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Text or Call? || Acharya Prashant (2023)
13.1K views
2 years ago
Technology
Communication
Knowledge vs. Being
Internal Liberation
Fear
Authenticity
Vedanta
Spontaneity
Description

Acharya Prashant begins by acknowledging that the internet and Google can serve as a handy support or backup when one is unsure of how to respond. However, he cautions that in real-life, real-time situations, one cannot depend on Google to interact with someone standing right in front of them. He states that technology cannot be a substitute for real-life interaction, and planned statements or responses will never carry the authenticity of something spontaneous. Communication through text may appear safer, but it is also duller and lacks the warmth and liveliness of a face-to-face interaction. This tendency to hide behind text, he explains, is a habit that stems from fear, and one should not protect this fear. If something cannot be said face-to-face, one must question if it deserves to be said at all. He points out that while texting does not necessarily save time and can lead to endless exchanges, there are instances where it is useful for brief, functional messages. However, if a matter can be resolved in a few minutes through a direct conversation, one should not hide behind text. This idea extends to hiding behind external or "Google knowledge." Acharya Prashant emphasizes that true knowledge is only realized when it is lived. If knowing does not transform into being, it is not real knowing. Google knowledge cannot become a part of one's being or life and will not be of much help. Acharya Prashant advises using technology to one's advantage, not as a handicap. Technology should be employed to do what one cannot do, rather than as a substitute for abilities one already possesses. He uses an analogy: if you have legs, technology should provide a car to enhance your ability, not a crutch to debilitate it. Developing advanced crutches with AI while having functional legs is a misuse of technology. This leads to the fundamental question of who the user of technology is, which is where internal liberation becomes crucial. He concludes that no technology will be beneficial if the user is not internally free and luminous. If the inner center is flawed, any power, knowledge, or technology will be used to one's own disadvantage and destruction. He likens this to the story of a monkey with a sword, noting that in modern times, the monkey could have an ICBM. He also references classical villains like Ravan and Duryodhan, who possessed great power but operated from a corrupt center. The issue is that modern humans are like cavemen with advanced technology, leading to global problems like climate change and mass extinction. The central Vedantic question is, "Who are you?" If one is not right within, nothing one possesses can be used rightly.