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अच्छे लड़के क्यों नहीं मिलते? : एक युवती की जिज्ञासा || आचार्य प्रशांत, दिल्ली विश्वविद्यालय (2023)
1.3M views
2 years ago
Relationships
Body-consciousness
Patriarchy
Gender Roles
Physical Attraction
Consciousness
Power Dynamics
Description

Acharya Prashant addresses a question about the difficulty of finding good men, who often seem interested only in physical attraction. He acknowledges that this is a common complaint from women, who feel that men only see them as bodies and are solely interested in sex. While agreeing that this is true to an extent, he explains that there are two sides to this issue. For a healthy relationship, both individuals must be right. It is essential that there are men who do not view women merely as bodies to be used. At the same time, it is necessary for women to cultivate assets beyond their physical appearance. The speaker questions what a woman can bring to a relationship if society, education, and her upbringing have conditioned her to believe that her primary identity and asset is her body. If a woman's only perceived value is her body, that is what she will present in a relationship, which in turn caters to a man's lust and reinforces the physical nature of their bond. Acharya Prashant explains that this is a vicious cycle perpetuated by patriarchy. He humorously suggests that even if a decent man wanted to discuss something deep like geopolitical strategy on a date, he couldn't if the woman lacks the depth for such a conversation. He clarifies that he is not blaming the woman, as she is a product of her societal conditioning. Patriarchy has assigned men the role of providers and women the role of family-raisers, a function that is largely physical. Denied power through knowledge, capability, and economic opportunities, women learn to weaponize their bodies to gain some form of control. This act of weaponizing the body further reinforces their body-identification, which gives men more justification to see them only as physical objects. He concludes by stating that a man is a multi-layered being, ranging from an animal at his lowest to a thinker and a realizer at his highest. It is up to the woman to activate the right aspect of his personality. If she presents herself only as a 'sexy doll,' she will inevitably activate his sexual center, even if he had the potential to be a philosopher. The ultimate purpose of life for both men and women is the same: to know, to understand, to progress, and to attain freedom from all bondages. When this is realized by both, healthy relationships can be formed.