Q: A sannyasi leader in a temple states that probability is a bogus concept. He says we cannot predict exactly so we have devised the concept of probability.
A: So since he is not bogus, why does he not predict exactly what the stock market is going to do tomorrow?
Q: I don’t know if he can predict, but is probability bogus?
A: This is the problem- people are illiterate or ignorant or both. Give them a math problem on probability that kids in high school can solve, and they probably won’t be able to solve it. But they have no problem pontificating on things they know nothing about.
There are things that are not predictable like the stock market, but which could in principle be predictable if we had all the information we needed. Things are not truly or inherently random in the classical world. But at the quantum level, the behavior of photons, for example, is inherently random.
Q: How do we know this.
A: For this, you have to study quantum mechanics. See this paper for an example of research in this area.
Q: The sannyasi says that Vaisnavas should have three kids.
A: Why?
Q: To grow the Vaisnava population.
A: Has the sannyasi had any kids? No. What does he know about raising children? The parents’ should have kids that they can reasonably take responsibility for. In today’s chaotic world, one has to be careful, otherwise one can harm the kids’ education and future.
Q: He says kids should be brought up on farms. They should be taught to do basket weaving, pottery, agriculture etc. Practical skills. He says we should make our own soap and clothes, live on a farm, cook in clay pots.
A: Well, let him live like that first. Does he live on a farm? Does he weave baskets? Does he till the land with bulls? Does he make his own soap and clothes? Has he ever cooked in a clay pot even once?
Q: No. He lives in a bungalow in front of the temple in a city.
A: So what about math and science? Should kids get educated in them?
Q: He does not directly say ‘no’. But he is not in favor of anything outside village life. He wants us to raise kids in villages like the tenth canto. If there is a city, it should be a city in Dwaraka, not today. There should be a temple in the center.
A: He wants the life of a village, but won’t do it himself. That is telling. He wants others’ kids to live like that. This fellow is harmful to kids.
Q: He says electricity is the root cause of all problems in modern society.
A: Does he use phones and computers, or no?
Q: Yes he uses them all day.
A: So they run on electricity. Why don’t people ask him about that.
Q: They believe him that there is a problem in our philosophy. The problem is that we are not having Vrindavan type village. City, industry, modern lifestyle — these are responsible for lack of progress of Bhakti in devotees.
A: When these leaders make such pronouncements, always check: 1) do they walk the talk? 2) have they actually advanced in bhakti due to their methods? Does this person have direct experience of Bhagavan? If not, why should anyone take advice from him on how to raise kids? What to teach or not teach kids? Did you come to bhakti to manufacture your own soap? Is that a good use of your time? Should kids be deprived of math and science education? And even if he had experience of Bhagavan, does that make him qualified to give advice to others on parenting? Would such a person be arrogant enough to try and control others like this?
Q: It makes sense to me at one level that having farm communities will help us in bhakti. Living like we did in Vrindavan.
A: So who is stopping you? Go to Vrindavan, live on the outskirts. People still live in thatched mud huts, there are many villages there. But should you sacrifice children for it? When they grow up, are they going to thank you for depriving them of a proper education? Kids should get the best of both worlds – education in science, technology, language, arts, and education in sastra.
Q: He definitely thinks science is demoniac. Industrialization is demoniac.
A: Science has taught us about the natural world. It is a product of the natural curiosity of human minds. The high school student of today knows more about how the world works than all the intelligent minds of all the people on earth that were living even more than two hundred years ago. Is it better to be ignorant or to be in knowledge? Is being ignorant saintly, and being in knowledge, demoniac?
Industrialization has created problems, no question, but it has also solved problems – such as hunger, transportation, medicine and so on. Knowledge breeds action. If you know about the photoelectric effect, then you are bound to try and harness it to make solar panels and digital cameras.
Q: So we should not aspire for village life in the tenth canto?
A: There is a time for everything. This time is different. That time is different. Today, for survival, one needs to earn and for earning, one needs an education in the modern context. Beyond that, it is our moral obligation to give children knowledge about the world and not keep them in ignorance.
If you drop out of society, do it on your own choice, but you have no right to hurt a child. Let the child get both types of education and then decide when he/she grows up, what the child wants to do of their own volition.
One should also consider that for preachers, like this sannyasi, controlling people under them is critical. The sannyasi does not give a whit, in my view, about the kids or others. He wants to be ‘unique’ or ‘different’ so people will listen to him, nod their heads, and do what he wants them to do. This is all about control over others. It happens in cults in India all the time. Bhakti is not a call for mindless following of others. There is a high chance of abuse when there is mindless following.
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