How to bear prolonged Sadhna?

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

Question (Q): Acharya ji, how to bear prolonged Sadhana (spiritual discipline)?

I have inertia in moving along the spiritual path. One day I sat down to read Jiddu Krishnamurti for MAG (Month of Awakening) session, and I read him for hours. I really enjoyed and felt at peace, yet I never opened it again, even though I wanted to complete the remaining chapters. Similarly, when I am feeling low, I feel like watching some spiritual videos, but I choose only the ones under fifteen minutes. I can watch five-six videos which are short, but I will never choose to watch a one hour video.

I know that I have not yet reached the state to understand things beyond mind, yet sometimes I question that what exactly I am trying to achieve on this path.

Please help.

How should I get over the inertia, and the doubt? What should I do? I am confused.

Acharya Prashant (AP): It is not about understanding. It is also not about not knowing what you are trying to achieve. It is simply a thing of the modern, post-modern age called ‘attention-deficit’.

Nothing else.

Had you already known what is worth achieving in life, there is anyways no need to watch spiritual videos. So, if you do not know what is worth achieving, it is okay. The spiritual videos will help you know that. So, that’s fine.

The thing is that, technology and development, and economics have brought us to a point where we have everything pre-cooked, and easy, and ready to be served to us. May be one day you can be with Krishnamurti for a long stretch. But that is not ingrained in you.

We live in an age where the smart-phone offers us very quick gratification. We live in an age where I suppose there is a limit of one minute on Instagram videos.

So if you watch fifteen minute long videos, it is in itself some kind of an accomplishment. It does not have to do with your spiritual thirst, it has to do with the times we are living in.

Kids are not being tested at all. They are being promoted to the next class, I suppose till class Eighth or Sixth. Class Eighth. So everybody has it…