Acharya Prashant addresses the question of why people do not work towards goals they know are beneficial, such as tackling climate change. He clarifies that it is not that people do not work; every single person is indeed working, but only according to their own limited perception and self-interest. Even someone who decides not to work and just sleeps is, in fact, working according to their definition of work at that moment. The trouble is that their perception is limited. To get people to do the right work, they first need the right clarity. When a person knows who they are, they also know what they must do. Using an analogy, he explains that if there is a fire in the room and you are fast asleep, you will not act. But once someone wakes you up, you don't need to be told or motivated to run; you will gallop away at top speed. The real problem is not about action but about the actor. The actor is not alright because they are not fully conscious. People do not work on issues like climate change because they are not conscious of how it personally affects them. They see it as a problem of 'the other'—the climate, other species, or other people. As long as this feeling of otherness remains, the willingness to help will be limited. Acharya Prashant states that the solution lies in realizing the interconnectedness of all existence. The fire in the neighbor's house is your own house on fire. The suffering of others is your own. This understanding comes from self-knowledge, which is the essence of Vedanta. When you know yourself, you see that you are not a distinct, separate entity. This realization leads to the flowering of true compassion. True selfishness is true compassion. Once you know what you truly want, it becomes impossible to be indifferent or cruel to others, because you see them as yourself. Therefore, the desire to act must come from the right reason, which is clarity born of self-knowledge.
