Acharya Prashant addresses the common misconception of living life on one's own terms, specifically challenging the popular 'be yourself' mantra. He argues that most people's opinions, desires, and thoughts are not actually their own but are borrowed from external sources like family, society, education, and media. He uses the analogy of iron filings moving near a magnet to illustrate how human reactions are often induced by external stimuli rather than being authentic internal choices. He explains that individuals are often puppets of their conditioning, mistakenly believing that their ideologies and principles are self-derived when they are actually inherited or imposed from childhood. He further elaborates that true authenticity is rare because most people do not realize they are being dominated by external influences. He cites the example of students pursuing engineering not out of genuine interest, but due to external pressures, yet claiming it is their own choice. Acharya Prashant clarifies that something is truly 'yours' only when it arises from one's own understanding and intelligence rather than habit or programming. He distinguishes between the 'core' and the 'gross,' stating that what comes from the core is authentic, while what comes from past habits or external conditions is a form of slavery. He concludes that that which remains constant regardless of changing external circumstances—like the capacity of sight versus the changing scene—is what truly belongs to the individual.
