Acharya Prashant explains that while human birth is unique because it offers the possibility of liberation from the cycle of birth and death, it is also a dangerous state. Humans are the only species capable of recognizing their bondage, yet they are also the only ones who create thousands of new bondages for themselves. Every being is born into the primary bondage of the senses and physical limitations, which makes humans essentially animals. However, unlike other animals, humans use their intelligence to invent new chains under the guise of seeking freedom. This misuse of intellect often leads to greater suffering and psychological disorders that are rarely found in the animal kingdom. He further elaborates that the freedom to choose, often celebrated as a human privilege, frequently acts as a curse. While animals are governed by nature and instinct without the burden of choice, humans possess free will but almost always exercise it against their own well-being. Only a rare few, such as Shri Krishna or the Buddha, utilize this potential for liberation; for the vast majority, human life results in worse conditions than those of animals. Acharya Prashant suggests that the right to choose is a double-edged sword because there is no divine intervention to stop a person from making self-destructive choices. Ultimately, the human ability to progress and choose is only beneficial if one knows how to choose correctly, which most fail to do.
