Acharya Prashant addresses the confusion arising from the belief that one's current way of life is a service to others. He explains that this assumption is the root of the conflict, where one feels that pursuing self-realization is selfish because it would mean ceasing this perceived service. The questioner's conflict is based on the thought, "If I go away, what will happen to all the good things that I am doing currently to the people I am with?" The speaker challenges this fundamental assumption by asking, "What if it turns out that right now your presence is the worst thing that is happening to them?" He posits that if one's presence is harmful, then the greatest service one can offer is to mend their ways. This, he explains, is the essence of what Ramana Maharshi meant by stating that self-realization is the biggest service to the world. The ego resists this truth, feeling proud of its current contributions and refusing to accept that its life might have been a failure. The speaker asserts that the status quo often "stinks," and one must accept that their life might have been a failure all along to truly change. Acharya Prashant illustrates this with the example of family and children. When one worries about what will happen to their kids, he responds, "Your kids will grow up in a beautiful way. You just leave them." He argues that the world is in a mess despite families supposedly being havens of love and care, implying that these very families produce troubled individuals. He points out that delinquents are often the product of unqualified parents who, in the name of care, cause harm. He connects this to the ancient practice of sending children to a teacher because the home environment was not seen as conducive to proper growth. He concludes that by being the way you are, you are not doing any good to anybody, neither to them nor to yourself. Therefore, it is better to mend your ways. The ego, however, wants to believe it is already doing well and resists changing the status quo. The speaker emphasizes that sometimes the best service and the deepest act of love one can offer to someone they profess to love is distance.
