Why Do You Glorify a Past That Would Have Been So Much Harder for You?

“Why Do You Glorify a Past That Would Have Been So Much Harder for You?” “How can you propagate a tradition that glorifies the past, when your own life would have been so much harder in that past?” The question came from an American man in a wheelchair who approached me after one of my talks. I could sense where his question was coming from, but I wanted to be clear about his concern. So I asked him, “Can you explain what you mean?” “I have a disability, just like you,” he explained. “And you know how much harder life would have been for people like us in the past. Most jobs involved physical work. And even if we found work we could do, how would we get around? Wheelchairs and other mobility aids were much less advanced and much harder to get. There weren’t the ramps, accessible facilities, or support systems we have today. Travel and communication were far more difficult too. Our lives would have been so confined.” He ended with a direct question: “Would you really want to live in such a past?” “Thank you for that candid question,” I replied. “I appreciate your concern. In fact, I’ve thought quite a lot about this issue myself. Let me address it in two parts. First, am I teaching a tradition that glorifies the past or recommending that we return to it? And second, how do I see the difficulties we would have faced in the past compared with the facilities available to us today?” “Okay,” he said. Wisdom, Tradition, and the Inner Compass “Let me begin with the first part. I don’t primarily see myself as propagating a tradition. I see myself as sharing wisdom that has timeless value. For me, that wisdom centers on the Bhagavad Gita. And that wisdom has been preserved, practiced, and shared through a broader spiritual tradition. “Tradition provides ways to understand, apply, and share that wisdom.” He considered this and asked, “But can you really separate wisdom from tradition?” “Yes and no,” I replied. “Yes, in the sense that the Gita’s wisdom addresses universal questions, even though it was spoken in a particular historical setting. And no, in the sense that tradition often provides time-tested ways of translating the answers to those questions into our daily lives. “The way I see it, the purpose of spirituality is not to turn back the clock; it is to turn on the compass.” “Compass? What compass are you referring to?” he asked. “The inner compass that helps guide our universal human search for meaning and purpose, and ultimately for lasting love. The Gita offers us just such a compass. “Consider Arjuna’s predicament at the start of the Bhagavad Gita. He finds himself in a situation where he can see no satisfactory way forward. He is confused, conflicted, and confounded. His difficulty is not merely emotional or even ethical; it is existential. In Bhagavad Gita 2.7, he asks a universal question: How can we discern dharma, the right thing to do, when none of the available options seems right? “Just as Arjuna’s question is universal, so is the Gita’s answer. Its wisdom helps us find meaning, purpose, and direction in life. It also addresses our universal human search for lasting fulfillment. And the Gita concludes by directing our longing to love and be loved toward the divine, where that longing can find lasting fulfillment (18.66). Through our connection with the divine, our love can also extend toward all living beings. “Spiritual traditions preserve specific practices through which people can pursue that connection. These practices are important to the extent that they serve their spiritual purpose.” “If the purpose is more important, then why bother about the external forms prescribed by traditions?” he asked. “There’s a saying that I find illuminating: traditions are experiments that have worked.” “Wow! I’ve never thought of traditions that way,” he said. I nodded. “I had a similar reaction when I first came across that statement. “Traditions can be invaluable precisely because they preserve ways of practicing wisdom that have survived the test of time. But preserving what has worked doesn’t mean freezing it in time. For a tradition to remain living, it needs to keep considering how its practices can serve their purpose in changing circumstances.” “So you’re saying traditions aren’t frozen?” he asked. “Yes, exactly. Let me give you a couple of examples. “Consider language. The Gita was originally spoken in Sanskrit. Its teachings were subsequently shared in various Indian languages, and today you and I are discussing them in English. The language has changed, but the wisdom can still be communicated. “Now consider pilgrimage. In the past, people often traveled to holy places on foot, sometimes spending weeks or months on journeys that involved considerable hardship and danger. Today we may travel by train or plane. Yet after reaching a sacred place, we may still circumambulate particular holy sites on foot, as pilgrims have traditionally done. “The purpose of such circumambulation is to show respect for the sacred place, meditate on the divine, and absorb its spiritual atmosphere. But someone who cannot walk that distance may use a wheelchair or another vehicle. A living tradition can accommodate such needs without abandoning the purpose of the practice.” “So is it all left to individual discretion?” he asked. “Not entirely. If everyone could change every practice simply according to personal preference, that could lead to chaos. Both individuals and the leaders of a living tradition have a role. Individuals can choose how closely they wish to follow a tradition’s practices and expectations. But decisions about which practices are essential and which can be adapted are primarily made by the tradition’s leaders, who may recommend changes for the community as a whole. “Within spiritual communities, some people have a more conservative outlook and emphasize preserving established practices. Others have a more liberal outlook and emphasize making those practices accessible and relevant to contemporary circumstances. Both concerns have their place. A healthy living tradition allows people with these different perspectives to engage in discussion and deliberation. Through such discussion, they seek a balance between fidelity to the past and flexibility for the present. “Even those who strongly advocate traditional ways of life often use modern technology to share their message. Someone may speak about simple living and high thinking while using the internet, social media, and sophisticated recording equipment to communicate those ideals. “Can I share a personal example of how the tradition has been flexible in helping me serve despite my disability?” He leaned forward. “Yes, sure. That would be helpful.” “In our tradition, we observe particularly high standards of cleanliness when entering the altar area to worship the divine. I use crutches to move around, and naturally I need them everywhere, including in the restroom. “So I once asked my spiritual guides whether I should keep a separate set of crutches exclusively for going onto the altar. They asked whether carrying an additional pair would be practical, given how much I travel. “I explained that it wouldn’t be impossible, but the extra size and weight would make it highly inconvenient. “They said they would consult among themselves and get back to me. After discussing the matter, they told me they had no objection to my using the same crutches. I could simply sprinkle some sacred water on them to sanctify them before going onto the altar. “That accommodation meant a great deal to me. I could respect the tradition’s standards of cleanliness without having to carry an additional burden because of my disability.” “That’s quite encouraging,” he said. “It’s good to know there’s that kind of openness.” “But I’ve heard many talks in which the past is glorified as an idyllic age and modernity is condemned,” he continued. “I think we need to consider those two issues separately,” I replied. “First, regarding the past, we need to ask what exactly is being glorified. In our tradition, there are accounts of particular periods when the divine manifested in this world, or when great saints and spiritually enlightened rulers helped establish extraordinary peace, prosperity, and harmony. “But the tradition itself recognizes that even such periods were temporary. The point is not to reproduce every external detail of those times. It is to recognize that human life can and should be organized around higher values. And organizing our lives around those values can improve both our material well-being and our spiritual growth. “Now, regarding criticism of modernity, much of it concerns the ways modern life can divert people from spirituality. That concern is valid, although the criticism can sometimes become indiscriminate. I too have been guilty of that to some degree in the past. “My own understanding has evolved. I don’t think spiritual life requires us to be anti-modern.” He looked at me intently. “So how do you personally see the technology and infrastructure that make life so much easier for people like us?” he asked. Appreciating Progress Without Expecting Perfection “I certainly appreciate them,” I replied. “The Bhagavad Gita states that human ability is a manifestation of the divine (7.8). So when human ingenuity produces something that genuinely improves people’s lives, we need not see that achievement as being in conflict with spirituality. “We can appreciate the scientists, engineers, administrators, and others whose efforts make such improvements possible. And we can also appreciate the divine source of the abilities through which they work. “After all, we may admire the extraordinary intelligence of scientists such as Newton or Einstein, but they didn’t manufacture their own brains in their mothers’ wombs. Their intellectual abilities were gifts, but developing and applying those abilities required their own effort.” “I haven’t heard technology described that way before,” he said. “As human beings making use of gifts from God. I’ve heard much more criticism of technology for taking people away from God.” “Yes, that concern is valid too, and it’s an important one. Perhaps that danger gets emphasized more because so many people become infatuated with technology’s promises and overlook its limitations. “Technology can be developed and used for purposes that are spiritual, non-spiritual, or even anti-spiritual. And such infatuation can sometimes blind us to the fundamental realities of our existence.” “What do you mean?” he asked. “Technology can improve many aspects of our lives, sometimes remarkably. But if we start believing that it can eventually eliminate all misery and mortality, we are allowing ourselves to be deluded. “Consider the extensive support systems now available to people with physical disabilities. They are an inspiring expression of human resourcefulness, but they are also sobering reminders of human limitations.” “How so?” he asked. “Despite all our medical and technological advances, we haven’t eliminated disability. Nor have we eliminated disease in general, and we certainly haven’t eliminated death. “Modern thinking often glamorizes the present and future while dismissing the past as primitive or regressive. In reaction, some traditionalists swing to the opposite extreme, glamorizing the past while demonizing the present and future. “I don’t think spirituality requires either extreme. Rather than glamorizing or demonizing, we can focus on utilizing. We can utilize what is valuable from the past, what is valuable in the present, and whatever proves valuable in the future—all in pursuit of what is perennially valuable: the transcendental.” “That sounds nice,” he said. “But can you explain it more clearly?” “Let me adapt a traditional metaphor. “The world is compared to a vast ocean from which we need to be rescued. Now, some parts of the ocean are more turbulent than others. If someone stranded in the ocean can move from stormy waters to calmer waters, that is certainly an improvement. But even in the calmest part of the ocean, waves can arise sooner or later. “Different times in history and different places in the world are like different parts of that ocean. Some offer better conditions for particular aspects of human life. We should appreciate those advantages and, wherever possible, work to make life better for everyone. “But the best thing that can happen to someone stranded in the ocean is not merely finding calmer waters. It is being rescued from the ocean. “Spiritual wisdom and practices are like a rope lowered from a rescue helicopter. They help us rise beyond the limitations inherent in material existence. “So I don’t see my purpose as campaigning against one historical period or championing another. I want to help people make the best use of whatever circumstances they find themselves in, while cultivating a spiritual consciousness that can ultimately carry them beyond the material world.” “That’s quite a graphic metaphor,” he said. “But practically speaking, what does that rope of spiritual wisdom do for us?” “Long before it helps us attain ultimate liberation, spiritual wisdom can help free us from excessive identification with our bodies. As we study and practice the Gita’s teachings, we can increasingly recognize that we are more than our bodies. The limitations of our bodies do not define the potential of our souls. And recognizing that can be liberating in its own way.” “Yes,” he said, as a light seemed to shine in his eyes. “As I’ve practiced spirituality and found more inner joy, I’ve noticed that I don’t miss some of the physical pleasures, like athletics, as much as I used to.” After a few moments, he smiled. “Your answer has cleared up something that had been troubling me for a long time. Thank you.” He turned his wheelchair around and departed. Finding the Timeless in Changing Times Later, as I contemplated our conversation, another dimension of the Gita’s wisdom struck me. In Bhagavad Gita 11.32, Krishna declares, kālo ‘smi—“I am time.” In the immediate context, Krishna emphasizes time’s destructive power. Yet time is also the medium through which things arise, develop, change, and eventually disappear. If Krishna manifests as time, then the changes that take place through time are also part of His plan. But His plan accommodates our free will. Those who wish to move away from Him may find opportunities to do so, while those who wish to come closer to Him may also find opportunities through the changes that time brings. I thought again about the wheelchair assistance I receive during my travels. I had always appreciated it as a facility provided by airlines and modern public infrastructure. Now I could also see it as an expression of Krishna’s concern, manifested through human resourcefulness. I felt grateful to the questioner. His challenge about how difficult my life would have been in the past had helped me appreciate, in a more devotional way, the facilities that make my life easier in the present. Thinking this, I offered a prayer: My dear Lord, help me appreciate the timeless wisdom You have revealed and the time-tested practices through which it has been preserved. Help me also recognize the timely expressions of Your grace amid the changes of this world. Guide me to discern what to accept from the past, what to adapt from the past for the present, and what to adopt from the present. May I see Your presence in time and, through that presence, be drawn toward Your eternal presence beyond time. *** 11.32 The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Time I am, the great destroyer of the worlds, and I have come here to destroy all people. With the exception of you [the Pāṇḍavas], all the soldiers here on both sides will be slain. The post Why Do You Glorify a Past That Would Have Been So Much Harder for You? first appeared on Chaitanya Charan Das, Bhagavad Gita ISKCON .