Sanatan Weekly Online
Issue No. 282 · July 3, 2005
Editor: Mr. Pruthviraj Purushottam Hajare

Articles

Need For Spirituality

Common Misconceptions

Principles of Spirituality

Did You Know?

Clarification of Doubts

Messages to Seekers

Children's Corner

Spiritual Experiences

Implied Meaning

Concepts of the Science of Spirituality

 
Need For Spirituality
Spirituality to eliminate the drug menace

    Sydney, Australia – In 2001, a local TV news show reported that Cabramatta, a suburb, is a hub of drug-related crimes. The news reported that residents of Cabramatta, tired of witnessing all sorts of drug dealings and crimes in the neighborhood on a daily basis, want the suburb to be safe, and free of drugs and crime. It also reported the complaints of Sydney residents that they cannot even go to buy petrol in Cabramatta without being harassed to buy drugs. It was alleged that often when drug-related crimes are taking place, witnesses have called the police only to find the police arriving at the crime scene too late! The news show interviewed the police commissioner of New South Wales State, in charge of the Cabramatta suburb, who acknowledged that the police need to be at the crime scene earlier than they have been. He also reiterated the need to send arrested drug-dealers on to a jail term, saying that: “Arresting people does not stop them from wanting drugs. If we’re going to arrest them, they need to go to jail.” According to Dr. Richard Basham, a crime expert interviewed on the show, the drug-problem in Cabramatta is not just its residents’ problem, but the problem of Australia itself, as the menace is spreading fast throughout the country.

    The growing drug menace indicates the drug users’ desperate search for happiness even through harmful means. This is an indicator of the profound unhappiness and lack of satisfaction in the apparently affluent. This sorry state of affairs is due to an overall decline in spiritual practice in society, which alone can bring lasting happiness. When the problem’s root cause is subtle, namely, a decline in spiritual practice leading to a rise in raja-tama and distressing energies, efforts at the gross level like jailing the drug-dealers and drug-users, would have to be complemented by spiritual means, specifically, increasing spiritual practice in society.

    The spiritual practice of chanting*, being simple enough to facilitate rapid spiritual progress, not only gives one divine protection from unforeseen crimes, but also is extremely effective in overcoming existing addictions. Educating others about the role of spiritual factors in major problems, and about the benefits of spiritual practice, would increase spiritual practice in society, thereby reducing overall raja-tama and distressing energies, and consequently, harmful trends in society.
- Editor.

*If one is not currently doing any spiritual practice, or to complement one's current spiritual practice, one can begin with the simple, but powerful spiritual practice of chanting or constantly remembering God's Name according to one's religion. Chanting also acts as a useful complement to any spiritual path one may be already following. It is a practice recommended for the current times by Holy texts and Saints of all religions.

  • Seekers in the initial stages of spiritual practice (less than one year) can repeat The Name of the Lord as per their religion (refer to Issue 3 Clarification of Doubts section for details).

  • Seekers who have been doing regular spiritual practice for over a year or so can determine the appropriate chant for them from the experiment given in Issue 124, Message to Seekers section.
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