(Kadamba Kanana Swami, Stockholm, June 2011)

I think that the only thing that can really bond us together is friendship. Just common acceptance of Krsna as the Supreme Lord – yes, will bring us together from time to time – we will come together at the temple, festivals, but friendship will take us so much further. Because it is in friendship, real friendship, that we are going to stimulate each other, so much more than just being colleagues!

I've often given this example of how we can be together like colleagues. We're all devotees of Krsna and we're all colleagues. We're all devotees in the same temple, we're all colleagues. We're all chanting Hare Krsna, we're all colleagues. We're all dancing in the kirtan party as colleagues. But there's no friendship – not enough.

If there's friendship, then friendship is different. Friendship is like a family spirit. When your colleague is not performing well, it disturbs your work, and you say:

"Get it together! You know they'll throw you out of here one of these days if you don't get it together."

That's what you say to a colleague. But to a family member, you say:

"When in the world are you ever going to get it together? But we can't throw you out because you're part of the family."

That's different. That's friendship, and in that friendship there is trust. We know we are going to be accepted. We don't have to have a masquerade, where everyone acts out to be a pure devotee in a Hare Krsna community. We can just be more honest. If there's friendship, we can just be who we are, and still be accepted, and in that way, we can get some real human support, which is what we need. This is what we need!