This conversation between Srila Prabhupada and some journalists took place in London, England, on August 18, 1971.
Srila Prabhupada: Now India is faced with so many problems
on account of imitating Western civilization.
Guest: Not simply because of the increased population?
Srila Prabhupada: There is no question of increased population.
This idea, I say always, is foolishness.
Guest: Foolishness?
Srila Prabhupada: The birds and beasts are also increasing
their population. Who is giving their food? There are 8,400,000
species of life. Out of that, 8,000,000 species are other than
human beings, and 400,000 species are human beings. out of that,
the civilized persons are very few. And all the problems are in
the so-called civilized population.
We know that God is the original father. He is supplying maintenance
for everyone. If there is increase of population, God has enough
resources to feed them. It is not a problem of increasing population
but of demonic civilization.
Journalist: I was going to ask you about that - civilization.
Srila Prabhupada: The demonic civilization - not increasing
population - is creating the problem. So far as I have studied,
in America, in Africa, and in Australia there is so much vacant
space that if the present population of the world were increased
ten times there would still be enough food.
Journalist: You think there's enough food?
Srila Prabhupada: There are enough provisions. But we have
made artificial divisions. "This is America." The Americans
went from Europe and illegally occupied America. Now they won't
allow anyone to come there. Similarly, the Australians wont' allow
anyone to come there. The same with New Zealand, Africa. Why?
Our philosophy is that everything belongs to God and we are all
sons of God. everyone has got the right to live at the cost of
God.
Journalist: But the values of Western civilization have...
Srila Prabhupada: Western civilization created the artificial
idea that "this is Aftica, this is America, this is Europe."
Journalist: Therefore that has made living as children
of God impossible.
Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Because the one son of God is not
allowing the other son to come in. He hasn't got the right to
forbid. Say your father has ten sons. So all the ten sons have
the right to use the property of the father. That is the law.
Similarly, all the living entities - not only human beings but
birds, animals - all of them have the right to use the property
of God. This is called spiritual, or transcendental, communism.
According to Vedic civilization, a householder has to see that
even a lizard in the room has his food. A householder would stand
on the street, and before taking his food, he would say loudly,
"If anyone is hungry, please come. I have food." And
if there is no response, then he takes.
Journalist: That's a very difficult doctrine for many people
in civilization.
Srila Prabhupada: But that is real civilization. In animal
civilization, as soon as one dog comes, another dog barks, "Yow!
Yow! Yow! Why are you coming?" Just like there, and everywhere,
the immigration department is asking, "Oh, how long will
you stay?" Why should they ask that? A human being is coming.
In Vedic civilization, even if an enemy comes to your home you
receive him with such friendliness that he forgets that you are
his enemy.
Journalist: But it must be very difficult for you to preach
these values.
Srila Prabhupada: It is difficult because this civilization
is demonic. India welcomed everyone, but the result was they were
occupied. Your English people were welcomed. Lord Clive was welcomed,
but he intrigued to occupy India. And his statue is worshiped
here in London. But what was his credit? He made an intrigue -
he illegally entered India and made an occupation. That is Western
civilization.
Journalist: That's really what I was going to ask. You
must find life very difficult preaching values of brotherhood
in present day society.
Srila Prabhupada: Brotherhood is natural. In a family of
ten sons, natually they are brothers. But one son is intriguing
how to take the whole property. That is going on. That is demonic.
Journalist: How do you stop that?
Srila Prabhupada: By Krsna consciousness. As soon as you
are educated that God is one - the Father is one - and we are
all sons, then the whole solution is made.