Acharya Prashant begins by stating that we never audit ourselves. While it's fine to walk the path ahead, we must first see where we have come so far. It's fine to accumulate more things, but we should assess what we have gained and lost from what we have already acquired. He questions what is truly good, pointing out that what is good for the lion is death for the deer, and what is good for the horse is death for the grass. This illustrates the relativity of what is considered 'good' in the world. The speaker explains that wherever you are, you are never fully present. A part of you is always saying, 'I wish I were somewhere else.' This inability to be complete anywhere is a great sorrow of our existence. Even if you were in your desired place, like a bed, you would then wish to be elsewhere. This desire is not for one specific place; it is always divided. This is the internal labor of modern man. In the past, people worked with their arms, but now all our effort is in the mind. We are severely tired without even moving our arms, as if one part of our mind is in constant conflict with another. The ideal state is to have complete rest within while being intensely active on the outside. To be in the midst of profound, active work, yet remain at peace internally—this is a life of joy, the most excellent life. The paradox of modern life is that despite having everything—numerous options, resources, freedom, and education—we are still internally disturbed and going mad. This is because the first step of the spiritual process, self-inspection, never begins. We never conduct a self-audit. Acharya Prashant then discusses the ancient Greek Sophists, who believed that 'man is the measure of all virtue,' meaning what is good for us is what we determine to be good based on our experience. Socrates challenged this by asking if we truly know what is good for us. He argued that our experience is colored by the ego, and therefore, what we perceive as good is not necessarily the Truth. The speaker emphasizes that inspection must be accompanied by examination. It's not enough to observe; one must also examine the observer. The formula is: there must be an examination between inspection and conclusion. The one who continuously examines themselves correctly will attain the greatest reward of life: effortlessness. The ultimate joy in life is effortlessness, which is only possible when there are no alternatives, no internal conflict. This is the state of being unstoppable externally and immovable internally.
