Acharya Prashant explains that goals, interests, and targets are all products of the mind, primarily influenced by external factors rather than individual choice. He asserts that what people consider their passion or purpose is often implanted by society, family, media, and advertising. Using the analogy of a street food vendor, he describes how sensory triggers like sound and smell can manipulate a person into believing an external influence is their own desire. He emphasizes that most people are living in a state of unconsciousness, following trends like engineering simply because they are popular, rather than out of genuine interest. This makes them slaves to external forces while they falsely claim to be pursuing their own goals. The speaker argues that a confused mind cannot produce meaningful goals. He compares the average person to a drunkard who moves aimlessly in different directions without clarity. Instead of rushing toward a future goal, one must first become still and sober. Acharya Prashant highlights that freedom means being free from this unconsciousness. He explains that a person who is truly conscious lives entirely in the present moment. While people worry about building a future, he suggests that the future is naturally created from the 'seed' of the present. If one takes care of the present moment with attention and love, the future will take care of itself without the need for constant planning or anxiety. Finally, he criticizes the societal obsession with 'becoming' something in the future, which ignores the importance of 'being' in the present. He uses the example of two students: one who reads for the joy of learning and another who reads only for marks. The one who enjoys the process is truly living and will likely succeed naturally, whereas the one focused only on results is a slave to those results. He encourages the audience to stop living in dreams and future-oriented goals, as these are often poisons filled by others. True living involves being fully immersed in whatever one is doing right now—whether dancing, listening, or studying—rather than being driven by fear or ambition.
