Acharya Prashant explains the distinction between 'Karma' (action) and 'Akarma' (inaction). In normal action, or Karma, you feel you have a choice. In contrast, with Akarma, you feel you have no choice at all and are acting out of compulsion or obligation. In this state, you have convinced yourself that you have no control over something and have surrendered to what you call fate, not even attempting to navigate the situation. The speaker elaborates that Akarma can be of two kinds. The first is of a physical nature, involving bodily functions over which one truly has little control, such as breathing, digestion, blinking, heart rate, and perspiration. While these can be influenced, they cannot be commanded to stop entirely, and not much attention should be paid to them. The second, more severe kind of Akarma pertains to actions where a mental choice is actually available, but one has convinced oneself of an artificial helplessness. Examples include performing religious rituals as if they are as necessary as eating, or feeling obligated to marry at a certain age. In these matters, one relinquishes choice. Spiritual practice, the speaker states, is about regaining your choice. The assertion of being helpless is a pretense, as the right to choose is an existential right that cannot be taken away by anyone. The worst are those who claim helplessness, as they are self-deceivers who harm themselves and pollute their environment. A little better are those who at least try to exercise choice, even if their choices are in the wrong direction. The highest state is that of the one who knows what is right and consistently chooses only in that one direction. For such a person, their life becomes a continuous reiteration of their one unchangeable choice.