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Anxiety even after achievement || Acharya Prashant, with IIT Delhi (2022)
7K views
3 years ago
Anxiety
Fear
Purpose in Life
Worry
Mind
Transcendence
Probability
Description

Acharya Prashant addresses the issue of experiencing anxiety despite having a successful life. He explains that while there are real things that can go wrong in life, such as insecurities and threats, the probability of such emergencies occurring is minuscule. The problem is not the emergencies themselves, but living in the fear of those emergencies every day. We cannot have a blanket statement that all our fears are totally unfounded, as some fears, like the loss of a loved one, are based on an eventual reality. However, that event will happen on one day out of several thousand days, so it is irrational to live in fear of it every day. The importance given to a feared event must have some proportion to its probability. For example, an air crash has a probability of one in a million, so being unduly worried about it during a flight is a problem. This issue of excessive worry usually exists because the mind has nothing better to do than be troubled. These worries are described as internal insects that will keep crawling, irritating, and dominating one's time and attention if life is not filled with something more meaningful and purposeful. The solution is not to fight these worries, as that makes them stronger, but to transcend them. This is achieved by dedicating yourself to something of beauty, truth, and real importance—a purpose beyond your little self. Acharya Prashant states, "If you want to have your life, give it up." By having a great purpose to live for, you will not have the space, time, or inclination to worry.