Since time immemorial governments have had to tackle the crime problem. Certain areas of a city, state, or country always seem to have a higher crime rate than others. Simply increasing the police presence in these areas is the easiest and most often implemented solution, yet we see that this often doesn’t solve the problem, for people go right back to committing crimes once the police are gone. It is the widely accepted belief that the root cause of much of this crime is the fact that the people in such areas have no permanent occupation. Left to roam the streets, they have no better way to spend their time than to commit crimes against their fellow man.
There have been many other programs implemented similar to Midnight Basketball. Andre Agassi, the famous tennis player, started a charter school in his hometown of Las Vegas. Most of the attending students are African American and come from high-crime neighborhoods. Many of the students openly admit that if it weren’t for Agassi’s school, they would probably be on the streets selling drugs or getting into other nefarious activities. Federal and state governments have also instituted many after-school programs targeting the same crime ridden areas. The idea is that the more time young children spend in a peaceful environment where they are actively engaged in positive activities, the less likely they are to take to crime.
Knowing that we are going to die is one thing, but understanding why is another. The Vedas tell us that the material world was created to act as a sort of playing field for the jiva soul. God and His personal expansions are referred to as vishnu-tattva, and the living entities are jiva-tattva. Vishnu-tattva is completely pure and never comes into contact with maya, or nature. Jivas are also completely pure constitutionally, but they are prone to come into contact with nature due to their desire to imitate God. Since we voluntarily choose to come to this world, we have to live by the rules which are governed by karma. All the work we perform has positive and negative consequences attached, and thus we are forced to repeatedly accept new bodies after death. Sometimes we may appear in the body of a human being, and sometimes in the body of an animal; it all depends on karma.
So perfection in life is achieved when we can think of God at the time of death. How do we guarantee that this happens? The key is to practice thinking of God all the time during one’s current lifetime. This discipline is known as bhakti yoga, or devotional service. Engaging all of our time in God’s service provides the ultimate shield from the dangers of the material world. This is where the after-school and Midnight Basketball programs fall short. Shifting one’s focus from crime to playing games or studying is certainly a noble activity, but it still falls under the jurisdiction of karma. While committing crimes has negative karma associated with it and staying in school may have positive karma associated with it, in the end, both activities keep a person tied to the cycle of birth and death.
This is precisely the point. In the beginning stages, chanting sixteen rounds can take upwards of three to four hours. As one’s tongue becomes accustomed to the pronunciations, and as offenses are slowly removed, this chanting can take less time, but the idea behind it is still the same; think of God as much as you can. By repeating His name out loud, one purifies the tongue and the ears. All knowledge, especially that pertaining to God, is best received through the ears. The hearing process is the most effective when it comes to learning. By chanting out loud, we get to hear God’s name over and over again. The scriptures tell us that there is no difference between the Lord and His name. One who chants regularly will quickly realize this fact.
“Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, wisdom, knowledge, and religiousness—these are the qualities by which the brahmanas work.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.42)
One may ask the question, “Sure, chanting seems nice. But how does this solve the crime problem?” Devotional service actually solves all of our problems in life. By regularly chanting, one becomes a pure devotee of the Lord, and devotees automatically inherit all good qualities. In the Vedic system, the brahmanas are considered the highest class since they engage all their time in religious activities. Vaishnavas, devotees of Lord Vishnu or Krishna, are the purest form of brahmanas since they engage all their time in loving service to the Lord. God is the supreme pure, and anyone who associates with Him also becomes pure. This means that devotees are naturally non-violent, kind, peaceful, and law-abiding citizens.
