Acharya Prashant explains that fear always arises from an external source, with the feeling that an outsider will cause you great harm. Fear constantly suggests that an external situation, accident, or person will lead to a significant loss. The root of this fear is a lack of faith in oneself—the inability to believe that no matter what happens, you will be safe and can endure any loss. There is a persistent feeling that everything you possess has been given by the world, and if the world takes it away, you will be left a beggar with nothing. The only remedy for fear is to be prepared to face the worst, to say, "Come, take whatever you can take. Let the worst possible thing happen, we will survive." This doesn't mean denying that harm can occur, but rather acknowledging that you have the full capacity to endure any loss and still remain steadfast. To achieve this, one must not wish for bad things to not happen, but rather cultivate the inner strength to be okay even if the worst occurs. This state of being unaffected by the worst also requires being unaffected by the best. To be free from the fear of loss, one must also relinquish the greed for gain. The person who becomes ecstatic upon gaining something will inevitably be saddened by its loss. Therefore, one should remain equanimous in both gain and loss, meeting and separation. Just as in a race, whether you win or lose, you should just smile a little and move on, without excessive celebration or despair. Those who get overly excited are the same ones who fall into depression. When asked about helping others, Acharya Prashant states that one must first understand the meaning of help and help oneself by becoming conscious. When you awaken, you have already helped the world immensely.
