Acharya Prashant explains that the pursuit of peace is often misunderstood because it is tied to the ego, which is inherently unreal. He notes that while all species, including animals like rabbits, instinctively seek freedom from stress, the human approach of seeking peace through the attainment of objects is flawed. If peace is to be real, the process and the entities involved must also be real. However, upon inquiry, the 'self' or ego is found to be a collection of changing identities and biological mandates that lack any permanent reality. Since the ego is unreal, the peacelessness it experiences is also unreal. He further argues that true peace is not an object to be acquired or a state to be defended, but rather the dissolution of the ego itself. Most people experience only 'fake peace'—a shallow, temporary state that is often just a reaction to intolerable disquiet. This artificial peace inevitably leads back to further peacelessness because it does not address the root cause. Acharya Prashant emphasizes that instead of chasing peace, one must engage in a rigorous inquiry into the nature of the self. When the falseness of the ego is seen through, its leanings, such as desires, cravings, and possessiveness, naturally vanish, leaving behind the state of true peace.
