Acharya Prashant explains that when you tell a young person to stop watching pornography and study instead, they reason that even academic success ultimately leads to material gains like a good job and a good wife, which are means to sexual pleasure. Therefore, they prefer to get that pleasure directly. Even those who oppose pornography do so on material grounds, suggesting that the time could be better spent earning money or getting good marks, which reinforces the same materialistic goal. The speaker points out that the youth understands this societal logic very well. They know that their parents encourage them to study to earn money, which will lead to a good job, a good wife, and consequently, good sex. So, they question why they shouldn't indulge in sexual pleasure directly and immediately, as education is also ultimately for the same purpose. He highlights that especially in regions like UP, Bihar, and Rajasthan, a government job is seen as a prerequisite for marriage, making the link between education and sex very direct. When all of life's ideals are material, a person will naturally gravitate towards the highest material pleasure, which is sex. The speaker argues that the only thing that can transcend this is spirituality. When the whole of life is made material, and society measures greatness by material standards like military power and economic strength (GDP, nuclear bombs), the message sent to the youth is that "only the material counts." The solution is to offer something beyond material pleasure. When one is engaged in something higher, the thought of lower pleasures like porn doesn't even arise. It's not about suppressing the desire but about the mind being so occupied with a higher purpose that the desire itself fades away. Living a higher life reduces lower thoughts. The restlessness of the mind, which seeks an outlet in things like porn, needs to be channeled into a creative, positive direction. Otherwise, a wrong life creates restlessness, which increases the need for sex, leading to wrong relationships and a ruined life.
