Acharya Prashant addresses a question about a conflict with one's wife over time spent on self-study. The speaker begins by acknowledging that the wife's objection to her husband's self-study (reading books, watching videos) stems from a belief that there is love between them. If there were no love, her objection would not be a matter of concern. She feels that the time he gives to books is time taken away from her, which hurts her because of what is perceived as love. The speaker then questions whether books, which represent self-study, are truly against love. He proposes that there are three things to consider: what the husband feels, what the wife feels, and what the truth is. He explains that books and self-study serve to cleanse the existing relationship, and true love is fond of cleanliness. Therefore, love would never object to books; it would desire more cleansing for both individuals. The objection indicates that what is being called love is not love but something else, a form of possession by societal conditioning. Acharya Prashant elaborates that this is not a personal issue but a public one. The wife's thoughts and objections are not uniquely hers but are a product of a vast web of illusion (Maya) that has victimized everyone. He uses the analogy of a public fog in which everyone is stumbling blindly. The ideas about love and relationships are conditioned by external sources like movies, which portray a flawed image of love. He likens this conditioning to a ghost that has possessed the person, and the fight is not with the person but with the ghost itself. He concludes that this is a fight against a formidable power that seeks to keep humanity from its true awakening. This power has entered every home and taken possession of people's minds and bodies, making them act unconsciously. The speaker advises the questioner to view his personal struggle as part of this larger, public war. Understanding the bigger picture will reduce personal resentment and strengthen his resolve to fight this collective ignorance. The solution is to transform the relationship into true love through patience, courage, and sympathy, and to continue the work of cleansing, which is not a personal but a public service.
