A long time ago there was a book or article written by devotees that had a similar title: "Please Don't Lump Us In". The basic reason was because the general public was calling the Hare Krishna movement a cult and literally lumping it in with every other cult springing up across the country, and there were a lot at that time.
I think it's a great title and an even greater concept.
It's a problem that I have come across as an individual person within the larger "lump" of the society of Krishna consciousness.
Group consciousness and group acceptance is certainly good and a needed thing, but it can be carried to extremes that do not promote the growth of the individual. When individuals within a group are not personally growing, no matter how much group consciousness there is, the group gradually dies.
I personally have experienced extremes of both things, being accepted and part of the group, and being rejected and outside the group.
Being rejected by the group is a very powerful experience and something I would recommend to everyone. When you are alone and no one is paying the slightest bit of attention to what you are doing, saying, thinking, or becoming, you have to become one thing: your own person.
You find your way in the dark, so to speak, or in my case, literally. I have actually practiced literally walking alone in the dark in deserted (but sanely safe) areas, such as the long stretches of beach on the gulf coast of Florida. I have taken many other walks alone with darkness, this is just one simple example.
Being alone there, in the middle of the night, with nothing but the darkness and faced with your own limited mortality, is scorching. With that experience I also found a much greater power, the power and protection of God.
Now today, at the age of nearly 52, after having first become a devotee when I was 13 years old, I have walked many paths, and experienced many things first hand. That does not mean I don't want to learn, or feel I have nothing to learn. It does mean that I have a mind of my own and I am not inclined to argue my truth with others.
Discussion is a nice thing, and leads to growth and understanding and community. When that discussion degenerates into arguments and being forced to defend the things that I'm trying to say, that's when it has lost it's value and integrity.
Unless someone is only quoting scripture, then their "voice" is just one voice among many. My voice is only that, my voice. It is me, speaking my truth, what is true for me. Anyone is free to agree or disagree, accept or reject. That is their choice.
Having to adjust my voice, my truth, in a way that does not come naturally, because of being challenged or argued with does not promote personal growth. It does not allow for individuality. It does not allow for free will, or choice.
Individuality, free will, choice, and doing things out of the desire to do them, rather than being forced (i.e. coerced, influenced, pressured, etc.) is one of the most basic, fundamental aspects of Krishna consciousness.
I am not "one of a mass" of persons, a nameless "lump" of conglomerate experience. Nor do I wish to become one. I do not say that I represent some "final authority" on anything except my own understanding and my own experience. That is all I wish to express, or intend to express.
If I want to express pure Krishna consciousness, then I will post a quote from Srila Prabhupada, who does it perfectly.
Everything else is subjective understanding, coming from an individual: myself. It is also up to other individuals to make their own choices as to what they find meaningful. We each walk a different path in this lifetime. We are not all the same, in the same place, at the same time, needing the same things, or any other "mass consciousness" concept.
This is a text message I sent to my son today:
"This way of not allowing for individual voice, and the almost forced group consciousness is exactly what is driving me away. I have no need or desire to 'blend' into a unity that other's find acceptable. What's "acceptable" is always in flux, and I won't live my life according to someone else's social approval system".
I'm not saying this is done by everyone, everywhere within the movement, but I do see it a lot on the internet. On some websites, I see a devotee will write a certain thing, nicely, and 30 people post various "arguments" from scripture or their own understanding to contest it. It makes me sad to see that. I think to myself, well, at least let them say what they are trying to say, if you don't agree, fine, if you do, fine, but what is the point of this endless arguing about it?
None of us are "lumps" of conglomerate unity.
We can all find a thousand ways to quote scripture to prove nearly any point of view we wish to highlight.
Respect for the group starts with respect for the individuals that make up the group. Respect of the group from the outside will not happen without respect for the individuals of the group from the inside.
Note:
*Because I have been writing on Krishna.com, "connect" for the past year, I want to specify that I am not addressing any problem with the website or authorities of Krishna.com. With them, I have found acceptance and allowance for personal voice. I am talking about a general concept that is expressed by individuals, in greater or lesser degrees, depending on the individual.
~
