Acharya Prashant responds to a question about the modern trend of disrespectfully addressing teachers and professors by their first names. The questioner, coming from a small town where teachers are revered, finds this practice in big city universities unsettling and questions if his own thinking is backward. Acharya Prashant begins by defining modernity. He explains that the very definition of being modern, or modernism, is a worldview that operates solely on individual intellect, logic, thought, and desire. The modern era is characterized by the mantra: "My intellect, my logic, my thought, my desire." This leads to the notion that "I am the greatest," and the measure of being modern has become the belief that there is nothing above one's own intellect and existence. When you believe there is nothing above you, the question of respecting anyone else does not arise. Respect, he clarifies, means to bow down, to humbly accept that something is higher or greater than you. The modern ego, however, refuses to accept this. It avoids any discussion about the ego itself because that would reveal its limitations. This refusal to look at the ego and its limits is a way to avoid having to bow down to anything. The speaker points out that this modern mindset, which considers it "cool" to disrespect teachers by shortening their names or not using honorifics like "Sir" or "Ji," is a sign of ignorance and arrogance. He acknowledges that there was a time in history when people were oppressed by false religious authorities and forced to respect the unworthy. That was one extreme. However, reacting to that by going to the other extreme—where no one is considered worthy of respect—is an even bigger mistake. This new mistake is a sign of a deep-seated mental illness, an ego-worm that will consume one's life. It is a form of insolence and rudeness to not even be able to address teachers with a simple "Ji." Ultimately, this refusal to respect anyone closes the door to one's own improvement. If you do not believe that anyone is superior to you, you also won't believe that there is a higher state you can achieve. You are already the best, so there is no need to become better. But the proof that you are not alright is your own suffering. You are in great trouble, and you desperately need to improve, to learn, and to grow. For that, you need humility. Without humility, learning is impossible. Therefore, for your own sake, not for the teachers', you must learn to give respect to those who are worthy of it. Even if out of forty teachers only four are worthy, it is enough to bow before those four. If you cannot find even one person to bow down to, then there is a serious problem with you.
