Acharya Prashant explains that the reason the ego gets hurt is that it thinks too much of itself. When it realizes it has been fed fake concepts by "greedy and obnoxious shopkeepers," its reaction is one of indignation, wondering, "How did it exactly happen that somebody as wise as me got fooled?" The speaker points out that if the ego had any sense, it would realize that it is obvious for a fool to be fooled. A fool does not need anyone to make a fool of them; being the ego is synonymous with being a fool. However, the ego will not admit this. Instead, it will claim to be very wise and dismiss its deception as a "strange accident," plotting to get even with the "deceptive shopkeepers" next time. The speaker questions whether the ego has any right to be hurt. He uses an analogy of a student who doesn't prepare for an exam but is upset about failing, stating that one only has a right to be hurt when one duly deserves something. The ego, he asserts, deserves nothing, yet it is the only one that ever gets hurt. In contrast, the Truth is the only one with the right to be hurt, but it never is. The ego, which deserves nothing, is perpetually hurt. This cycle continues when the ego aspires to know the Witness and fails, leading to more disappointment and complaints. The ego's internal monologue is one of entitlement: "If not me, who else had the rights to know the witness?" It belittles the Witness as a "lazy fellow" who "just keeps watching," while viewing itself as the active "doer" and the "mover and shaker of the world," even believing it is higher than the Witness. The ego feels it is an unfair conspiracy that scriptures and teachers say it cannot know the Witness. It perceives the entire world of spirituality, including gurus and God, as envious of it, and is hurt that it is not God itself. The speaker describes the ego as an "unending, neurotic monologue" that constantly talks but never listens. He concludes humorously that the ego's only value is entertainment, and if one can truly watch it, one runs the risk of "dying of laughter."
