Page 27 - MTYOI - Eng

A Message to the Youth of India 5

for most remains a daily struggle for survival. Far from
enjoying the luxury portrayed in cinemas and on TV,
the majority of Indians still struggle to procure basic
food, clothing, and shelter. Crores continue to live in
poverty, with perhaps a few electronic gadgets meant to
keep them happy.
Nevertheless, hope prevails, and “Change!
Change! Change!” is the order of the day. Everything
alters so rapidly that we are left mentally breathless,
unable to imagine what will come next. There is no time
to consider whether the changes are for better or for
worse—although in terms of actual human happiness
and higher values they are clearly mostly for worse.
Perhaps more than anywhere else, in India the constant
materialistic propaganda from the mass media has made
people lusty, greedy, and nasty, with an overwhelming
trend toward petty selfishness.
The break from conservatism is most clearly
expressed in the quest for sex, which has become
ridiculously overstressed, particularly via movies and
modern Western-style music. Today’s youth have
unprecedented scope for indulging in sex, but that has
not made them happy. Pristine Indian culture teaches
the virtues of moderation and self-control, and the
perils of excessively emphasizing sex. Sex may seem
like harmless pleasure, but if indulged in illicitly (i.e.,
outside of marriage, or in perverted ways) it creates
innumerable problems both for the involved individuals