Acharya Prashant addresses the future of life and the economy by stating that in the short term, consumption will probably keep rising. However, he emphasizes that the bigger picture is that the Earth cannot sustain the kind of consumption we are exhibiting. He predicts that in the future, mankind will be forced to reduce its population. He argues that the current population of 8 billion is already too much, and the projected stabilization at 12 billion is unthinkable, especially when all these people aspire to have a per capita consumption similar to that of the United States. He describes this scenario as an "utter tragedy." The speaker points out two fundamental issues: we are not ceasing to have children, and we are not realizing that the good life does not consist of multiplied consumption. He criticizes the way the world measures development, which is based on production and consumption. He notes that the development of countries is indexed by how much people consume, and this is considered advancement, regardless of what is being produced, be it nuclear material or electronics. He asserts that we are producing not just goods but also babies at an alarming rate, which he calls a gross understatement. Connecting this to the COVID-19 pandemic, Acharya Prashant explains that the fundamental reason for such events is that our population has expanded so much that we have to enter jungles, leading to contact with new viruses. This expansion is driven by the need for land for every new baby, which is obtained by clearing jungles. He also touches upon geopolitical conflicts arising from resource scarcity, leading nations to engage in activities like gain-of-function research for military purposes. He concludes that unless there is a basic recognition, which he calls a spiritual awakening, that the good life is not about conspicuous consumption, we are hurtling towards a great disaster. He states that the disaster is already upon us, citing the climate crisis as an example, and expresses that the future is not at all bright.
