Lord Krishna in the 21st Century
Chapter 8 - The Big Easy Chair
I mentioned in chapter 2 that the goal is to get people to stop in the first place so that they can experience what devotees have to offer them. This can be quite a challenge, especially in today's world.
I remember the first time I ever saw Hare Krishna devotees. That was in 1969 and I had been drafted into the Air Force. I was stationed in Denver, Colorado and was enjoying the day off, exploring the downtown area when I spotted a rather odd looking group of men and women singing and dancing in front of a department store. They were brightly dressed and as I walked by, one of the ladies handed me a magazine and asked for a donation. I also remember how later that day when I had to pass by again, I purposely stayed on the other side of the street.
With the likes of people like me to reach, devotees definitely have their work cut out for them. Again, my book is a blueprint on how to easily give humanity the opportunity “to appreciate” Lord Krsna. This is an opportunity to begin their spiritual life; an opportunity to be especially kind to people when they most need it and at the same time participate in the fulfillment our spiritual master's great mission; an opportunity to fulfill Shrila Prabhupada's dream.
But again, let us not forget that Prabhupada had "a global vision" and he wanted “everybody in the world” to appreciate Lord Krshna. Therefore, how do we best participate and achieve such a broad endeavor? How do we reach so many people in such a significant way?
Granted, there are so many preaching programs, such as Kalachandji’s Restaurant in Dallas that fosters the public's appreciation for devotees. So yes, all these various programs are praiseworthy and should be continued. However, there are differences because when you compare the success of a local restaurant to having Krishna Disaster Relief featured as a nationwide story on Fox News, the difference is obvious.
Because of the tremendous impact that I personally witnessed with both Govinda's Restaurant in St. Louis and Kalachandji's Restaurant in Dallas, opening a Hare Krishna restaurant should never be discouraged and many of its customers will eventually come to greatly "appreciate" Lord Krishna and the devotees. The proof of this is that once my proposal for Kalachandji’s Restaurant was approved and built, the residents of Dallas, on two different occasions, voted Kalachandji’s, not only the best vegetarian restaurant in Dallas, but recently, simply the best overall restaurant in all of Dallas. Now you are reading about my vision of Krishna Disaster Relief.
As I have mentioned, what you are look at here is a blueprint. Furthermore, I am saying that the strategy in this book is to "reach the entire world” in the very place that they are most receptive, right in their living rooms while they are sitting in their big easy chairs doing what they enjoy the most: watching television!
Note: This image is Ai created by the author
As an added bonus to this plan, simultaneously our disaster-relief efforts will reach them via the Internet, various social media platforms, radio, magazines, in their hometown newspaper, Facebook; Telegram, TikTok, talk-radio, podcasts, X, etc.
A legitimate question may be asked: "How could anyone afford to purchase such massive advertisement?" This is a good question. After all, imagine if a company invented a candy bar and wanted worldwide advertisement for their new product via television, Internet, newspaper, magazine and radio. Who could spend that much money? But the good news is that Krishna Disaster Relief can get all this advertisement absolutely free. And I am speaking about prime time, first-class advertisement, and broadcast simultaneously by more than just one news source.
Furthermore, this free, attention-grabbing advertisement will be provided over and over to Krishna Disaster Relief for an indefinite period of time. There will also be significant stories about Krishna Disaster Relief spilling over into all the major media outlets; not only about current disaster-relief efforts but also "general-interest stories" such as you see on “Good Morning America” and “Fox & Friends.”
As you now know, this book is about disaster relief and Krishna Disaster Relief's role in it. You may have never thought about this before, especially in the context of devotional service or how to use Krishna Disaster Relief to make Shrila Prabhupada's dream come true. The following chapters will explain how all this works.