Acharya Prashant addresses the dilemma of whether one should live for oneself or for others, explaining that this conflict arises from operating from the wrong center—the ego. From the perspective of the ego, life is a zero-sum game where self-interest and the welfare of others are mutually exclusive. This traditional view suggests that serving society requires the renunciation of personal interests, leading to a competitive or transactional way of living. However, he argues that this is a superficial and immature understanding of life. He introduces a second center of maturity and wisdom, where one realizes that personal interests and the interests of others are inseparable. From this vantage point, taking care of one's true interests naturally results in helping others, and genuine service to others simultaneously benefits oneself. He emphasizes that it is impossible to be truly happy while others suffer, as we are all interconnected. He warns that the ego's attempt to find happiness at the cost of others only leads to hidden suffering, which may not be immediately visible but is inevitable. Acharya Prashant further explains that the fundamental problem is the 'little self' or the ego, which is the source of all bondage and suffering. Inflating this self through superficial desires only increases one's misery. He posits that the deepest human desire is actually to get rid of this false self and its random identities—such as gender, religion, or nationality—which are merely accidental and not one's true core. True maturity lies in self-observation and recognizing that these external identities are not fundamental, leading to a state of undivided existence.