A Repetitious Tragedy
Toronto, Ontario
Before the automobile the earth belonged to pedestrians. The planet was a relatively safe haven for humans to travel. Well, that is no more.
The twentieth century changed all of that. Imagine what it was prior! Regrettably we can not reverse the tide. We have become addicted, spoiled rotten by these Frankensteins we call automobiles.
It was with much shock and grief to hear the news of three competent and virtuous souls that lost their lives while in an automobile that collided with a semi-trailer near Jacksonville, Florida. I had known all three of them.
It was but less than a week ago that I had Yadupati, one of the victims, sitting right next to me in a popular park in Gainesville. I was leading the chant at the weekly organic farmer's market. Half of our group was sitting on the grass. Yadupati was playing the mrdunga drum very expertly and enjoying it. Next to him was Tim. Tim was dancing. He was full of life, absorbed in the euphoria of sound. That probably was his last kirtan chanting in public.
Lastly, Nitai, a resident of New Vrindavan, West Virginia, and who was an artistic graphic whiz also got caught under the much larger machine, the semi-trailer. Remembering him with a perpetual glow in his face and being generous with me, having done gratis some graphic work, it's painful to see the end of such a promising life. Nitai's wife, Mandali, I had also come to know, as a fashion designer who gave me tips on a costume for a drama production.
Life for these three above mentioned men has been terminated too early - in a flash at the mercy of ugly machines we have produced for ourselves.
Naturally my prayers go to them and their families and friends. This is an often repeated occurence - lives victimized in a car crash. It's sad and we all wish avoidable. Fortunately whatever devotions were sparked in their lives has the power to persist on into their next, so the Gita informs us.
Let's be cautious when driving. Avoid the automobile if you can. Live a clean life. Avoid intoxicants. Chant and prosper.
7 Km
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