Acharya Prashant explains that only in aloneness can one have relationships that are not exploitative. He asserts that otherwise, no matter what name or color is given to a relationship, it will definitely be one of exploitation. He challenges the listener to examine their relationships closely, stating that one never truly wants the other person, but rather wants to exploit them. The proof of this, he says, is that if you do not get what you want from the other person, you start to dislike them. You never want the other; you always want something through the other, which is to exploit them. This dynamic is described as a life of need, leading to a relationship that lacks aloneness and is centered on consumption and exploitation. Every relationship involves getting something through the other person, and if that stops, the relationship is affected. This is contrasted with a relationship that comes from aloneness, which is unconditional, stable, and non-intrusive because it does not demand anything from the other. As long as a relationship is based on need, it will remain one of violence. The speaker argues that one can never be more violent to anybody than to someone they claim to love, because the greater the so-called love, the greater the investment and the expectation of returns. Frustration in relationships, the speaker clarifies, stems from an absence of love, which in turn comes from an absence of aloneness. This aloneness is the central point, referred to as the Self (Atma), heart, truth, or core. This center is one's only strength and the foundation on which one can stand, as it does not need or depend on anything. When you live your life from this point of aloneness, you will be truly free, neither exploiting nor being exploited. Your relationships will then have a different color, and your very presence will be a becoming one.
