Acharya Prashant responds to a question about why one suffers if, as Ramana Maharishi says, liberation is already present. He affirms that liberation is indeed always there, but the problem is that the suffering individual, the "you," also co-exists with it. The issue is not about liberation, but about the existence of this "you." For true freedom, it is not sufficient that liberation exists; liberation alone must exist. This means the questioner must talk about their own bondages, a topic that is often a taboo. The speaker explains that a liberation that co-exists with bondage is worse than pure bondage. Pure bondage is so unbearable that it compels one to seek liberation, whereas a bondage that co-exists with the idea of liberation becomes secure and comfortable, a cunning trick the mind plays on itself. This darkness, by being close to the light, convinces itself it is not truly dark, making it very difficult to treat. Acharya Prashant emphasizes that while liberation is omnipresent, it is absent for the one who does not value it. Only that which you value will exist for you. He states that adages like "Truth is everywhere" or "Liberation is the only truth" are of little use because they don't address the individual's state. The crucial point is choice. Citing the Upanishads, he says the Self (Atma) is obtained only by the one who chooses the Self. This choice cannot be forced; one can only be guided. He advises the questioner to stop talking about liberation and instead talk about themselves and their bondages. He urges skepticism towards oneself, one's thoughts, emotions, and reactions, calling the self the worst enemy. The best friend, liberation, is standing outside, and one must choose to provide it access.
