Acharya Prashant explains that the difference in determination between challenging situations like a trek and daily life stems from the social environment. On the trek, it was easy to be shameless because there was only one guide, who was paid and wouldn't make the questioner feel ashamed for failing. One could fall multiple times without any restriction or penalty. The point is not that there was one guide, but that there was *only* one guide. In contrast, in society, one's resolve breaks due to shame. After failing a few times, people see it, and one feels embarrassed. Determination, or fortitude (dhriti), is accompanied by 'sau-haar'тАФthe willingness to be defeated a hundred times. Courage is needed precisely because one has to fall repeatedly. If you fall and someone laughs, it becomes difficult to get up. This is why young children are often stubborn, as they haven't yet learned to be bothered by others' laughter. Morale is broken not just by ridicule but also by the sympathy of so-called loving people. They might express excessive concern, saying, "If something happens to you, what will happen to me?" This breaks one's morale and prevents them from taking risks. Our morale is broken by those around us, sometimes by making fun of us and sometimes by showing sympathy. The speaker asserts that if you are a very respectable person, no progress is possible. One must be prepared to face open humiliation. The system you are trying to break away from will not let its prey go easily and will hurt you in every way possible.
