 intimates metaphorically that the targets for materialists and spiritualists differ drastically: materialists strive to control the outer world; spiritualists, the inner world.
Materialists develop technology to control the outer world because they presume that the outer world is the source of happiness. However, happiness is essentially an inner state. That state is often disrupted by outer disturbance but is not necessarily created by gaining outer control. For example, not getting food on time troubles us, but getting food on time doesn't make us happy; it just removes the negative feeling of hunger temporarily.
This principle applies to all forms of outer control, no matter how sophisticated the technology. A dysfunctional internet connection troubles us, but a functional connection -- even a superfast connection -- doesn't make us happy.)
Based on Bhagavad Gita Chapter 02, Text 69
Cellphones, internet, robots — the technological advances in our society are impressive. Yet they haven’t made people happier, as the rising statistics of stress and depression demonstrate.
What might have gone wrong?
Might our exclusive focus on material progress be like hitting the bull’s eye of the wrong target?
The Bhagavad-gita (02.69) intimates metaphorically that the targets for materialists and spiritualists differ drastically: materialists strive to control the outer world; spiritualists, the inner world.
Materialists develop technology to control the outer world because they presume that the outer world is the source of happiness. However, happiness is essentially an inner state. That state is often disrupted by outer disturbance but is not necessarily created by gaining outer control. For example, not getting food on time troubles us, but getting food on time doesn’t make us happy; it just removes the negative feeling of hunger temporarily.
This principle applies to all forms of outer control, no matter how sophisticated the technology. A dysfunctional internet connection troubles us, but a functional connection — even a superfast connection — doesn’t make us happy.
