The blind force of consumerism || Acharya Prashant

Acharya Prashant

Full Video: Why are extroverts considered superior? || Acharya Prashant, at AIIMS Nagpur (2022) Link:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bhDbDoLwc8&t=0s  Video Information:  AIIMS, Nagpur, 08.03.2022, Nagpur, India  Context: ~ How to set priorities? ~ How to be free? ~ What is freedom? ~ How to bring woman's revolution? ~ How to bring about a Total Women's revolution?  Music Credits: Milind Date  ~~~~~

Transcript

00:00 Good evening, sir. So, my question is very general and it's not about like women and

00:09 men. It's just on the basis of my observation. So, my question stand out for the introverts

00:16 in the house, like what I had observed in my friend circle at college, and basically

00:23 in the society, like the introvert is always pulled towards being the extrovert in nature,

00:30 like what we had seen in the videos, books and the podcasts, like how to make friends,

00:35 how to win people heart, and how to be an extrovert. So, why the extrovertedness given

00:42 like considered so much superior, and the introvertedness is not considered appreciable

00:50 in the society. So, is there any specific thing regarding like the extroverts would

00:55 be only gonna be successful and more superior than the introverts, whether the person is

01:01 very comfortable at his own comfort zone and being an introvert.

01:05 There is a very clear reason why the society favors extroversion rather than introversion.

01:12 It's a very, very specific reason. And this is a trend only over the last two centuries.

01:20 It's not as if mankind has always been like this. I'll tell you. Introversion is dangerous

01:29 for capitalist consumerism. Because if you are with yourself most of the times, and you

01:37 start enjoying your own company most of the times, why will you spend a lot of money in

01:43 the market? And if you are to be forced to spend a lot of money in the market, then it

01:51 is necessary that introversion be shown down and shamed. Who is an extrovert? Generally,

02:02 extroverts are the one who have very little tendency to look at themselves. When you look

02:12 at yourself, you realize what is it that you really want. Then you cannot be a blind consumer

02:19 of the society's markets. When you are an extrovert, what is it that happens? I am with

02:27 five people, I am hanging out with them, talking to them, and because I am not looking at myself,

02:33 my gaze is always directed towards the outside. Therefore, I will feel a certain incompleteness

02:42 without ever knowing what is the incompleteness that I feel. And since I am always looking

02:48 outwards, so I'll go to all the things that appear on the outside and try to use them

02:55 to fill the incompleteness within. This is extroversion. That incompleteness, that void

03:05 that we all feel is a real void and it demands real treatment. But its treatment is an inward

03:16 glance. You continue looking at this void that we all feel within and that is the only

03:24 cure you can provide it. However, when you have a great tendency to never look at yourself

03:32 but keep looking at others, then what is it that this void makes you do? This void says,

03:41 I exist and my solution lies in the world's markets. You become a good consumer. You become

03:51 the stuff that markets love. All the producers in the world want people who have money and

03:58 who are blind. In Hindi we call it, aag ke andhe, gaat ke poore. A lot of money with

04:06 no discretion. That's the kind of person that the markets love. Are you getting it?

04:16 Five of you walk into a showroom and if the salesman is smart, he will quickly point out

04:26 which of you is the most stupid one and it is that person that the salesman will attack.

04:35 Because this person can be made a fool of and this person can be used to sell your goods.

04:43 Even if an introvert walks into a showroom with four of his friends and what is the introvert

04:51 doing? He is silent. He is inward. The salesman will show no interest in this introvert person.

04:59 I am exaggerating but do get the idea. The salesman will show very little interest in

05:08 the introvert because the introvert is very difficult to fool or rather comparatively

05:14 difficult to fool. That's why the entire media is full of characters that glorify extroversion.

05:25 Look at all the so called heroes in your movies. Where do you find introverts? The more noisy

05:33 the person is, the more fit he is to be a hero. The more stupid a person is, the more

05:40 successful he will be as a heroic character. All the loafers, they are super hits as heroes.

05:50 Right? I am talking of both the actor and the character. That's what they want you to

06:00 buy into. They are not showing you just a movie. They are showing you a way of life.

06:07 They are selling you a philosophy and it's a very toxic philosophy. Be very mindful.

06:19 It is not just rupees 300 that they want from you. They don't want you to buy just the movie

06:28 ticket. They are not satisfied with rupees 300. They want your entire life. This is one.

06:37 It is a complete nexus. The movie is not separate from the superstore or the shopping mall.

06:50 What is it that your movies glorify? Don't you pay attention? Reckless consumption. Especially

06:58 since the last 20 years. And it's no coincidence that the Indian economy got liberalized in

07:04 1991 and the very flavor of your movies changed. The very flavor of all media including television

07:10 changed. The hero is more often an NRI now with a lot of money. When was the last time

07:21 you had a poor man playing the hero? When was the last time you had an ordinary looking

07:28 woman playing the heroine? They are selling a life philosophy to you and it's a very dangerous

07:38 philosophy. It will destroy you.

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