We are all, by nature, active – we want the joy of doing
worthwhile things. But not all activity is equally worthwhile. So we strive for
not just activity but also productivity. From the industrial age onwards, we
have strived to maximize productivity by making various devices. Such devices
may help us do things faster and better or may even do mechanical work for us.
As we now move deeper into the Internet age, connectivity has become a prime
definer of progress. A place’s value is significantly shaped by its
connectivity. Activity, productivity and connectivity are all important. Yet
infatuation with them can blind us to the necessity of life’s spiritual side.
The Bhagavad-gita (13.09) characterizes knowledge in terms of the perspicacity
to perceive the universal and unavoidable problems of old age, disease, death
and rebirth. We can’t solve these problems by material progress, no matter how
dazzling; we need to raise our consciousness to the spiritual level and realize
our indestructible essence. Moreover, spiritual growth alone can provide us
deep inner fulfillment. If we neglect such growth for pursuing worldly
progress, we make ourselves prone to stress, depression and loneliness –
maladies that afflict today’s spiritually-alienated mainstream society. The
same Gita section (13.08-12) that lists the characteristics of knowledge
concludes the list by proclaiming (13.12) the primacy of spiritual knowledge
and the necessity of seeking ultimate truths. While striving for spiritual
growth, we don’t need to neglect or reject activity, productivity and
connectivity – we just need to prevent them from monopolizing our conceptions
of progress and success. By yogic practices such as scriptural study and
meditation, our consciousness expands beyond matter and connects with our
spiritual core and the supreme spiritual reality, Krishna. Thus, we find inner
fulfillment and attain an elevated spiritual consciousness that initially
tolerates and eventually transcends worldly miseries.
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