I was raised in a Vedic community (a the school of my father's Guru, Shrila Prabhupad) and then went into the normal world as an adult. I've had 25 years to compare and contrast eastern and western thought as well as play around with the philosophies applying them to my life.

"Krishna Consciousness" doesn't mean dropping everything and sitting under a tree. It means turning everything in our life towards Krishna. We can renounce everything and continue to do our duty.

Be in business, but be in business for Krishna. Make music, but make it for Krishna. etc. Put all of our talents and learned skills to Krishna integrated into our lives in every place.

This has a side effect of making life much easier to live since we have exercised the psychological tool of non-attachment. We don't get upset about things if we are not identified with them. This is known as a spiritual escape, and it's a life tool.

Worshiping Krishna is a self-perpetuating, non-violent, and happy lifestyle that has endured centuries of adjustments. It's a self-help and growth system that can take you from the gutter to the pinnacle of bliss in very little time and provide a life-tool, to take you happily until the end.