Acharya Prashant explains that the act of killing applies to conscious beings, not inanimate objects like a stone. In some way, a mosquito is like a human because it possesses consciousness. He states that liberation requires that you do not kill the ones who are like you, referencing Jesus' teaching to behave with your neighbor as you would with yourself. This principle extends beyond humans to include all conscious beings, such as goats or birds, as they too are like you. The speaker introduces the concept of a 'circle of empathy,' asserting that the greater your circle of empathy is, the greater your empathy towards yourself will be. He describes empathy as something that spreads radially outwards in concentric circles. The greater the intensity of the source of empathy at the center, which is the self, the greater the spread of empathy, which then starts encompassing more and more conscious beings. In other words, the more deeply you want liberation for yourself, the wider the domain of conscious beings for whom you would seek liberation. To illustrate this, he uses the analogy of throwing a stone into a pond. The vertical impact of the stone (the Y-axis) is likened to the depth of one's desire for self-liberation, while the horizontal ripples (the X-axis) represent the spread of empathy. If a stone is dropped with little force, the vertical impact is small, and the ripples are feeble. Similarly, if there is not much depth in your desire for your own liberation, the effect in the horizontal dimension—your empathy for others—will also be negligible. Conversely, if the stone is thrown with power and velocity, the vertical impact is large, and the ripples spread far and wide. The more you love yourself and are empathetic towards yourself, the bigger your circle of empathy will be. This circle of empathy expands outwards from the center, which is your personality. Closest to the center are those closest to you, like family. Further away are neighbors, other humans, and even further are non-human conscious beings like mammals, birds, and insects. Your circle of empathy will only reach these outer beings if it has depth. Therefore, if you are not displaying compassion towards other conscious beings, it will only hurt you. Killing an animal may liberate it from its misery, but you, having eaten the animal, will have to live to suffer the effects. Your punishment is that you will survive to see a dark tomorrow, as you will not be allowed to go (be liberated).