Terrorism

Published on February 21st, 2024 | by

6

“Proud to be American”: Editorial on Terrorism

This morning when I awoke to my radio, a song was playing that I have heard a million and one times before. Only this time, I felt really strange as I sat there in my bed listening to it. The story that the song was forming was a guy who was proud to be an American, proud about everything the United States had done.

I struggle to find a place in the society that surrounds me. I am a rotten apple that sticks out, and stinks the box of healthy, fresh apples up. I have been put in the rotten box with the rest of the rotten apples, but somehow someone saw that I was not so rotten and moved me back.

What I mean by this little splurge of typing is that I don’t see me in this society. I hate the way that the United States is run. I hate the way that we have treated other cultures so badly. I hate the way we have an ego big enough for the universe. We, and I use that word loosely, need to step off that gold trimmed pedestal before we fall off.

I can see that we are starting to wobble, and in the future, I see this wobbling turning into falling, and I see this falling turning into death, not of people, but of the country.

How many times did we invade other people’s territory? Too many for me to count. In Hawaii, We outlawed the Hawaiians to speak their own language. We forced them to learn English. It was not until recently that they are allowed to teach Hawaiian in their schools.

In Guam, we went in there after four other sets of white settlers, and we kicked them out of their own country if they did not abide by OUR laws. Laws that we made up for them to follow in their land. They did not need us for anything. So what if they did not have the money that we thought they needed. You can live just fine without any money. They did for hundreds of years before.

Another place that we have invaded, is North America. There were Native Americans that lived here for thousands of years before all the Europeans came over and destroyed their homes, their life styles, their religions, and their health. We brought over many diseases that were not here before. Thanks to us, Native Americans are almost none existent. It is not easy to find a full-blooded Native American in the United States, Canada, or even Mexico. African Americans are here now because of us. We used everyone who came to this country as slaves, the Chinese, the Japanese, the Africans, and even the Native Americans. What right do we have?

What right do we have? I will tell you exactly what right it is that we have. We have the right to do what ever the hell that we want to because we live in a world of HYPOCRISY! Everything that the government tells us, everything that the government does is nothing short of a hypocricy.

One more thing; We recently had an “‘act of terrorism” in our nation. It put our whole nation on alert.

  1. “Why are they doing this to us?”
  2. “Who is doing this?”
  3. “What did we do to deserve this?”
  4. “I don’t understand why this is happening. Didn’t we help them out enough to owe us a great deal?”

Those are questions that have been asked by many people. My answers to all these questions are simple:

  1. They are doing this because they got fed up without BS and our terrorism on them. For hundreds of years, we have been terrorizing people of the world.
  2. The people who are doing this are the people who got enough guts to stand up to the United States. The United States thinks that it can get away with doing anything, which in reality, everyone is on to what it is doing. It is trying to convert everyone into the same thing. That is never going to happen.
  3. What did we do? Come one people. What history classes have you aced today? We have tormented so many groups of people; it is real surprising that we did not have this happen sooner.
  4. If you cant understand why this is happening, then go back to High School and retake all the history classes. Pay attention, and ask questions. Yes, we did help them out, but only after we took them over and tore their happy lives up. Everyone of the world was happy at one point in time, but now we are all pissed-off at one another because we can’t all get along.

Sound like hypocrisy to you? It does to me. Anyone who is reading this and disagrees, then it’s your loss not mine. I told you my thoughts, and I included back up information to it.

Can you?

Tags:


About the Author


Related Posts



6 Responses to “Proud to be American”: Editorial on Terrorism

  1. Bhakta Al says:
    August 20, 2013 at 7:38 pm

    Hare Krishna! If women have leaders to follow then they will follow. I’ll be the first to admit it. The real issue of we men who find ISKCON off track is, we haven’t established our own temples.At least in the USA. And I have to face it.We need to throw out the water and grab up the baby and hit the ground running.Forget the demons and move on. It’s NOT about us, Its All about Krishna. He will and has already provided.Like Prabhupada said,If its for Krishna it cannot fail.Its really about us dropping the ball now. Is it about ISKCON’s failure or our inability to rise above it. Prabhu your web truly is from Krishna and its obvious to anyone with the desire to see it. God Bless You and thanks. Your Brother in Krishna, Bhakta AL Hari BOL!!!!!!!!

    Reply
    • Madhudvisa dasa says:
      August 21, 2013 at 6:14 am

      Hare Krishna Bhakta Al.

      Yes. Prabhupada’s disciples have ‘dropped the ball’. But you know you can not just ‘open a temple’ and expect it to be successful. Many have done this actually and many have failed. Everything will fail ultimately if it is not guided by a pure devotee of Krishna. So in reality we can not do anything much unless we become pure devotees of Krishna. So that we can do. There is absolutely nothing stopping us from chanting Hare Krishna, reading Srila Prabhupada’s books and surrendering to the instructions Srila Prabhupada gives us as we read his books and in this way we can make actual spiritual advancement and actually come to the platform of pure devotional service. Without ourselves actually being pure then any temple opening or preaching that we attempt will fail. A spiritual leader needs spiritual potency. If he is not a pure devotee of Krishna he can not actually be a spiritual leader. He will just be another one of the endless cheating gurus who are in the ‘guru business’ for some personal benefit in the form of fame, profit, adoration, followers, and ultimately it degrades into so many sinful activities.

      So there is nothing at all holding anyone back from advancing in Krishna consciousness. We have Prabhupada and by Prabhupada’s mercy we can get Krishna. So we simply have to take advantage of the association of Srila Prabhupada and really surrender to him and really only hear from him and do not hear form all the nonsense coming out of ISKCON. Then we will be safe and then we will be able to make some spiritual advancement.

      You know there is an English saying: “Physician heal thyself.” If we ourselves are not pure devotees of Krishna, if we still are attached to material things, if we are still attached to sex life, then we are in a diseased condition and first we have to cure our own disease before we can try and cure others. Actually if we are sick and we try to preach to ‘deliver the fallen souls’ we will only contaminate the fallen souls more with our own sinful desires. It is useless. “Physician heal thyself.”

      So the most important thing is that we ourselves first become pure devotees of Krishna and then preach. For preaching by conditioned souls can never help anyone advance in Krishna consciousness.

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

      Reply
  2. bhaktaal@yahoo.com says:
    August 20, 2013 at 8:55 am

    Hare Krishna, I did not mean it in the spirit of meanness but in the spirit of social order. There is not a holy book available (that I have seen) that propagates female leadership. Not that they can’t lead but its not in the proper order of things for them to lead men. I understand the Gita. I know that in the United States that the so called christian men have given up up leadership to their wives and its been down hill ever since. This I am very aware of. And I know what Prabhupada meant in the 2nd chapter of the Gita and that the Gita as it is has integrity. I know that integrity being defined is= “Saying what you mean and Meaning what you Say.” Did Prabhupada advocate women mendicants? Bhaktipada did. Are you familiar with Malati and New Vrindaban? Now there’s some leadership for you. The reason that Prabhupada advised not getting hooked on flowery words is because the Vedas are principles, “The principles of God”. Practice them and this or that may or may not happen. Not to hard to fathom really. ISKCON is catering to them because they (ISKCON) is weak. And I suppose that is why you started Krishna.org. Prabhu we can’t give in to the temptations of demons and throw out the baby with the bathwater. You know, “go to ISKCON temples to serve God etc”. They are wrong and only they do not know it (I Hope). With all respect brother,if your going to go for it then go for it. Lets quit catering to such and such and not compromise the integrity of the Gita. Hari Bol, Bhakta Al

    Reply
    • Madhudvisa dasa says:
      August 20, 2013 at 5:12 pm

      Hare Krishna Bhakta Al

      You are completely correct Prabhu. As I said in my previous response there is no bar to anyone at all in becoming Krishna conscious, but there are different functions for men and women in society, and if these different functions of the different sexes are not observed and followed then there will be complete chaos in the society and as you note we are seeing this now. And the complete chaos in society in America and around the whole world is largely due to the fact that, as you say, due to the weakness of the men, they have allowed the women to take leadership positions and women are not meant for leadership positions. Women are meant to get married and serve their husbands and families nicely. And the husband is supposed to serve his wife and family by protecting and providing for them. This is the eternal natural system and no society can function unless the men are strong and prepared to accept the responsibility of protecting and providing for their wives and families and the women are prepared to surrender to and serve their husbands.

      This all started in the 60’s with “women’s liberation”, before then, all over the world the principle that the husband was in charge of the family and the wife served him and was submissive to him. This relationship between husband and wife is the cement that holds the society together, the husband is the leader and the wife follows and serves the husband. And without this fundamental principle in place there is no family actually, and as a result no stable society.

      As far as ISKCON you are correct. They are crazy and they have got now women gurus and women GBC members and women Temple Presidents. And they have everything crazy. So we have got Krishna.org and and Krishna.org the people can come and hear the actual real, sane and bona fide teachings of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

      And your point that we “can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater” is very well taken. We have to simply become representatives of Srila Prabhupada and we have to repeat the same perfect, pure and uncompromising philosophy that he has taught us. And amazingly there is hardly anyone who is prepared to do this. Everyone is claiming to be Prabhupada’s disciple or follower and they all say “Prabhupada said” in every second sentence, but at least as far as I have heard, they are practically all cheating. They actually have their own philosophy and they carefully select the things they repeat from Prabhupada or very often make up things that Prabhupada never said at all and use this to support their own ideas. This is very dishonest. And as far as I can see practically everyone is doing it. Everyone has their own ‘spin’, and as soon as we change the philosophy like this to suit our own ideas then we are disconnected from the disciplic succession and our spiritual life is finished.

      We have to actually accept and surrender to what Srila Prabhupada teaches. If we are followers of Prabhupada we have to accept and preach the same things that Prabhupada accepts and preaches. For example:

      Women have smaller brains than men and should not artificially try to become equal with men:

      To understand Brahman is not the business of tiny brain. Alpha-medhasam. There are two Sanskrit words, alpa-medhasa and su-medhasa. Alpa-medhasa means having little brain substance. Physiologically, within the brain there are brain substance. It is found that the brain substance in man is found up to 64 ounce. They are very highly intellectual persons. And in woman the brain substance is not found more than 34 ounce. You’ll find, therefore, that there is no very great scientist, mathematician, philosopher, among women. You’ll never find because their brain substance cannot go. Artificially do not try to become equal with men. That is not allowed in the Vedic sastra. Na striyam svatantratam arhati. That is called sastra.   (More…)

      And Prabhupada teaches that women can never be independent:

      You have to understand that woman is never given to be independence. Independence means just like child has to be taken care, similarly, woman has to be taken care. You cannot let your child go in the street alone. There will be danger. Similarly, according to Vedic civilization, Manu-samhita, woman should be given protection. In this way, acara, this is called acara. So the demons, they do not know. The demons, they do not know what is what, how one thing should be treated, how… They do not know. In the Western countries there is no such distinction between man and woman, but there is. We have to accept it and construct this social institution in that way. Then it will be perfect.   (More…)

      Regarding Yamuna and Dinatarine, they want to live independently, that is the defect. A woman cannot live independent. According the the Vedic culture a woman is always to be protected by a man. Why they should purchase a house? We already have Los Angeles. If they want they can have a separate asrama supported independently of ISKCON. Every woman in America has money, so why do they want support? No, the BBT cannot give them loan. You may check that they are chanting and following the rules but do not get involved with their management. So far your suggestion that they sew clothes for the sannyasis Deities it is not possible. Sannyasis may have no connection with women.   (More…)

      Prabhupada: Women should be taken care of—as daughter, as wife, as mother, bas. No freedom. Then prostitution. Then spoiled the whole thing. Unwanted children, contraceptive, abortion. Very dangerous. In our society there are girls. They should live separately. They should be given full engagement, taken care of. No mixing. Then it will spoil. Both of them will be… We see big, big workers, sannyasis. (Name withheld) fell victim. The example is given: fire and butter. (laughs) You cannot say the butter will not melt even in fire. Woman is like fire, and man is like butter.   (More…)

      There are many things of course, much to much to write in a little comment…

      But you know Prabhu that devotees like Tamal Krishna Goswami and others introduced a very nasty attitude towards women in ISKCON and Prabhupada very much disliked their mood:

      Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated November 1, 1972, and I have noted the contents with great concern. I do not know why these things inventions are going on. That is our only business, to invent something new programme? We have already got our Vaisnava standard. That is sufficient for Madhvacarya, Ramanujacarya, it was sufficient for Lord Caitanya, six Gosvamis, for Bhaktivinode Thakura, for my Guru Maharaja Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, for me, for all big big saints and acaryas in our line—why it shall be inadequate for my disciples so they must manufacture something? That is not possible. Who has introduced these things, that women cannot have chanting japa in the temple, they cannot perform the arati and so many things? If they become agitated, then let the brahmacaris go to the forest, I have never introduced these things. The brahmacaris cannot remain in the presence of women in the temple, then they may go to the forest, not remaining in New York City, because in New York there are so many women, so how they can avoid seeing? Best thing is to go to the forest for not seeing any women, if they become so easily agitated, but then no one will either see them and how our preaching work will go on?   (More…)

      Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 23, 1974 and have noted the contents. Regarding the worship of our Gaura Nitai by women pujaris, we worship Lord Caitanya in His householder life when He was with His wife, and not as a sannyasi. So, it is alright for women to do this service. But, besides this, service is spiritual and there can be no material designation. In Bhagavad-gita it is stated by Lord Krishna: striyo vaisyas tatha sudras te’pi yanti param gatim. The principle is that everyone who is properly initiated and following the rules and regulations can worship. This activity can not on the material platform.   (More…)

      So it requires intelligence. But for the society to go on women and men have to act according to their respective duties. Otherwise there will simply be more and more chaos.

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

      Reply
  3. Bhakta Al says:
    August 17, 2013 at 4:26 pm

    Its called Karma, Cut and dry. For them and us.A woman cannot understand these things.Thats why Prabhupada said they were weaker and less intelligent. Can you understand that?

    Reply
    • Madhudvisa dasa says:
      August 18, 2013 at 8:53 pm

      Hare Krishna Bhakta Al

      Actually understanding Krishna consciousness does not depend on intelligence at all. It requires having a bona fide spiritual master and surrendering to him and serving him. That’s all. Real knowledge is not a product of intelligence. Therefore there is no difference whatsoever in the ability of a woman to understand Krishna consciousness than the ability of a man to understand it. Rather actually in many cases the man’s over=intelligent mentality gets in the way of his surrendering to the bona fide spiritual master and Krishna.

      Woman have the great quality of naturally having faith in God. They do not have to get involved in so many big philosophical discussions and arguments as many men do. They just have faith in Krishna and faith in Krishna’s pure devotee and it is this faith actually that enables one to understand spiritual life.

      So you have not at all understood Srila Prabhupada, you have not understood Krishna consciousness, and you have not understood the position of women in Krishna consciousness.

      Women are no less than men in Krishna consciousness. From the spiritual point of view women have at least as much ability to understand and serve Krishna as men do. There is no inferiority whatsoever in this respect. However women’s bodies are weaker than mens bodies so it is the natural way that the strong men must protect the weaker women. And it is the natural social position that the men will take the lead and that the women will follow. And also women are not so philosophically minded as men. But being philosophically minded is not necessarily and advantage in becoming Krishna consciousness. If a big philosopher does not surrender to Krishna then he is useless, but if a simple woman surrenders to Krishna, not knowing any philosophy at all, just knowing that she loves Krishna, then she is the greatest devotee.

      You know the greatest devotees are the gopis of Vrindavan. They are simple women. They do not even know that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They do not know Sanskrit. They are not scholars of anything. They do not know philosophy. They just know that Krishna is beautiful and they love Krishna completely and selflessly. The gopis love for Krishna can not be matched by anyone else. Krishna himself is so astonished by the intensity of the gopis love for Him that He wants to experience that love Himself. So Krishna appears in the mood of Srimati Radhrani in the form of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

      So if a women is inferior why is it that even Krishna can not fathom the depths of her love for Him? Why does Krishna Himself want to experience the feelings of vipralamba-seva, service in separation, the mood of the gopis in Vrindavan…

      So Krishna consciousness is not limited in any way. It is not that men can understand it better than women. Anyone can understand it if they:

      Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!

      Madhudvisa dasa

      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

Back to Top ↑

© 2000-2023 Madhudvisa dasa



Back to Top ↑