View source for 'Back to nature' means first of all your nature is different from others' nature. An animal can lie down anywhere on the street. Can you do that?

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<div id="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="section" sec_index="5" parent="compilation" text="Conversations and Morning Walks"><h2>Conversations and Morning Walks</h2>
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<div id="1972_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="sub_section" sec_index="5" parent="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" text="1972 Conversations and Morning Walks"><h3>1972 Conversations and Morning Walks</h3>
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<div id="RoomConversationJune141972LosAngeles_0" class="quote" parent="1972_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" book="Con" index="24" link="Room Conversation -- June 14, 1972, Los Angeles" link_text="Room Conversation -- June 14, 1972, Los Angeles">
<div class="heading">"Back to nature" means first of all your nature is different from other's nature. An animal can lie down anywhere on the street. Can you do that? So how can man go back to nature like that? A dog lying down on the street... Here, of course, every dog has got a master. In India there are many dogs, they haven't got master, so they are eating anywhere or lying. But you cannot do so.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Room Conversation -- June 14, 1972, Los Angeles|Room Conversation -- June 14, 1972, Los Angeles]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: If the ultimate goal is to become animal, so that is artificial. So a human being desiring to become animal must be worse than animal, because animal has got some...</p>
<p>Marilyn: Has got some...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: ...routine work.</p>
<p>Ātreya Ṛṣi: Because ah...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Just like cats and dogs. They have sexual desire in certain period of the year. But a man, although he is trying to be animal, but he has no restriction. He has sexual desire anytime. Therefore he is worse than animal.</p>
<p>Ātreya Ṛṣi: Man eats and kills everything.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes.</p>
<p>Ātreya Ṛṣi: The animals kill just their own quota.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. So therefore, if a man wants to become animal, he becomes worse than animal. A tiger, a tiger eats meat and he has got equipments in his body, what is called, nails, teeth, immediately pounce upon any animal and kills and eats. But a man cannot do that, but his teeth is different, he has no nails; therefore he has to kill animal in different way, by slaughterhouse. So he is worse than animal. You kill one animal for your eating purpose, that is one thing, but if you keep slaughterhouse for business, then you are more (indistinct). Therefore for a human being to try to become animal is worse than the animals, because... Just like you are now grown up. If you imitate that "I want to become child, so I enter anyone's house," the law will not allow you. And if you say that "My philosophy is to become a child; therefore I enter this man's house," the law will say, "All right, first of all you'll be punished." (laughter) You cannot say that. Because you are grown up you cannot act as a child. Similarly, because you are human being, if you act as an animal you'll be responsible for your acts. And you'll be punished if you do something wrong. You cannot say, "No, I have made my philosophy to become a child." That may be your personal philosophy, but law will not allow you. Ignorance is no excuse. (long pause) It has become a philosophy now to become like animals.</p>
<p>Devotee (1): They say "Back to nature."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: "Back to nature" means first of all your nature is different from other's nature. An animal can lie down anywhere on the street. Can you do that? So how can man go back to nature like that? A dog lying down on the street... Here, of course, every dog has got a master. In India there are many dogs, they haven't got master, so they are eating anywhere or lying. But you cannot do so. If you lie down on the street at night, perhaps you'll be arrested. Is it not?</p>
<p>Devotee (1): Yes.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Neither you can do so. You must have an apartment. Maybe less costly apartment, but because you are a human being you must have an apartment. So how you can go to the nature? Even the ṛṣis used to live in the jungle, they had a cottage, not like animals. They had hermitage cottage to live. Just like Rūpa Goswāmī's picture. You have seen?</p>
<p>Devotee (1): Yes.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: So they left their luxuriant residence as ministers. But when they went to Vṛndāvana, they had a cottage.</p>
<p>Devotee (1): I think the impulse is more or less a reaction to their alienation for material life. They feel so alienated from artificial material life that they think maybe, that simply more..., they think animalistic would be more desirable.</p>
<p>Ātreya Ṛṣi: The inclination may be right, but the spiritual education is lacking. They don't have the teacher.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes.</p>
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