View source for I tend to approach from the other side and ask "Who am I?" and "What is this thing that I call myself?"

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"I tend to approach from the other side and ask"|"What is this thing that I call myself"|"Who am I"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Marc}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|02Aug11}}
{{last|02Aug11}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=1|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Questions asked to Srila Prabhupada]]
[[Category:Questions asked to SP... 1975]]
</div>
<div id="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="section" sec_index="5" parent="compilation" text="Conversations and Morning Walks"><h2>Conversations and Morning Walks</h2>
</div>
<div id="1975_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="sub_section" sec_index="8" parent="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" text="1975 Conversations and Morning Walks"><h3>1975 Conversations and Morning Walks</h3>
</div>
<div id="RoomConversationwithCarolCameronMay91975Perth_0" class="quote" parent="1975_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" book="Con" index="64" link="Room Conversation with Carol Cameron -- May 9, 1975, Perth" link_text="Room Conversation with Carol Cameron -- May 9, 1975, Perth">
<div class="heading">It is everyone's problem. I don't want something, but something is enforced upon me. Just like you are now a young girl. You do not like to be old woman. But you will have to become old woman.
</div>
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Room Conversation with Carol Cameron -- May 9, 1975, Perth|Room Conversation with Carol Cameron -- May 9, 1975, Perth]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Carol: In the bhakti way of doing things, this emotion and love are very closely entwined, aren't they?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. That is higher stage. Not in the beginning. In the beginning devotion means I should be devoted to you. Why should I be devoted to you unless you are worthy? Just like Kṛṣṇa says, "You surrender unto Me." So unless I understand that Kṛṣṇa is worth for my surrendering, He is worthy, why shall I surrender to Kṛṣṇa? If I demand, immediately you have come, that you surrender. Would you like to do that?</p>
<p>Carol: To surrender?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: If I ask you that you surrender. I am meeting you for the first time. Would you like to surrender?</p>
<p>Carol: Yes.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: I don't think. (laughter)</p>
<p>Carol: To want to and to do it is different.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: No, unless you are fully aware of my abilities, qualities, why should you surrender? (indistinct) So, before surrendering, one has to study the person where he is going to surrender. Then he surrenders. That is real surrender. And blindly surrender, that will not stay. So, our first business is to surrender to God; therefore we must know what is God. Then you must surrender. And, the emotion is good. That means you are advanced. If you understand that God is giving us everything. So, that emotion is very good. If one from the very beginning becomes emotional, "Oh, God is so kind. God is so great, that He is giving us everything, our necessities. I must serve Him." This emotion is very good. But for ordinary man, this emotion does not come. He wants to study what is God. Then when he fully understands, "Oh, God is so great." Then that emotion is very nice. That is genuine emotion. Otherwise emotion is sentiment. That will not stay. That will not endure. It is temporary.</p>
<p>Carol: Would the intellect be helpful in knowing God?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. Unless you have got the necessary intellect, then you are no better than the animals. The animals have no intellect to understand God, but the human being has got that intellect. That is the distinction between animal and human being. (break) Sleeping, the human being also sleeps; they also sleep. Then sex enjoyment: the human being also enjoy, and the animals also enjoy. And protection from fear or becoming fearful—the human being is also fearful and arranges for protection, and the animal also does. So far the primary necessities of life, that is equal in animal and human being. But the human being has a special intellect developed than the animals that he can understand what he is, what is God, what is this cosmic manifestation, and what is the aim of life, how we should conduct. These things are prerogatives for the human being. The animals have no such prerogative. So if we do not utilize these special intellectual activities, then we remain animal. We do not make any development. So at the present moment they are improving the method of primary necessities of life—eating, sleeping, mating and defending. They are thinking the dog is eating on the floor; if we can eat on table, chair and nice dish, that is advancement of civilization. They are thinking like that. The dog is sleeping on the floor, and if we sleep in very nice apartment, very decorated, that is advancement of civilization. The dog is having sexual intercourse on the street without any shame, and we are also coming to that point already. And if we have sex intercourse in the name of love and so on, so on, that is advancement. And dog is defending with his jaws and nails and teeth, you are defending with atomic bomb, therefore we are advanced. But they have forgotten that the human being has got this special intellect to understand God. That they are not doing. Just like you are going to be a doctor in anthropology. Is it not?</p>
<p>Carol: Yes.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Where is the sense of God there?</p>
<p>Carol: I only do it for a living. The other side of me is something...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: No. I mean to say the anthropology it is a big scientific department. Where is the understanding of God there?</p>
<p>Carol: I find it difficult to reconcile the love of God with actually doing something like this.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Then how you are going to speculate on anthropology?</p>
<p>Carol: Hmm.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: If you cannot adjust, how you are wasting your time in the science, anthropology? It is a false science.</p>
<p>Carol: I'm waiting to be led into something which is good.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: There is no meaning.</p>
<p>Carol: Yes. You can only decide in...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: The whole theory, Darwin's theory, is a false theory. It has no sound background. He says it is theory. Theory is not science. I can propose some theory, "It is like that." But that is not science. Science means observation and experiment. That is science. You observe how the rules are working, and when you practically bring them into experiment, then it is science. If you simply theorize, that is not science. Mental speculation. It has no benefit. You can speculate, constructing a castle in the air. That is not a very good thing. You should present something which will benefit the people, and practical. That is science.</p>
<p>Carol: Do you think it is possible to live in say an education framework, or should it be something quite separate?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Education, if it is not for the benefit of the people, then what is the use of such education? That is not a good education. Education means something which will benefit the mass of people. That is education. To enlighten them to do something better. That is education. And this whole Darwin's theory is false. But people are giving too much stress. First of all, anyone, even Darwin, he's not independent. Just like Darwin has died. So, he is under the control of something higher. Nobody wants to die, but he is forced to die. Is it not? Then where is his independence?</p>
<p>Carol: That is the illusion.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Hmm?</p>
<p>Amogha: She says that is the illusion of independence.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda:? Yes, so if you simply in illusion you live, then where is your education? If you remain in darkness, then where is your education? Illusion means darkness. So if you are in darkness, now what is your education? And where is your philosophy?</p>
<p>Carol: The only way to remove this darkness is through love. Is this what you are saying?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Love is far away. First of all you be educated.</p>
<p>Carol: How? In what way?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Education means right knowledge. Right knowledge. Just like, everyone wants to live. Nobody wants to die. So, the enquiry should be that "I do not wish to die. Why death is forced upon me?" What is that force? What is the nature of that force? If I submit, "Yes, the force is there," then where is my knowledge? I do not wish to die. So why death is forced upon me? Nobody wants miserable condition of life, but miserable condition of life is enforced upon me. So this should be first of all enquired, that I do not want these things, and who is enforcing upon me these things? This is the first enquiry, philosophical.</p>
<p>Carol: I tend to approach from the other side and ask "Who am I?" and "What is this thing that I call myself?"</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: It is everyone's problem. I don't want something, but something is enforced upon me. Just like you are now a young girl. You do not like to be old woman. But you will have to become old woman.</p>
<p>Carol: Become?</p>
<p>Amogha: Old woman.</p>
<p>Carol: Oh, yes. Hmm.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Nature will force you that after forty years of age you must become old, and you must not remain so beautiful. This is forced. But no one wants that. No woman wants that "I shall look not beautiful and my flesh should be flabby and no more luster. I don't want all these things." Why it is forced?</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>