Acharya Prashant responds to a question about feeling stuck in a bad situation with no apparent alternative. He challenges the premise that there is no alternative, suggesting instead that the alternative is not unavailable but rather expensive. The story told by the questioner, he says, is one used to fool oneself. It's the story of seeing that one is trapped in the wrong place and feeling suffocated, but upon searching for an alternative, finding none and thus having to be content with the old situation. Acharya Prashant refutes this by stating that all alternatives exist, but they are expensive. He uses the analogy of someone in a menial job with a bad boss. After being rebuked, the person gets angry and decides to write a resignation letter. But before sending it, they check job portals for alternatives. They find options, but the pay is not as good as their current job. Consequently, the resignation email is saved as a draft. This is an old draft that is repeatedly opened and saved. The issue is not the absence of alternatives, but that they are not available on one's own terms. One wants a four-fold price for their actions. He then refers to the French philosopher Albert Camus and the myth of Sisyphus. Sisyphus's task is to push a boulder up a hill, only for it to roll down every time. When asked what alternative Sisyphus has, Camus suggests that while suicide is an option, it is not the one to be taken. Instead, Camus imagines Sisyphus as happy, not sad, because he is engaged in a lifelong effort with full honesty, despite repeated failure. The speaker points out that the questioner's situation is not as dire as Sisyphus's, yet he is not putting in his full effort. He wants both heaven and the world, seeking a path of liberation that comes with pre-defined comforts and securities, like a corporate career path. The path of truth, however, is not like that. It is a pathless land, created by walking it. He quotes Majrooh Sultanpuri: "I started alone towards the destination, but people joined and a caravan was formed." He also mentions Jiddu Krishnamurti, Gautama Buddha, and Vardhamana Mahavira as examples of those who took risks without a pre-planned path. Anything truly good, he concludes, happens when it is not pre-planned. While planning is necessary for material tasks, in matters of consciousness, it is a limitation. One must have the courage to live an open life, a life with some danger, and to take risks.
