Prabhupāda: In our books there is no biography of anyone. That biography is not that you . . . we are interested in the philosophy.
Author: Well, I, erm . . .
Prabhupāda: If this . . . the philosophy, vijñāna. It is called vijñāna, science. If you want to know what is the science of this movement, we can spare day and night to convince you. But these are superficial. First of all we say that, "I am not . . . we are not this body." So why we shall be interested with the history of this body?
Author: Sir, I, with respect, I am now talking about offering some information about the movement, not on the movement's behalf and not for the movement's benefit, but to the general public. Now, among this information, a substantial proportion of this information will be about the movement's philosophy. I shall make an earnest, and I think . . .
Prabhupāda: That is nice.
Author: I shall make an earnest and I think intelligent effort to understand and then to communicate the movement's philosophy.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is . . .
Author: But I can assure you that it's also necessary to communicate something of the rather superficial aspects of the movement, which, I think I agree with you, are much less important than the philosophy. But it is also necessary to communicate these.
Prabhupāda: Now, our simple philosophy is that we are spirit soul. We are eternal. You are eternal. I am eternal. Everyone is eternal. We are changing our body, transmigrating from one body to another. And that means repetition of birth and death, but we are eternal. Why we are in such botheration of repetition of birth and death? Not only that; sometimes in some species of life, may be very high position, sometimes in low position.
Suppose somebody is American, and the next life, if he becomes a tree, if he becomes a dog . . . huh? He may become a demigod also. There is possibility. Just like in future you may be a very big journalist, very, I mean to say, educated man, but you may not be Australian. So there is big science in it, but people are not interested.
(break) . . . understand this movement thoroughly and take it seriously. It is for good welfare, for very good welfare. Now, in Europe, America, here also, so many frustrated young boys, they are coming to be practically of no value to the country. In America I see thousands of hippies, they are doing nothing. So what is the future of the country? If the flowers of the country, young boys, they do not take interest anything, in administration, in industry, then what is the future?
From economic point of view I have studied that America, for want of sufficient workers, they are importing goods from Japan. This is not very good sign. Why such a big country, American country, why they should import? But they are obliged to import. They have no workers. Japan's 75% business is done in America. We are not impractical. Because there are so many workers, but they refuse. In Central Park, it is full of rubbish things always. You go; it is a garbage. Why? There is no worker. And on the other side we see so many young men, they are not working, simply idling time.
So they do not tackle the real problem. The future is not very hopeful if things go on like this. So many young boys, they are doing nothing.
(aside) What is the percentage of hippies now in America? A very good percent. All the school, colleges. Here also in the university . . .
Devotee: All the university students.
Prabhupāda: They are all hippies. So what do we expect? They are taking education, and then, after taking education, they don't do anything. This is a problem. And so many illicit children, and the government has to supply them food, and the welfare, what is called? That welfare department?
Devotee: Social?
Prabhupāda: Social.
Devotee: Social service, social . . .
Prabhupāda: Social welfare.
Devotee (2): Social security, welfare.
Prabhupāda: Security. No, social welfare, that the girls are getting illicit children and the government has to supply food for them. Nobody is taking care of the girls, of the children. And government has to take. The responsibility is increasing, so many things, but this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement will solve all the questions. It is such a nice movement. It is a boon. So you study from that point of view and prepare. You are journalist, therefore I am talking so many things. This is good material for your writing. Practical.