Acharya Prashant addresses a question regarding the mental distress caused by business losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. He challenges the questioner to reflect on whether the previous high level of income was truly necessary or if the distress stems from the inability to maintain a high level of consumption. He points out that society has been conditioned by the market to equate progress with increasing income and expenditure to satisfy the ego. However, the pandemic has shown many that it is possible to live comfortably and joyfully with much fewer resources. He explains that the pressure to earn more often leads to mental stress and a form of global slavery to consumption.
