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Why we set alarms and don't wake up? || Acharya Prashant, at Chanakya University (2022)
24.8K views
3 years ago
Love
Consciousness
Mind
Determination
Responsibility
Self-inquiry
Vedanta
Description

Acharya Prashant addresses a question about the internal conflict between making a decision and failing to act on it, using the example of deciding to wake up early but then turning off the alarm. He explains that this is not a matter of dual personality but of different states of consciousness. When you set the alarm at night, you are fully conscious and aware of your past failures and the high probability that you will not wake up. However, when the alarm rings in the morning, you are in a drowsy, half-asleep state, and your consciousness is not in a position to make a firm decision. Therefore, the real point of action is not at 5 AM but at 10 PM, when you are fully awake. He advises that whatever is to be done must be done at 10 PM, when you are conscious and can exercise choice. At 5 AM, you are in no position to do anything, and the opportunity is lost. He suggests that if you know your determination is weak, you should make arrangements at night, such as setting multiple alarms or empowering someone to wake you up forcefully. The key is to do the best you can when you are in a state to act. If all arrangements fail, it implies the task you need to wake up for is not important enough. He suggests that if the task is seriously important, you should not sleep at all. The ultimate solution, he explains, lies in the power of love. You will not need an alarm if you have something so lovable and important to do at 5 AM that it doesn't allow you to sleep. The mind is divided into many parts; one part feels a sense of responsibility, while others are habituated to breaking promises. The only force that can overcome this internal division is love. However, love is only real when you have something worthy enough to love. He concludes by advising the questioner to sit down at 10 PM and ask herself what she will do at 5 AM, whether it is important, and if she will enjoy it. If the answers are a clear 'yes', the task will be easy, and she might even wake up before the alarm without needing one.