With youth: Without self-awareness, your life is not your life

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

Question (Q): Sir, so are you saying that we lack self-awareness when we are not able to decide what is good for us?

Acharya Prashant (AP): Obviously.

Listener 1 (L1): So, we lack self-awareness?

AP: Obviously.

L1: Like when in 10th standard, we could not decide whether we have to choose Biology or Maths as an optional subject?

AP: Alright. Four of you come on the stage. Come. Come.

(Four listeners walk up to the stage)

AP: (Giving them a string). Hold this at different places. Hold this and face towards the audience. Now, keep pulling this towards yourself.

(Smilingly) Not too strongly, otherwise, it will break.

(Everyone laughs)

Now, this is you. (Pointing at the string which is being pulled from different sides)

You have a choice to make. (Pointing at the members holding the string). One is the uncle. The other one is the mother. This is the father. This is the brother. And this is neighbor, or let us say, teacher (Speaker pointing at himself).