“For self-realization, the people in Satya-yuga, living a lifetime of a hundred thousand years, were able to perform prolonged meditation. And in Treta-yuga, when the duration of life was ten thousand years, self-realization was attained by performance of great sacrifice. And in the Dvapara-yuga, when the duration of life was one thousand years, self-realization was attained by worship of the Lord. But in the Kali-yuga, the maximum duration of life being one hundred years only and that combined with various difficulties, the recommended process of self-realization is that of hearing and chanting of the holy name, fame, and pastimes of the Lord.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.1.21 Purport)

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1. We really appreciated television

“Back in my day, the stars were not overexposed, like they are today. You could not pull up hours of viewing content for a particular athlete, for instance. There is a reason one of the professional wrestlers created something known as a mania.

“It was because he gained mythical status. You barely saw him. You only heard of him. When we finally did get to watch one of his matches, we felt so special. We savored the experience. You kids today have no idea how big some events from our childhood were. There is nothing you could compare them to.”

2. We put in the hard work to overcome challenges

“Back in my day, we didn’t cry about mental health. People yelled at us. They belittled us. They were offensive beyond belief. It was torture to go to school, sometimes.

“We just took it as a challenge. We did not want to be weak. We understood that life is full of these obstacles, that no one has it easy. You kids today will never understand. You are so soft. You cry at the slightest bit of agitation.”

3. We could sit quietly and enjoy in peace

“Back in my day, we could settle in and enjoy an evening of entertainment. We could watch one thing on the television, without changing the channel. We would not have to constantly get up or divert our attention to other things.

“You kids today have no idea. You are always checking your phones. For what? Why? What is the phone going to tell you? Can you find peace and happiness in that? I don’t think so.”

4. We weren’t terrified by the family expanding

“Back in my day, families expanded at the pace they were comfortable with. People did not dread having children. They were not keeping score. Mothers did not feel the need to chronicle every moment of their journey. They didn’t view children as something to be enjoyed. It was a serious responsibility.

“My goodness, today a person might run for the border if they learn that the family is expanding. There is genuine terror over how the needs will be met. Who will take care of the child? What will happen to my life of fun? O woe is me. Let me cry a little so that others will feel sorry for me. You people make me sick.”

5. We respected our elders

“Back in my day, we showed respect to people older than us. We did not talk back. We did not belittle others, for no reason. We did not make fun of someone for being elderly.

“Don’t get me wrong, we certainly thought we were right. We knew better. We were brash and confrontational, but we kept it to ourselves. You kids today have no idea. You want everything immediately. You have no respect for the people who came before you, who sacrificed so much so that you could have it so easy.”

…

This serves as a reminder that things are always changing. A person can complain as much as they want. They can compare and contrast, between the current generation and the way things were decades ago. They can lament the loss of civility, the general malaise resulting from a lack of direction, the degradation of the culture, and so forth.

The reality is that nothing can be done to bring back the past. Those were the conditions from before. The landscape is different today. You can lay the blame at the children, at the parents, at the leaders in society, or even in the advancements of technology.

The reality will remain; change will take place. Given this constant of the living experience, it is all the more amazing that the origin of it all, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, long ago gave a scientific system of advancement, for reaching the highest perfection.

स एवायं मया ते ऽद्य
योगः प्रोक्तः पुरातनः
भक्तो ऽसि मे सखा चेति
रहस्यं ह्य् एतद् उत्तमम्

sa evāyaṁ mayā te ‘dya
yogaḥ proktaḥ purātanaḥ
bhakto ‘si me sakhā ceti
rahasyaṁ hy etad uttamam

“That very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend; therefore you can understand the transcendental mystery of this science.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.3)

Since the system is a science, the rules remain the same. Two plus two will always equal four. It was the case thousands of years ago and it will be the same thousands of years into the future. The union of a man and a woman brings new life into this world. There is a difference between a man and a woman. The sun is the greatest external source of energy, and so on.

The science that is the system of advancement is known as yoga. That yoga can be applied in any time and any circumstance. That yoga is the linking of the individual, who is spirit soul, to the Supreme Individual, who is also soul, but of a different kind.

The rules and regulations of the system can be described by the Sanskrit word dharma. Dharma never changes. It is without beginning and without end. Therefore, the closest equivalent to the commonly used term of religion is sanatana-dharma.

Through the disciplic succession we learn that depending on the period of time, certain implementations of dharma are more favorable. For instance, in ages past it was possible to meditate for a long period of time. In a different age, people within civilized society could meet at places of worship and connect with God through the visual of the deity.

In the present age of Kali, dharma can be implemented through the chanting of the holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. The Supreme Lord is so kind that any of these methods work in any of the different ages, but there is always a method available.

The children of today will one day lament the changes that will take place in the future. They will tell the future generations that they have no idea how people of the past could live with so little and be even happier. Whatever the condition, through whatever changes take place, dharma remains the way for real progress.

In Closing:

A different landscape to see,
Difficult to adjust for me.

Wishing desperately to return,
But degradation at every turn.

Despite valuable institutions to lose,
Still dharma there to choose.

That from holy names chanting,
Meaningful progress granting.

Categories: the five

Tags: chanting, god, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, religion, yoga