We are all part of some group or the other. It's impossible not to be. After all being born into a group, the family, ensures no man is an island. We are all, even the solitary hermit, members of a race, of a nation, of a caste, of a profession, of an institution, or as a component part of a crowd of people who have been organised into a group at some particular time for some definite purpose.

If we differentiate our thoughts, emotions and behaviour as an individual from when we are in a group we will notice a marked difference. Most of us are far more boisterous, a lot louder, a bit more uncaring, dare devilish, aggressive, impulsive. Just imagine the football hooligans, or a group at a political rally. It's like we are drunk. All our normal inhibitions seem to vanish. Or the reverse may be true if the group is some kind of self-help, or meditation, or religious (not all of course) group then maybe we are gentler, kinder, quieter than we normally are. Either way the group we are a part of exercises a decisive influence on our mental life. Haven't we all heard parents blame the friend circle for any bad habits their child may have picked up?

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Being part of a group is not exactly a bed of roses. It means having to sacrifice something of ourselves. To fit it. To go with the flow. To not challenge or overturn the cart. But if we understand what is happening it becomes a lot easier. After all knowledge is power.