Acharya Prashant explains that intelligence demands freedom, which unfolds in three distinct stages. The first stage is 'freedom from,' which involves breaking away from existing bondages, compulsory thinking, and the pressure to follow the crowd. This is the essential first step of getting rid of one's chains and the mental clutter that one currently identifies as life. It is a negative freedom focused on removing the influence of society and external manuals of living that dictate what a good life should be.