Acharya Prashant questions the origin of the teaching to "live in the present," asking which Upanishad or scripture advocates for not thinking about the future or the past. He critiques this idea by presenting extreme scenarios: if one is murdering or raping in the present, should they do it with full immersion? If one is performing a base act, should they not think about its consequences? He contrasts this with the teachings of the scriptures, which, he states, have said a hundred times to look at both the past and the future and be aware of what one is doing. The speaker explains that his entire teaching is to see what you are doing and what you are creating for yourself. He asserts that the whole idea of "be in the present" only encourages consumerism and nothing else. The notion of not thinking about the future or the past, and just eating voraciously without considering the bill, is an example he uses to illustrate this point. He sarcastically suggests telling a restaurant, "I eat in the present," and not thinking about the future, such as whether one has money to pay the bill or how one will digest the food. He dismisses the popular teaching, "when you are eating, just eat," as foolishness. He questions what one should do if their brother is dying next to them while they are eating. Would they say, "I am eating in the present, you die if you have to"? He calls this "American spirituality," where one is taught to do only one thing at a time with immersion. He argues that for most people, what they are doing in the so-called present—be it a bad job, bad company, or bad thoughts—is not worth doing at all. Therefore, telling them to "live in the present" is harmful. He asks what the "present" means for most people, suggesting it is often a state of being burned to ashes or being in a swamp, and questions if one should be told to live deeply in such a state. The speaker clarifies that one who is in the Ganga can be told to take a dip, but one who is in a swamp cannot be told to "drown" in it. He gives an example of four friends drinking and eating, where one wise person questions their actions, but the others tell him to "leave it" and "live in the now." He explains that unless one is liberated (Jivanmukta), they have a future and must care for it. Lying to oneself about not caring for the future is a pretense that only befits the saints. Since ordinary people have a future, they must think about it. If one cares for the future in the right way, a day will come when they are free from the future, but that day has not yet arrived for them. He concludes by advising people to think about their past and future truthfully, with their own well-being at the center.
