Acharya Prashant addresses the question of why, if awareness is our true nature, we are not naturally inclined towards it and are instead overpowered by bodily tendencies. He explains that while awareness might be our nature, we live by our habits, not by our nature. The human being is described as a system, which means it is a habit. A system is something that can proceed without consciousness, much like a machine. A machine, even a sophisticated one, needs no consciousness to function. To understand man, two things must be remembered simultaneously. First, our nature is awareness, joy, and freedom. Second, our habit—our structural, long-standing, evolutionary habit—is dimness, insentience, bondage, and sorrow. The little self, the 'I', is faced with a choice between these two. It can either proceed towards its nature, which has its own rewards and prices, or it can choose to live by its old habits, which also have their own pros and cons. This is a choice that each person makes every moment. Acharya Prashant puts it succinctly: "Freedom is our love, but bondage is our habit." He observes that when there is a conflict between our love and our habit, habit often wins. For instance, fear is an ancient habit that frequently triumphs over faith. The choice between fear and faith is a sovereign one that each individual makes, and there is no external reason for it. If one reasons it out, they might be trying to hide their culpability and run away from their responsibility. People prefer bondages over freedom because they like the rewards, such as safety and security, that bondages seem to bring. Freedom might be our nature, but we often tell freedom to wait. In conclusion, man is sandwiched between his nature (awareness) and his habits (bondage). The choice between the two is continuous and is never denied. At the same time, one is never allowed to deny the results of their choices. By remembering this duality, the chances of making choices in favor of awareness increase.