Free from Anxieties

San Francisco Chronicle - November 19, 2006 - by LAWRENCE DILLER, M.D. - Don't Drug Them

Parents' obsession with their children's self-esteem plus profit-driven diagnoses create a dangerous prescription.

... ADHD has become the ubiquitous way we view problems of children's behavior and performance. While the Centers for Disease Control report 2.5 million children take a medication for ADHD, most research epidemiologists say the number is closer to 4 million. A more precise gauge comes from a medication insurance clearinghouse report that shows nearly 1 in 10 11-year-old white boys is currently treated with a stimulant such as Ritalin.

The amount of legal stimulants used as medication and produced in our country has grown 2,000 percent in the last 15 years. Data from the U.N. Narcotics Control Commission has been consistent over the years: The United States consumes 80 percent of the world's legal stimulant drugs (this does not include our use of illegal stimulants like cocaine or methamphetamine).

More parents, teachers and doctors are ready to accept a biological explanation (an ADHD diagnosis) and a medical treatment for children's underperformance at school, where children are being asked to learn more at an earlier age. With more two-parent working families, parents have less time to spend with their kids, either for monitoring homework or having fun.

Our discipline practices have changed. We put forth much more effort in talking to our kids about bad behavior before we take action (a style poorly suited for the hyperactive mind).

Money also plays an important role. Insurance companies reward doctors more for brief "med checks" than longer talking sessions. The doctors make more money by prescribing and the drug companies make money, too.

Indeed, the single biggest influence on the way we think about our kids' problems may be the power the drug companies have on the doctors' behavior, medical research and teaching (mostly funded these days by drug companies), and advertising directed to the consumer (parents and teachers)... full story

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The other side of madness
Conversation with Kim Cornish, May 8, 1975, Perth, Australia

Education Missing the Point

Enough School Already—I'm Ready to Learn Something Useful by Hansadutta das

The result is that we are getting a population of children who have no aim in life, because they don't know what they are, they don't know where they are going, they don't know what's to be done, and they are being forced to spend year after year after year [in school], from the age of 5 or 6 until at least 18—and that's just preliminary; you can't do anything profitable with that education. more

Kim: One more question. What do you think of the use of drugs as an aid?

Prabhupada: Drugs? That is another side of madness. Just like, human being, after the evolution of 8 million forms of bodies, he comes to human body to understand philosophy, these Vedas. So instead of utilizing life for that purpose, he wants to become again like the cats and dogs, and therefore he takes drugs. He is already cat and dog. He's no better than cats and dogs, because he has no interest in this knowledge. He was meant for this knowledge but he remains like cats and dogs, therefore he is not satisfied, therefore he takes drugs to forget himself. This is the philosophy of drugs. He was meant for becoming satisfied by taking this knowledge. He does not get the chance. Nobody leads him to this knowledge. He remains like cats and dogs, but as a human being if he lives like cats and dogs, he'll never be happy. Because there is no happiness, therefore he takes drugs, to forget. This is the drug philosophy. Drug philosophy means to forget one's present suffering. He must suffer, because his consciousness is developed. He must take this Vedic knowledge, but he does not take. Therefore he is dissatisfied, and to counteract the dissatisfaction he takes drugs. This is drug philosophy.

Kim: Perhaps often it is that, but...

Prabhupada: Not perhaps. There is no question of perhaps. We want to speak factually.

Kim: But Patanjali says that siddhis, powers, can be produced by drugs, so perhaps...

Prabhupada: Drugs are meant for medicinal purposes, not for drinking or taking generally. Every herb, every vegetable, is a drug meant for curing a particular disease. This is nature's gift. Just like if you cut your finger, you take little grass and take a little juice and apply it. It will act as tincturizing, immediately. They are meant for this purpose. These vegetable, drugs, are meant for when you are sick or disturbed, you can utilize. Not for intoxication. Just like opium. If you have severe type of dysentery, diarrhea, a little opium it will immediately cure. But opium is not meant for using as an intoxication. There is use of opium. Morphia, opium, they have got use at a certain time, not for using it for intoxication. That is foolish.

Amogha: Srila Prabhupada, can drugs sometimes be used to help us for spiritual realization?

Prabhupada: No. That is nonsense. Spiritual realization means knowledge. Not to become intoxicated. The spiritual... Just like this is spiritual knowledge. So what the intoxicated person will understand? Even a sane man cannot understand. Then how he will understand in intoxication? It is foolishness. They are suffering material pangs. By taking drugs the suffering is forgotten, and he is thinking that is the solution. Spiritual means negation of material distress. So he is always suffering from material distress. By taking drug, temporarily he forgets it. Therefore he misunderstands "This is spiritual." That's not spiritual. Then committing suicide is also spiritual? One man is suffering, and the suffering is so great he cannot tolerate, therefore he sometimes commits suicide. Is that committing suicide spiritual? Spiritual means negation of material distresses, that's a fact. But that is a different thing. When you come to the spiritual platform, not by artificially forgetting your material suffering. That is not spiritual.

Vaikuntha, where there is no anxiety
Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 10.2-3, New York, January 1, 1967

God realization begins from the tongue. Therefore the tongue's function is to eat and to vibrate sound. So these two processes, vibration of Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare and eating Krishna-prasada. You cannot allow your tongue to taste anything and everything. If you can control your tongue for eating Krishna-prasada and if you engage your tongue in vibrating the transcendental sound Hare Krishna, then sevonmukhe hi jihvadau [Brahma-samhita 1.2.234].

By this submissive process that "I surrender my tongue to the Supreme Personality of Godhead," then by controlling the tongue, you controlling all other senses. You go to a straight line from the tongue to the down, all senses will be controlled. And if you cannot control your tongue, then you cannot control your senses.

So the first and foremost thing is that you control your tongue. Don't allow your tongue to taste everything and anything. Krishna has given us so many nice preparations. Day before yesterday we were present here. We had feasting. Everybody had tasted. So many nice things we have got. Krishna bario doyamoy, koribare jihwa jay, swa-prasad-anna dilo bhai. Our tongue is very fastidious. He wants to taste this, taste this, taste this. But Krishna is so kind that He gives us varieties of prasadam so you can taste them, you can satisfy your desire at the same time you become spiritually advanced. This is a nice process.

It is not that in this association you have to do this. You can learn this art, and you can have it in your home. You can also prepare such preparation, nice preparation, at your home, offer to Krishna. That is not very difficult. We every day prepare and offer to Krishna and chant the mantra:

namo brahmanya-devaya
go-brahmana-hitaya cha
jagad-dhitaya krishnaya
govindaya namo namah

That's all. It is not very hard. Everyone can prepare the foodstuff and offer to Krishna and then take it, and then with family members or with friends you can sit down and chant before the picture of Krishna:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare

and live a pure life. Just see the result. If every home, every person, takes to this principle of understanding Krishna, it will become... The whole world will become Vaikuntha. Vaikuntha means where there is no anxiety. Vaikuntha. Vai means without, and kuntha means anxiety. This world is full of anxiety. Sada samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat [Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.5]. Because we have accepted this temporary existence of material life, therefore we are always encumbered with anxiety. Just the opposite thing is there in the spiritual world, where the planets are called Vaikuntha. Vaikuntha means without anxiety.

We want to be free from anxieties. Everyone is trying to get himself free from anxieties, but he does not know how to get out of this anxiety. This taking shelter of intoxication is no use to get oneself free from anxieties. It is a drug. It is oblivion. Sometimes, for sometimes we forget everything, but again when you come to your consciousness the same anxieties and same thing are there. So this will not help you.

If you want to be free from anxieties and if you want actually life eternal with bliss and knowledge, then this is the process. This is the process. You have to understand Krishna.