Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2012 20:26:55 -0400
To: am-global@earthlink.net
From: Miguel
Subject: Marriage Crisis: West Moving Fast to Matriarchal & Libertine Society
Baba
Namaskar,
These days the trend of living in the west is moving towards the matriarchal system. Due to the libertine way of living, women alone raise most of the children & more and more kids are using their mother's family name, as they do not know who their father is.
There is a crisis going on - and it is only worsening as the libertine ways of capitalist materialism leap frog from one place to the next. And no longer is this issue related only to the west. It is spreading - fast.
Now is the time we need to implement Baba's teachings and ideals. Otherwise society will continue to suffer terribly.
Now is the time we should implement an arranged marriage system - per our Ananda Marga ideals. Hearing this, many of you may be thinking, "Arranged marriages!! That will bring us back to the stone age!" When in fact, the opposite is true. If we fail to provide structured support to women in the marriage process, society will continue to tailspin into that era of old - the libertine system that was in vogue prior to Lord Shiva.
In Ananda Marga, Baba guides us that we are to maintain the dignity of women. Helping women arrange a marriage will create a stable and dependable future for them - and their offspring. It is a win-win situation. Plus it helps protect men as well as it saves the from degeneration.
Here arranged marriage does not mean that the bride-to-be cannot select their spouse. It does not refer to those archaic weddings of rural India where the bride and groom would not even recognise each other if they saw one another on the way to the wedding. Rather, it refers to a rational approach where both have met and spoken with one another. Furthermore, it is a pathway toward marriage where those watching for the welfare of the girl - her guardians and parents - should help in the process of meeting a suitable spouse. In due course, naturally the boy and girl (or young man and young woman) will meet and talk to see if they feel comfortable with one another. And ultimately, the prospective bride and groom will have the final say. The arranging of the marriage means that the girl need not be on her own to find a spouse.
Unfortunately, that is what happens now in western, materialistic societies. The girl searches alone for a spouse. And in that process, women repeatedly give in to the sensual desires of men, and most often end up pregnant, and not married. Or they end up in one relationship after another - hoping to find marriage - yet watching the man walk away each time. That leaves the female with emotional scarring and psychological pain. The counseling centers in the west are filled with such victims.
The answer then is to create a system where the well-wishers of the girl and boy gather and talk. It is a collective process where society takes responsibility for the safety, comfort, dignity, and happiness of the girl - and boy. By this way, the bride-to-be need not allow her body to be exploited by libertine males. By this way, there will be no child out of wedlock - lacking a father. By this way the physical, emotional, psychic, and spiritual needs and safety of the girl and her offspring are at the forefront.
Perhaps in another letter, someone can offer more details about how to best implement and oversee an arranged marriage system. Because without it, the way things are going now, it is only from bad to worse.
If you have any doubts at all, please read the following. Then you will see how the present-day libertine approach is sending society back to the stone ages.
First, here are some statistics for your review:
- Approximately 84% of custodial parents are mothers;
- 45% of the women are currently divorced or separated;
- 34.2% of the women have never been married;
- Unmarried mothers gave birth to 4 out of every 10 babies born in the United States in 2007, a share that is increasing rapidly both here and abroad;
- 11,000 babies are born daily in the US; at minimum, 4,500 babies are born out of wedlock - without a father. This trend is on the rise.
The situation is dire and what is happening now in the west will soon be happening in the east - as the eastern world is fast copying all of the western social trends.
The irony of all this is that in this ultra-modern era we are fast falling into the ways of those pre-historic humans. Those early humans led libertine lives and now the same thing is going on. It is most ironic that we think of those early humans as being uncivilised and we think of ourselves as being highly civilised, yet on this critical point of promiscuity and child rearing, we share the same negative ways.
Thus, are we - the present day humans - civilised? That is what we should all consider when reading this letter and reviewing Baba's teachings.
What was so rampant 8000yrs ago is going on today in so-called developed countries. This "loose" lifestyle has become the accepted norm; it is the fashion.
Unmarried boys and girls are sleeping together and producing offspring. Thereafter, males are not taking responsibility for the children.
To understand this fully we must review the history. Then we can properly evaluate if how far we have progressed: Are we civilised or not.
We have to to be alert to the fact that as fast as the selfishness of capitalism is growing, the libertine way of life is spreading all around. Today so many children are born out of wedlock and many will never meet their father. In a decade, almost all will be born without a father. This negative trend is only increasing.
The general society is undergoing the disastrous consequences in the form of sky-rocketing crime and so many other social ills. Because of a lack of parental love, such children cannot grow properly.
Baba says, "Long ago there used to be a popular and interesting folktale. In very ancient times, as with other animals, there was no custom of marriage among human beings. As far as it can be ascertained, this situation certainly continued until the middle of the Rgvedic age and likely until towards the end of that age. It was said during that time that there was once a five-year-old boy, the son of a certain sage, who became perplexed when he saw his mother going off with another man and asked his father why his mother was going off with that other fellow like that.
The sage answered his son: “That’s the rule. Any woman can stay with any man whenever she likes. She can also leave him whenever she likes. In the same way, any man can go off with any woman at any time.”
The sage’s son asked: “Then what will I do?”
The sage replied: “Children who are breastfeeding will stay with their mother. Once they become too old for that they can stay wherever they like. Wherever they stay they have to make arrangements for their food in exchange for labour.”
“But that’s no good!” the sage’s young son exclaimed. “No good at all.”
"In most cases, it was generally seen that the father did not bear the responsibility for the maintenance of their offspring or any other kind of responsibility towards them. All responsibility fell on the mother’s shoulders. For this reason wicked men used to put straightforward-natured women into extreme difficulty. The womenfolk used to spend their time under great duress. If not all, at least most of the men did not shoulder any responsibility for their offspring. Most of them were libertine. This is not to say that there were not any libertine woman, but the number of such women was less. Moreover, the affection they felt towards their children was a very strong bond of attachment which they could not easily break. This situation among humans, which was similar to that of animals, had been going on for approximately one million years, that is, human beings appeared about one million years ago."
"The women of that day stood at Shiva’s door and said: “O Sada'shiva, save us from this beastly, distressful condition. There is no man or woman strong enough today to lay down rules in this matter and to put them into practice with a firm hand.” Shiva’s heart melted; he understood their pain. He introduced the custom of marriage and firmly fixed the rights and responsibilities of the father. For the first time human beings felt the contact of a peaceful environment in social life."
"Still some wicked-natured men remained and some libertine women as well. Then, with the help of his followers, Shiva obliged those wicked men to marry by punishing them with the rod and rope. Just as there were libertine men, there were also some libertine women. This libertine group became greatly frightened of Shiva." (Shabda Cayanika - 2; Disc: 10)
Here are Baba's further teachings on this point of a libertine society.
Baba says, " At the beginning of evolution, humans used to lead libertine lives without any consideration for family obligations, but they gradually developed a family instinct. However, that family instinct was no different from that of the elephants, lions, pigeons, etc. Due to this inborn instinct, males and females arrived at a loose, but workable compromise regarding family life. But in that there was no sense of responsibility born out of a developed conscience; rather, due to their loose relationships with each other, one person used to desert another and go anywhere he liked. The number of such libertines was very high, and they used to disturb the peace and harmony of the so-called family members and become the cause of many serious quarrels."
"The male libertines would not take responsibility for their offspring. They used to wander freely, and as a result, the entire responsibility for raising the children in their infancy would devolve on the mothers. But it was not possible for the mothers alone to bear the responsibility of maintaining the children, as a result of which many children died in early infancy. Those who survived felt themselves to be in a sea of troubles after they were weaned from their mother’s breast milk. Then they would be deprived of their mother’s love, since she had to take care of the next baby. Those were the days of the prehistoric humans. One should remember that even in those prehistoric days, some portion of the Vedas was composed, chiefly by the so-called family people. The life of the libertines was just like that of the animals." (NSS, Disc: 9, Shivokti-3)
So long as this trend is in vogue - so long as children are born out of wedlock and fathers are remiss in their responsibilities - as a society we are inviting so many problems. Such children cannot grow properly without proper maternal supervision, care and love. Due to financial pressures, a single mother cannot manage the demands and rigors of parenthood all by herself - in which case children are the big losers. They will come into this world devoid of the requisite love, attention and support to grow properly. And the tragedy is that this situation is on the rise - it will not be long before we are a mirror image of what was going on 8000 years ago.
The cause of libertine life in the prehistoric era was ignorance and today the cause is selfishness, but the result is the same. When all is said and done, it is the children who suffer most. And that has a most disastrous effect on society.
By Baba's grace we should all be aware of this problem and work to solve it. The Ananda Marga arranged marriage system would help tremendously. The present-day libertine epidemic should not be a surprise to us. We should clearly understand what is at stake and side by side help society to improve.
Namaskar,
Liilavati & Mantreshvar
The Ananda Marga marriage system is for society building. Marriage is a means to raising a family; it is not just for sex. If children are not born and raised properly, then society itself will become aged and die; a healthy, new generation is always needed. That enables society to grow. The Ananda Marga marriage system focuses on the welfare of the child; children are not a mere by-product of lust etc. Our approach is that marriage is for the proper nurturing and growth of the child. So they develop into great citizens and sadhakas.
To: am-global@earthlink.net
From: Miguel
Subject: Marriage Crisis: West Moving Fast to Matriarchal & Libertine Society
Baba
MARRIAGE CRISIS:
WEST MOVING FAST TO MATRIARCHAL & LIBERTINE SOCIETY
WEST MOVING FAST TO MATRIARCHAL & LIBERTINE SOCIETY
Namaskar,
These days the trend of living in the west is moving towards the matriarchal system. Due to the libertine way of living, women alone raise most of the children & more and more kids are using their mother's family name, as they do not know who their father is.
There is a crisis going on - and it is only worsening as the libertine ways of capitalist materialism leap frog from one place to the next. And no longer is this issue related only to the west. It is spreading - fast.
Now is the time we need to implement Baba's teachings and ideals. Otherwise society will continue to suffer terribly.
Now is the time we should implement an arranged marriage system - per our Ananda Marga ideals. Hearing this, many of you may be thinking, "Arranged marriages!! That will bring us back to the stone age!" When in fact, the opposite is true. If we fail to provide structured support to women in the marriage process, society will continue to tailspin into that era of old - the libertine system that was in vogue prior to Lord Shiva.
WHY DOES ANANDA MARGA SUPPORT ARRANGED
MARRIAGES
AND HOW IS SOCIETY BENEFITED
AND HOW IS SOCIETY BENEFITED
In Ananda Marga, Baba guides us that we are to maintain the dignity of women. Helping women arrange a marriage will create a stable and dependable future for them - and their offspring. It is a win-win situation. Plus it helps protect men as well as it saves the from degeneration.
Here arranged marriage does not mean that the bride-to-be cannot select their spouse. It does not refer to those archaic weddings of rural India where the bride and groom would not even recognise each other if they saw one another on the way to the wedding. Rather, it refers to a rational approach where both have met and spoken with one another. Furthermore, it is a pathway toward marriage where those watching for the welfare of the girl - her guardians and parents - should help in the process of meeting a suitable spouse. In due course, naturally the boy and girl (or young man and young woman) will meet and talk to see if they feel comfortable with one another. And ultimately, the prospective bride and groom will have the final say. The arranging of the marriage means that the girl need not be on her own to find a spouse.
GIRLS: EMOTIONAL SCARRING & PSYCHOLOGICAL
PAIN
Unfortunately, that is what happens now in western, materialistic societies. The girl searches alone for a spouse. And in that process, women repeatedly give in to the sensual desires of men, and most often end up pregnant, and not married. Or they end up in one relationship after another - hoping to find marriage - yet watching the man walk away each time. That leaves the female with emotional scarring and psychological pain. The counseling centers in the west are filled with such victims.
The answer then is to create a system where the well-wishers of the girl and boy gather and talk. It is a collective process where society takes responsibility for the safety, comfort, dignity, and happiness of the girl - and boy. By this way, the bride-to-be need not allow her body to be exploited by libertine males. By this way, there will be no child out of wedlock - lacking a father. By this way the physical, emotional, psychic, and spiritual needs and safety of the girl and her offspring are at the forefront.
Perhaps in another letter, someone can offer more details about how to best implement and oversee an arranged marriage system. Because without it, the way things are going now, it is only from bad to worse.
If you have any doubts at all, please read the following. Then you will see how the present-day libertine approach is sending society back to the stone ages.
STATISTICS OF THIS PRESENT ERA
First, here are some statistics for your review:
- Approximately 84% of custodial parents are mothers;
- 45% of the women are currently divorced or separated;
- 34.2% of the women have never been married;
- Unmarried mothers gave birth to 4 out of every 10 babies born in the United States in 2007, a share that is increasing rapidly both here and abroad;
- 11,000 babies are born daily in the US; at minimum, 4,500 babies are born out of wedlock - without a father. This trend is on the rise.
The situation is dire and what is happening now in the west will soon be happening in the east - as the eastern world is fast copying all of the western social trends.
The irony of all this is that in this ultra-modern era we are fast falling into the ways of those pre-historic humans. Those early humans led libertine lives and now the same thing is going on. It is most ironic that we think of those early humans as being uncivilised and we think of ourselves as being highly civilised, yet on this critical point of promiscuity and child rearing, we share the same negative ways.
ARE WE CIVILISED?
Thus, are we - the present day humans - civilised? That is what we should all consider when reading this letter and reviewing Baba's teachings.
What was so rampant 8000yrs ago is going on today in so-called developed countries. This "loose" lifestyle has become the accepted norm; it is the fashion.
Unmarried boys and girls are sleeping together and producing offspring. Thereafter, males are not taking responsibility for the children.
To understand this fully we must review the history. Then we can properly evaluate if how far we have progressed: Are we civilised or not.
We have to to be alert to the fact that as fast as the selfishness of capitalism is growing, the libertine way of life is spreading all around. Today so many children are born out of wedlock and many will never meet their father. In a decade, almost all will be born without a father. This negative trend is only increasing.
The general society is undergoing the disastrous consequences in the form of sky-rocketing crime and so many other social ills. Because of a lack of parental love, such children cannot grow properly.
BABA'S TEACHINGS & WARNINGS ON LIBERTINE
LIFE:
CHILDREN SUFFER THE MOST
Best is to propagate Baba's teaching; due to a blatant lack of
knowledge all this is happening.CHILDREN SUFFER THE MOST
Baba says, "Long ago there used to be a popular and interesting folktale. In very ancient times, as with other animals, there was no custom of marriage among human beings. As far as it can be ascertained, this situation certainly continued until the middle of the Rgvedic age and likely until towards the end of that age. It was said during that time that there was once a five-year-old boy, the son of a certain sage, who became perplexed when he saw his mother going off with another man and asked his father why his mother was going off with that other fellow like that.
The sage answered his son: “That’s the rule. Any woman can stay with any man whenever she likes. She can also leave him whenever she likes. In the same way, any man can go off with any woman at any time.”
The sage’s son asked: “Then what will I do?”
The sage replied: “Children who are breastfeeding will stay with their mother. Once they become too old for that they can stay wherever they like. Wherever they stay they have to make arrangements for their food in exchange for labour.”
“But that’s no good!” the sage’s young son exclaimed. “No good at all.”
"In most cases, it was generally seen that the father did not bear the responsibility for the maintenance of their offspring or any other kind of responsibility towards them. All responsibility fell on the mother’s shoulders. For this reason wicked men used to put straightforward-natured women into extreme difficulty. The womenfolk used to spend their time under great duress. If not all, at least most of the men did not shoulder any responsibility for their offspring. Most of them were libertine. This is not to say that there were not any libertine woman, but the number of such women was less. Moreover, the affection they felt towards their children was a very strong bond of attachment which they could not easily break. This situation among humans, which was similar to that of animals, had been going on for approximately one million years, that is, human beings appeared about one million years ago."
"The women of that day stood at Shiva’s door and said: “O Sada'shiva, save us from this beastly, distressful condition. There is no man or woman strong enough today to lay down rules in this matter and to put them into practice with a firm hand.” Shiva’s heart melted; he understood their pain. He introduced the custom of marriage and firmly fixed the rights and responsibilities of the father. For the first time human beings felt the contact of a peaceful environment in social life."
"Still some wicked-natured men remained and some libertine women as well. Then, with the help of his followers, Shiva obliged those wicked men to marry by punishing them with the rod and rope. Just as there were libertine men, there were also some libertine women. This libertine group became greatly frightened of Shiva." (Shabda Cayanika - 2; Disc: 10)
BABA'S TEACHINGS & WARNINGS ON LIBERTINE
LIFE (CONT)
Here are Baba's further teachings on this point of a libertine society.
Baba says, " At the beginning of evolution, humans used to lead libertine lives without any consideration for family obligations, but they gradually developed a family instinct. However, that family instinct was no different from that of the elephants, lions, pigeons, etc. Due to this inborn instinct, males and females arrived at a loose, but workable compromise regarding family life. But in that there was no sense of responsibility born out of a developed conscience; rather, due to their loose relationships with each other, one person used to desert another and go anywhere he liked. The number of such libertines was very high, and they used to disturb the peace and harmony of the so-called family members and become the cause of many serious quarrels."
"The male libertines would not take responsibility for their offspring. They used to wander freely, and as a result, the entire responsibility for raising the children in their infancy would devolve on the mothers. But it was not possible for the mothers alone to bear the responsibility of maintaining the children, as a result of which many children died in early infancy. Those who survived felt themselves to be in a sea of troubles after they were weaned from their mother’s breast milk. Then they would be deprived of their mother’s love, since she had to take care of the next baby. Those were the days of the prehistoric humans. One should remember that even in those prehistoric days, some portion of the Vedas was composed, chiefly by the so-called family people. The life of the libertines was just like that of the animals." (NSS, Disc: 9, Shivokti-3)
INCREASING PROBLEMS
So long as this trend is in vogue - so long as children are born out of wedlock and fathers are remiss in their responsibilities - as a society we are inviting so many problems. Such children cannot grow properly without proper maternal supervision, care and love. Due to financial pressures, a single mother cannot manage the demands and rigors of parenthood all by herself - in which case children are the big losers. They will come into this world devoid of the requisite love, attention and support to grow properly. And the tragedy is that this situation is on the rise - it will not be long before we are a mirror image of what was going on 8000 years ago.
The cause of libertine life in the prehistoric era was ignorance and today the cause is selfishness, but the result is the same. When all is said and done, it is the children who suffer most. And that has a most disastrous effect on society.
BABA'S BLESSING
By Baba's grace we should all be aware of this problem and work to solve it. The Ananda Marga arranged marriage system would help tremendously. The present-day libertine epidemic should not be a surprise to us. We should clearly understand what is at stake and side by side help society to improve.
Namaskar,
Liilavati & Mantreshvar
Note: SOCIETY BUILDING IN ANANDA MARGA
The Ananda Marga marriage system is for society building. Marriage is a means to raising a family; it is not just for sex. If children are not born and raised properly, then society itself will become aged and die; a healthy, new generation is always needed. That enables society to grow. The Ananda Marga marriage system focuses on the welfare of the child; children are not a mere by-product of lust etc. Our approach is that marriage is for the proper nurturing and growth of the child. So they develop into great citizens and sadhakas.
PRABHAT SAMGIITA
Intro to PS: In this song the devotee is innocently sharing his inner heart feeling about that most loving Entity, Parama Purusa. Yet, unbeknownst to
him, the very Personality whom the devotee is communicating with is none other than Parama Purusa Himself. So that is the unique aspect of this song.
"A'ma'r gopan kathá jene niyeche" (PS 1272)
Purport:
My Parama Purusa is my most close and most dear; He is surrounding me in all the ways; I remain under His eternal shelter. He understands all the vibrations of my mind, all the feelings of my heart - all my secret tales. He knows me inside and out; He is aware about everything.
He understands the pain and longing of my heart; He knows what is good for me and what is bad for me; what is for my welfare; and, what I should and should not do. All these things He understands well. Parama Purusa is my everything - He is my Guardian.
Indeed my entire existence is within the palm of His hand. He knows everything about me. Whatever I try hide to from Him cannot remain hidden for long; everything gets exposed. Because He is well aware about my situation. Whatever I think, He understands. Nothing can be hidden from Him. Everything is within His reach. He brings everything into the light of His awareness.
He resides in the depths of my heart. And by His remaining there, my whole being gets saturated by His divine presence. So He is my most dear One. In my inner-heart and inner-mind He whispers sweet, loving things into my ears.
Parama Purusa is living in my heart and He knows everything. Indeed He is more aware about my whole existence than I am myself. And He constantly guides me and keeps me under His loving care and shelter. In that way I am moving - I feel so blessed...
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