humkire

Many others have responded wonderfully giving good advice about sleepiness when simran. I just wanted to add two more important points. Firstly try to ensure you are getting at least 7 to 8 hours sleep before you get up and shower to do simran, nitnem etc because 7 to 8 hours every night is the usual average of our body's need for sleep after which it feels refreshed. Sleeping late and then trying to pray at amrit vela usually brings on sleepiness to many people. In the long term, sleeping adequately will help you feel refreshed when you get up. Secondly you mentioned that sitting at night at your computer does not make you sleepy. That is because you are engaging and interacting your mind with the things that excite and interest you on the computer. You need to use this same logic in simran. Simran is not about mechanical chanting, not really engaging your thoughts and mind. Simran is based on talking and praising God and Guru every time you say Waheguru. You have to do simran with the understanding that God and Guru's presence is in and around you, and you are praising God everytime you say Waheguru. Then, through simran you are now really engaging and interacting with God and thats when the magic starts to happen. When you do simran the right way, instead of getting sleepy your mind will enter heightened states of naam ras, naam rangan, gyan, chardikela, sehaj, and you will start experiencing stuff that is hard to describe here but will blow your mind. Also the thing to really aim for is not just simran morning and evening, but swaas swaas simran... breathe in..wahe/wah,....breath out....guru. Hear this within yourself as you breathe in and out making it a habit. All through Guru's grace if you always beg for naam during ardas.

Dearest -sikh_ Jee, First of all, at a human level my humble ardas to Gurujee is, that may God, according to his Divine Will, grant you a long life as a very highly inspired Amritdhari Gurmukh who spends his life in the sewa of Khalsa Panth. A Sikh's relationship with death is very unique. A Sikh is always in a state of preparedness for death. That is why we live a life different from those who live in maya as manmukhs, just living selfishly, and focussing self-servingly, on worldly things and the desires of their minds. Death comes as Gurbani says, suddenly upon such people like an eagle quietly flying down to grab its victim from the ground. Such people are visited by the demons of death i.e jamdoot in a frightening manner. Death for a Sikh/Gurmukh comes in the form of a heavenly invitation sent usually ahead to go to 'Amarapuri'' or the realm of heaven/God etc. ''so sikh amarapuri meh jae'. Gurbani describes this invitation as ''gurmukh sdeh jae, aavn ghliah''. Becoming an amritdharee, always doing nitnem and living a full-on gurmukh style life of getting up at amritvela and doing nitnem, simran etc is an important part of being prepared at all times. Indulge daily in the mission for which you received your human body i.e to meet God so you are constantly prepared for the moment of departure according to God's Will. A Sikh does never fear death, rather celebrates death. Bhagat Kabir says, that death that the world fears, is a joy to my mind because through such a death do we meet the God of supreme bliss. Concerning what the impact of death would have on your dependents this is very tricky because you never know what is in store for anyone close to you according to their past karma and God's Will etc. There is a person I helped a lot who was from a very poor family who today drives a Bentley. Nobody would have expected this very poor child to one day become so wealthy as that. All you can do at a human level is to ensure you have life assurance/insurance in place for those who depend on you. As far as possible ensure that anybody close to you has a job and income. A man I knew who was a lawyer made his wife study and pass her A levels and then do a degree in law too and soon after she became a lawyer, he suddenly died of a heart attack. As a lawyer she was able to continue staying in their huge house and paying the bills and even managed to send her children for further studies in the UK. So always ensure you have things in place so as not to be caught out. One of my neighbours recently married his girlfriend of 25 years! because he wanted to make sure she as a wife could inherit his property etc if he suddenly died. So whether or not you die you must make sure you have things in place for your dependents. Make sure you have a joint bank account with your wife, mother etc so if you died they can still access money immediately, if not it all goes to probate. Likewise prepare an updated Will. And always save. As concerning astrology our dear brother Jagga has already explained clearly above, that Sikhs do not dabble in such things. So please do not dilute your faith in Sikhism, and live a speculative form of existence. Immediately delete any form of astrological software and delete from your brains any belief in stars and astrology. In your heart do an ardas to Gurujee to forgive you for letting such things come in your life. One of my closest friends is a white Norwegian and even he has completely rejected such things from his life as he is beginning to become a Sikh now. You as a punjabee Sikh, born in a Sikh family have even more reasons to. So, dearest brother, you must learn to alter the way you think about life. Life is given and taken by God according to His time, and His Supreme Pleasure. Really, it is none of your business but God's as to how long you will live. Your job is to surrender your life to God and Guru, and wake up at amritvela everyday and do your prayers and beg God to bless you and your family with long life, Sikhi, chardikela, etc. There is nothing wrong in asking God anything that is in your heart but always ask God to grant you things according to His Bhana i.e Will. Also, you have to take responsibility for your health and safety too. So make sure you are going to a gym absolutely regularly, burning off your fat, and get your doctor to do an MOT on you to check your cholesterol levels, vitamin D, kidney and liver function tests, full blood count, blood pressure etc. I don't know if you drink alcohol, but if you do, remember drugs, drinking and smoking all can cause huge diseases, so they should be stopped and avoided. Make sure your family all eat a healthy diet and drink fresh fruit juice, cut down on fatty foods etc. Drive safely too. A hall mark of a Sikh is to have a healthy diet, be physically very active, moderated in habits and being careful. Carelessness can cost life. So, cast off all worry and speculative thinking. A Sikh is not one who indulges in such. On the reverse a Sikh strives to live in chardikela i.e bubbling rising, dynamic, motivated, positive, joyful spirits all the time, making every passing moment a heaven in itself. And God is great. He can give life, take life, extend life, increase life, decrease life. I have seen all this happening to people before my eyes. So do not worry as to what God cannot do. He can do anything. You need to worry about stopping to worry. Focus on pleasing God. Let God decide what He wants to give you as you please Him more and more. So you need to overhaul your thinking. Instead of living your life thinking of your death, focus your life on busying your mind and life on becoming a very blessed Gurmukh, and serving the panth. Be an amritdharee. Step up your prayers and simran. Do plenty of sewa at your local gurudwara. Read and understand Gurbani. Fill your mind with beautiful knowledge about Sikhism. Invite Panj Pyaras to your house and prepare for them nice langar and get them to do an ardas for you and your family. Likewise, arrange a nice satsang in your house with friends and family where Sukhmani Sahib is read and kirtan and simran and ardas are performed. Fill your life and mind, not with thoughts about death, but with thoughts about God. May you live with a big smile on your face, always blossoming with anand.

Don't cut your beard. That is what Truth within you is telling you. You wont gain anything by cutting your beard but you stand to gain a lot by keeping it. At one time i worried that my beard can make people confused that i am a muslim extremist, but in fact its quite nice that non Sikh people see my beard and think i am a poet, writer, scholar, etc etc. It has gained me a lot of respect that I had never imagined. What is more important is to focus on your personality, education, physical activities etc than worry about your looks. Make sure you are going to the gym and building powerful muscles and keeping your waist slim, learning self defence, learning swimming, getting into kayaking, rowing, lots other water sports. you could even learn horse riding, rock and mountain climbing, paraglyding, etc etc. So much you could do to make your body look strong and muscular. And Gurbani will help you forge a radiant, glowing, confident, positive, creative, dynamic, forward looking and loving personality that will draw others towards you anywhere you work, go or live. Education likewise will give you skill sets and the ability to charm others with your extensive knowledge etc. So all that you are hoping for by cutting your beard is there to gain in other more better ways and God has given you beard to keep, not cut and keeping your beard is a natural thing to do and one small beautiful act of pleasing God and Guru. Anywhere I go my beard is never a problem in making others love me and respect me. This is all through God's grace.

Dearest _what name_ Jee, I suppose if you are older than 90% here I am probably around your age hehe. I cannot start to tell you how many sufferings, problems, difficulties, pains, setbacks and sins I have experienced in my life which has many times made me feel so very worthless and better off dying, especially when things appear all so rosy for everyone around me. However, one thing Gurujee through Gurbani has whispered in my heart is that human life is absolutely precious and should never ever be traded away through suicide etc. In the darkest hour of our life, yes we can feel suicidal but we have to use the last bit of God given will power and strength to pull through that dark hour. Remember the dark clouds in the sky will not last forever. They get blown away and next day there is sunshine. If your feelings for suicide arise from having sinned remember Gurbani says ''jis papi ko mileh na dhoee, saan aaveh, ta nirmal hoee''. If your suicidal feelings arise from sickness Gurujee says ''rogan te aur soghan te jal jogan te bau bhant bchavei''. If your suicidal feelings come from general failure in life and poverty remember Gurbani says ''nicho uch kare mera govind...''. Gurujee does not give you any leeway or allow you any excuse to committ suicide and there is another better way out for anything that makes you feel to suicide. You have mentioned you do more and more paath. This is very very good. I also recommend that you do paath with understanding. Through the internet or through readily available pothis you can find translations so you know the meaning of what you are reading. I say this because Gurbani as our Guru guides us and enlightens us to understand our life, our problems and the way forward. This in turn will encourage you to do more path. Doing mulmantar and gurmantar simran is absolutely helpful too. To be in chardikela or vibrant rising spirits is a very important component of being a Sikh. Following the path of Sikhi, doing your nitnem, simran, going regularly for diwans and kirtan darbaars at your local gurudwara, reading Gurbani and connecting with other vibrant Sikhs all helps you to be in chardikela. Also if you are already not, then never have anything to do with alcohol, drugs etc because they cause problems and diseases. Also no matter what your problem always try to do some form of consistent exercise be it swimming, cycling, walking, gyming, etc. At the height of my illnesses in the past I have gone for long walks to be strong. I went through a bad illness a few years ago but today, I employ a personal trainer who makes me sweat a lot hehe. Gurbani teaches us to value human life very very preciously because even angels worship this human body which was created to worship God. We had to go through so many lifetimes as plants and animals before we finally got this body. So no problem we have, can be bigger than the duty we have to worship God. I remember when I was absolutely sick after a big operation, God gave me the grace and strength to still wake up amritvela and do my prayers and pray for others. So as Sikhs we have to fight on because we are survivors. You can pm me or others direct too if you need to open up more about your problem upsetting you, in private. Always chant this beautiful line from gurbani ''rakho rakho kirpa dhar, teri saran tereh dwar''. There are many shabads in Gurbani which help you pray for God's protection and help. I pray to Gurujee in my heart to help you out and put you on the path of chardikela so you regain your mental, physical and emotional energy. If depression, bipolar and continously feeling suicidal is among your problems then you do need to really talk with your doctor, but if it is a one off, then just fight it off. Life is a jewel and you need to let this jewel show you its worth as you continue to live. Suicide does not solve any problem because you will simply come back again in another form with the same old karma that made you feel suicidal in the first place, still hanging over your head.

Dear N30 Jee, You have somehow misunderstood me to mean that the jal of the sarowar around Harmandir Sahib is the same as Khande Batte da Amrit. They are not. Traditionally, Sikhs out of respect, loosely call the jal of the the sarowar around Harmandir Sahib amrit, the way we also call that jal which is prepared at the birth of a Sikh child, amrit. This is however at a different level from Khande Batte da Amrit. Anyway the answers to your questions are as follows; Question a)If water from sarovar (not just amritsar sarovar but any gurdwara sarovar) holds a same significance as water in khanda batta da amrit then whats the symbolism behind stiring the water with khanda, while bani is recited? Answer: No one has suggested amritsar sarovar and khande batte da amrit i.e Amrit Pahul are the same. However sarovar water around harmandir sahib has always been held sacred because of Gurbani being sung at Harmandir Sahib. No water at any tirath is comparable to this. Question b)If water from sarovar (not just amritsar sarovar but any gurdwara sarovar) holds a same significance as water in khanda batta da amrit then whats the symbolism behind recting gurbanis again to purify given the fact- water from sarovar already purified or turned into amrit as gurbani is being sung and recited on speakers? Answer: As I have explained above, they are not the same and do not hold the same significance. You should know already that the Amrit Pahul ceremony involving the preparation and administering of Khande Batte da Amrit by the Panj Pyaras,is the Birth Hub of the Khalsa, and is far more than just holifying water. It goes beyond symbolism and is in fact a special Act of Gurus Grace on an ablakhee. Question c) If general perception is water itself in sarovar is holy and very very sacred as gurbani is being sung in the background, then whats the thought process behind having filtration system installed in the sarovar at the first place? Answer: Firstly this is beyond perception but a fact, and secondly, having a system to rid the jal of bird droppings and other dirt does not make it any less sacred. Question d) if water from sarovar (not just amritsar sarovar but any gurdwara sarovar) holds a same significance as water in khanda batta da amrit then how come we don't have maryada of getting the same water from sarovar and using it in preparation for khanda da amrit? Answer: As I have answered above the two are not comparable. Question e) is there any contradiction when i state- devotion is two way street and if individual have faithless, devotionless, cynism type of sheild around them that same water in sarovar cannot have its effect not because it does not have capability but because individual have shield around them? Answer: Whether or not a person has sharda does not negate the fact that as a rule of the thumb, as Sikhs we hold the sarowar around Harmandir Sahib to be blessed by the kirtan. No sheild of an athiest or faithless person is strong enough before the power of God, and there are many many miracles told and untold, how the wavering faith of a faithless person has been rejuvenated by a visit to Harmandir Sahib. As I have mentioned, a dip in the sarowar is part of a bigger picture for Sikhs, to go to Amritsar, stay at Harmandir Sahib for a few days, have dips in the sarowar, listen to precious Gurbani and to come back thoroughly rejuvenated and blessed. No tirath visits can or should be made comparable to this. The issue of Amrit has come up because Sherdil mentioned that all water is blessed, but it is up to men to decide which is holy and which is not. However, the act of transforming water into Khande Batte da Amrit which is beyond even holy is not an act that was initiated by man but by God/Guru. Gods Presence is in us, but we have to surrender our life to Gurujee to let that Presence illumine us. Gods Presence is in us but it is through swaas swaas simran that we will experience this Presence. My humble advice whether to you are anyone else is no matter what your perception is, please, please, please do not compare visiting Harmandir Sahib and having a dip at the sarowar at Harmandir Sahib, to be akin or anywhere near to a Hindu going to a Kumbh Mela or Tirath. Gurujee has not given us something that is already ordinarily available at the 68 Hindu Tiraths, but through Sikhi and through Khande Batte da Amrit given us something we should be far more awed about, than the picture of a few million Hindus bathing away at a river in the wrong belief it will wash away their sins and purify them. Such pictures may look awesome to some but for a Gurmukh who knows Guru jees teachings about ath sath tirath, such pictures are meaningless, and only make us thank God that we have the truth through Sikhi. This does not make us arrogant but humbled.

N30 SINGH Jee, I am afraid this has got nothing to do with being pendu, or things flying out of heart or mind or anywhere else, or the use of etiquette, or dressing up words, wavelengths, age, experience, threats, beating around any bush, spin, and perception. I have tried to be as simple and straightforward as possible, in my explanation. You appear to be taking this very personally and I get a feeling you are angry and emotional like a wounded tiger. It is to do with two words which are Sach, and Gurmat. Gurujees preach on omnipotence does not conflict with, and negate the fact, that Gurbani transforms jal into Amrit and this must never be compared to any other water, because Amrit takes things to another level. Rather than worry whether what you say is clear cut enough for anyone to understand, rather, worry than no matter how much others try, it seems it is never clear cut enough for you, to get the point which then draws you into lengthy and unnecessary quarrels with others. As Sikhs we do not tell other people our water is holier than theirs. Hence, I have no idea where you picked up that point. As Sikhs we focus on the mystical magic, mystery and mastery of Amrit upon our lives and accept that Gurbani is so powerful that Gurbani transforms water into Amrit. The issue is not one of holiness but of Guru Maharajs kirpa through Gurbanee. On the other hand, as much as we are a tolerant nation of saint soldiers, we do not claim that our water is holier than anybody's, but, maintain that no water from anywhere, can be compared to Amrit. That is why in Tat Gurmat, we do not recognise tiraths and kumbh melas as Sikh practises. However, by tradition, Sikhs have sometimes used the occasion of such gatherings to do Sikhi parchar, but as I said, there are probably much better avenues through other ways now. Also it is important that one sticks to ones words. You declared earlier that you have nothing else to say on this topic. Then you need to stay out from any further urge to keep discussing because I have not said anything new, but reiterated in my own words, what others have already pointed out and cautioned earlier, which you have already read. I would again, humbly advice you to relax and not get so intense to have the need to debate and rebut, but to give yourself time to take in others advice.

I am afraid you, or, rather both of you got it wrong because it really does NOT summarise this discussion into two lines! It is not theologically correct to say that ''It is the affair of men to decide which water is holy and which is not.'' because that statement negates the power of Gurbanee, and the supreme pleasure of God Almighty, to make water become Amrit! It also inherently holds the sin of implying that we can look at tirath water and sarowar water with the same understanding. I have just explained earlier that this is wrong. Further I am baffled how this romanticist statement... ''That water is blessed, which has been put on this Earth by God'' invokes memories of ''jale hari, thale hari'' by Guru Gobind Singh! Guru jee in jale hari is not talking about water being blessed but rather expounding on the theme of God's Omnipresence! Also I am rather astonished at the speed of N30SINGH's response to my small bit of advice earlier! As I have explained in earlier exchanges on other posts when someone offers you advice you must not become defensive and respond immediately. Rather, sleep on someone's advice, let their advice churn in your mind, and try to let your inner reveal the wisdom of it. This is the way forward if you aspire to be a saint soldier in your own right. Do read it it more carefully and slowly and try to digest it so you are more in touch with your inner than your outward mind. That response you gave was really not needed.

I have slowly weaved my way through this long discussion about kumbh mela etc and all the arguments and counter arguments. Very interesting. All I wish to say is sometimes 2 fruits look alike but inside they are different. You cannot place bathing at Hindu or other tiraths on the same platform as the Amrit Sarowar around Harmandir Sahib and attempt to talk about them in a single sentence or under the same breath. This is because pawan pavitar Illahi Gurbani is sung and recited all day along at Harmandir Sahib which blesses the sarowar water and everything in its environment. So, a dip at Harmandir Sahib sarowar is part of the bigger uplifting spiritual/religious experience of being at Harmandir Sahib. It is our sharda and bhavna that nothing else can compare to that. A trillion saints and sadhus and ascetics, bathing in the waters of a river does not make it equal, even an iota in status, to jal that has been blessed by Dhur Ki Bani, and no one should ever try to attempt to draw some equal comparisons between the two, based on some internet videos of the healing energies of some hindu tirath. Secondly, if certain preachers of Sikhism wish to capitilise on such gatherings at Hindu festivals involving rivers and tiraths, solely to preach Sikhi that is up to them, but I am doubtful as to how many actually convert to Sikhism based on preaching at such places. There are many, more modern and effective ways of doing Sikhi parchar and letting others know about Sikhism that we need to be focussing on including the internet, and utilising other upcoming multi media technologies. It can be very tiring reading that such things are acceptable etc, because such and such a saint has gone, or goes there. I keep repeating, that, rather than worry and constantly trying to emulate what a certain saint does or does not, focus on what you need to do. In Sikhism, at the end of the day no matter how highly blessed a certain 'saint' is, that person is but just another Sikh because at the heart of Sikhism there is no heirarchy but complete democracy, where every Sikh is nothing more than a son or daughter of Guru Gobind Singh. My humble request to veer Only five is to never even consider getting deleted and for the admin not to delete him. Standing up for Gurmat is never easy, because many people's views about Gurmat are out of focus due to many reasons and correcting a person who has either being brainwashed or got themselves brainwashed the wrong way is a difficult job. You are a very straight forward Gursikh gifted with a razor sharp insight and bibek concerning the content of gurmat/manmat in issues that get discussed here, and hence, regard your contributions here as a continuing sewa for Sikhi and as Satguru ki sewa. Dismiss any ideas of quitting please, this is my bentee. Please exercise so much more patience when you feel you are just rubbing against a brickwall because your presence on this site is very vital. My advice to n30 is as I have advised before elsewhere. Your posts reveal that you read around a lot and draw inspiration from the lives of Sikh saints etc and also watch many internet videos. This is all very good but in life your journey in Sikhi has to move on from phase to phase in order to progress. Sometimes you just need to put away all those videos and knowledge, and start focusing on your personal individual nijhee journey in Sikhi which should be primarly based on swaas swaas simran, so you create a blank canvass where no one else but only Satguru is now beginning to touch your understanding and consciousness with pure nirol gurmat. This will change the nature of what you post on any website to be something that does not create contention, but draws others to love you as a very true, humble and blessed gursikh, whose posts are not a regurgitation of others take on Sikhism, but something blessed arising from you Naam soaked inner that touches the souls of those who read what you have to say. Sikhism and Gurmat are much deeper than a hundred youtube videos and thousands of bachans of sants put together, but you need to create a blank canvass in your mind and come to a point of garibi in your heart where you can cast away the anger/frustration/hatred towards those who appear not to like you and your point of view or you feel are threatening you one way or another. That's when the next level will come your way. Sikhi and Gurmat are beyond the words of any person. They are like a 'Light' that you will experience as you go higher, but to go higher you need to go lower, much much much more lower than where you are now. This impressionable gyan filled mind needs to still itself before the Voice of God and that is more easily said than done.

Dearest _HonourThe Sangat_ Jee, Thank you so much for trusting to share your problem on here so others can try to assess your situation and try to help you out. It is great that at your age you are Amritdharee and love Sikhi. Carry on doing that. As for the disappearance of your spiritual powers, don't even think about it. Gurbani says 'ridh sidh avra sadh', i.e the taste/desire for spiritual powers is another taste i.e not one that true Sikhs of Gurujee bother about. If you continue on the path of Sikhi you will see these powers come and go, sometimes becoming more and sometimes less. In time as you grow older Gurujee will guide you into when to use these powers and when not too. Your focus has to be on Sikhi and being a true Sikh. As for simran, always continously do ardas to Gurujee to bless you with Naam and concentration power. During your life there wil be months/years/days when doing simran is difficult and hard and also there will be months/days/weeks/years when it happens smooth and nice like a treat. It is like a curve that goes up and down. So do not get too obsessed by this and do not get too intense. You need to be relaxed and chilled and do your nitnem/simran/going to gurudwara etc as usual and also read inspiring books on Sikhism, CDs, DVDs, katha in satsang, kirtan darbars etc. All these will perk up your levels of inspiration, help your concentration and give you more gyan about Sikhi. When I was your age, apart from studies and school, I spent a lot of my time learning how to read and understand Gurbani, learning kirtan, going to kirtan darbars, satsangs, gurudwaras, doing nitnem and simran and reading plenty of good books on Sikhism, doing nitnem, sewa, etc. All this helped me to stay on the path of Sikhi, and never to be depressed and to work on fighting ego. Also, deep in your heart always pray to God and Gurujee to take away your ego and always recite ego reducing shabads and tuks in your mind such as ''meh nahee, kich hau nahee, kich aaye na mora...'', ''kabir mere mujh meh kich nahee...'', ''hum garib maskin prabh tere, har rakh rakh vad vda hai'. Life is a long learning process. I am older than you but there is so much more to learn about Sikhi and it feels I have not even started yet. Learning about Sikhi is like a child that tries to walk, falls down, cries... then gets up.. walks a bit more... falls down again... cries,.... and keeps doing this till it can walk. What counts is that you are alive and you are in Sikhi. So I will repeat again, try to be more relaxed and not to be so intense or worried or depressed or suicidal about your situation. It is not the end of the world. Focus on nam, dan, ishnan and surrender it all at Gurujee's Feet and carry on. And remember a Sikh has to focus on staying in chardikela, never to get depressed. I have had so so so many big huge problems in my life but everytime I am in a problem, I fight even harder to be in chardikela so I wont get depressed and suicidal. Sikhi is never about giving up and losing confidence. It is about learning from experience how not to repeat a mistake, and about staying motivated, positive and blazing with a fiery fighting spirit.

Dearest _Regret_ Jee, First of all, big vedaiya(congratulations) to you that at 29, you are finally going to India in July and getting married. I pray to Gurujee that may this all be in His Will for you and happen very happily and the coming year bring you blessings from the house of Guru Nanak. Secondly, I congratulate you that through God's grace you stayed the way you are with great willpower and as we say in punjabee, 'anakh'. Be thankful that this gift of marriage is now coming your way through God's grace and God blessed you to be strong in your will power all these years. Anybody who rejected you in the past was not meant to be your jeewan sathan(partner in the life), hence do not feel cheated or sad. At the end of the day we only get what is meant to be for us, and always think of those who have so much less than you. When something is not meant for you it just never clicks. But when something is meant to be yours it comes in ways you never imagined. Everything has a time and place. There are things I desired when I was in my 20s which have come my way in my 40s and 50s hehe. I always wanted to learn swimming but so many obstacles blocked me. However after 30 years I finally learnt swimming this year, and am still learning. It has been my lifelong dream to be able to ride a horse like puratan Singhs and now that is my plan for 2013, so it is never too late to receive any blessings from God. At 29 you are still a fresh naujawan at the peak and prime of your life where strength and stamina merge and shine together very brightly! So this is indeed a great age to be married because you are mature and experienced and will know how to look after your wife. You probably need to think ahead as to how you will help your wife to familiarise and settle within Canadian society which is different to India. Things like language, the white canadian mindset which she will have to interact with, and conversion courses relating to her previous education/employment. You must be very excited because there is so much to do hehe. As to your comments relating to Sikh/non Sikh girls, let the past be the past. Do not judge anyone and if guys/girls choose to be foolish in their choice than that is their problem. In this age, people hardly like to listen to advice so just focus on your future now and do not bother with others choices. There are wise people like you, but there are many foolish people too, who suffer as you said for choosing partners who treat them horribly. As Gurbanee says a gem is best valued by a gem dealer, so it is to the misfortune of those you knew that they could not suss out your purity and love you for it. So, put away your heavy heart, and pray to God that the lady you are marrying is blessed by God to be God's choice of a life partner to you. Gurbani says ''ek jot, doe murtee, dhan pir khiyeh soe'' i.e husband and wife are said to be those who have two different physical bodies but share one light, one love, one spirit, because their souls blend into one another. So walk into your future casting away all dross and heaviness from the past. Focus on being a true, strong, powerful inspired Sikh and encourage your wife too, so you are not name sake Sikhs whose minds are polluted with bad culture and whose hearts have no love for God and Guru. Let this change be not only be in terms of getting married, but becoming strong in your religion. If you and your wife hold hands and walk on the path of Sikhi, you will be walking into Light, where no darkness will destroy your marriage but instead your life and marriage will be blessed.

In the old days even in the early 60s, there was no electricity, tv, computers etc. Hence, by tradition in Sikh families we did all our Gurbani 'path' reading during daylight, and as the evening and dusk settled we had dinner and did Raehraas, followed quite shortly by Sohila and then ardas and off to bed so we could wake up early for Amritvela. Hence it had become almost like an unwritten rule not to read any path after Raehraas for reasons I just explained and in fact still constitutes a teaching prevalent among some deras in India. I think this is the basis of bhai sahib's question. Saying that, of course things have moved on since, with electricity and modern technology, which enable us to do path for longer periods during anytime of the day, evening or night, apart from the set times for Nitnem.

My dearest sister _weird feelings_ First of all I am extremely proud and happy that you are so much into Sikhi with such great love for raagis, shaheeds, and chardikela people, and love listening to kirtan from raagis and AKJ, Sikh history, bairaag shabads etc, and that you pray and do simran. You are so so lucky because this is what we all really come for in this world, to get into Sikhi and get very very close to Gurujee. I hope you will become an ambassador for Sikhi and let so many more people know about Sikhi. I can picture and kinda understand what you are going through, which is also making you feel impatient, and lacking the energy to do shopping or eating, and one minute happy one minute down, and almost depressed and as you said you cry easily over things. I understand that you are apprehensive of going to a doctor who might just ask you to drink more water! hehe. Sister, as Gurbani says nothing is perfect except God. So sometimes in our body and brain we may lack a certain chemical because our human body and our human brain is like a very complicated machine with so so many moving parts and there are hundreds of chemicals our body and brain has to produce and use. So sometimes a tiny drop in a chemical in our body or brain can cause us to feel weird, anxious etc. One of my friends had slightly too much of a hormone called the thyroid hormone in his body and that made him feel angry very fast, and so tired and his eyes started popping out big. But the doctor managed to sort it out. It is possible that there could be a little lack of some chemical somewhere in the brain or body and this can also make you cry easily even though you are not emotional person or take away your energy, make you restless, impatient etc. So, please do go to your doctor and you can print out what you typed here and my answer and show him and see what he says. Tell him rightaway you do not want to be asked to drink just more water. Tell him you would like some tests done and a proper detailed assessment and investigation. He may refer you to a specialist which is good too. As a result of this assessment he may decide you need to take certain medication which will help you to feel better such as eating and sleeping better and less crying easily and less anxious. This will help the quality of your life and help you even pray and do simran better because your tears are not getting in the way. If the doctor does prescribe you medicines then a) always take them and b) tell him is there another way so in the long term you would prefer not to take medicine all your life. One of my friends, his body just cannot make enough vitamin D so he has to take a vitamin D tablet everyday all his life which is not a bad thing anyway because vitamin is a very important vitamin. Another person I know has severe diabetes so they got no choice but to take diabetes medicine everyday. So dont worry too much about this. We all have our little problems and doctors can help us bcause they are our friends who understand about our bodies and brain very well. I pray to Gurujee to bless you in very way my dearest sister, and to stay in great chardikela and be successful.

I think your problem is not so much about your medical advise but the manner in which you came into the discussion slashing away at others in what can be perceived/give an impression as being harsh and rough. No one gets paid to give advice on here to others and we are all here to talk to each other in the humblest way possible. Anyone who comes to this site is taking precious time out to read what someone is saying and sincerely doing their best, all of us in our little ways to the best of our abilities to be loving, kind, caring and helpful. It is just not what you say that is important but how you say it especially in a Sikhi context. If not, no matter whether we are lawyers, architects, engineers, or doctors, we will be carrying forward the same disease of always fighting with one another that has plagued the past generations. Being gentle and soft, and appreciative are very important hall marks of a Sikh's character. You do not really need to state your profession to highlight the reasoning behind your background,in this particular case, just as Guru Nanak Dev Jee Maharaj never had to mention that He was Jagat Guru in order to highlight the reasoning behind His Divine Vichars. I keep stressing that neither me, nor anyone else is recommending bhai sahib to resort to long term usage of AIs or PKs but rather to make changes to how his beautiful keshkee and dastaar are tied. Hence I am baffled that you felt you needed to stamp your feet down to declare that you are a doctor because you somehow felt that this bhai sahib was being given some sort of dangerous medical advice! No one was, or is, encouraging him to go and buy over the counter products from a pharmacy, but rather, to actually call or even see his GP who would assess any suggestions from either you, me or anyone else about the prognosis and proscribe accordingly. You are assured that the nature of your response would have been enough to help anyone suss out your profession. Alternatively, as I suggested, out of your brotherly love, you could offer to give him an examination at your clinic too, since now he has mentioned further problems to do with his ears too, such as the black scabs in his further posts down the thread, especially if you both live in the UK. That would help you determine the exact problem and help him out. On the other hand, of course, on this website, we promote and encourage a Sikhi and Naam based lifestyle to anyone and everyone, instead of one based on being trigger happy on the long term dependency on any kind of drug as far as it is possible, according to one's medical condition. This is a very delicate and sensitive subject because as Gurbani declares ''so kath janae pirh parai, ja ke antar derdh na paeee''. You are wrong in saying Naam has no side effects haha! Naam (and doing plenty of naam simran) as a powerful drug DOES have a lot of side effects! haha. They include feeling very very very very high, and very very very very verrrrrrrrrrrrry full of ecstasy and anand and blis, and feeling verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry chardikela! and getting vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry close to Gurujee and the mind, body and spirit feeling verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry empowered and enlightened. The side effects are so powerful that as Bhagat Kabir says his family declared him to be ''bigheerea'' and as Gurbani says''koee kheh betala'' hehe.

This advice in my opinion would be right if indeed _ashamed person_ has a history of panic and stress in exams in which case a history of such sort of repetitive behaviour to do with anxiety would indeed in normal circumstances have been documented in his GP's notes which does not appear to be the case. Hence I deem that as a one off, the description given so far by _ashamed person_ infact points to some sort of an unexplained mental breakdown symtomised by a total blank out and sudden intense panic to the point of making him fail.(unless _ashamed person_ can say that this is not the case). His GP would indeed issue a letter to that extent as I mentioned earlier, and I am quite confident, based on my experience in helping quite a few people in this respect that the exam board, dean of faculty, personal tutor, year tutor, etc i.e whoever is given the authority to decide, would be very sympathatic and give _ashamed person_ another chance, and why not, especially if he can pull himself together and use it to pass. An academically successful son of a very close friend of mine never had any history of any medical condition relating to anxiety but just as in the case of _ashamed person_, at some point of his studies and exams, a very similar situation occured as a freak one off, for which his GP gave a note which did give my friend's son another chance for a repeat which proved successful, and today that guy is a senior geologist. However of course if _ashamed person_ indeed has a history of being incapable of dealing with panic and stress in exams then maybe Wicked Warrior who is a qualified doctor could offer some brotherly love and support by arranging privately for _ashamed person_ to visit his clinic for free consultations on dealing with stress, anxiety and panic as GPs are some of the best persons to talk to on these matters, apart from others in the specialised fields of psycho analysis.

If you are a doctor you should kknow that declofenac sodium is not just a painkiller but an anti inflammatory. If you read my post very much more sharply you would realise that I have indicated that the description provided so far does indeed indicate soreness, redness as well as some swelling accentuated everytime the ears come into contact and get covered, and for that I dont see why taking an anti inflammatory with the additional benefit of numbing and soothing the pain should be so feared especially if it is meant for a very short term basis. Also I do not think it is right to rubbish other's opinions by declaring that you are a doctor because doctors can make mistakes like anyone else. You may be a doctor but others may have also shown the description provided so far to skin consultants within the medical fraternity to ensure and verify correct advice was being given. If indeed you are a doctor maybe you could offer this singh with an ear problem to come to your clinic for a free private consultation where you could examine his ears more thoroughly and decide what is best. At the end of the day it is his ears not mine and neither yours and he has been given a range of advices and it is for him to decide that according to the condition of his ears which is the best way forward. We are all only here, not to nit prick one another and use this as a sheild to improve our debating skills, but rather to offer our humble individual advice from our nijee point of view. My mother was not a doctor but her simple pieces of advice have always helped to keep my skin shiny, healthy and radiant, and on the other hand my best friend nearly died of being misdiagnosed for the wrong disease and Gurujee gave me the insight to warn me that this doctor was blatantly wrong and made me present the symtoms to another doctor who then quickly changed the medicine and saved my friend's life. So, being a doctor does not mean you are perfect in your understanding, and I would rather you show more humility in your response. Only God and Guru can be perfect, no one else, and its always wise to play down your credentials in public. Shree Guru Nanak Dev Jee Maharaj never had to declare to others that He was a Guru.

In my opinion West London Singh Saab, basing on what you wrote I do feel your circumstances are indeed mitigating cicumstances because you indeed were not well, though you felt well. From what you explained it appears you had a breakdown of some sort right on the spot. This breakdown is what I would loosely classify as not being well. I have sat for so many exams throughout my life and yes sometimes we can get a little confused or blank but in normal circumstances our human ability to fight that back for the sake of survival is far greater than you can imagine and we can pull everything together to write and write and complete the exams. However in your case that did not happen implying some sort of a breakdown which you probably will never understand causing total blank and intense panic. You could choose to just be more general with the GP and tell him you just felt unwell(which is a summary of your unexplained blank out and panic) to avoid getting into unnecessary detail and the need to cross reference etc, but if he does get into specifics then explain it briefly in the context of a breakdown. Hence the way I see it, it is not a lie and on the positive side it does give you a chance to retake quickly. do them right, pass and get a nice job and then sponsor a nice keeertan darbar somewhere hehe.

Read Shree Guru Granth Sahib slowly, if you cannot in Punjabee at least online in English because as as Guru, SGGS teaches and enlightens us about God. You have started a load of questions and there are more that will arise. However a slow systematic reading of Shree Guru Granth Sahib will help you figure out all the answers to your doubts, confusions and questions. A white lady from Boston, America who has just completed her PhD at Oxford University came to me a few years ago and asked me questions like yours. I recommended her to get online and read SGGS slowly from ang to ang(page) very systematically. Now her faith in God has become strong and she sttends satsangs and changed her name to a Sikh name etc etc. Our mind can churn out questions 10 every minute because the brain is a strong computer than can think of things in many different ways. So no matter who answers you in which ever way you will find a way to rebut and flick off because your mind is in a debating mode as it is beginning to convince itself that there is no God and that if there is God then it leads to a lot of apparent paradoxes and contradictions which then in turn negate the existence of God. Hence the simple issue is if you think SGGS is not your Guru and cannot enlighten you about God then I dont know what to say. However if you are a humble person and do feel SGGS as your teacher and guide, then all I can advise is for you to read SGGS especially using translations so your Guru can whisper into the ears of your brain and mind the secrets of God so that slowly slowly your faith will build up and you will start seeing the answers to all your questions. As the level of our understanding advances and reaches new levels we start to understand things we could not before, and their interrelationships. Also God is not be just understood intellectually but to be experienced and loved. Your closeness to your mother is not just at an intellectual level, likewise a person can start with a tiny seed like faith in the Divine, and as your life progresses that faith can grow into a mighty tree because with God it is a two way relationship. God is a God of reciprocity and revelation. This means the little faith you go to God with will be rewarded by God enlightening you about His existence and revealing Himself in many ways, so it helps build up your faith and understanding of God. Many things you questioned about God do not need answers rightaway for you to know and believe and experience God and go further with God. On the contrary, put away all your constant confusions and doubts and instead as I said bow before SGGS next time you go to a gurdwara and beg God to help you realise and experience Him and also you need to imediately start reading SGGS translations starting from ang(page)1. Just read and ponder and take in and continue. No one on earth can teach you better than SGGS about God, and about God's nature and how and why He does things.

You need to make an appointment with your doctor concerning the black scabs so he can examine them. They are either caused by the redness/swelling/itching/scratching etc slowly irritating and blackening/spoiling the surface layer of your skin or they can be caused by little black skin growths. Mention the medicines I mentioned earlier to your doctor. If it is the first reason, the GP might also give you a skin emmolient you use instead of soap such as Dermol 500. If it is the second reason the GP might use liquid nitrogen to burn those black growths. They can be a common problem on asian skin. Just see your doctor soon. In your case it is probably a combination of the two. The appearance of these black scabs, plus prolonged skin irritation which has made the nerves of your skin surface inflammed. You will be surprised how fast this problem will be sorted once you start showing it to your GP.

Two simple to read books which can perk up your inspiration, love for Sikhism, and knowledge very very quickly, and usually available at the Sikh Missionary Society in Southall or perhaps online are; The Spirit Born People by Professor Puran Singh as well as The Ten Masters by the same author. You can also get free inspirational books by contacting www.gurukhoj.com which gives out free books such as 'In Search of the True Guru' by Bhai Sahib Rama Singh Ji, and a few other books by Saint Scholar Sant Niranjan Singh Patialewale etc.

Wicked Warrior Veerjee, You are entirely right that in the long term the answer is to avoid hard starched cloth abrasing the skin, and as others have pointed out to adjust what cloth is used, style,etc. However, in the short term if one's skin is already feeling red and sore and abraised what I have prescribed sorts it out very quickly. I did not mention resorting to medicines forever. I spoke from my experience.

First of all dearest _lost_ Jee, I congratulate you that you didnt fail but passed with marks in high 70s to low 80s. This itself is an achievement even though you did not get 90s as you had expected. We have to show humbleness and thank God for what He gives us. None of the prayers you have done will ever go to waste because God rewards your prayers not the way you want but how He wants and God is greater than you and knows better. Your situation is better than you think. There are millions of people your age around the world who cannot afford or are not allowed to get education. There are so many who would have failed their exams and hardly got 10s or 20s compared to your 70s and 80s. So Gurujee has not abandoned you. A million different things could have happened so you fail your exams like a mental breakdown or accident or illness but did not happen because Gurujee protected you. So you need to be thanking Gurujee in appreciation. This is not the end, but the beginning of your studies. If you carry on, you will go to university where you could one day do a PhD etc so there is nothing to cry about. Now is a time to do shukrane de ardas i.e ardas of thanksgiving. Once you get on your next education step, post on here or pm me for advice as to how to make sure you can achieve what you are targeting for. I had a similar experience like you at one of the steps in my education but made changes and changed tactic so I would score what I aimed for. My A level results were like yours, but I had a first class honours for my first degree three years later! Now you need to be thanking God for answering your prayers and helping you to not fail but pass with grades which are rather good in my understanding. So do not be disheartened and Gurujee IS with you, and do not start blaming your karma. Start working out your next step as to what are the next studies you need to do and apply straightaway. Post details of your next studies once you get accepted on here, and you will get advice as to how to achieve your educational achievement targets precisely without needing to leave it to luck or chance. Also I just realised your status is as a guest. Why not join this very neutral and inspiring Sikh youth website. After all it is free and there is plenty you can gain from here and make many many new wonderful friends.

And as to what ''kullykhalsa'' has said, yes sometimes we have to abandon that which is no use to us, but we have to be sure it is really of no use to us. When I was in my late teens, I too got very fed up of studying and felt confused and went to a gyani who I respected a lot. He said, no, my son you should finish your studies and do your exams and then we can discuss this again. I finished my studies on his advice and today I am so thankful I took this gyani's advice and continued studying. When you are in your late teens around 17/18/19/20/21 your body and mind are undergoing 'volcanic eruptions style' fast upheavels and changes because from a boy you are fast becoming a man. The main switches of your genetic control board are flickering fast, old ones are getting turned off and new ones are getting switched on and new hormones begin to flood your brains and body. Your physio-psychological make up starts to change. Acne starts appearing on the face, hair starts growing every where, and muscles too, the voice deepens and the face starts becoming rugged. All these changes are not only in the body but mind too which starts thinking differently and more deeply. Thus it is a period where you can feel confusion and start thinking about your future as a man. This is because you are switching from thinking as a boy to thinking as a man. This can make you feel very uneasy about anything and everything, from how your parents talk to you as if you are still a child and try to control you, ... to things to do with your hobbies and studies. Hence my humble advice is that the best way for you is to concentrate on becoming strong at all levels... physically, spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, academically so you are facing the challenges of manhood not by sitting a long time just indulging in escapism by playing long computer games and watching videos. Rather, be a strong Khalsa and focus on sports, martial arts, becoming a wonderful Sikh and talking a renewed deep interest in education. Try to focus on becoming a saint-scholar-soldier. This will take away all your confusion and make you are a very very confident, strong, happy and powerful man in the future. Education is very very important because it enlightens you . It teaches you how to understand things, how to analyse, how to think critically and how to think logically. It teaches you about things and helps you gain knowledge and insight and gives you skills for life. So do not abandon education for anything. In life you have to go beyond your feelings. Feelings for anything are like flirty clouds. Today I like this, tomorow that. Instead, plan for your future the Khalsa way. There are many things I do, not because I feel like it, but because I have to. In this cold UK weather we dont feel like getting up in the cold morning, and it feels like a waste of time to get up to shower and do prayers and go to school or to work but it has to be done else we will get no where. So don't go just by your feelings but be smart and think ahead and get out of your comfort zone so you are not becoming lazy and complacent. Try to switch from becoming confused to becoming motivated.

ChuckSinghNorris Jee, The surface nerves on the skin of your ears are probably a little inflamed too so everytime you wear your turban/keshkee/dumalla etc it hurts and makes it worse from what I can gather. So the long term cure would be to take a declofenac sodium tablet 50 mg every 8 hours continously for a week. You could top that up with 2 paracetamols every now amd then too. This would then get rid of the inflammation and your nerves will settle and the pain would go. However, declofenac sodium 50mg in the UK has to be prescribed by your GP and you can tell him what I said and he would give it to you. You do not really need to make a same day appointment by ringing at 8a.m in the morning but just leave a message at your local clinic you are registered with, for the doctor to call you back on your mobile. Always drink some milk or have a meal before declofenac sodium. Alternatively your GP might prescribe you Naproxen 500mg which is taken one, twice a daY after a meal. You can discuss the merits of both of these powerful anti inflammatories and painkillers(both non drowsy) with your GP. For the next few weeks wear a keshkee( if you do use one), not covering your ears and if you need to cover your ears for turban etc then be loose around the ears not tight and carry that little metal pencil like thing(I forgot the name) which is used to push hair back into the turban and release pressure wherever it is pressing too tight. I hope that helps.

Dearest -singh_ jee, Your problem is starting from you thinking that if you do paaath every morning, God must do something magical for you. So you keep doing paath after paath after paath and nothing is happening, like a failed chemistry experiment in the laboratory! Now that is making you think that there is no God and even if He is, He cannot do some things like kill himself or etc etc..the list you mentioned. However in SGGS it says ''gurbanee es jag meh chanan, karam vasei man aayeh'' i.e Gurbani is Light in this world. This means gurbani is meant to make you understand things so you begin to understand God and the universe and why things happen and how God operates. By doing paath with understanding this is the real miracle because it will make us understand God, have a bigger belief, faith and trust in God and make us love God. Gurbani throws light on the existence of God and His Laws. If you want to understand God better, so your faith and love for God will deepen buy a gutka which has english or punjabee translations so as you do paath you are knowing what is being said by Gurujee. So for example you know Guru Nanak Dev Jee is not a liar at all and Gurujee in the beginning of Japjee Sahib has said IK OANGKAR which means there IS one God who is present everywhere. So if you do not know what IK OANGKAR means you will keep saying it every morning but not knowing it means there IS one God. Then your heart can be deceived to think there is no God. But if you know IK OANGKAR means Gurujee is saying there IS one God than you do believe Gurujee and everymorning your faith is affirmed that there IS one God. I hope you understand what I mean. It is just a small example. Also Sikhism is also not about understanding things just intellectually. In Sikhism , Gurujee/God himself helps you to understand things as you have a close relationship with Gurujee who is your Teacher and Guide and Master. So in time you will understand that yes God can do whatever He wants BUT he is eternal and undying and not killing Himself does not mean there are some things He cannot do but rather means it is God's intrinsic nature to be everlasting. For example your mother could technically kill you, but you dont think of that or question that because all you can see in your mother is a desire to love you and protect you at the cost of your life. Hence as you get close to God and understand God your mind starts thinking of His qualities rather than some loose un-needed imaginations about what are not his qualities. So, its a play of your mind. Your mind can churn out countless fantasies about someone and all sorts of crazy ideas about someone and whether they exist and etc. However if that person became your wife or sister you would not doubt they exist and you would switch off from thinking of them in certain ways, and focus o thinking of them in the correct way. So my advice is to be a true Sikh who understands Sikhi and God with a heart well loaded with faith in God, rather than worry about God trying to kill Himself tonight, be humble and rather question the direction of your thoughts. Accept SGGS as your true living Guru and everyday read gurbanee slowly with meanings so you start to know what to look at, what to really think about and then everything will be alright for you.

Dearest _Idontknow_, First of all I pray to Gurujee to guide you in your life because you are young and confused about education and the future. I come from a background where I was very very involved with Sikh youth camps at your stage. Almost all the Sikh youths I knew were so involved in Sikhism so they had a clean life, no drugs, smoking, alcohol etc and so they were able to focus on their studies and most of them became graduates, doctors, lawyers, engineers etc because when you are not in bad company doing wrong things your mind is clean, body is strong , and good friends to encourage you on, so you wont miss school and colege and will be good at school and do well. Also, I am so happy you posted on this site because there are so many people on this site who dont know you, but really love you deeply as their younger brother and will help you. That is a fact. So keep posting and you will get a lot of help here. You have many many experienced veerjees and bhenjees on this site who will take care of you. As you said earlier after you get back from school you love to see Sikh videos etc. This is very very good. Hopefully you can also go to gurdwara regularly, start to learn tabla or harmonium so you have some music hobbies and learn punjabee and how to read Gurbanee, attend rehnsbhaeees, kirtan darbars, simran sessions, youth programmes etc so you are making many new Sikh friends everywhere and learning and progressing in Sikhism. I think there are Sikh youth camps in UK but you can find out. As for your studies I completely understand you because I used to be the same. Coming back home and lazy to do my homework, always doing it last minute and passing it up last minute. I was not clever in organising myself and my dad thought I was studying but I was reading books on Sikhism every night haha. However, I passed my A levels because I studied very very hard last minute so I went to university. So my advice is try to carry on doing your A levels. In the gym I go to there is an English white guy called Alex who is 17 years old. He told me he prefers to build his muscles at the gym every evening but I advised him to carry on doing that, but also to study and pass his two AS subjects he is repeating, and the other A 2 level subjects he is doing this year. So hopefully you too can pull yourself together and pass your A levels I did. Then you can think of uni. Also, you have not mentioned about any physical activities you do. If you are already not doing it, make sure you are learning swimming, and going to a gym , learning martial arts like gatka, TKD, etc because a Sikh has to be strong not just in mind but body too. It will help you to play less computer games. A university student who works for me and is doing his Masters in Mathematics, does cross country running, rock and mountain climbing, swimming, marathons and so many other physical activities. Another guy who works for me does kayaking, rowing and water polo etc. So you need to be absolutely physically active. If I met you I would like you to have strong muscles all around your body and look brave like a soldier. So, do not worry about your future. I never think much of my future because I always concentrate on doing the right thing TODAY, NOW. Today, I made sure I did my aquafit and swimming and gym and today I made sure my business is running fine and today I prayed to God, and today I made sure I helped and showed love to other people. Gurujee will look after tomorow if I am good today. So, my dearest brother, focus on being physically strong, get close to Sikhism and push yourself to carry on studying. You are not done in studies yet and seriously everything is not destroyed for you, because you are only around 17 like a spring chicken haha. Studies in any subject are absolutely interesting because they tell us about God's power, and how God does things and makes the universe. So think of your studies in a different way. As we study each subject our mind gets to understand how great God is and what a great scientist, mathematician, doctor, engineer and architect God is. All those chemicals you study about in chemistry, and how plants and other living things are created and live in biology and all the laws in physics and the beauty of this planet in geography and the history of everything in history. Sikhism encourages us to learn about the beauty and power of God and how He does things. It is very fascinating. I wish I understood this when I was your age then I would have found school so much more exciting and would have been gagging to go to school every day in stead of pretending to be sick hehe. So do not ever worry about the future. Just make your life more exciting and interesting now. You will be fine. Keep typing here too as you progress.