Answer
They are working very hard. Without work, nothing happens. In that sense there is sacrifice, discipline, and effort. The issue is not whether they are sacrificing; the issue is the purpose behind that sacrifice.
The Chinese people, for example, are disciplined and hardworking. Any society requires discipline; otherwise, it falls apart. But is the purpose of that discipline to satisfy Vishnu? If not, then the results, although materially impressive, ultimately produce the wrong kind of fruit from a spiritual perspective.
In fact, calling such achievements "prosperity" is itself a mistake. We need to change our perspective. Real prosperity must be evaluated in terms of spiritual advancement.
Imagine five runners in a race. One runner is far ahead of the others. It appears he is making the greatest progress. But suppose the finish line is actually a cliff. Then the fastest runner will be the first to fall. Is that truly progress?
Material prosperity can appear impressive for some time. America may appear powerful; other nations may appear successful. But time itself is a great illusion. In a moment, circumstances can change and entire civilizations can decline.
Today, much of the world is racing toward a materialistic destination. If everyone continues running toward the cliff, eventually the entire world order will collapse. Srila Prabhupada predicted that a civilization disconnected from spiritual principles cannot endure indefinitely.
People often speak of peace, stability, and progress, but look at places such as Gaza. There is no order, no security, and tremendous suffering. Such conditions already exist on this planet. Why should we assume they can never arise elsewhere?
There may be favorable times for India and other regions, but across the world many people are deeply unhappy despite material advancements.
