Inequality is a natural product of material society

When we talk about God as our creator, maintainer and provider, people scorn at the idea calling it primitive, unscientific and even dogmatic. In fact, people "hate" such talk in public.

In the past 200 years, say...since the beginning of industrialization, powerful leaders took upon themselves to lead the society and their respective countries to promising futures sustainable not only for them but for generations to come. Consumer capitalism (economy driven by market forces) was seen as an ideal strategy by leaders as it reinforced the idea of democracy, freedom and expression of individual creativity. In other words, every one begins with a level playing field to compete in this grand modern day race of "rising to the top" (economically, politically, and socially). America as a country captured the spirit of this ideology and led the world as the "Land of Opportunities".

Meanwhile, on my conversation about God, according to the Bhagavad Gita, a society without God in the center will disintegrate in time. The Gita states that any work done purely to satisfy one's self without Krishna or God is a cause of bondage and misery. The reasoning behind this is that God is the Master and we (living beings) are supposed to "cooperate" with one another to honor the Master. In this spirit of cooperation and honor, God nourishes our body, mind and soul.

Now, back to consumer capitalism, it is an economic model where the modus operandi is to "compete" and "not cooperate" to survive. Such competition can give rise to greed leading to suppression of the weak. As a result, today, more than ever, 4 out of 5 Americans are in poverty and top 1% of the population holds more money than all people put together. No more is it a level playing field where equal opportunities are promoted. The wealthy and powerful have a pole position. As a result the rest are left behind - the very backbone of democracy and freedom is put into question as a result of such lopsidedness.

Therefore we have to bring God back into society as the creator, maintainer and provider. By cooperating with one another in a mood of service and by putting God in the center we can practically realize a spiritual society free from inequalities.

 

Hare Krishna