Answer
Reality matters. What truly counts is the reality that actually influences and affects us — not what we merely imagine.
A person may not be visibly “changing” you in an obvious way, but through subtle influence — through the mind, through association — things begin to shape your consciousness in imperceptible ways. These influences are not always expressed in clear language; they operate very subtly, and over time, they can lead to gradual dilution.
When you spend time with someone regularly, day after day, their influence naturally grows. Through continued association, respect develops. And that respect is not isolated — it begins to pervade everything, including how you receive and interpret what they say.
Because of that established respect, even a statement that might otherwise be questioned is accepted more easily. For example, if on the very first day someone were to say, “How can Prabhupāda be your direct guru?” — without any prior relationship, you might immediately reject it. But after prolonged association, once respect and familiarity are built, the same statement can enter the mind more deeply and have a different effect.
This is how subtle influence works. It is gradual, almost unnoticeable in the beginning, but powerful over time.
That is why association and friendship are extremely important — they shape our consciousness in ways we may not immediately recognize
