HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA

It seems that there has been a sudden surge in Hare Krishna's of late. For the last 2 months I've been seeing bands of them frolicking about town. They are trying to recruit flaky people who feel the need to join some sort of an exotic club free. (And probably to piss off their folks.) I thought I had been transported to the 1979 movie "Hair" and that Treat Williams was going to come and stick his tongue down my throat. (I wish) I felt like smoking a blunt, lighting a few sticks of some sandalwood incense and sing along and dance with them with flowers in my hair. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare- Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.
I remembered the words. I had the soundtrack.
I suddenly turned into old lady mode and made eye contact with other people standing by, doing the one eyebrow up, smirk look, one makes when weirdo's are nearby. The leader was histrionically Jesus like, holding his hand out like the way you saw Jesus in all the movies of the present and past. It was like watching actors rehearse. Then they'd stop and give some rhapsodic spiel to the curious youth who had yet to see the likes of these colorful highfalutin, hippy, wannabe street preachers.
Yup, tambourines, dhoti's, sari's, love beads and all. They were actively trying to get some new members. Their brochures had some place of worship embossed on it which I couldn't make out at the distance I kept. So I later Googled for the location and found out it's walking distance from my house. OY VEY!!! So I can look forward to a new kind of skin head prancing around my hood come spring. Great.
Something about street preachers that puts me off. I know that it's ones duty to spread the word of their religion. But I'd rather not be approached, harangued or haggled (for donations) by anyone. I'll give to my own causes on my own terms thank you very much. I'd rather "seek" out on my own. If I have questions about some religious order, I'll do the research on my own at the library or Internet. I'll go to a church or temple with my own questions in hand, to seek whatever answers I may have on my own terms as well. I'm sure that 90 percent of these kids who join up now will be married with kids in normal jobs 12 years from now. As with anything, all fads come and go. Like the British punk look. It comes it goes. The mod look. It comes it goes. Bell bottoms they come they go. I just see this as another one.
~