Sikh Kids On Drugs, Drink And Crime

[khalsa_kasanova]

this past saturday i was at the sikh day parade in new york city and I i was shocked by what I saw. First of all, there were more clean shaven sikh youth than keshdhari ones! And on top of that, there were mundey there that were SMOKING!!! Its one thing to completely ignore the Gurus, but to have the audacity to do it at the Sikh Day Parade!

I went up to a group of 3 or 4 "Sikh" mundey that were smoking and said "If you're going to wear the kara, put out the cigarette." One of them responded "Its not your problem." So I responded "When you disrespect my Guru and the whole sangat and pangat it becomes my problem." They had nothing to say and I walked away.

I think, in terms of keeping your kesh, the issue is that people who do not keep their kesh are looked down upon and made to feel guilty or inferior, whereas they should be encouraged to keep their kesh. They are always attacked but never persuaded. You must first bring someone to believe in waheguru and sikhi before you start to talk to them about keeping their kesh.

wjkk

wjkf

i also wanted to add that . . .

Sikhs are loosing their pride. We are being influenced by what western culture tells us is attactive or appropriate. Its the reason why you see sardars that trim their dharis.

Even our girls are developing aversions to marrying a keshdhari sikh. Why? I believe its because they have not been taught to respect sikhi and have been influenced by western ideals.

Of course its easier to go through life in the Western world looking like everyone else, but since when was Sikhi about conforming and taking the easy road?

[Lionchild]

what is needed is more youth programs in the west+uk+india, as well as create youth sessions while or after the main programs in gurdwara's. Something liek sundayschool, but more down to basic.

However in addition to this, there is a greater need to have inspiration in these declining youth community's. That is a role of a missionary in sikhi - to go to communities, stay, and lift up the spirit in the area (more than 1 person is better). Yet, we look down on the concept as being, too organized, or trying to conert others. This is a very long term change that needs to be taken up.

my 2 cents.

[chandanjit kaur]

WJKK WJKF

i agree with ervyone.....so many uv the sikhs especially guys are gettin into drugs,smoking,etc....and it is horrible to see this .....the sikh youth is being inspired by da wrong sangat and they think its kool,whereas they're not realizin its completely insane!!!......some uv my cuzins who are guys used to have a real nice turban or patka on their heads,yet now they all cut their hair!!!they say we just wanna look like evryone else....this is very wrong....and this is where da part comes in dat they dun have pride anymore...if they did they wouldve kept ther hair and wouldve had pride that they wear a dumala or patka or sumthing.....and then drugs,alchohol,most uv this is shown to the youth from the teenagers who do drugs,dun wanna offend anyone.....but its true....or if sumone at home duz this stuff....thats how the youth become....its wrong!!!.... ......i agree on all the suggestions given and we all as one sangat should help out and do sumthing.....i dun wanna say anything that mite offend sumone or anythin so please forgive me.....yet there are some sikhs out there who are thinking buot cutting their beautiful kesh......or some who are plannin to start doing drugs......sumthing must be done.....if comin to gurdwaras is boring for the youth then maybe we could take sumthing that they(youth) enjoy and just show them how great our religion really is!!!......i dun really have any ideas but the ones given before are fantastic! :TH:

WJKK WJKF

[Sabre Sword]

Gur Fateh!

I agree with you.....unfortunately they dont find peace and/or bishwaas in Sikhi.......

Maybe because of the fact that many youth don't have a clue about what sikhi is to begin with.

The majority of the older generation sikhs i know, (that are close reletivs of mine) are non the wiser.

one of the most tragic things of all, is that not many sikh youth programs that i personaly know of teaches youth or anyone for that matter. the Gurbani.

Deep knowledge of the sri guru grant sahib is super essential because the sri guru grant sahib is essentially what sikhi is.

if you dont have any knowledge of gurbani means u know very little about the true meaning of sikhi and its teachings.

the 3 main things youth programs should aim to teach their pupils are Bana & Bani (Gurbani, Rehit) and Sikh History.

most things are trivial compared to those 3 i stated.

[jashans]

After hearing all the people who care to give one side of the coin, let me bust you the other half. :TH:

You see, out of the greatest people in our religion: some were born sikh, and some not.

But why do you people worry about sikh youth, and them doing this, and that. I hear nothing about parents doing anything to influence. Its very easy to leave everything on the gurudwara, and hoping that after going to some youthcamp, they will automoatically have an interest in sikhi. Truth is: even if you send them there, they just think of it as a piece in thir life, that they are anxious to get over with

Personally, I believe, let the suckers take drugs, let them indulge in the vicious practices that are the traps set up. Why, because of two reasons: firstly their parents dont do anything, and are themselves indulged in the money, "hankaar", greed [wanna make as much as possible] ((especially outside of punjab(heck, even my cousins panrets are like this)), and secondly, guru ji takes tests of our human soul's attachment to god, by throwing traps along our human journey towards god[such as greed, hankaar, anger, and such]........

Doing such, eliminates rats from our communities, if you are born a sikh, and disregard sikhi, it wont be long before you dont have a religion, or are in a shape that you dont care(money and stuff). You see, true sikhs, they stick to their religion's way, even througha blast of a nuclear bomb, and those who dont, will turn their heads towards it, even for a matter of $5 dollars (or a free cheeseburger) as opposed to those getting scalped alive, for not giving up their religion(bravest of the bravest gursikhs).

You see, shedding the parts of our skin that is no longer needed, is a natural process, and that is exactly what is happening here, people who were born sikh("personally, i dont believe in such thing, for YOU choose to live by sikhi") and are not attached, automatically lead themselves to path that takes them away from sikhi, and --> its on to the materialistic world.

Another point i wanted to make, its not something you get by birth, but smething that YOU choose. SOme of our greatest sikh followers/warriors/saints have see through other religions to see the true light. That same "true light" is what people need, and is not something you get from a gurudwara, but from the order of the almighty god. You see, when our ancestors fought the mughals (or played some part in assisting), we could have built the million man army, by inviting hindus, and giving them lectures about sikhis and such. But we didnt, why, because when you take out the fake sikhs, and eliminate the fools who choose to follow the path of materials' world, then what you have left is "true" sikhs, in their concentrated form. And that doesnt neccesarily mean, less of us, infact when we have people like that, we tend to have more sikhs who are true to their religion. Thats why, this "concentrated form" of sikhs have made sure that , they give up their lives doing the good thing.

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The above opinions are something that I have formed, by stuff that I have learned or been through in my life. If these offend anyone to any degree, please post how I many have offended you, so that we can get it all equaled (solved/agreed) out.

Again, EXTREMELY SORRY, if i didnt say anything right.

:TH: WJKK WJKF :TH:

Jashan

[Khalsa_Girl_1]

After hearing all the people who care to give one side of the coin, let me bust you the other half. :TH:

You see, out of the greatest people in our religion: some were born sikh, and some not.

But why do you people worry about sikh youth, and them doing this, and that. I hear nothing about parents doing anything to influence. Its very easy to leave everything on the gurudwara, and hoping that after going to some youthcamp, they will automoatically have an interest in sikhi. Truth is: even if you send them there, they just think of it as a piece in thir life, that they are anxious to get over with

Personally, I believe, let the suckers take drugs, let them indulge in the vicious practices that are the traps set up. Why, because of two reasons: firstly their parents dont do anything, and are themselves indulged in the money, "hankaar", greed [wanna make as much as possible] ((especially outside of punjab(heck, even my cousins panrets are like this)), and secondly, guru ji takes tests of our human soul's attachment to god, by throwing traps along our human journey towards god[such as greed, hankaar, anger, and such]........

Doing such, eliminates rats from our communities, if you are born a sikh, and disregard sikhi, it wont be long before you dont have a religion, or are in a shape that you dont care(money and stuff). You see, true sikhs, they stick to their religion's way, even througha blast of a nuclear bomb, and those who dont, will turn their heads towards it, even for a matter of $5 dollars (or a free cheeseburger) as opposed to those getting scalped alive, for not giving up their religion(bravest of the bravest gursikhs).

You see, shedding the parts of our skin that is no longer needed, is a natural process, and that is exactly what is happening here, people who were born sikh("personally, i dont believe in such thing, for YOU choose to live by sikhi") and are not attached, automatically lead themselves to path that takes them away from sikhi, and --> its on to the materialistic world.

Another point i wanted to make, its not something you get by birth, but smething that YOU choose. SOme of our greatest sikh followers/warriors/saints have see through other religions to see the true light. That same "true light" is what people need, and is not something you get from a gurudwara, but from the order of the almighty god. You see, when our ancestors fought the mughals (or played some part in assisting), we could have built the million man army, by inviting hindus, and giving them lectures about sikhis and such. But we didnt, why, because when you take out the fake sikhs, and eliminate the fools who choose to follow the path of materials' world, then what you have left is "true" sikhs, in their concentrated form. And that doesnt neccesarily mean, less of us, infact when we have people like that, we tend to have more sikhs who are true to their religion. Thats why, this "concentrated form" of sikhs have made sure that , they give up their lives doing the good thing.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The above opinions are something that I have formed, by stuff that I have learned or been through in my life. If these offend anyone to any degree, please post how I many have offended you, so that we can get it all equaled (solved/agreed) out.

Again, EXTREMELY SORRY, if i didnt say anything right.

:TH: WJKK WJKF :TH:

Jashan

GurFateh jio..

i see exactly what youre sayin eh...

but thing is... if there are kids and they are getting into the wrong sangat, we cant just sit here and say "w/e its the parents' fault. they didnt teach their kids."

i really think thats wrong for us sikhs to have in mind.

no matter if someone is your enemy, (even though we shouldnt really have any) we should always try to help them in whatever way we can. and when it comes to something like this..where it has to do with helpin the sikh youth, i dont think we should have any negative thoughts at all. like i mean yeah...you cant really be born a sikh. but there are people out there who are proud of their sikh background. they want to get into it...but their parents just dont follow up on that.

how many times have you gone to camps and youth sikh meetings or classes (or even just anywhere for this matter) where you've seen a young boy with a jooda and patka/dastar while his mother isnt even covering her head??

so if the child asks her mother why she cuts her hair...what does she say??

God knows what excuses people have these days.

but yeah....

peace...

GurFateh

[Lionchild]

all valid points..

(IMHO)... i think at a certain age and time in a boy/girls man/womens life, they have to take responsability for their actions and life. At this point, they can no longer just pass the blame to the parents, they themselves must find the guru and get more interested in sikhi. Their parents can only do so much and can only make decisions for them for so long before they have to make up their minds and do something.

[Khalsa_Girl_1]

all valid points..

(IMHO)... i think at a certain age and time in a boy/girls man/womens life, they have to take responsability for their actions and life. At this point, they can no longer just pass the blame to the parents, they themselves must find the guru and get more interested in sikhi. Their parents can only do so much and can only make decisions for them for so long before they have to make up their minds and do something.

umm...not always the case..

one of my friends eldest sister is 22 years old.. and her parents want her married now... but she has been wantin to take Amrit since she was about 14 i think...somewhere around there..anywho...her parents never let her...now she told her parents that if they dont let her take Amrit, she wont marry. still, her mother slaps her in front her younger sis (my friend) and also in front her dad for wantin to take Amrit....her dad drinks and stuff...she dont wanna live with her parents no more...but she wants to take Amrit before gettin engaged

so you still blame her eh???

[Khalsa4ever]

Waheguroo jee ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo jee kee Fateh!

But see, the girl who wants to take amrit IS headed in the right direction... with her own will. She hasn't taken amrit, but she still can (sure she'd upset her parents, but she is 22... so that is HER call, not her parents).

I've seen parents and family be a pain in the butt (not mine thankfully) when it comes to practising sikhi. But I've seen as many fully amritdhari families with a couple kids... one amritdhari, one cleanshaven drunk. So you CAN'T blame the parents always, most of the time its the "self's" fault for not pushing forward.

At the end of the day, as gurbani says, you will lose your friends, your families, your sangat, everyone. But Waheguroo will be the only one still there.

Waheguroo jee ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo jee kee Fateh!

[Lionchild]

At the end of the day, as gurbani says, you will lose your friends, your families, your sangat, everyone. But Waheguroo will be the only one still there.

Waheguroo jee ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo jee kee Fateh!

so true... i don't have a much of a family left... :'(