The Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.3.51) gives a definitive verdict on the spiritual practice for the present age: kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ / kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet. "My dear King, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there is still one good quality about this age: Simply by chanting the Hare Krishna mahāmantra, one can become free from material bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom."
Kali-yuga is described as an ocean of faults because quarrel, hypocrisy, disease, and anxiety are rampant. Attempting to cross this ocean by our own strength or by inventing new spiritual methods is futile. The authorized scriptures repeatedly stress that in this turbulent age, the only viable lifeboat is the holy name.
The Brhan-naradiya Purana emphatically repeats this injunction to remove all doubt: harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam / kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha. "In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way." For anyone serious about spiritual progress in the modern world, making the chanting of Hare Krishna the center of one's life is not just an option; it is an absolute necessity.