Acharya Prashant responds to a question about finding time for personal peace and happiness amidst office work. He begins by questioning the premise that the office is the primary value in life. He states that if you find peace in the office, then go; otherwise, don't. He challenges the questioner to consider whether they are for the job or the job is for them, pointing out that we often live as if the job is doing us, rather than us doing the job. When the point is raised that a job is necessary for money, Acharya Prashant counters that the ultimate goal is happiness, and one should question if it can be attained directly, without taking a long, roundabout route. He explains that we have a deep-seated belief that the ultimate goal cannot be reached without complex maneuvers and going in circles. The fundamental principle of spirituality, he asserts, is that the most valuable and real thing is right in front of us, and it does not require so many tricks and turns to attain. He uses the analogy of someone wanting to meet him but instead of approaching directly, they exit one door, go all the way around, and enter through another. This is how we approach life, believing we cannot live it directly and that happiness must be mediated through intermediaries like an office, security, or future goals. These intermediaries, he says, act like brokers who take a commission, leaving nothing of the original happiness by the time it reaches us. This tendency to take a crooked path is what Acharya Prashant defines as the ego. The ego is what prevents one from doing a simple thing in a simple way. He gives the example of someone who is thirsty but, instead of directly asking for water, resorts to taunts and indirect remarks. Such people, he says, remain thirsty. Similarly, the moment one asks 'how' to get happiness, they have introduced an intermediary (a method) and time (the future), thereby ensuring happiness is never attained. The possibility of joy is nullified when you say you will work today for joy tomorrow. The very things that are essential—peace, truth, and joy—are 'avashya' (inevitable, necessary) and cannot be controlled or subjected to conditions. To try and control the essential is the ego's foolish and losing battle.