The power of decision, a great power is discussed by Gurudeva. The consequences of drug use including: being in the lower realm of life, violence, harm to body and mind, paranoia, prostitution are presented. Gurudeva teaches that bad karma, bad birth, the consequences, will catch up with us and tells us about training people to make the proper decisions in life concerning drugs.

Unedited Transcript:

Today at Kauai Aadheenam, November 16th. On our Vedic calendar, Sun 5.

Today, we conclude our series on 'Drugs, The Law, and You', produced for the 'Coalition for Drug-free Kauai'. We are going to explain the consequences of taking drugs. We are going to explain the consequences so that you can make a decision or you can help someone else make a decision. That is what it comes down to - making a decision.

The power of decision is a very great power. Everyone wants power. The power of decision is a very great power. We must acquire that power and then use it and teach others to use it. Make the right decision. Say, "No", to drugs. We are going to give you some ammunition to help you make the decision to be free from drugs on this beautiful Garden Island, who has zero tolerance for drug use of any kind.

The consequences are: Drugs are illegal. You become a criminal. You can have your car or home seized under the "Drug Asset Seizure Law'. You could have your parents' home or car seized. You could be arrested for driving under the influence and lose your license. People steal your drugs from you, putting you in danger. You can't earn enough to buy it, you can't even steal enough. You have to deal. You have to sell to support the habit, must recruit new users to deal. Drugs make you meet people you would never meet otherwise. Not so good people, sellers, dealers, junkies. It puts you into a lower realm of life. You could become violent. You have to get a gun to protect yourself. More danger follows. The government has to deal with you after you become a criminal. It is very expensive for society.

The summary goes on. You won't behave normally. You will harm your body. You will harm your mind. You become paranoid, always looking over your shoulder thinking things are going to happen. Can't study well anymore, probably won't graduate. No education, therefore no career. Do things you had never thought you would do. Rob, steal, lie, forge. Pull away from your parents, humiliate your parents. Pull away from your teachers. Create abnormal relationships with friends, girlfriends, boyfriends. Escape from problems of life is not solving them. Ruin your reputation. Go into prostitution.

You might think it won't happen to you. So did everyone else who is on this CD, who are now in Kauai Community Correctional Center.

The Hindu/Buddhist reasons are. Bad karma, bad birth. You cannot escape from karma. It will always catch up with you. If not in this life, then the next. We can't just say,"No", because somebody told us to say no. We need to meditate. We need to think upon the consequences of what will happen to us by using these terribly dangerous substances. Think about it. Only you can make the decision. No one else can for you, only you.

How are we going to handle this international problem? It has to be handled by the decision-making faculty within him or herself. We have to make a decision. You can't convince a young person here on the Island of Kauai to surf on a fifty foot wave. They also don't drive a hundred miles an hour down the hills of Kokee. Why? Because they know the consequence. They are well educated. They know the consequence and be they twelve years old, sixteen years old, twenty years old, twenty-four years old, they make the proper decisions because they know the consequence.

It is you out there in cyberspace who make all the decisions. Nobody forces anything upon you. You make decisions for yourself and take responsibility for your decisions. Therefore, education to young people at an early age, education to people who are young adults and to people who are adults, as to how to make a decision. How to find the facts, how to check the facts, how to verify what you know against what others have experienced and to make the proper decision. Therefore, drugs are not an issue. Law is not an issue. The issue is training people to make proper decisions so that they are law-abiding citizens because they have decided to be law-abiding citizens. They do not take drugs because they do not want to alter their mind. They do not want to lose there standing in the community. They do not want to lose the functioning of their physical body and their mind. The power of decision is a great power to pass on to the next generation.