wear this and you will enjoy.” “Own this and your dreams will be fulfilled.” Ads like these confront [...]
Your desire is your power – don’t waste it
Green consciousness has made us increasingly aware that natural resources are limited and so need to be used carefully. Yet there is one natural resource [...]
Cry, Vie, Lie, Die, Fie – Tie
The Bhagavad-gita (16.7-20) describes the mentality of the godless materialists who ruin themselves and those around them by their inordinate infatuation with temporary things. Their [...]