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Sharing is division, or is sharing multiplication? || Acharya Prashant, on 'The Fountainhead' (2019)
Acharya Prashant
1.9K views
6 years ago
Fruit of Labor
Fruit of Work
Zero-sum Game
Multiplication
Division
Ego
Spirituality
Pettiness
Description

Acharya Prashant distinguishes between the 'fruit of labor' and the 'fruit of work' to explain the human tendency toward pettiness and the reluctance to share. He explains that labor is a zero-sum game where sharing results in a loss for the giver, much like a gorilla losing its banana to another. This mindset stems from a lack of love for the task, where the effort put in is viewed as a punishment that others should also endure. In this paradigm, sharing is seen as division, leading to feelings of insecurity and meanness. In contrast, true work comes from an inexhaustible source and is driven by love. Acharya Prashant asserts that when one truly loves a subject or a creation, sharing it becomes a delightful experience that leads to multiplication rather than loss. He uses the example of a zealous poet who eagerly seeks others to share his work with because the act of sharing increases the joy and the value of the work itself. In the spiritual language of work, sharing is multiplication, whereas in the language of labor, it is merely division. He concludes by stating that anything worth having is immense and cannot be kept to oneself. If one feels the need to hide or conserve something, it is a sign that the object is small and petty. In the world of the ego, every gain is accompanied by a loss, but in the world of true work, there is no minus; there is only multiplication or zero. He encourages the listener to share their work freely, as failing to share causes the value of the work to turn to zero, while sharing allows it to flourish.