Danger in Every Step

[Guruvani]

this morning I was awakened to the sound of an automobile accident outside my bedroom window.

I knew it was right in front of my house.

I was terrified as I knew my older daughter was leaving for work around that time.

I jumped out and put on my pants and ran to the window.

I saw my daughter's car in the middle of the highway in front of my house.

 

I ran out of the house and down the driveway in fear of what I might find at the scene.

By the grace of the Lord my daughter was safe and out of the car and standing by the road.

She got hit by a truck with big tires right in front of the house.

 

She was ok. The driver of the truck was OK.

 

Her car was totalled.

 

My neighbor pulled the car off the road with his truck and dropped it in the yard.

 

My son took my daughter to work.

I posted some things on the forum and then I called the insurance company.

 

I just got back from picking up a rental car for my daughter.

We did have insurance.

 

So, all you parents with young children, this is what you have to look forward too when your kids grow up into teen-agers.

 

There is danger in every step in this world.

We certainly need the protection of the Lord every day.

 

Praying for the prayers of the Vaishnavas, I remain.

 

Om Hare Krishna

[Murali_Mohan_das]

Shudders!!!

 

I sure am attached to my little critters and pray for their safety.

 

I'm glad your daughter's body is intact (if not her car's)!

 

Thanks for the potent reminder to take the Holy Name at every moment!

 

 

this morning I was awakened to the sound of an automobile accident outside my bedroom window.

I knew it was right in front of my house.

I was terrified as I knew my older daughter was leaving for work around that time.

I jumped out and put on my pants and ran to the window.

I saw my daughter's car in the middle of the highway in front of my house.

 

I ran out of the house and down the driveway in fear of what I might find at the scene.

By the grace of the Lord my daughter was safe and out of the car and standing by the road.

She got hit by a truck with big tires right in front of the house.

 

She was ok. The driver of the truck was OK.

 

Her car was totalled.

 

My neighbor pulled the car off the road with his truck and dropped it in the yard.

 

My son took my daughter to work.

I posted some things on the forum and then I called the insurance company.

 

I just got back from picking up a rental car for my daughter.

We did have insurance.

 

So, all you parents with young children, this is what you have to look forward too when your kids grow up into teen-agers.

 

There is danger in every step in this world.

We certainly need the protection of the Lord every day.

 

Praying for the prayers of the Vaishnavas, I remain.

 

Om Hare Krishna

[Murali_Mohan_das]

Another case in point, my friend and Godbrother Jatindra Mohan Prabhu is lying in a hospital over in Santa Clara...

 

 

http://jatindra-update.blogspot<wbr>.com/

 

 

Recap:

updated July 15

Jatindra fell from his bicycle Wednesday June27 around 1 pm and injured his head. He was airlifted to San Jose Valley Medical Center Trauma unit. He underwent about 8 hours of brain surgery to repair a torn vein and artery in his head and it was also found out that he has some damage to the right side of his aorta and a broken clavicle, rib and scapula. His right lung collapsed and they re-inflated it with a tube which has since been removed. He was heavily sedated but as he stabilizes they are lessening the medication to see the extent of the damage. They expected him to be in a medical coma for anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months depending on his condition. He was in critical condition and they expected him to remain in the ICU for a week or two. As of July 13 he has been moved to After care Neurology in the main hospital building. His medication has been drastically reduced and he is showing good signs of improvement. The doctors are very encouraged with his recovery progress and although he has distance to travel yet, things are looking very hopeful.

Apparently, he had some heavy karma. At the same time, while he was engaged in much service prior to the accident, now he is engaging so many Vaishnavas in visiting him, chanting to him, and reading to him from Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures.

 

So, is he unfortunate, or most fortunate?

 

You may not know him, Guruvani Prabhu, but he lived at the 13th Street Temple in San Jose for some months in the mid-80's.

[muralidhar_das]

Kshamabuddhi

 

Sorry to hear that your daughter had this frightening thing happen to her

 

The car can be replaced but your children are priceless.

[Guruvani]

thank-you to all the dear devotees who have expressed concern.

 

My life has been a story of considerable suffering and strife for many years, yet I have to just keep pushing along as long as there is life in this bag of stool.

 

today was just another episode in the sojourn through the strife and stuggle of material life.

 

this forum is my place of sanctuary, as well as the books of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Sridhar Maharaja which I resort to quite frequently.

 

I certainly am testimony to the suffering and struggle that awaits those who leave the service of the Krishna consciousness movement and take to material life again.

 

My best advice born from the fire of suffering is to stay with the devotees as much as possible and fear material life.

 

At the same time I think that suffering and struggle has it's own reward.

 

Krishna is so amazing that he takes our failures and faults and manages to extract something sweet and good from that.

 

I wish I could apologize to all the devotees that don't like my point of view or my mood, but that would be fake.

 

What I feel and what I say comes from my heart, no matter how unpalatable it may seem to others.

 

My life is harsh and hard. I have a tendency to be harsh and hard in expressing my views.

I do apologize for that, but I don't apologize for what I believe.

 

I do ask for the well-wishes and the blessings of all the nice devotees on this forum who, like myself, follow their own heart. I can never fault them for that, even when I disagree.

 

please pray for the welfare and well-being of myself and my family.

I need all the blessings I can get.

 

[theist]

Whew, man. Krsna really gave your family a wake up call. Life in these bodies is so precarious at best. A simple spinal injury and paralysis can be the result. Don't fully chew your food before you swallow and you may choke to death.

 

What brought us to this place? Why do we linger?

[Guruvani]

 

Whew, man. Krsna really gave your family a wake up call.

 

We have had worse calamities than this.

Unfortunately, I don't think it will wake any of us up.

 

I have had endless suffering for the last 25 years and I haven't woke up yet.

 

I am just praying that I can start to regain some semblance of spiritual life soon and start to attend to the Holy Name which never fails to uplift me and inspire me that this Krishna consciousness is substantial spiritual life.

[zjj]

Haribol!

 

I'm so glad you're daughter is safe, Prabhu. I myself was in a horrendous car accident just a few weeks ago. My friend was driving and I was in the passenger seat. Weather conditions were bad and the car swerved, flipped, rolled over twice and landed upside down. We crawled out and my friend went into complete shock, poor thing. I had to be calm to comfort her. The car was a wreck but we were almost totally unharmed. All I had was one tiny scratch on my finger, while my friend had a few bruises and cuts from the glass. Krishna protected us.

 

These things can happen at any time. It is another reminder that really, we are in Krishna's shelter and that everything that happens is his will. We just have to surrender to him.

 

Haribol,

 

Jai

[Guruvani]

 

Haribol!

 

I'm so glad you're daughter is safe, Prabhu. I myself was in a horrendous car accident just a few weeks ago. My friend was driving and I was in the passenger seat. Weather conditions were bad and the car swerved, flipped, rolled over twice and landed upside down. We crawled out and my friend went into complete shock, poor thing. I had to be calm to comfort her. The car was a wreck but we were almost totally unharmed. All I had was one tiny scratch on my finger, while my friend had a few bruises and cuts from the glass. Krishna protected us.

 

These things can happen at any time. It is another reminder that really, we are in Krishna's shelter and that everything that happens is his will. We just have to surrender to him.

 

Haribol,

 

Jai

 

glad you are safe,

 

Hare Krishna

[theist]

 

TRANSLATION SB 1.8.25

I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths.

 

PURPORT

Generally the distressed, the needy, the intelligent and the inquisitive, who have performed some pious activities, worship or begin to worship the Lord. Others, who are thriving on misdeeds only, regardless of status, cannot approach the Supreme due to being misled by the illusory energy. Therefore, for a pious person, if there is some calamity there is no other alternative than to take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. Constantly remembering the lotus feet of the Lord means preparing for liberation from birth and death. Therefore, even though there are so-called calamities, they are welcome because they give us an opportunity to remember the Lord, which means liberation.

One who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, which are accepted as the most suitable boat for crossing the ocean of nescience, can achieve liberation as easily as one leaps over the holes made by the hoofs of a calf. Such persons are meant to reside in the abode of the Lord, and they have nothing to do with a place where there is danger in every step.

This material world is certified by the Lord in the Bhagavad-gita as a dangerous place full of calamities. Less intelligent persons prepare plans to adjust to those calamities without knowing that the nature of this place is itself full of calamities. They have no information of the abode of the Lord, which is full of bliss and without trace of calamity. The duty of the sane person, therefore, is to be undisturbed by worldly calamities, which are sure to happen in all circumstances. Suffering all sorts of unavoidable misfortunes, one should make progress in spiritual realization because that is the mission of human life. The spirit soul is transcendental to all material calamities; therefore, the so-called calamities are called false. A man may see a tiger swallowing him in a dream, and he may cry for this calamity. Actually there is no tiger and there is no suffering; it is simply a case of dreams. In the same way, all calamities of life are said to be dreams. If someone is lucky enough to get in contact with the Lord by devotional service, it is all gain. Contact with the Lord by any one of the nine devotional services is always a forward step on the path going back to Godhead.

[krsna]

Mukunda-mālā-stotra 33

 

kṛṣṇa tvadīya-pada-pańkaja-pañjarāntam

adyaiva me viśatu mānasa-rāja-haḿsaḥ

prāṇa-prayāṇa-samaye kapha-vāta-pittaiḥ

kaṇṭhāvarodhana-vidhau smaraṇaḿ kutas te

 

 

O Lord Kṛṣṇa, at this moment let the royal swan of my mind enter the tangled stems of the lotus of Your feet. How will it be possible for me to remember You at the time of death, when my throat will be choked up with mucus, bile, and air?

 

PURPORT

2nd verse of the Eighth Chapter of his Bhagavad-gītā As It Is:

 

 

Now, the word prayāṇa-kāle in this [bhagavad-gītā] verse is very significant because whatever we do in life will be tested at the time of death. Arjuna is very anxious to know of those who are constantly engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. What should be their position at that final moment? At the time of death all the bodily functions are disrupted, and the mind is not in a proper condition. Thus disturbed by the bodily situation, one may not be able to remember the Supreme Lord. Mahārāja Kulaśekhara, a great devotee, prays,

 

"My dear Lord, just now I am quite healthy, and it is better that I die immediately so that the swan of my mind can seek entrance at the stem of Your lotus feet."

 

The metaphor is used because the swan, a bird of the water, takes pleasure in digging into the lotus flowers; its sporting proclivity is to enter the lotus flower. Mahārāja Kulaśekhara says to the Lord,

 

"Now my mind is undisturbed, and I am quite healthy. If I die immediately, thinking of Your lotus feet, then I am sure that my performance of Your devotional service will become perfect. But if I have to wait for my natural death, then I do not know what will happen, because at that time the bodily functions will be disrupted, my throat will be choked up, and I do not know whether I shall be able to chant Your name. Better let me die immediately.":pray: :pray: :pray:

[suchandra]

Haribol!

 

I'm also so glad that your daughter is safe, Guruvani Prabhu.

[Guest guest]

I do not think like that the less intelligent persons tend to adjust to calamities of nature, I think that only the fittest survive in this world nor the weakest, and fit persons are those which have more mental power than the other ones, and also remember the God regularly, also it is highly illogical that what ever God has created, he would like others to not come to that place, I think you only get the human life ,if you have done something very good in your previous lives, also I also endorse this belief that you can get to God easily by leaving this SANSAR, i mean by leaving your responsibilities towards your family, towards friends etc, because God does not live in Jungles , rather it is in yourself.

[stonehearted]

Guess I missed this thread. What a shock this must have been, and what a relief that your daughter wasn't seriously hurt. I'm glad to see that she's okay and that everything will be fine. And I know how upsetting these incidents can be. About 5 1/2 years ago, my older daughter, who got around San Diego on her bicycle, was found lying unconscious in the middle of the road at 6:30 am. She had been on her way to an early class at Mesa College when somebody hit her and took off. Her helmet was destroyed--the shell ripped off and the core broken. Our younger daughter called from the Mainland, completely freaked out but, as it turned out, in control of the situation. She nursed her sister back to health when she finally got out of the hospital, and they're both fine. But you should have seen us then, 2500 miles away and unable to help. Rough.

 

You seem to be a good dad, KB. Hug them often and don't skimp on telling them you love them. (But you know that!)

[som]

Well said Guruvaniji. It is very aptly mentioned in Srimad-Bhagavatam:

 

[ Smaashrita Ye Pada Pallava Plavam

Mahat Padam Punya Yasho Muraarer

Bhavaambudhir Vatsa Padam Param-Padam

Padam Padam Yat Vipadaam Na Teshaam

 

"For those who have accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Murari, the enemy of the Mura demon, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf's hoof-print. Their goal is Param Padam, Vaikuntha, the place where there are no material miseries, not the place where there is danger at every step." - SB 10.14.58 - http://vedabase.net/sb/10/14/58/en]

 

 

Hare Krishna!

 

 

There is danger in every step in this world.

We certainly need the protection of the Lord every day.

 

Praying for the prayers of the Vaishnavas, I remain.

 

Om Hare Krishna

[Murali_Mohan_das]

 

because God does not live in Jungles , rather it is in yourself.

Actually, God also lives in the jungles.

[Guruvani]

 

Actually, God also lives in the jungles.

 

the hearts of many people are like a jungle.

so, yes, God lives in the jungle.

 

People go to the jungle to get away from society and become introspective.

 

Many cities of the world are "concrete jungles".

 

In fact the whole material world is a jungle of illusion.

 

God lives in the jungles, in the cities and in the germs.

 

God lives everywhere, but nobody can see him.

 

When the eyes are smeared with the ointment of love of Krishna, then you can see Krishna in the jungle or in the city.

[Murali_Mohan_das]

 

You seem to be a good dad, KB. Hug them often and don't skimp on telling them you love them. (But you know that!)

 

Well, I've been feeling bad that I haven't visited Jatindra Mohan Prabhu in the hospital since his accident.

 

By Krishna's mercy, my Mom called last night and suggested that we head over the hill in her car to visit, so I did.

 

Since no children under 14 are allowed at the hospital and only two visitors are allowed at a time, I left the kids with my Dad (though they have a lot of affection for Uncle Jatindra).

 

Realizing how dangerous each trip over Highway 17 is, and keeping in mind this thread, I made sure to sit with each child for a few minutes prior to leaving and shower some affection on them.

 

Seeing Jatindra was a bit of a shock. On the one hand, he looked better than I'd expect somebody which massive brain injuries to look. He's currently in restraints given how much he's been tossing and turning, and all the exercise (and lack of solid food, no doubt) has led to some significant weight loss (though his muscles seemed well-toned for someone who's been bedridden for a few weeks).

 

He was very alert when Mom and I entered the room and seemed to be struggling to sit up.

 

After some words of greeting (he still cannot or will not speak), I read to him from Search for Sri Krishna (of course). At times, the reading seemed to excite him very much (big, wide eyes), and, at other times, it seemed to lull him into a shallow sleep (announcements over the hospital loudspeakers caused him to wake with a start).

 

When he seemed to be sleeping more soundly, I took Jatindra's foot dust and we left. On the way out of the hospital, we ran into our Godsiblings on their way in to visit Jatindra.

 

No doubt, his current position is very uncomfortable. When he was awake, it seemed like he was struggling to put his thoughts together. No doubt, these bodies, when damaged, can be one of the worst hells imaginable.

 

Still, this is all somehow, inconceivably, the mercy of Sri Guru.

[som]

Hello Guest!

 

 

because God does not live in Jungles , rather it is in yourself.

Krishna is present everywhere in each and every atom [Paramaanu Cha Ayaantarastham], in the form of His energy and at the same time He is present in His abode (Goloka Eva Nivasaty Akhilaatma Bhuto - BS 5.37 - http://vedabase.net/bs/5/37/en).

 

As stated in Brahma-Samhita:

 

[ Eko'pi Asau Rachayitum Jagad Anda Koti

Yac Shakitr Asti Jagad Anda Chaya Yad Antah

Andaantarastham Paramaanu Cha Ayaantarastham

Govindam Aadi Purusham Tamaham Bhajaami

 

"He is an undifferentiated entity as there is no distinction between potency and the possessor thereof. In His work of creation of millions of worlds, His potency remains inseparable. All the universes exist in Him and He is present in His fullness in every one of the atoms that are scattered throughout the universe, at one and the same time. Such is the primeval Lord whom I adore." - BS 5.35 - http://vedabase.net/bs/5/35/en ]

 

Please try to understand. Hare Krishna!

[Guest guest]

 

Praying for the prayers of the Vaishnavas, I remain.

 

Om Hare Krishna

 

Hari Hari! I know what you are going through, prabhu. I have 3 kids, oldest is 21, youngest is 13. Two drivers, one just itching to drive (rides a dirt bike all the time), with my son (and myself) also riding a fast road bike (crotch rocket). We had our share of accidents and close calls. It is all part of the purgatory called grihastha ashrama

 

My prayers with you and fellow devotee parents.

[suchandra]

 

Hari Hari! I know what you are going through, prabhu. I have 3 kids, oldest is 21, youngest is 13. Two drivers, one just itching to drive (rides a dirt bike all the time), with my son (and myself) also riding a fast road bike (crotch rocket). We had our share of accidents and close calls. It is all part of the purgatory called grihastha ashrama

 

My prayers with you and fellow devotee parents.

Somehow, the most innocent looking thing - a nicely constructed automobile - emerges as the biggest killer of humanity. Looks like material nature doesnt like this practical invention.

 

The cost of the car: 20 million dead

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/special_report/1998/car_crash/47357.stm

 

A hundred years ago, in February 1898, Henry Lindfield lost control of his new motor car on his way from Brighton to London. When he died behind the wheel he became the first victim of what has since become one of the world's biggest killers. Car crashes now claim more than 500,000 deaths a year, and injure another 15 million people. In 100 years there have been more than 20 million car-related deaths worldwide.

[krsna]

But soon there will be 'smart' cars with computers that will aviod accidents by networking with the computers of other cars on the road.

 

Go figure.

 

The demons are always wanting to overcome the dangers of material life.

[Murali_Mohan_das]

It's a lovely idea, but there is the potential for disaster on a scale previously unimagined.

 

As robust as the air traffic control system is in the US, it has failed recently in a very large fashion (cascading failure):

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/08/travel/main2905662.shtml

 

Luckily, due to the nature of the system, nobody was killed by the failure, but many were inconvenienced.

 

Now, just how much do you trust the engineers that will be building the centralized routing and guidance systems for these new 'smart' cars?

 

 

But soon there will be 'smart' cars with computers that will aviod accidents by networking with the computers of other cars on the road.

 

Go figure.

 

The demons are always wanting to overcome the dangers of material life.

[krsna]

 

It's a lovely idea, but there is the potential for disaster on a scale previously unimagined.

 

As robust as the air traffic control system is in the US, it has failed recently in a very large fashion (cascading failure):

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/08/travel/main2905662.shtml

 

Luckily, due to the nature of the system, nobody was killed by the failure, but many were inconvenienced.

 

Now, just how much do you trust the engineers that will be building the centralized routing and guidance systems for these new 'smart' cars?

 

 

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=629 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=629>Last Updated: Thursday, 19 July 2007, 10:08 GMT 11:08 UK

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=416 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=213></TD><TD width=203></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=629 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>Look, no hands

 

</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=416><!-- S BO --><!-- S IIMA -->

 

<!-- E IIMA --><!-- S IBYL --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=416 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=bottom>By Tom Symonds

BBC News transport correspondent

 

 

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

<!-- E IBYL -->This car can drive itself. It's taking part in the Darpa Grand Challenge, a Pentagon contest to generate ideas for self-driving combat vehicles - ideas which are already starting to be used in cars we drive today.

On a quiet university campus across the water from San Francisco, an enthusiastic bunch of young computer boffins are working on what could be the car of the future.

<!-- S IIMA --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=203 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> No-one at the wheel

 

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IIMA -->"Sometimes we talk to it as if its an unruly child," says co-team leader Ben Upcroft.

Another member of the team jumps out of the front seat, crosses the road and presses a red button on a box in his hand. "The RAV4 is going autonomous," he says into a radio.

The car moves, slowly forward, like a learner terrified of touching the accelerator. The steering wheel is turning. It is driving itself. The speed is frustratingly slow, and from time to time the car veers towards the verge.

But what's impressive is that no-one is sitting inside.

<!-- S IIMA --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=203 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> An earlier Darpa rally in the desert

 

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IIMA -->The Sydney-Berkley driving team are entrants in the 2007 Darpa Challenge, to be held in October. Sponsored by the United States Government, which wants to develop driverless military supply vehicles for war zones, the challenge will end with a 60-mile race through a mocked-up "urban area". The most important rule? No humans allowed.

The location of the challenge hasn't yet been announced. But it's likely to be a US military base, with roads and intersections. More than 50 teams are in the running, with 30 expected to start the race.

Cars will have to navigate by themselves, avoid other cars, circumvent traffic jams, stop at junctions, follow road markings and give way when they're supposed to. A serious test for artificial intelligence.

Hi-tech kit

There is a clear favourite. Across town from Berkley, the team at Stanford University are entering Junior. Again an ordinary-looking estate car - apart from £250,000 worth of sensors mounted on its roof.

<!-- S IIMA --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=203 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> The kit that drives the car

 

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IIMA -->These can scan forwards, sideways and backwards to find the edge of the road and any moving objects in the car's way.

Junior is still being tested off-road, but it is easily capable of driving itself at speeds that would be quite acceptable in the average city.

The team are training it to cope with busy intersections, a vital skill for city driving. We watch as it approaches a crossroads marked with cones. Another car arrives from the left. Junior stops, thinks for a minute, lets the other car turn right, and then makes a graceful left itself.

Both the Sydney-Berkley team and the Stanford team are finding the challenge isn't so much building a car that can keep itself on the road - they've cracked that. The last Darpa race was in the Nevada desert. Some cars ended up in the bushes, but four managed to complete a 160-mile course. Stanford's team got there first.

They're also close to cracking the problem of detecting other traffic, and pedestrians. Mike Montemerlo from the Stanford team believes the winning car will be the one that quickly gets itself out of jams, a considerable task for a computer, and made more difficult by the fact that much of the rest of the traffic will also be computer-guided.

The main challenge is trying to teach the cars not to be too cautious.

<!-- S IIMA --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=203 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> Driver not required

 

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IIMA -->The Berkley car can be thrown into a panic by a falling leaf. "The computer sees the leaf as though it was an infinitely high concrete pillar sticking out of the ground," says one technician.

That means the computer tends to hit the brakes a little too often. The Berkley team admit they're outsiders, but believe training their car on a real road may help them with the unforeseen problems likely to be thrown up by the race.

But watching the teams put their vehicles through their paces, it's clear that the safety of computer-controlled vehicles is becoming less of a worry.

Car of the future

So how long it will be before computers can drive as safely as humans?

<!-- S IBOX --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=208 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=5></TD><TD class=sibtbg> You might buy a car that has a special button called an 'auto-chauffeur' button. You push it and it drives you home and wakes you up in your garage

 

Sebastian Thrun

 

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IBOX -->"How have you convinced yourself that human driving is safe?" says Stanford artificial intelligence expert Professor Sebastian Thrun. "We kill about a million people a year around the globe. Almost every loss of life is a result of human error. Statistics will tell us the truth, that these cars are more reliable than human driving."

Apart from the US Government's aim of making the resupply of military units a safer prospect, this research is one day likely to be used to build future cars. There are already models that can park themselves, or keep in their lane on a motorway. Professor Thrun has more extravagant ideas.

"You might buy a car that has a special button called an 'auto-chauffeur' button. You push it and it drives you home and wakes you up in your garage. And maybe we have the self-park button that says 'drop me off at the office then go and find yourself a parking spot'. You could have a mobile phone button that calls the car back when you need it."

A future where your car is an obedient pet sounds fantastic. Unless you're the law firm of a motor manufacturer. Imagine if the auto-driver fails, and there's injury or death. Instead of the driver getting sued, the car company is in the dock. So much of this technology will be introduced gradually.

But there are other less obvious benefits. Children could be driven to school. The elderly and visually impaired could gain new mobility.

Computer-controlled cars could organise themselves more efficiently, talking to each other to minimise the space they take up on the road without getting too close. That could cut traffic jams - and road rage. And you could read the paper, or answer e-mails on the way to work instead of sitting, hands locked to the steering wheel, seething with frustration. In the future, we could all be back-seat drivers.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[sanatan]

 

But soon there will be 'smart' cars with computers that will aviod accidents by networking with the computers of other cars on the road.

 

Go figure.

 

The demons are always wanting to overcome the dangers of material life.

 

I was in a serious car accident two months ago. My car was totaled; by Krishna's grace, I was not. The car was old, a classic, with no safety features such as airbags or even headrests.

 

My wife, who wants to keep a living husband around for awhile, has strongly expressed the wish that the next car I buy be a new one, with up-to-date safety features.

 

I understand the wisdom in her wishes, and have promised to comply.

 

By your reasoning, this makes my wife and myself "demons".

 

Institutionalized thinking at its best, or maybe worst is a better description.