[At the time of publishing this article on this
website, there are massive evacuations taking place in Cancun and
Yucatan peninsula in anticipation of the impending onslaught of
Hurricane Wilma. Moreover, since the writing of this article, Hurricane
Rita followed close on the heels of Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans
was flooded once more; hundreds of thousands of people fled from
Galveston, Houston and coastal areas in Texas and Louisiana, converting
the highways and expressways into parking lots stretching hundreds of
miles. This was shortly followed by a devastating earthquake hit
Pakistan and India, killing an estimated 50,000 or more people.]
While we are
hearing about the people in New Orleans being evacuated from their
homes and at the same time in California the victims of wildfire being
evacuated from their homes without more than a moment's notice, we
wonder when it will be our turn for Mandatory Evacuation. Now the
people who are still there waiting it out in their flooded homes are
going to be told that they must leave. The government is ordering
everyone to leave the city. It was described by a newscaster that these
people don't want to leave, because this is all they have known and
once they get on that bus, they aren't sure if they will ever be able
to come back. They are forced to leave.
Disaster
strikes at any moment. Two years ago wildfire in San Diego County
forced many to evacuate their homes and towns, all their belongings
were lost in the fire, a few people died in the fires, which raged for
days out of control. Last year the tsumani came without warning and
dragged many people out of their beds into the ocean. Even now, nine
months later, their lives are still affected and the towns are in ruin.
Most people feel safe in their homes, never imagining that disaster may
strike at any moment. Many people may live a very safe life, as my
grandmother who lived to be 100 and never have to face disaster during
their lives. However the time death comes and then one must leave at a
moment's notice, 'Ready or Not', off we go.
Mandatory
Evacuation means you must leave, it is required. Many people are
leaving everything they ever knew behind, their house, belongings, the
neighborhoods and town and cities, never to return. So we see how we
can compare this to the time of death, when everything we have know in
this lifetime, families, friends, loved ones, house and home are all
going to be taken away. That is our Mandatory Evacuation. No one can
escape this Mandatory Evacuation.
However Srila
Prabhupada teaches us that we can escape this Mandatory Evacuation, by
chanting the Hare Krsna Maha-mantra. Then at the time of death we no
longer identify with this temporary home (the body), but with the
eternal spirit soul, our true selves. Then we can leave this body and
go back home to the spiritual world.
Hare
Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
