Srila Prabhupada used the automobile-oriented society as an example of solutions that create problems. He spoke of how one type of problem is solved by cars being able to cross long distances in a short time, but then how air pollution, fuel expenses, fuel shortages and other associated problems arise. In his Srimad Bhagavatam purports he writes: “In contemporary civilization we see that there are many automobiles manufactured to carry us swiftly from one place to another, but at the same time we have created other problems. We have to construct so many roads, and yet these roads are insufficient to cope with automobile congestion and traffic jams. There are also the problems of air pollution and fuel shortage. The conclusion is that the processes we manufacture to counteract or minimize our distresses do not actually put an end to our pains. It is all simply illusion.”
Problem-creating solutions