Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:37:01 -0500
To: am-global@earthlink.net
Subject: Dropping Snakes in Others' Houses
From: CJ Deva
Baba
Namaskar,
In this first portion of the 21st century, we are seeing the tremendous rise of pseudo-culture around the globe. In each and every country it is more apparent and more pervasive.
This is the urgent call of the hour to address this matter directly lest we allow this dark force to seep deeper into our communities.
From nude films to cigarettes, from junk food to internet porn, from liquor to cartoons, from toys to video games. All these types of pseudo-culture is whirling around the globe at an ultra-fast pace.
But, each country is not producing its own pseudo-culture. Rather the western capitalistic powers are creating the bulk of the pseudo-culture and spreading it all around the globe-- profiting from it the whole way through.
And it is the so-called third-world countries that suffer most.
Because already the west has been dealing with pseudo-culture for a while so they have learned to protect their citizens from it, to some degree. They issue sanctions, laws, rules, and inspection policies that limit the effect of pseudo-culture of its population, especially the children. For example, it is quite difficult for a 15 year-old to get alcohol in the USA as there are strict laws in place prohibiting this from happening.
Whereas in the the "third-world" nations, pseudo-culture is just one unrestricted fancy. One reason is that they think everything coming from the west is great, therefore they are soaking up western pseudo-culture as fast as they can-- and they are suffering all the more from it.
That is why many are saying that by exporting their pseudo-culture around the globe, the western nations like the US are placing snakes in others' houses.
At the same time it is not that no evils from the third-world touch the western nations. For example, hashish from Afghanistan, cocaine and poppy from Columbia, and sex tapes from Thailand, spill daily into the US etc. But still the large majority of pseudo-culture is sent from Hollywood, Miami, NY, and Seattle to all around the globe.
Here then is a bit of a closer look at how it is happening. Please also write in with your experiences of how this is occurring.
1. Internet: The west-invented internet is a great tool but we all know there is a huge amount of junk and garbage floating around on it. To protect themselves, there are a huge amount of laws and child-safety policies in the US regarding using the internet. There are so many parental features and controls for limiting their children's exposure to the internet, such as which sites they are allowed to visit or not. And it does not stop there. If a business executive visits a porn-site in the privacy of his own office then it may cost him his job. That is how strict the rules are in the US.
In contrast, in places like India, Internet cafes are the rage and young kids are basically free to see and do what they like. That is why if one enters an Internet cafe in Delhi, Bihar, Chennai, or Bombay, often there is a long list of porn sites that have been visited by the previous user. And not only that, but these cafes have private view rooms where teenagers often go in order to view x-rated sex sites with out being disturbed.
Here the point is not that countries like Thailand, India, Brazil, and South Africa do not protect their children at all. Just for various reasons, they have not been able to put in place all the many, many safety measures that the US and England may employ.
This is primarily because places like the US and western Europe have already suffered from the ill-effects of pseudo-culture whereas in places like the Philippines and China, it may be a newly found western fancy. And western capitalistic corporations are hungry to impose their pseudo-culture machinery o the unsuspecting masses of such "developing nations".
2. Perhaps the most clear-cut case in all of this is cigarettes. In the US, cigarettes are basically looked upon as an evil. At this point, there is no smoking on airplanes, in restaurants, at work, etc. Indeed, in nearly every public venue cigarette smoking has been banned. Some US cities have virtually outlawed it. So now the US cigarette manufacturers have just set their sights elsewhere such as the "third world" where cigarette smoking is allowed just about anywhere and where any under-aged kid can pick up a pack of smokes. And all the while in these third world nations, cigarettes are looked upon as something very 'American' and very glamorous.
3. Here is another example: Junk Food. The US has been producing and selling junk food for decades. And certainly the US diet is not very good. But even then, now in school cafeterias they severely limit how much junk food is available to the kids. Soda pop, chips, and chocolate bars are being taken out of the schools and being replaced by fruits, yogurt, and juice. Plus adults are warned about cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, cancer, obesity etc. How far the people listen is their own choice, but the US ships these items to the developing world without even one syllable of warning about the dangers of these foods. And in their desire to become 'American', the citizens of many 'developing nations' get totally duped and just gobble up all the US products.
4. And the list goes on and on from nudity on television to toy safety and everything in between. In all such cases western nations like the US have strict guidelines about such items whereas in the numerous eastern nations-- due to capitalist propaganda-- all the pseudo-culture of the west is available to everyone 24/7.
5. Then of course there is the case of medicine. All the various medicines that have been outdated or rejected in the US are then shipped all around the globe for use in 'developing nations'. And the masses of those places innocently think that all medicines from the US are panaceas, when in fact such medicines invite so many diseases and syndromes.
So in this era of rampant pseudo-culture, the US is the leader in exporting their junk to other nations in order to earn a huge profit; but on their own shores the US government and so many watch-dog groups are careful to monitor how such pseudo-culture is to be used within the US. That is the outrageous scene going on these days.
So for starters, as margiis-- as a global family-- we should be aware of this trend and not get drowned in the propaganda and use of American pseudo-culture, or any pseudo-culture. Because as bad as the US corporations may be in distributing pseudo-culture, today around the globe there are so many negative agents popping up everywhere. So at this point, where there is a dirty mind, there is the spread of crude pseudo-culture-- all done so someone can make a buck and at the expense and well-being of the general citizens. So as Ananda Margiis we must be aware about this and warn others as well.
And at the same time, rallies must be held and articles must be written to awaken the people and apply pressure on all governments so as not to let pseudo-culture go unchecked. This then is just a short introductory letter into what is a massive global issue. Everyone should write in with their thoughts and ideas.
Baba says, "This exploitation in the cultural sphere is accomplished by the propagation of pseudo-culture. Every honest, virtuous, rational person must fight against this pseudo-culture, and inspire others to do the same. If this is not done, the future of humanity will be sealed. It is proper for human beings to struggle for political freedom, for social emancipation; but if their cultural backbone is broken, then all their struggles will end in nothing – like offering ghee into a fire that has died out."
"If one’s spine is shattered, it is impossible to hold one’s head erect. Can those whose necks and backs are crushed under the weight of pseudo-culture, be expected to hold their heads high in any sphere of life? Hence it is the bounden duty of every rational person to save innocent people from pseudo-culture." (NH-LOI, Disc:7)
So by all of the above it is clear we have to take action against this pseudo-culture because it is no different from dropping a snake in someone else's house.
By Baba's grace, a new code of ethics based on AM ideals will lead the humanity out of the mire of degrading vices like pseudo-culture and enable that sentient human society to be built.
Baba says, "The application of Neo-ethics will lead to multi-lateral salvation of human society by removing economic exploitation, political suppression, religious indoctrination, cultural imposition and social subordination." (MVNS)
Namaskar,
Cinmay
To: am-global@earthlink.net
Subject: Dropping Snakes in Others' Houses
From: CJ Deva
Baba
== DROPPING SNAKES IN OTHERS' HOUSE ==
Namaskar,
In this first portion of the 21st century, we are seeing the tremendous rise of pseudo-culture around the globe. In each and every country it is more apparent and more pervasive.
This is the urgent call of the hour to address this matter directly lest we allow this dark force to seep deeper into our communities.
From nude films to cigarettes, from junk food to internet porn, from liquor to cartoons, from toys to video games. All these types of pseudo-culture is whirling around the globe at an ultra-fast pace.
But, each country is not producing its own pseudo-culture. Rather the western capitalistic powers are creating the bulk of the pseudo-culture and spreading it all around the globe-- profiting from it the whole way through.
And it is the so-called third-world countries that suffer most.
Because already the west has been dealing with pseudo-culture for a while so they have learned to protect their citizens from it, to some degree. They issue sanctions, laws, rules, and inspection policies that limit the effect of pseudo-culture of its population, especially the children. For example, it is quite difficult for a 15 year-old to get alcohol in the USA as there are strict laws in place prohibiting this from happening.
Whereas in the the "third-world" nations, pseudo-culture is just one unrestricted fancy. One reason is that they think everything coming from the west is great, therefore they are soaking up western pseudo-culture as fast as they can-- and they are suffering all the more from it.
That is why many are saying that by exporting their pseudo-culture around the globe, the western nations like the US are placing snakes in others' houses.
At the same time it is not that no evils from the third-world touch the western nations. For example, hashish from Afghanistan, cocaine and poppy from Columbia, and sex tapes from Thailand, spill daily into the US etc. But still the large majority of pseudo-culture is sent from Hollywood, Miami, NY, and Seattle to all around the globe.
EXPORTING PSEUDO-CULTURE AROUND THE GLOBE
Here then is a bit of a closer look at how it is happening. Please also write in with your experiences of how this is occurring.
CRUDE INTERNET SITES
1. Internet: The west-invented internet is a great tool but we all know there is a huge amount of junk and garbage floating around on it. To protect themselves, there are a huge amount of laws and child-safety policies in the US regarding using the internet. There are so many parental features and controls for limiting their children's exposure to the internet, such as which sites they are allowed to visit or not. And it does not stop there. If a business executive visits a porn-site in the privacy of his own office then it may cost him his job. That is how strict the rules are in the US.
In contrast, in places like India, Internet cafes are the rage and young kids are basically free to see and do what they like. That is why if one enters an Internet cafe in Delhi, Bihar, Chennai, or Bombay, often there is a long list of porn sites that have been visited by the previous user. And not only that, but these cafes have private view rooms where teenagers often go in order to view x-rated sex sites with out being disturbed.
Here the point is not that countries like Thailand, India, Brazil, and South Africa do not protect their children at all. Just for various reasons, they have not been able to put in place all the many, many safety measures that the US and England may employ.
This is primarily because places like the US and western Europe have already suffered from the ill-effects of pseudo-culture whereas in places like the Philippines and China, it may be a newly found western fancy. And western capitalistic corporations are hungry to impose their pseudo-culture machinery o the unsuspecting masses of such "developing nations".
GLAMOROUS CIGARETTES
2. Perhaps the most clear-cut case in all of this is cigarettes. In the US, cigarettes are basically looked upon as an evil. At this point, there is no smoking on airplanes, in restaurants, at work, etc. Indeed, in nearly every public venue cigarette smoking has been banned. Some US cities have virtually outlawed it. So now the US cigarette manufacturers have just set their sights elsewhere such as the "third world" where cigarette smoking is allowed just about anywhere and where any under-aged kid can pick up a pack of smokes. And all the while in these third world nations, cigarettes are looked upon as something very 'American' and very glamorous.
TASTY JUNK FOOD
3. Here is another example: Junk Food. The US has been producing and selling junk food for decades. And certainly the US diet is not very good. But even then, now in school cafeterias they severely limit how much junk food is available to the kids. Soda pop, chips, and chocolate bars are being taken out of the schools and being replaced by fruits, yogurt, and juice. Plus adults are warned about cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, cancer, obesity etc. How far the people listen is their own choice, but the US ships these items to the developing world without even one syllable of warning about the dangers of these foods. And in their desire to become 'American', the citizens of many 'developing nations' get totally duped and just gobble up all the US products.
FROM A TO Z
4. And the list goes on and on from nudity on television to toy safety and everything in between. In all such cases western nations like the US have strict guidelines about such items whereas in the numerous eastern nations-- due to capitalist propaganda-- all the pseudo-culture of the west is available to everyone 24/7.
EVEN THE FIELD OF MEDICINE
5. Then of course there is the case of medicine. All the various medicines that have been outdated or rejected in the US are then shipped all around the globe for use in 'developing nations'. And the masses of those places innocently think that all medicines from the US are panaceas, when in fact such medicines invite so many diseases and syndromes.
THE HYPOCRISY OF IT ALL
So in this era of rampant pseudo-culture, the US is the leader in exporting their junk to other nations in order to earn a huge profit; but on their own shores the US government and so many watch-dog groups are careful to monitor how such pseudo-culture is to be used within the US. That is the outrageous scene going on these days.
WARNINGS NEEDED
So for starters, as margiis-- as a global family-- we should be aware of this trend and not get drowned in the propaganda and use of American pseudo-culture, or any pseudo-culture. Because as bad as the US corporations may be in distributing pseudo-culture, today around the globe there are so many negative agents popping up everywhere. So at this point, where there is a dirty mind, there is the spread of crude pseudo-culture-- all done so someone can make a buck and at the expense and well-being of the general citizens. So as Ananda Margiis we must be aware about this and warn others as well.
And at the same time, rallies must be held and articles must be written to awaken the people and apply pressure on all governments so as not to let pseudo-culture go unchecked. This then is just a short introductory letter into what is a massive global issue. Everyone should write in with their thoughts and ideas.
Baba says, "This exploitation in the cultural sphere is accomplished by the propagation of pseudo-culture. Every honest, virtuous, rational person must fight against this pseudo-culture, and inspire others to do the same. If this is not done, the future of humanity will be sealed. It is proper for human beings to struggle for political freedom, for social emancipation; but if their cultural backbone is broken, then all their struggles will end in nothing – like offering ghee into a fire that has died out."
"If one’s spine is shattered, it is impossible to hold one’s head erect. Can those whose necks and backs are crushed under the weight of pseudo-culture, be expected to hold their heads high in any sphere of life? Hence it is the bounden duty of every rational person to save innocent people from pseudo-culture." (NH-LOI, Disc:7)
So by all of the above it is clear we have to take action against this pseudo-culture because it is no different from dropping a snake in someone else's house.
BABA'S BLESSING
By Baba's grace, a new code of ethics based on AM ideals will lead the humanity out of the mire of degrading vices like pseudo-culture and enable that sentient human society to be built.
Baba says, "The application of Neo-ethics will lead to multi-lateral salvation of human society by removing economic exploitation, political suppression, religious indoctrination, cultural imposition and social subordination." (MVNS)
Namaskar,
Cinmay
PRABHAT SAMGIITA
PS Intro: In this following song, the devotee is indirectly
referring to his own situation with the Lord.
"Hiya'r gahane ba'rek jadi ta'ka'o..." (P.S. 860)
Purport:
Baba, if You look deep towards Your heart, even once. Then You can see that one very little small heart is remaining there. Do You want to stay oblivious to that? Do You want to keep yourself forgetful? You don't want to see that heart is lying in the corner of Your mind, in the distance, in an uncared way?
Baba, thinking about Your tales, my days are passing. When I think about old memories, my heart longs for You in an unbounded, overflowing way. About that, if You want to forget, that little heart can bear that pain, also. By Your grace, that neglected heart is ready to bear the situation. Only to please You.
In the life of that very unit mind, all the six seasons come and go. Spring also bursts forth, full of flowers and fragrance. It covers the whole existence. But in spite of all these things, in the life of one, only sadness is there. He is floating in tears of melancholy in Your longing. All his smile, lost in the ocean of misery. Baba, if You have a fraction of time then please look into Your mind and see one neglected heart, is waiting for Your response...
"Hiya'r gahane ba'rek jadi ta'ka'o..." (P.S. 860)
Purport:
Baba, if You look deep towards Your heart, even once. Then You can see that one very little small heart is remaining there. Do You want to stay oblivious to that? Do You want to keep yourself forgetful? You don't want to see that heart is lying in the corner of Your mind, in the distance, in an uncared way?
Baba, thinking about Your tales, my days are passing. When I think about old memories, my heart longs for You in an unbounded, overflowing way. About that, if You want to forget, that little heart can bear that pain, also. By Your grace, that neglected heart is ready to bear the situation. Only to please You.
In the life of that very unit mind, all the six seasons come and go. Spring also bursts forth, full of flowers and fragrance. It covers the whole existence. But in spite of all these things, in the life of one, only sadness is there. He is floating in tears of melancholy in Your longing. All his smile, lost in the ocean of misery. Baba, if You have a fraction of time then please look into Your mind and see one neglected heart, is waiting for Your response...
***************************************
Request to Parama Purus'a
Baba says, "There is no need for devotees to request like this from Parama Purusa, 'O Lord grant me liberation, grant me salvation.' There is no need to make such a request. Let Parama Purusa decide. You need not to ask. Only this much you can say, 'O Parama Purusa in this world You are very busy and involved in various types of tiring work. How long will You be burdened and engaged alone in doing all these works. O' Parama Purusa, please keep me in this world to execute Your tasks. You are so much tired from doing these various types of projects, how long You will go on doing these works all by Yourself. Please give me some share so that I can participate along with You. Give me even a little something to do and I will do that. O' Parama Purusa please also give me strength. I am ready to fulfill Your desire and execute Your task'. This type of request devotees should make with Parama Purusa." (SS-16 (H), p. 84, DMC Agra 19 Feb 84)
***************************************
Request to Parama Purus'a
Baba says, "There is no need for devotees to request like this from Parama Purusa, 'O Lord grant me liberation, grant me salvation.' There is no need to make such a request. Let Parama Purusa decide. You need not to ask. Only this much you can say, 'O Parama Purusa in this world You are very busy and involved in various types of tiring work. How long will You be burdened and engaged alone in doing all these works. O' Parama Purusa, please keep me in this world to execute Your tasks. You are so much tired from doing these various types of projects, how long You will go on doing these works all by Yourself. Please give me some share so that I can participate along with You. Give me even a little something to do and I will do that. O' Parama Purusa please also give me strength. I am ready to fulfill Your desire and execute Your task'. This type of request devotees should make with Parama Purusa." (SS-16 (H), p. 84, DMC Agra 19 Feb 84)
***************************************
