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Bunk lectures and skip classes? || Acharya Prashant, with BITS Pilani (2022)
19.2K views
3 years ago
Unconsciousness
Laziness
Prakriti
Motivation
Commitment
Love
Fear
Effort Efficiency
Description

Acharya Prashant addresses the issue of being unable to stick to one's decisions, which the questioner describes as a commitment issue. The speaker explains that this behavior stems from not truly understanding the value of the actions one decides to take. He uses the questioner's example of wanting to attend lectures to get better grades, pointing out that this motivation comes from what 'everyone says,' which is a conditioned way of being. The speaker reframes the concept of laziness, suggesting it is an unnecessary pejorative. He explains that what is called laziness is actually the physical nature's (Prakriti's) inherent tendency towards work minimization or effort efficiency, which is a logical prerequisite for physical survival. The body is trained to be effort-efficient. The real issue is not a lack of energy but a lack of understanding or consciousness. One is lazy because one is unconscious. The mind calculates a ratio of output (pleasure) to input (effort). For activities like lying in bed, the effort is minimal, so the perceived pleasure-to-effort ratio is high. Conversely, for activities like going to the gym, the effort is high, but the internal, subtle joy is underestimated or quantified as zero, making the ratio unfavorable. Therefore, the mind chooses the path of least resistance. To overcome this, one must have something bigger than laziness to motivate them. This can be either the right kind of fear—the fear of squandering one's precious life—or a great love for something tremendously beautiful. When one has either of these, they will no longer remain lazy. The speaker asserts that those who are lazy lack not in energy, but in understanding. They do not truly know the benefits, dividends, and joys that come from right action. When the appreciation of the benefits changes, the decision will automatically change. Regarding the fear of a vision being motivated by money, Acharya Prashant clarifies that money is not the problem, but an unconscious mind is. If wisdom is at the center, money is a great tool, but money itself should never be the center.