Lord Krishna in the 21st Century
Chapter 15 - Water Water Everywhere
But Not A Drop To Drink
I heard that Shrila Prabhupada once said that a shrewd man enters like a needle and comes out like a plow. For many reasons this is a great strategy, but obviously we don't want to bite off more than we can chew. Furthermore, whatever we do in the form of disaster relief, we want to do in first class. After all, the whole world will be watching. Therefore, I like the approach of starting simple and once that is running smoothly, I like the idea of adding a mobile pizza truck.
This blueprint, then, is metamorphic in nature. In future years, Krishna Disaster Relief's profile will appear much broader. This will happen in stages as Krishna, the Greatest Hero, is gradually revealed.
I have given this chapter a lot of thought. Exactly what type of assistance should Krishna Disaster Relief provide the victims of Mother Nature's fury? I am mainly referring to Krishna Disaster Relief activities, here in America.
My first reaction to this question, especially after seeing the fantastic mobile kitchens belonging to the Salvation Army was to say, "Yes, this is what we need, too." A kind of Krishna, vegetarian on-wheels-program, deployed during disasters.
In fact, this is what Mr. Bobby Baines suggested to me. As I've already mentioned, during our meeting at the Denver Federal Center he said that there is presently no organization providing vegetarian meals to people during disasters. He told me that disaster-relief workers are encountering more and more vegetarians every year and that NVOAD would love to see Krishna Disaster Relief satisfy this urgent need. This was a real concern that he was trying to solve.
Mr. Baines certainly had a valid point and this was the focus of our initial meeting. Yes, providing vegetarian meals is in our blueprint; as quickly as possible. However, I only see this happening once a fully working model has been created and is working smoothly. As I see it, it's just a matter of time as we build up to that point. Not only do we want to set this as a goal, but we want to let FEMA, NVOAD and the American Red Cross know that we accept this challenge. This only makes sense: hot prasadam being served to disaster victims.
As I just said, this is a goal to work towards and there really isn't any deadline to meet. Rather, the question now is how to best achieve our goals and get a working model up and running? I believe the easiest way is to first concentrate on drinking water.
Again, I have given this considerable thought. This approach certainly has a lot of merit. Please allow me to explain.
Flood picture Ai generated by the Author
Bottled water photo taken by Ronald Boutelle
Photo taken by the Author
