Acharya Prashant explains that it is impossible to separate an actor from their actions, as actions are merely the gross manifestation of the actor's internal state. He argues that condemning an action while condoning the doer is futile because the doer will inevitably repeat the same actions as long as their self-concept remains unchanged. To address problematic behavior, one must look at the entity that gets hurt or feels insecure, as these feelings arise from a desire for self-preservation and a deep-seated sense of vulnerability. He emphasizes that actions do not occur in a vacuum but are products of one's internal programming and ideas about the self and the world. He further discusses the concept of a 'virus' within the human system, suggesting that the 'me' or the ego trying to cure the virus might itself be a product of that same virus. True health must come first to identify and isolate this internal programming. Acharya Prashant posits that humans are born with this 'virus' of preexisting tendencies and that the only positive role society or education can play is to provide 'injections' that subtract or dissolve these tendencies rather than adding to them. Spiritual progress is described not as an addition of new qualities, but as a process of deduction and reduction of the ego and its insecurities.
