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Job vs Studies: Which Path to Choose? || Acharya Prashant, NIT- Jamshedpur (2023)
Breaking Free
3.5K views
1 year ago
Experimentation
Self-knowledge
Inner growth
Decision making
Evolution
Clarity
Choices
Philosophy
Description

Acharya Prashant addresses a student of philosophy who is conflicted about pursuing a PhD versus seeking financial independence as an educator. He suggests that experimentation is the best way to resolve confusion when one cannot make up their mind. By beginning a process, such as a PhD program, one can probe their own heart to see if there is resistance or if the path feels right. He emphasizes that there is no harm in reversing past choices, as rigid choices can be more harmful. The person who makes the choice is more important than the choice itself, and evolving as a person naturally leads to outgrowing previous decisions made by an earlier version of oneself. He further explains that absolute clarity is rarely available to normal consciousness, making experimentation a vital tool for self-knowledge. Trying something out allows one to move beyond assumptions and see how the mind truly responds to a situation. While external guidance can help one ask the right questions, the ultimate truth and decision must be discovered individually from within. Acharya Prashant encourages the student to investigate their fears, such as the fear of wasting time, and to determine their own priorities through inner clarity. He concludes that the purpose of life is to keep evolving and that one is not accountable to anyone else for changing their direction.