When the reality of the world is denied in this manner, it is not
consistent for one to be affected by events within it. To respond to the
world is to grant reality to the world; it is to treat as real that which
does not, in reality, exist. Interpretations like these provide justification
for world-renunciation rather than world-affirmation, and have
been most strongly and clearly articulated in the monastic and ascetic
strands of Hinduism. Taken to their extremes, these interpretations
make it difficult to take the world seriously. It is represented as beset
with problems and one is advised to cultivate an attitude of disgust
toward it and pray to be free from its clutches. The negativization of
the world promotes indifference and a wish to escape life.