There was no time in the history of computers when they have been used for better purposes than todays. Previously, a home computer was long time employed for entertainment, thus becoming a tool for a wasted life. Nowadays, under the restrictions imposed by the pandemic to social gatherings, more important or uplifting activities took shelter in the virtual space. Giving in this way to the computers an opportunity to nurture our higher nature. Lots of courses, webinars, spiritual classes or kirtanas made their way to the internet, like never before. In this way, computers proved their dual power: to take our lives over and render them futile, or to connect us to something real and bring true value to the time spent with them. This comes from their nature of being just a tool, which can be used either way.
The condition in which computers turn from a tool into the masters of our lives, rendering us illusioned and ignorant, is vividly illustrated in the famous movie "Matrix". In the beginning of the movie, an apocalyptic situation is presented: technology is at war with humanity. Technology is collecting the bioenergy of the human bodies, turning human beings into a kind of agricultural nourishing land. Almost bereft of their free will and power of thinking, humans are connected to the Matrix for their survival.
What is this Matrix? A prison of the mind, living in the virtual space with no connection to reality.
Three kinds of entities are there. The Agents are those interested in maintaining the illusion. The large mass of people are under the spell of ignorance. And a few who managed to free their minds from the Matrix and make it their mission to free humanity too. Morpheus, Neo and Trinity are representatives of the third category, who clearly see that people became oblivious to who they really are and take most of their mental forms from the Matrix. Coming out of the influence of the Matrix can be resembled to our spiritual awakening to our true identity as spirit souls and true goal in life. To what and whom we should really follow. Illusion or reality? To what should we nurture: our higher or our lower nature?
Like the computers, our mind is also a tool. It is a gate through which we can come out of ignorance and approach the Absolute Truth. In the same time, through our mind we can sink into ignorance, when we refuse to think and engage it in an uplifting, spiritual way.
The fast pace of our lives leads to the distraction of our attention from ourselves, our goals and from the reality of the world we live in. A distracted attention makes us fail to be present in our spiritual activities, even while we do them. Vyavasayatmika buddhir, a resolute purpose in Krishna consciousness is based on knowledge, Srila Prabhupada comments in Bhagavad-gita (2.41). It requires us to keep our mind conscious of our spiritual reality in the very present moment.
In the movie, Morpheus gives the same advice: free your mind! Overcome the mental forms coming from the Matrix and place yourself in a higher spot from which everything is understood differently.
Neo is the one chosen to take up the mission of bringing the truth to humanity. Anyone who ever acted as a preacher, book distributor knows what it means to give Krishna Consciousness to general people. Some are ready to wake up from ignorance, others not. Like Neo, one may feel that "you've got the gift, but it seems that you are waiting for something" (as he is told by the Oracle). One has got the gift of Krishna consciousness. In the same time, one has to overcome the external Agents of illusion, who put stumbling blocks on the path of those trying to bring the Absolute Truth to others. But, most of all, one has to overcome the internal Agents: comfort, selfishness, distraction, fear, lack of compassion, conformism to the "Matrix" of illusion.
One can take every component of one's life and ask oneself: is this something I really need, or is it just the result of some external influence? Some of our desires we can easily discard as they are superficial and external, others are important for us and those we need to address.
Preaching Lord Caitanya's mission is one of the most uplifting activities we can do. It is meant for advancement both of the devotees and people in general. And it is mostly beneficial for the preacher. Especially that while preaching one can not be distracted. While preaching our mind has to turn to Krishna, it has no choice. Remembering Krishna intensely in this way makes us immediately feel uplifted and enthusiastic. One can quickly get by that a sense that Lord Caitanya is pleased with this service. Simultaneously, one gets the taste of doing more of it and engaging one's best abilities in the service.
Of course, the path doesn't go smoothly all the time.
In the movie, Neo is betrayed by Cypher. Cypher has got all the knowledge, but he chooses ignorance, for, as he says, "ignorance is bliss". We can ask ourselves how many times we betrayed our real goals in life by unclear thinking, laziness, or doubts, just for being, for those moments at least, small Cyphers succumbing to the so-called bliss of ignorance. Still, Neo gets help too. The moment Neo is apparently defeated, Trinity steps in. Wise Trinity is a constant support for Neo. Her love gives him strength to emerge from the worst moments. So, a new Neo is born, who feels he has the full capacity to go on with his mission.
When we lose track of time with the superficial activities computers invite us to, we allow the "Matrix" of the mode of ignorance to take grip on us in the name of its shallow bliss. Happiness in the mode of goodness is also bliss, but it is that kind of happiness which inspires us to awaken to self-realization. If we live superficially, we will find ourselves in weak situations, controlled by our dependency to computers and materialistic life, like those people whose energy was exploited by technology in the "Matrix" movie. There, computers artificially took the position of humans, while human beings were degraded to the position of dependent slaves. In the same time, if we lead a valuable life, aware of our higher identity as eternal spirit souls, we will develop a proper discrimination which will never allow us to become degraded by a mere material tool.
We may be small and prone to come under the influence of the material nature and its tricky tools. In spite of that, we are superior to matter, meant to serve the Supreme Lord Krishna, the Absolute Truth. To free our minds from the Matrix of materialism and ignorance we can always ask ourselves if things which make our lives fulfill a real need of ours, or are just artificially imposed on us by an external influence?
Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=93822
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