Acharya Prashant addresses the issue of youth addiction by explaining that young people possess energy but lack proper ideals. He questions if anyone, during their school or college years, encountered a role model who could speak to them like Shri Ramakrishna or Shri Krishna. In the absence of such figures, the youth are left directionless. He states that what is called ordinary consciousness is painful, and it is difficult for a young, vibrant person to compromise with it. This ordinary consciousness is the normal state in which we perceive ourselves and the world, which is a reflection of our own incomplete and distorted selves. The world appears ugly because we ourselves are incomplete. When a young person confronts this ugly reality, they have two choices. The first is the path of revolutionaries like Shankaracharya, Vivekananda, or Bhagat Singh, who, upon seeing the unbearable state of the world, decided to fight it. This path requires an ideal and courage. The second path is to escape this reality through intoxication. Acharya Prashant clarifies that intoxication is not limited to drugs and alcohol but includes any form of escapism, such as getting lost in family life, power, or money. He defines spirituality as the rising of consciousness and the clearing of the fog of ignorance, whereas intoxication is the deepening of this fog. He further explains that beauty is not about physical appearance but is intrinsically linked to courage; a coward cannot be beautiful. The modern notion that 'everyone is beautiful' is another form of escapism. The true distinction lies between the courageous and the cowardly. The youth need what he calls 'Ram Khumari'—the intoxication of Truth. This is the ultimate intoxication that renders all other forms of intoxication useless. It is the path of courage and spirituality, which involves either changing what is wrong with the world or being consumed in the effort to do so.
