Acharya Prashant addresses the question of why mental distress is increasing despite technological advancements. He clarifies that the issue is not about how much one possesses but about one's state of being. Irrespective of the abundance of material objects, the mind can continue to be at unease. Science and technology can, at most, provide a lot of objects to play with, consume, and explore, but they cannot tell you who you are or what to do with those objects. If you do not know an object's utility in your inner scheme of things, it cannot give you the inner peace you seek. Mental peace is an inner matter, and if you do not know its utility, you cannot expect external objects to provide it. Every object has a specific, material purpose and cannot exceed it. For instance, a car is for transport, not for peace. The fault lies in having misplaced expectations and seeking something impossible from the products of technology. A material product is meant to serve only material needs, not subtle inner needs. The inner dimension is special and requires a different kind of attention and treatment. First, it requires acknowledgement; if there is no recognition of the restlessness or the hollowness within, one will never address it. Technology, as a tool, can be used for great purposes or can be misused. It is up to the user. Social media, for example, can be used for great purposes, such as accessing knowledge that would otherwise be difficult to obtain. It allows one to connect beyond physical and temporal boundaries. Relationships should not be defined by locality, geography, or physical proximity. Greatness does not reside selectively in one's locality. One must have the freedom to connect with a beautiful person anywhere in the world, from any time in history. Love must emerge from consciousness and choice, not from mere coincidence or relation. A person should be evaluated on their merit, courage, love, and compassion, not just their relationship to you. There are two kinds of brothers: brothers of the body and brothers of the spirit. The real brothers are the brothers of the spirit. While one should give due respect to relations of the body, the real connection is spiritual. The growth of inner wisdom must keep pace with the growth of outer technology; otherwise, technology becomes an overpowering tool that leads to destruction.
