Do you love yourself?

The following is an excerpt from a samvaad (dialogue) session with Acharya Prashant.

Questioner (Q): Watched a video of yours stating that if you love yourself, only then there is more to life than the way one lives. I know that this routine life is useless and that there are other important things in life which one needs to think of. But, one should think about it only if one loves oneself or one should not. Why is it so? I’m not sure if I love myself. Sometimes I feel like I do; sometimes I feel like I don’t. I am confused, please guide.

Acharya Prashant (AP): I have understood only the last two words of your question, Apoorva. The last two words are “I’m confused.” I’ll answer only these two words. And there are two more words- “Please guide,” so that’s okay, “I’m confused, please guide,” fine. You could have just said, “I’m confused, please guide.” Why did you need to send proof of your confusion? This question is such a long proof of the confusion, there was no need to send this. Apoorva, if you don’t love yourself, why are you asking this question? You could have easily stayed confused, why are you asking this question? — Because clarity is one’s nature.

Nobody likes staying confused, that’s why you’re asking this question. Is the confusion clear now? You do love yourself.

Even when you commit suicide, you are actually just displaying your love towards yourself. You are saying, you love yourself so much, that you cannot bear to see yourself suffer.

One’s love towards oneself is inseparable from the Self. As long as there is the Self, and Self remains for quite a long while, you know. Some people say, “It is eternal.” So, as long as there is the Self, the mind would always be attracted towards the Self. The Self would continue to remain for very long; the mind — attracted to the Self — would cease to continue as it used to continue in time before it dissolved in the Self.

There is a continuation, in time; and there is an eternity, beyond time. The mind continues in time as long as it doesn’t enter eternity, beyond time.

Clarity is your nature.

Such a beautiful word — clarity. What does clarity mean? Clarity is actually a negative word. It means an absence of obstructing phenomena. Once the fog is gone…