Don’t we need to look at people’s group identity, as when interacting with people from other organizations?
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In an earlier class I had mentioned that we shouldn't reduce people to their group identity see everyone as individuals but don't we need to see group identity also say somebody is following a particular organization we are following a particular spiritual path others are following a different path so there has to be some amount of differentiation how can we just not look at the group identity at all now my point was not to not that we shouldn't look at group identity at all my point was we shouldn't reduce people to group identity that group identity is definitely a marker of a person's a person's overall identity so say if somebody say I won't look at group identity at all if I start talking with a 6 month old baby like they are 25 year old adult I can't so group identity ok this is a baby if I am talking with a particular person from a particular country I will have to speak in a language that is appropriate for them so group identity is definitely a characteristic we have to keep in mind and when we are following a particular path naturally every bond brings a boundary with it every bond brings a boundary with it say before people are married they might just freely mix with many other people but if they get married that bond comes but that bond brings a boundary with it so similarly when we follow a spiritual path it's a bond they are trying to bond with Krishna and they are trying to bond with Krishna by following a particular process so when the bond comes along with the bond boundary will also come and the boundary needs to be respected it needs to be understood it needs to be respected so if somebody is worshipping Krishna or worshipping God in some other path then we respect them for their path but at the same time we have to understand there are some differences and recognizing those differences is important for being able to properly follow our path it's just like say if a student is studying in Oxford and there is another university in England which is very famous which is the other one? Cambridge so now in Cambridge something is being taught in some other way now if the student wants to get a degree from Oxford that student has to commit to studying according to the Oxford pattern of studying and that's how the student gets promoted to get a degree so if there is a different way of teaching in Cambridge we respect that but you can't mix the two if you want a degree from Oxford you have to follow Oxford if you want to follow that process then go to Cambridge so that bond with Oxford will bring a boundary of Oxford similarly when we follow a particular path there will be a boundary that will come with it and that boundary has to be respected at the same time say I was going to Oxford so there was one, they have that guide who was taking us around and she said sometimes terrible things happen in Oxford also people from Cambridge come here laughing maybe she was joking but he spoke it very seriously so they have that rivalry going on over there from a long time so now so if people in Oxford have a stereotype of how people in Cambridge are now maybe they are arrogant or whatever now it could be that there are some people over there like that but it's not that everyone there is like that so we don't have to reduce every person to that identity so if somebody is doing things in a particular way then we have to observe them and if that person is arrogant, ok they are arrogant that's how they are but we don't have to presume not even presume, presumption is possible but reduction that means we don't let the person present themselves as an individual at all you are from there that means you must be like this and we reject them that's what we should not do but certain amount of categorization and distinction is essential for functioning in life without that we can't function at all on a practical basis thank you.