A questioner expresses that the more he reads scriptures and listens to spiritual talks, the more he feels a sense of gloom and a desire to withdraw from a world that seems fake and artificial. He feels sad about the state of affairs and asks if this withdrawal is normal or a form of egoic separation. Acharya Prashant responds that one will not be able to withdraw; it is impossible to find a place to hide because the world's issues are everywhere, even within us. He explains that this angst and utter helplessness are what give birth to rebellion. As long as a person has somewhere to go, something to hold on to, or some hope to cherish, they will simply remain sold and will not rebel. He cites the examples of Buddha and Mahavir, stating they were not moody or capricious people who simply ran away. They must have experienced something similar but far greater in magnitude and poignancy, struggling with it and trying to accommodate it within their lives. It was only when they reached a state of total hopelessness that they broke away. This kind of gloom or bleak despair, Acharya Prashant suggests, is the prerogative of those who have some sensitivity and life left in them. One can try to go numb, feign ignorance, and confine oneself to a shell, but it doesn't work. Change begins only when one realizes that escape is impossible. As long as there is hope and alternatives, a person will keep trying them. When there is no place to run, one finally decides to confront the world (Sansaar). Buddha leaving his palace was not an escape but a confrontation with life for the first time, without pretense. Similarly, Mahavir giving up his clothes was an act of dropping all screens. When one realizes there is no place to go and the work is lifelong, with no days off, one must confront reality as it is.
