"Too much reading is harmful." Mao Zedong (1893-1976) When selling Hare Krishna literature on the streets I occasionally met with persons who told me that they didn't want to be brainwashed by the book I was offering them. Well, these kind of persons are better off not receiving books like these. But I honestly must say I fear a society whose members are so weak-minded that when confronted with thoughts foreign to theirs they immediately adopt the new ones. Without any form of discrimination or even rudimentary signs of free will. Standing on so shaky a foundation they look to shield themselves from all external influence lest they be converted, persons like these create mental prisons for themselves out of fear that their precious status quo gets rocked. Thus imposing upon themselves this rigorous self-inflicted form of censorship they disengage themselves from the very core of what being human stands for. Words are not meant to brainwash us, but to help us broaden our visions, to help open our eyes to new perspectives. Sure, they often affect our lives, but not in an independent manner without any connection to our previous values. So yes, a book might be well off with a warning: "This book might change your life." But I still pity the person who neglects picking it up for this reason. The Absolute Messenger The Messenger is an eight-page broadsheet newspaper on spirituality. Click here for more information. Dearest to Visnu A 225-page book translated from the Hari-Bhakti-Vilasa describing the philosophy and practice of Ekadasi. Click here for more information.