MisterrSingh

Anecdotally, it destroyed two of the most stringently devout and decent young Singhs I knew when I was a teen. These were Singhs with rehat you would not believe. There was no posturing or pakhand on their part in terms of the manner in which they observed Sikhi. This understandably upsets people. That's why I mentioned someone needs to have stupendous kamaii to emerge unscathed.

You'll never get a straight answer to this, because the most devout Sikhs fall victim to this nonsense at times, and for some reason this upsets the non-afflicted devout Sikhs, who then argue, "Well, you obviously weren't devout enough!" Like most things, I genuinely believe it depends on one's karams. I suppose only a true sant or brahmgyani would be powerful enough to knowingly resist it based on the strength of their bhagti. Others might be lucky and swerve the full force of it through a quirk of fate, etc., but something like that leaves its mark. Most people get both barrells, and it's usually curtains depending on the intended affect and the timescale.

If your experiences have lead you to such a place in your mind where there's nothing of value here for you, then far be it for me to argue otherwise. But sometimes we carry heaven or hell with us everywhere we go: a man can be at peace in a hostile world if his soul and his inner being is content, whereas someone else could be residing in external beauty and splendour, but he struggles to appreciate any of it because his inner self is in constant turmoil.

Jehre mulak da kaiyay Os da bura nee mangi daa... ?

I think Croatia will nick it tonight.

I think walking past the gurdwara and lowering your head as a sign of respect is quite different to what's being suggested by OP.

The sakhi of Guru Nanak Dev Ji and their excursion to Mecca probably says it all on this subject.

Absolutely. It's far from straightforward, or as basic as following a set of rules. That's not me inflating Sikhi or falsely attributing complexity to something that doesn't merit it, but from experience I genuinely feel the practical application of its teachings can take a lifetime.

All valid arguments. I just think it's quite disappointing how we've allowed our religious ways to be subsumed by other various critical philosophies that discuss the futility of following a spiritual life, and we very rarely have a meaningful response in reply. Perhaps I'm not being objective, but even if the austere adherence to rehat is too much for some of our people, the general ideas on existence, the nature of God, the afterlife, etc., all have much to impart to the unspoken needs of a soul. If we struggle to push that message out into the world, that's surely a blight on our efforts and not a reflection on the strength and merit of the message itself?

Don't you think we had somewhat of a stronger hand, at least in terms of perception? We should've constantly been in the ears of the British reminding them of our role in their Imperial escapades. Yes, it might've been a little demeaning, especially for a proud people, but if it meant a country of our own at the end of it all, then why be so coy? The population aspect is valid but not the complete picture. Think Monaco, Switzerland, Luxembourg, etc. Why not a principality: should've pushed some obscure Sikh maharaja as the face of our own homeland movement, and then decades into the future makes plans to enact democratic reform? The possibilities were there for the taking. It just needed imagination and a certain selfishness in the best possible sense of the word.

I see where you're going with this, bro, but it seems you might be inadvertently suggesting Sikhi would thrive only if mankind was in a dark age of ignorance, as if our faith isn't strong enough to withstand the maya and various influences of the modern age. Our concern should be to equip Sikhs with the know-how and tools to recognise and resist these somewhat destructive influences, instead of lamenting a bygone / hypothetical age of piety and religiously austerity. It's the classic "lotus in a swamp" scenario. Rise above it.

Say what you want about them, but their sianneh (I'm talking their political leadership) had the nous to wrangle their own country from the British and the Indians. That's more foresight than our bhondus managed.

The tags, lol.

When being a Granthi will pay £30,000 per annum, then homegrown Sikhs will flock to the position. That won't happen anytime soon; i'm not even sure it should.

Haha, checkmate. Don't try and wriggle out of it! ?

Islamophobe.

? The delusion under which these people are labouring will be cruelly and ruthlessly dispelled when the other side decides to show their hand.

In all seriousness, the headline is quite misleading, but the content of the article itself contains many valid arguments. Unfortunately for the people such as the author of the article, countries and ethno-states are fought and won and founded by the very people she derides, even moreso when there are no generous donors and well-wishers in the corner of those undergoing the struggle. If she wants representation, gift her an AK and send her and her sisters out into the battle. What annoys me with arguments such as these is how the points being made by our own are predicated on the language of Jewish socio-political jargon that, in its essence, is not applicable to us as Sikhs. Sikhi is beyond feminism; beyond blind and indiscriminate social justice, and generally beyond all those ideals. Sikhi IS all those things BUT so much more. This finer than the surface-of-the-edge-of-a-blade difference is where our ideology exists, but it perplexes me when I see Sikhs fusing their own western, liberal beliefs into the actual reality of what's categorically established as our teachings due to the reality of what we follow not exactly being the easiest and clearly communicable way of existing. It's hard; I'm not suggesting following Sikhi is easy, but you don't bend the path to your own steps; you alter your steps to accommodate the path. And unfortunately I'm not seeing evidence of that in our emergent intellectual circles. Why? Because the alternative is much easier. Again, our inferiority complexes and lack of foresight, perspective, and ability to see into the future is evident in our words and our actions. The insidious and delusional "love always finds a way" approach to life that's afflicted much of the western and western-influenced consciousness is not applicable to us. Our theological history provides innumerable examples of where tough, harsh, and violent decisions were taken for ultimate good to eventually flourish. It's these aspects of Sikh teachings that are being sidelined for the wholly pacifist, turn-the-other-cheek, Christian / Church of England Protestantism on which contemporary liberalism has its roots. People such as the author of this piece have been conditioned into believing and thinking the "Hollywood-ised" version of life is one where good things happen to good people, and as long as one plays by the rules all ends well. If that brand of thinking infiltrates a political movement that possesses eventual separatist aims, then you may as well just pack up and go home.

So why are you so eager to cast doubt on my statement?

In my darkest moments I allow myself to entertain the notion that perhaps Muslims have the right idea when it comes to women... ??

You're smart enough to do the digging yourself. I'm not spoon feeding you.

When Guru Sahib gives one of his Sikhs vital seva for the betterment and benefit of fellow Sikhs and the panth in general, the vessel through which that seva is delivered would do well to retain a sense of nimartaa and perspective by bearing in mind that He who giveth can just as easily taketh away. Operating under a rationale that purposefully stretches the definition of Sikh principles to the point that the primary principles being adhered to are ironically are at the expense of Sikhs, well it's just a question of when (and not if) those grace and blessings are withdrawn. The virtue signalling on virtual platforms cannot and will not last forever. Eventually, the self-aggrandizing does come to an end.

Bin the oil when it comes to Punjabi cooking. If you have a regular exercise routine and eat at a calorific deficit (for those with weight concerns), then don't fret about using ghee or butter. Oil is a joke.

I knew you'd say that. ?

How many years until the Punjabi film industry releases a Jatti and Juliet? ?