How can we alert others to future dangers without discouraging them?

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So, in our daily life, how can we speak in a way that doesn’t discourage others? Sometimes we have to prompt them to think about the future and some problems or some dangers might be there which we have to be prepared for. Yes, there is a time and a place for everything. That means, if I am caught in the heat of action or I am already worried about something, generally there are three modes, goodness, passion and ignorance.
And in the modes of passion and ignorance, we can’t think very calmly. Generally, if you see there is a problem, the problem is out there, I am here. So, both the modes, lower modes, passion and ignorance, they cause us to estimate things wrongly.
In the mode of ignorance, I think, this problem is so big, I can’t do anything. So, in the mode of ignorance, we think nothing is in my control. And as we start feeling sorry for ourselves, we get into self-pity, paranoia, we say, I can’t do anything.
So, we feel nothing is in my control. In the mode of passion, we think everything is in my control. Any problem? No problem.
I will deal with it. So, we, in both cases, misestimate. In ignorance, we underestimate our capacities.
In passion, we overestimate our capacities. In the mode of goodness, we can estimate more precisely. This is my capacity, this is what is in my control, this is not in my control.
So, generally speaking, if we have to plan for future problems, that has to be done when we are in the mode of goodness. If we are in the mode of passion or we are in the mode of ignorance, then pointing to future problems doesn’t work. A person will just be dismissive over the problem, if they are in the mode of passion, no, I will deal with it.
That is not confidence, that is actually overconfidence. Because they are not really thinking clearly. Or if they are in the mode of ignorance, then that problem will just, okay, I will not do anything.
So, we have to see what is the mindset or the level of consciousness of a particular person and then speak with them at the right time. So, when they are in the mode of goodness, or maybe before that, before we bring up that particular issue, we talk with them in such a way that we help them to come to the mode of goodness. And when they are in a calm, reflective frame of mind, we address the issue.
So, we certainly have a duty to caution others and help them prepare for future dangers. And Sri Prabhupada himself did make a plan. In 1970s only, Prabhupada made a GBC, quite early, within a few years of the start of the Krishna Conscious Movement and that is how he planned the succession.
So, Prabhupada did prepare for that, no doubt. The point is that, in this particular situation, his point was that, the Indian culture was dying even in India and Prabhupada had gone single-handedly to America and he had spread the culture and thousands of people were becoming devotees and this reporter, instead of appreciating it all, was saying, you know, what about the future? So, in that particular situation, Prabhupada gave that answer. So, we have to see that in the mode of goodness, when the person will be able to access properly, then we speak the right thing.
We have to also, we just don’t have to speak the right thing, we also have to think of whether saying the right thing is going to have the right effect. And, of course, sometimes, despite our best efforts, it may have the wrong effect. But at least, we try to do our best so that the chances of it having the right effect are better.
If somebody has some faults, and you tell them those faults, if they are angry at that time, you tell them the faults, it’s only going to make things worse. So, we try to find the right time or the right way to speak the right thing so that they become aware of future dangers