Acharya Prashant responds to a question about why he doesn't smile like other gurus by clarifying that he is not sad, but rather "at ease" (sahaj). He explains that he is neither sad nor happy, but simply in a state of ease. He suggests that the questioner has become accustomed to seeing beaming faces, which are often fake and artificial. While there is nothing wrong with laughter that comes from inner joy, most of the laughter people see is a lie told to oneself and to others. He elaborates that this lie of constant happiness has been repeated so often that people have come to believe it's true. They assume that if someone is smiling, they must be genuinely happy inside. However, he asserts this is not the case. Often, behind an artificial smile, there is much that is wrong, rotten, sick, and scared. Laughter is used as a tool, for instance, by a speaker or guru to evade a question they cannot answer. By laughing it off, they create an illusion of having given a profound answer that the audience is too foolish to understand. Acharya Prashant states that it is not his job to fool people or make them laugh unnecessarily. He is not averse to laughter and laughs heartily when there is a genuine reason, but he sees no cause for it in the context of the serious questions people bring to him. He compares laughing at people's suffering to "Nero fiddling while Rome burned," stating he cannot be so insensitive. He would rather give people his real anger than a fake smile. He believes his job is to be authentic, not to use laughter as a strategic weapon, a shield, or a curtain to hide reality or exploit others. He points out that the trend of constant smiling is a recent phenomenon, linked to the rise of a pleasure-seeking, consumerist society. Historically, mature and serious individuals, including spiritual figures like Buddha and Shri Krishna, or freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh and Lala Lajpat Rai, are depicted with a natural seriousness, not a constant smile. This seriousness is an ornament of a mature face, not a sign of sadness. The natural state of a human being is a stable, silent, and serious ease. He concludes by quoting a song, "You smile so much, what sorrow are you hiding?" advising that if there is sorrow, one should seek a remedy for it, not hide it behind a shallow laugh.