In Sanatana Dharma, there are 4 stages of life progression.
Brahmachari, or student life.
Grihastashram, or family life (as a householder).
Vanaprastha, or going to the forest, relinquishing material life.
And lastly Sanyasa, which is completely giving up everything.
This is a beautiful progression no doubt.
But a billboard ad caught my eye today enroute to work. They were selling apartments in a lovely looking skyrise building.
The name of the building? Vana, of course, from Vanaprastha, but minus the prastha!
What are they offering? That for an insane price, one can buy a princely apartment in that building, with a nice forest-ish appearance (i.e., lots of trees!) and hence leaving no need to go to the forest for vanvaas at all!
Are we running away from materialism, or towards it?!