Going beyond war and suffering July 20, 2025 – Posted in: Articles

“War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing.” So sang Edwin Starr back in 1970, when the US was embroiled in the Vietnam conflict. Sadly, his impassioned message seems to have fallen on deaf ears, as we have seen one war after another since then. Hundreds of thousands have died and continue to do so. It is painfully tragic seeing the images of the victims, just going about their lives, and suddenly caught up in a fearful conflagration.

So, what do Krishna’s teachings have to offer as solutions to these terrible events? Well, the first and perhaps most important message from Krishna, found in the Bhagavad-Gita, is that we don’t belong in this world. We are eternal beings meant to be in the eternal atmosphere, where death and suffering are entirely absent. Conversely, Krishna describes this world as temporary and full of misery. That is surely self-evident. Even if we somehow manage to avoid the worst of it, we must inevitably face old age, disease and death. And for most of us, there are numerous difficulties along the way.

What, then, are we doing here? More importantly, how do we get out? Such deep philosophical questions are precisely what we should be asking, according to Krishna. Anything else is pretty much tantamount to arranging deck chairs on the Titanic, as they say. Whatever material progress we make will be destroyed by time, along with us. You cannot find permanent happiness in temporary things, which include the very body we inhabit.

The solution to this conundrum is there for those willing to undergo the learning process that Krishna teaches in the Gita. As Christ said, “Seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened.” It all begins with recognising our eternality, that we are something different from the body we inhabit. Again, this should be evident. The body changes, but we remain the same person. As I reach old age, I feel exactly as I did when I was a youth, internally, at least, although my body is not the force it once was. Along with everything around me, it is in constant flux. I look at a picture of myself as a three-year-old and wonder where that body went. It exists now only in photos, but I am still here, soldiering on. I am something quite apart from all the different bodies I have occupied. Therefore, says Krishna, when the body dies, you continue to exist. You cannot be destroyed. You will get another body, as you have done countless times before.

This might be some comfort for those facing the imminent possibility of bodily destruction, but the real lesson is to recognise what real happiness is. Gratifying bodily demands cannot satisfy us, the spiritual being. We are part of something far greater, of the Supreme Spirit, who is full of bliss. Somehow, we have forgotten that truth and have become disconnected, vainly striving to be happy in this mortal realm of misery. And as this realm is one of limited resources, our struggles to exploit and enjoy it will inevitably clash with those of others. Hence our wars.

Let us stop for a moment, then, and consider the bigger picture. Ask the big questions and put a permanent end to all our suffering.