Don’t turn the world into a family || with O.P. Jindal University

The following is an excerpt from a samvaad (dialogue) session with Acharya Prashant.

Questioner (Q): One of the most important lessons I have learned from spirituality is Vasudhaiva Kuṭumbakam , that the whole world is one family. But the current trend is that all the countries are involved in unilateralism and self-absorption, and phenomena like power absorption, racism, terrorism, and intolerance. These things are perpetuated by technology. This is forcing a big challenge in attaining this ‘world is one family’ concept. So, my question is, what do you think is the way forward in attaining spirituality for the global consciousness?

Acharya Prashant (AP): No, no, Vasudhaiva Kuṭumbakam is not the basic premise of spirituality. It’s just that it’s a popular kind of catchphrase; it is not the fundamental thing. Again, global consciousness is another phrase in circulation these days, but that, again, is not something deeply spiritual. The first thing that spirituality brings to you is not that the entire world is a family, but that the entire world is false. Not that the entire world is family, but that the world, the entire world is false — not family, but false. There is a big difference there.

Now, when you say the world, it is actually your world you are talking of. The sages take…