Acharya Prashant explains that the more one loses touch with oneself, the more material one's world becomes. He describes two directions one can look: the outer and the inner. The outer direction is filled with the material, which he calls the gross (sthool), such as buildings, roads, and people. The subtle (sukshma) is within, and the subtlest truth is the Self, which is also within. He states that modern life actively disincentivizes going within. This happens in two ways. Firstly, industrial production has filled the world with so many lucrative and tempting objects that there is no time, space, or incentive to look inward. One is constantly looking at things. Secondly, there has been a great decline in true spirituality, which has been replaced by bogus cults and gurus. Consequently, the importance of going within has gone unaddressed, and self-knowledge is on the decline. This shift towards materialism has led to the mind itself becoming material and gross. Poetry, in contrast, is about the delicate, the fine, and the subtle. Therefore, the more material life becomes, the less poetic it will remain. The speaker highlights the interconnectedness of poetry and spirituality, noting that in India, many great spiritual works like the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, Ashtavakra Gita, and Ribhu Gita are composed in verse. The word 'Gita' itself means song. He explains that certain subtle aspects of Truth can only be expressed poetically, as poetry stands at the border between eloquence and silence, where words begin to fail. The decline in spirituality is thus accompanied by a decline in poetry as a symptom. As a result of this materialistic focus, people are not reading books of wisdom. The speaker observes a visible change in bookstores where the philosophy section has shrunk while the self-help section has expanded. Wisdom is out, and superstition has ballooned. People are constantly seeking the next material object—be it shoes, a phone, a car, or a travel destination—all of which are gross and not poetic. He concludes by encouraging the questioner to write poetry, even if it's not for public consumption, as it is a way to connect with the inner self and approach the Truth.