Acharya Prashant explains that most human emotions are not truly personal but are instead deeply ingrained patterns. He describes how recalling a past event can trigger the same emotional response, such as anger or embarrassment, because these reactions function like a mechanical button being pushed. He suggests that emotions are often automatic, bodily, or hormonal processes that occur within the physical constitution. To manage these, he advises maintaining a distance from the emotion and observing it without participating in it. By addressing oneself in the third person, one can recognize that these reactions are happening to the body or the mind, but not to the core self. He further elaborates that reacting to external stimuli is a mechanical process similar to an electric circuit. He encourages predicting one's own reactions to realize how programmed and machine-like human behavior can be. Acharya Prashant asserts that while chemicals and hormones are constrained to react in specific ways, consciousness is supposed to be free. He suggests that true freedom lies in defying these predictable patterns and chemical obligations. By keeping a distance from bodily imbalances and recognizing that one is not the body, an individual can remain undisturbed even when hormones or external situations are in flux.
