## Illusionary Progress Mauritius, October 3, 1975 - Morning Walk **Illusiory progress...simple agrarian life-oppressive factory life** **Prabhupāda:** **Simply a little high standard of living, and they think this is advancement.** And the Western civilization is influencing all other parts of the world in that way—"Improve the standard of living." There is no improvement, but it is *māyā*; they are thinking, "This is improvement." **Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa:** Progress. **Prabhupāda:** Progress, yes. **The progress is that they have got motorcar, and they have progressed how to die quickly. **This is the progress. At any moment he can die. As soon as he on the car, 70 miles speed, that means taking the risk of dying at any moment. This is the progress. **Formerly people were going in bullock cart or horse carriage from one village to another. "That was primitive. Now we can go hundred miles away from home for earning money and taking risk to die at any moment. That is progress." **Is it not? **Brahmānanda:** Oh, yes. **Prabhupāda:** **Formerly they were satisfied by tilling the ground, getting food grains. Now they have started factories. At the cost of thousands of men's labor, some director is getting money and enjoying life.** That is progress. And these rascals, laborers, they are thinking that "These men are getting the profit, cream of this business. We are working. Why not take ourself?" That is Communism. **Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa:** There is one small coal mining town we did *saṅkīrtana* at, an Indian community. And they were thinking that "The coal mine is doing everything for us. They're giving us schools, they're giving us medicine, they're giving us... Without the coal mine where would we be?" **Prabhupāda:** Yes. **Brahmānanda:** Here they think it's sugarcane. The sugarcane is everything. **Prabhupāda:** Giving everything. **Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa:** Why can't people understand to depend on Kṛṣṇa? **Prabhupāda:** That is *māyā*. They Will be Atracted by Our Training Power, Mauritius, October 5, 1975: Room Conversation