Acharya Prashant responds to a question about why society applauds success and discourages failure, even when the effort is the same. He begins by stating that there is no law mandating that one who fails must feel discouraged or disappointed. He explains that most people value power, position, and success, so that is what they go after and respect. One cannot stop people from doing what they do or saying what they say. The more pertinent question, he suggests, is why one must feel disappointed and dejected by others' reactions. He points out that one should not be so vulnerable to what people are saying. The speaker elaborates that people like success because power pleases the ego. The ego, lacking the truth, needs a substitute to survive, and power is an easy substitute. This is why people value and venerate power. When the questioner suggests that this is due to conditioning from birth, Acharya Prashant counters that while this might apply to a child, a grown-up in their mid-twenties has the agency and freedom to choose. He questions why one would want to feel so helpless and dependent, acting as if they have no volition or consciousness to exercise. He emphasizes that the purpose of life is to move from dependency to independence, to become free. Acharya Prashant advises that one must know what is worth doing and pursue it with all their might, responding to any outcome knowing the task itself is worthy. He stresses that one must set their own limit on how much they are affected by others, and this limit should be as small as possible. The journey of life is to become more and more independent. He warns against the temptation to act weak to gain benefits, as this is a form of inner slavery. It is a matter of self-esteem to never act weak, even if one feels weak inside. One must assert their right to not be influenced by others and be their own inner master.