Acharya Prashant explains that the question "Who am I?" is rarely asked from a state of total absence of knowledge. He argues that whenever a person asks a question, they usually have an expectation or a framework within which the answer must fall. Therefore, asking "Who am I?" while already holding onto various identities and concepts about oneself is hypocritical. Honesty demands that one first acknowledges and confronts their existing, deeply embedded identities rather than pretending they do not know who they are. He suggests that instead of starting with a philosophical question, one should start by acknowledging their current labels, such as their name, nationality, or self-perceptions. He further clarifies that freedom from these identities comes not through a device to reduce the mind, but by living with and experiencing the absurdity of one's current beliefs. He illustrates this by suggesting that if a person believes they are the smartest in the universe but commits a gross error, they should juxtapose that belief with the fact of their mistake. This confrontation between imagination and fact causes the false identity to fall away. Only when these preexisting answers are cleared is one truly fit to ask the question "Who am I?" Addressing the nature of duality and thought, Acharya Prashant notes that if someone feels they carry conflicting identities, such as being both intelligent and dumb, the underlying permanent identity is the "I think" or the reliance on opinion. He concludes by stating that everyone "bends reality" through their subjective perceptions and attachments, such as seeing an ordinary person as an angel when in love. This subjective bending of reality is a common human experience driven by the mind's current state.