Finding the Cure for Today's Social Ills
169
bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yā'ra janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra  [Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi 9.41]
Anyone who has taken birth in India should make his life perfect by becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious. Then he should distribute Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world.
Lieutenant Mozee:  Sir, there is a Christian parable that says it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to come before the throne of God. Do you think the wealth of the United States and other Western countries is a block to spiritual faith?
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  Yes. Too much wealth is a block. Kṛṣṇa states in the  Bhagavad-gītā  [2.44]:
bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānām tayāpahṛta-cetasām vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ samādhau na vidhīyate
If one is materially very opulent, he forgets God. Therefore too much material wealth is a disqualification for understanding God. Although there is no absolute law that only the poor man can understand God, generally if one is extraordinarily rich, his only ambition is to acquire money, and it is difficult for him to understand spiritual teachings.
Lieutenant Mozee:  In America, those who belong to the Christian faith also believe these things. I don't see any vast differences between the spiritual beliefs of one religious group and another.
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  Yes, the essence of all religion is the same. Our proposal is that whatever religious system one follows, he should try to understand God and love Him. If you are a Christian, we do not say, "That is no good; you must become like us." Our proposition is that whether you are a Christian, Muslim, or Hindu, simply try to understand God and love Him.
Lieutenant Mozee:  If I could return to my original purpose for coming, might I ask what advice you could give to assist us in reducing crime? I recognize that the first and foremost way would be a return to God, as you say—there's no doubt about that—but is there something that we could immediately do to diminish this spreading criminal mentality?
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  Yes. As I've already outlined in the beginning of our