The Modern Age of Iron

I was digging through some old political posts from my blog and came across a post about a questionable outburst by Representative Joe Wilson.  The specifics of that situation are completely irrelevant at this point, but the closing paragraph isn't.

This does however highlight the fragile state of civility in our nation. People are angry, angrier than I can ever remember in my lifetime, and the have no problems taking that anger out on others. Things are getting bad out there and I think that it is safe to say that we are living in the Iron Age / Kali Yuga. The big question though is, what can we do to get our civility and society back on track?

So what exactly are the Iron Age and Kali Yuga?  You may be surprised how familiar they are considering both come from ancient times (long before Christ).  

The Iron Age is part of the Ages of Man as listed in Hesiod's Works and Days.

Iron Age – Hesiod finds himself in the Iron Age. During this age humans live an existence of toil and misery. Children dishonor their parents, brother fights with brother and the social contract between guest and host (xenia) is forgotten. During this age might makes right, and bad men use lies to be thought good. At the height of this age, humans no longer feel shame or indignation at wrongdoing; babies will be born with gray hair and the gods will have completely forsaken humanity: "there will be no help against evil."

The Kali Yuga comes from ancient Hindu scriptures. 

In relation to rulers

·        Rulers will become unreasonable: they will levy taxes unfairly.

·        Rulers will no longer see it as their duty to promote spirituality, or to protect their subjects: they will become a danger to the world.

·        People will start migrating, seeking countries where wheat and barley form the staple food source.

·        "At the end of Kali-yuga, when there exist no topics on the subject of God, even at the residences of so-called saints and respectable gentlemen of the three higher varnas [guna or temperament] and when nothing is known of the techniques of sacrifice, even by word, at that time the Lord will appear as the supreme chastiser." (Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.7

In human relationships

·        Avarice and wrath will be common. Humans will openly display animosity towards each other. Ignorance of dharma will occur.

·        People will have thoughts of murder with no justification and will see nothing wrong in that.

·        Lust will be viewed as socially acceptable and sexual intercourse will be seen as the central requirement of life.

·        Sin will increase exponentially, whilst virtue will fade and cease to flourish.

·        People will take vows and break them soon after.

·        People will become addicted to intoxicating drinks and drugs.

·        Gurus will no longer be respected and their students will attempt to injure them. Their teachings will be insulted, and followers of Kama will wrest control of the mind from all human beings.  The maximum lifespan of a human in this age is 90-100 years.

·        Brahmans will not be learned or honored, Kshatriyas will not be brave, Vaishyas will not be just in their dealings

I don't know about you, but that sure sounds like the times in which we live.  Society sure seems to be crumbling around us and I'm not really sure if there is anything we can do to stop it because the solutions would come from a place of kindness and compassion and that is something the world is sorely lacking.