Once upon a time (not fairy-tale time, but real time), human beings spent their entire day just trying to stay alive. Fetching water, gathering food, keeping wild animals away, and avoiding being eaten by either nature or their neighbor. Fast forward to today, and the biggest decision many people face in the morning is which oat milk goes better with their imported matcha.
Thanks to technology, the average person has a roof, food, clothes, and YouTube. So, what does he do with all this free time? Enroll in spiritual practice and self-inquiry? Meditate under a tree like the rishis of yore? Not quite. He starts arguments online, doom-scrolls for hours, dumps garbage in the ocean, chokes the air with smoke, and makes other people's lives miserable — all before lunch.
So, what went wrong?
A Life Without Purpose Is a Recipe for Trouble
Modern man has forgotten the idea of dharma — righteous duty. With basic needs met, he mistakenly believes his work on Earth is done. But in the absence of a higher purpose, time becomes a dangerous thing. An idle mind, as they say, is not just the devil's workshop — it’s the whole industrial estate.
The ancient Hindu way of life didn’t glorify busyness for its own sake but taught purposeful living through the four Purusharthas: Dharma (duty), Artha (wealth), Kama (desires), and Moksha (liberation). The irony? Today, man has all the Artha and Kama and absolutely no idea about Dharma or Moksha. That’s like buying all the ingredients for a feast and forgetting to turn on the stove.
Too Much Comfort, Too Little Clarity
When Arjuna stood confused in the battlefield, Lord Krishna didn’t say, “Just relax, take a break, and binge-watch something.” Instead, he delivered the Gita — the most profound user manual for life. The lesson? Life’s purpose is not to escape struggle but to find meaning through it.
Today, with nothing urgent to strive for, man creates struggle for the sake of it. “Let me comment on this stranger’s post at 2 AM,” or “Let’s buy things I don’t need to impress people I don’t like.” This isn’t modernity. This is spiritual bankruptcy.
When Simplicity Becomes Boring
Our ancestors revered nature — rivers were goddesses, trees were sages, and animals were companions of deities. But modern man, in his free time, throws plastic in sacred rivers and kills trees to build concrete boxes — then adds a fake indoor plant to feel “zen.”
The Taittiriya Upanishad says:
"Satyam vada, dharmam chara."
"Speak the truth. Walk the path of righteousness."
Yet, in an age of filters and facades, truth is optional, and dharma is dismissed as outdated. Simplicity, once the foundation of spiritual practice, is now seen as “boring.” We’ve traded soul for spectacle.
Spiritual Bandwidth Is Shrinking
Let’s face it — modern man’s spiritual bandwidth is worse than rural internet. We sit for five minutes to meditate, but check our phone ten times during it. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali define yoga as:
"Yogah chitta vritti nirodhah"
(Yoga Sutra 1.2)
"Yoga is the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind."
But who wants stillness when you can have 5G?
Modern Man, Ancient Solution
The solution is not to renounce technology, wealth, or comfort. Hinduism never demonized material progress. It only warned against attachment. Krishna Himself says:
"Yuktahara viharasya yukta chestasya karmasu..."
(Bhagavad Gita 6.17)
"He who is moderate in eating, recreation, sleep, and work, can mitigate all sorrows through yoga."
The key word here? Moderation.
Reclaiming Time Through Purpose
The abundance of time is not the problem. The misuse of time is. The challenge of our age is not scarcity, but meaninglessness. Instead of worshipping the next gadget, man must turn inward.
Spend that spare time in seva (service), satsang (spiritual company), or svadhyaya (self-study). Replace the late-night scrolling with early-morning silence. It’s hard at first — but so is every gym session that builds strength.
Final Thought: Laugh, But Reflect
Modern man is like a millionaire who doesn't know he's rich. With spiritual heritage at his feet, he chooses distraction over devotion. The sages didn’t meditate for WiFi. They connected to a different kind of network — one that never disconnects.
So yes, have your oat milk. But maybe, just maybe — read a good thought with it. That’s a scroll worth your time.