Amid a pandemic, when certain areas are identified as red zones, we are extremely careful. When we go to those areas, we don’t thoughtlessly or needlessly touch things or people, for we know that we might get infected.

We may or may not be in a pandemic red zone, but from the perspective of a spiritual pandemic, we may well be carrying a red zone with us. To understand how,  let’s first understand how we are all diseased. 

Gita wisdom explains that we all are spiritually diseased — we are infected by the impurities such as lust, anger and greed. These impel us to self-destructive actions and they make our life hellish (16.21). Our devices provide us ready access to almost countless stimuli that can trigger lust, anger and greed within us. Just by a click or two, we can see the most obscene images that may drive the lust within us mad or we may see a dizzying array of consumer products that may inflame us with greed, or we can be exposed to biased or bigoted propaganda that can fill us with anger. Thus, because getting infected with these lower emotions is so easy, we are essentially carrying the red zones with us. 

Moreover, we live in a technologically-driven world, wherein our devices are often indispensable for us. Our situation is like people who have to work in a red zone: we can’t avoid danger, but we can exercise due caution as we would exercise in a red zone. 

Lest we feel such constant caution as a drain, Gita wisdom helps us infuse our life with sublime meaning and inspiring purpose, which can empower us to resist lower temptations and keep our use of our devices in harmony with our life’s purpose. 

One-sentence summary:

Our devices are like red zones for sensual temptations.

Think it over:

  • How are we all diseased?
  • How do we carry red zones with us?
  • How can we protect ourselves while living with red zones? 

 

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