Mayavada—Closer Than We Think

Those who follow the path of bhakti yoga, devotional service to the Lord, see impersonalism, Mayavada, a doctrine declaring this world to be an illusory manifestation without any personal origin, as a daily challenge. They explore to what degree this "poison," as Srila Prabhupada used to call it, still affects our lives.
Even being philosophically informed, we may still unconsciously follow the patterns we were raised with, occasionally becoming more impersonal than we are aware of.
The Origin of Impersonalism
What is the origin of impersonalism? "Fear of personal identity" would be one of the causes, as to be a person means automatically being responsible for one’s actions. An impersonal nobody cannot be responsible for anything, and it is exactly this idea that makes impersonalism, despite its totally illogical "explanation," so popular.
Those who still remember the times when they were recognized as persons are amazed at how fast society is becoming de-personalized. What used to be a walk to the local shop or post office, possibly involving meeting someone, has become a long session of sitting alone in front of some gizmo, watching a screen to see how someone else is personal elsewhere.
No screen, even the one from which this text may be read, can replace a personal encounter—a personal exchange filled with words, images of one’s facial expressions, the presence of one’s subtle body, and, ultimately, the position of one’s heart.
Modern Society and De-Personalization
From the first day we are born into this world, we are given a number along with documents defining who we are, and we are processed through a "system" according to "governmental policies," being lied to day after day about our real identity.
We are mashed together with others in transportation vehicles of various kinds, being told that life means working from Monday to Friday and then spending the weekend in the exact same way others do. Our choices are already chosen for us, and not understanding who we are, we simply merge with others.
Every step in our life is pre-programmed, and even if some try to break out, the alternatives for their alternative life are soon programmed by other "anarchists," as even anarchism can become a profitable business. And so the hippies become yuppies, and the vegans eager customers of the vegan industry, which is killing all the animals deemed unprofitable to maintain even faster. The democrats become ruthless proponents of their doctrine, ordering their armies to attack anybody who is not "democratic." Cheated again and again, we are forced to follow the path of another in the name of freedom and independence.
Finally, material nature, in the form of death, shuts down all the opposing parties, only to replace them with another set of fools who believe this material world is meant to be theirs. Anybody trying to become a person will be molded into an impersonal pattern designed for them one way or another.
The Control of Impersonal Leaders
The impersonal leaders, often mere puppets in the hands of invisible forces, like to de-personalize us, turning us into homogenous crowds, which gives them the illusion of more control. And millions of fools respond enthusiastically, believing that being locked up in an impersonal mass of bodies is a safe place to be.
Personalism brings out more individuality, and individuality expresses itself through innovative intelligence of all kinds.
All this is very unpleasant for leaders who would simply like to turn us into a homogenous mass of working slaves, serving their agenda. Speaking about unification and oneness of mankind, they actually mean de-personification and the total loss of personal identity. As soon as someone comes "with another idea," they instantly buy it, make it their property, and then either destroy it or turn it into another part of their profitable empire. And so the "innovative man" becomes just another slave like the rest.
Impersonalism in Religious Institutions
Especially religious institutions offer fertile ground for such enslaving impersonalism, as the idea of "surrender to God" becomes, in the hands of such demoniac "holy men," merely a tool to control and enslave others.
As we, the devotees in the Hare Krishna Movement, used to joke:
"Let’s not turn our temples into this: at the entrance, following the command of the temple officials, people first have to take off their shoes. Then, upon entering, they must give their money at the designated place to save their souls, and finally, they must give up their brains... to surrender fully."
This sect-like understanding of "surrender to God" is entirely opposed to the vision of Srila Prabhupada, who begged his guests to use their brains, not give them up.
The Path to Personalism
When talking to those who have experienced such cruel neglect and disregard, the picture that emerges is always the same: a Mayavadi was at work. Narcissism, egocentrism, and, ultimately, the idea that "I am the only way"—all this stems from fear of personal exposure, which any personal understanding of life automatically brings to us. Becoming a personalist means one will also naturally be personally exposed. There is no room for privacy in the life of someone who has dedicated themselves to God. They see no need for it, as everything already belongs to God. They are His part and consequently share or even enjoy what has been given to them with others.
"Nothing is mine; everything belongs to God" is the ultimate formula for personalism.
Those who understand this simple fact have no problem dealing with their environment in an absolutely personal way. They will be feared and ostracized by those who like to hide behind smokescreens in the form of altruism, imitating God, the Supreme Well-Wisher of everyone. The arrogance of such persons culminates in fascism, as they imitate God by trying to become the Supreme Controller. When caught and exposed, such culprits claim they acted only for the welfare of others and "in the line of duty."
Conclusion
But those who realize that their primary duty is to serve God automatically become servants of others, as others are parts of God. It is not that we serve the parts first and this will automatically count as service to God. No, when we serve God, we cannot disrespect His parts. When the atmosphere becomes surcharged with such personal understanding, as we experienced in Srila Prabhupada’s presence, all "conflicts" and "misunderstandings" are instantly removed. We learn to tolerate easily someone who, with all their imperfect nature, is also trying to serve God. This is the ultimate formula for becoming a personalist and the way to cure ourselves of the impersonalism we have grown so used to.
The writer of this text could now become autobiographical and describe in detail how he was impersonally removed even from his service post within Srila Prabhupada’s movement by envious impersonalists. However, finding that his story has been repeated in the lives of so many others, he can only conclude that we have a long way to go to truly become personalists, despite our efforts to become genuine devotees of the Lord.
Yet, seeing the ultimate example of supreme personalism in the form of Srila Prabhupada, we have our guide and our hope that the day may come when we truly understand each other as eternal persons, parts of God. The more we do so, the more all our problems will be removed, and we may emerge as ecstatic devotees, simply sharing the flow of mercy emanating from the guru-parampara and Srila Prabhupada.
As one wise man said,
"The greatest violence committed against man is to deny him his personal identity."
A real devotee is very cautious to abstain from such impersonal brutality.