Are We Living, or Just Filming It?

Different Takes on Capturing the Moment—And What Śrīla Prabhupāda Might Say

I saw this post today and it got me thinking..

We’ve all heard it: “Put your phone down and live in the moment.”

Some say that filming something pulls you out of the present. That to truly experience life, you have to be there, fully—without a screen between you and reality.

And there’s truth in that.

When every concert, every kirtan, every sunrise is filtered through a lens, we can start living for the recording, not for the moment. We become spectators of our own lives, curating instead of experiencing.

But is it so simple?

Some people film with purpose. They capture a sacred moment to share with someone who couldn’t be there. They document something beautiful for posterity. They create to serve, not to steal attention.

And in fact, Śrīla Prabhupāda encouraged this.

He wanted the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement documented. He allowed cameras in his room. He instructed his disciples to record talks, take photos, film events. Why? Not for vanity—but for seva. Because he knew these images, sounds, and videos would inspire generations.

So, maybe the issue isn’t the camera.

Maybe it’s the consciousness behind it.

The Sattvic Camera vs. the Tamasic Scroll

You can film in the mode of goodness—thoughtfully, purposefully, in service to something higher.

You can also film in passion or ignorance—out of FOMO, anxiety, or the need to impress.

Some people are natural documenters. That may be their svabhāva, their nature. They serve the world by capturing beauty, truth, or transformation. That’s not a lesser life—it’s dharma in action.

But when everyone reaches for their phone, not to serve but to consume, to perform, to hoard experiences like trophies—that’s not life. That’s maya in action.

A Living Moment Can’t Be Captured

Here’s the paradox: the more we try to capture life, the more it slips through our fingers.

You can’t film the feeling of a breeze on your face, the smell of incense, the presence of a pure-hearted devotee. You can’t bottle bhakti. You can document its form, but not its essence.

And sometimes, in the scramble to film it, we miss the only real thing—that now, where Kṛṣṇa resides.

What Would Prabhupāda Say?

Most likely, he’d encourage it because in Krishna consciousness, expression is never repressed. It's transmuted into service. Everything in moderation though. If everyone filmed everything, he might question the need. But to have a couple of documenters is a good thing when there's something worth documenting that could benefit others.

I say key factor is benefitting others.

He might also say: “If it helps people come to Kṛṣṇa, then film. If it distracts you or others, then stop.”

Because in the end, the goal is not to film more, or even to “live in the moment.” The goal is to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. And whatever serves that, we accept. Whatever doesn’t, we leave behind.