Acharya Prashant addresses the question of how to find time for personal peace amidst office work by questioning the premise itself. He states that the office cannot be the primary value in life. If one finds peace in the office, they should go; otherwise, they should not. He challenges the listener to consider whether they belong to the job or the job belongs to them, pointing out that we often live as if the job is doing us, rather than us doing the job. When confronted with the necessity of earning money for survival, he clarifies that the ultimate goal is happiness. He questions the long, convoluted path people take to achieve it, suggesting that if happiness is available directly, one shouldn't take a roundabout route. The speaker explains that people hold a deep-seated belief that the ultimate goal cannot be reached without resorting to complex tricks and going around in circles. The fundamental principle of spirituality, he asserts, is that the most valuable and real thing is right in front of us, and it does not require numerous detours and schemes. He likens the situation to someone wanting to reach him but taking a long, circular path instead of walking straight. This tendency stems from a fear and delusion in the mind, an inability to accept that life can be lived simply and joyfully without intermediaries. We have assumed that happiness requires a broker, such as an office, security, or money. These intermediaries take their commission, and ultimately, nothing reaches the intended destination. This tendency to take a crooked path is what Acharya Prashant defines as ego. The ego is what prevents one from doing things directly. He illustrates this with examples, such as a thirsty person taunting someone with water instead of simply asking for it, or someone who misses another person but asks, "How did you forget the way?" instead of expressing their feelings directly. This is the ego: not speaking or acting in a straightforward manner. He explains that asking "how" to achieve happiness already introduces a method, a future time, and an intermediary, which nullifies the possibility of immediate joy. The moment you say you will achieve joy through some means or in the future, you have lost the possibility of joy. The essential things in life, like peace, truth, and joy, should not be postponed or sought through intermediaries. The ego is the foolish attempt to control the 'essential' (aavashyak)—that which is inevitable and beyond our control—by imposing our own will and conditions on it.