Quick S.W.O.T analysis of the Sikh community

[genie]

What would you say are strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) facing the sikh community in present times?

You can base your analysis globally or locally/nationally.

[MisterrSingh]

Major weakness: a willingness to prioritise other faiths, doctrines, and people above Sikhi via a warped and purposefully skewed interpretation of their own religion. The reasons for doing so are multiple: sometimes it's a result of genuine ignorance; other times it's total cowardice veiled as saintliness stemming from being unable or unwilling to assert Sikh interests as a priority, choosing to use the egalitarian aspects of Sikh teachings to demote ourselves and the collective for the sake of outsiders, viewing the act as a spiritually noble deed that will be rewarded.

Another weakness: we have no home of our own. We are scattered around the world, and even our so-called homeland is not in our hands. We're at the mercy of other cultures and religions and people, and that is incredibly damaging for any distinct group of people. 

Weakness: we are superficial and suffer from short-term-ism. This is unfortunately ingrained in us on a deep level. We don't think ahead but tend to react after the fact when it's too late to affect change. We never learn from the experiences of others, but tend to stubbornly plough ahead and would rather suffer than swallow one's pride and heed the warnings.

We also have a Feast or Famine mentality, where people swing from being hard-drinking, drug-abusing fiends one moment, and then a few years later are trying to present an image of unparalleled holiness that's susceptible to collapse at the first sign of trouble. There's an uncomfortable truth that we are only capable of behaving ourselves when we have the sword of Damocles looming over our heads, otherwise we exist for excess and extremes. There's a reason certain sections of our people continue to wish for the return of a powerful Sikh figure to rally the masses, because we cannot police ourselves in times of so-called peace and prosperity. We enjoy being lead and controlled and dominated. Means we don't have to think for ourselves.

Last one for today: we ain't loyal. 

[genie]

9 minutes ago, MisterrSingh said:

Major weakness: a willingness to prioritise other faiths, doctrines, and people above Sikhi via a warped and purposefully skewed interpretation of their own religion. The reasons for doing so are multiple: sometimes it's a result of genuine ignorance; other times it's total cowardice veiled as saintliness stemming from being unable or unwilling to assert Sikh interests as a priority, choosing to use the egalitarian aspects of Sikh teachings to demote ourselves and the collective for the sake of outsiders, viewing the act as a spiritually noble deed that will be rewarded.

Another weakness: we have no home of our own. We are scattered around the world, and even our so-called homeland is not in our hands. We're at the mercy of other cultures and religions and people, and that is incredibly damaging for any distinct group of people. 

Weakness: we are superficial and suffer from short-term-ism. This is unfortunately ingrained in us on a deep level. We don't think ahead but tend to react after the fact when it's too late to affect change. We never learn from the experiences of others, but tend to stubbornly plough ahead and would rather suffer than swallow one's pride and heed the warnings.

We also have a Feast or Famine mentality, where people swing from being hard-drinking, drug-abusing fiends one moment, and then a few years later are trying to present an image of unparalleled holiness that's susceptible to collapse at the first sign of trouble. There's an uncomfortable truth that we are only capable of behaving ourselves when we have the sword of Damocles looming over our heads, otherwise we exist for excess and extremes. There's a reason certain sections of our people continue to wish for the return of a powerful Sikh figure to rally the masses, because we cannot police ourselves in times of so-called peace and prosperity. We enjoy being lead and controlled and dominated. Means we don't have to think for ourselves.

Last one for today: we ain't loyal. 

Haha wow that's a pretty good assessment on our weaknesses especially on our peoples excesses on intoxicants or appeasement but what about the other categories? (strengths, opportunities, threats?).

I would also say lack of unity and lack of parchar in the home and to outsiders is a major weaknesses.

However I believe as many weaknesses we have as a faith community that we may have at the moment we have just as many strengths and punch way above our weight in terms of our numbers being only 30 million world wide. We are able to change global and national political landscape by good or bad actions when we are really pushed against the edge because we have people that are taught by gurbani to not take oppression, be hard workers, be charitable and be self-reliant and sovereign in thought (do not blindly follow like a sheep).

 

[puzzled]

1 hour ago, MisterrSingh said:

Last one for today: we ain't loyal. 

thats the main weakness imo   we aint loyal to sikhi    

 

[MisterrSingh]

4 minutes ago, puzzled said:

thats the main weakness imo   we aint loyal to sikhi    

And each other, haha.

[puzzled]

peoples priority is not sikhi, their priority is in other things, to the point where people will turn their backs to the faith to gain elsewhere.      

its reached the point where people so easily turn their back to sikhi that its easy as turning a tap on.

 

 

[puzzled]

7 minutes ago, MisterrSingh said:

And each other, haha.

its actually scary   because these same people will call themselves sikh to your face. many of us start trusting others simply coz they are"sikh"      

[MisterrSingh]

1 hour ago, genie said:

Haha wow that's a pretty good assessment on our weaknesses especially on our peoples excesses on intoxicants or appeasement but what about the other categories? (strengths, opportunities, threats?).

I would also say lack of unity and lack of parchar in the home and to outsiders is a major weaknesses.

However I believe as many weaknesses we have as a faith community that we may have at the moment we have just as many strengths and punch way above our weight in terms of our numbers being only 30 million world wide. We are able to change global and national political landscape by good or bad actions when we are really pushed against the edge because we have people that are taught by gurbani to not take oppression, be hard workers, be charitable and be self-reliant and sovereign in thought (do not blindly follow like a sheep).

 

We have a hard-working mentality and possess an uncanny ability to weather some rather unpalatable times without much complaint, although this quality is diminishing in line with whichever foreign culture we're exposed to in our day-to-day lives.

At our best and our most positive, our passion and our never-say-die attitude would be an asset to any proud race on the face of this planet. We have a rather mischievous sense of humour and that's pretty endearing especially when he see the silver lining in even the most darkest of situations. 

It's unfortunate our intellectual development as a unique group has stalled, because the greater the development of a particular group's understanding of itself, the world, and its place in that world, the more likely that community is to thrive on its own terms. Sadly, we seem to graze on the scraps of other cultures while neglecting our own ways, which we've been convinced are inferior. That all ties into not having a positive "base" to which we can return and rejuvenate in ways that speak and are relevant to the majority and not just a small minority.

[puzzled]

weve become people pleasers and a55 lickers      bend over to please anyone    especially for white folks      absolutely embarrassing 

when naming kids people wanna name their kids something that all the white kids and teachers will able to pronounce at school

dnt wanna speak punjabi in public because "what will the goreh think"

and then you have people who short their names down to tommy singhs, peter singhs, john singhs, paul singhs

fcking pathetic 

[Ranjeet01]

6 minutes ago, puzzled said:

weve become people pleasers and a55 lickers      bend over to please anyone    especially for white folks      absolutely embarrassing 

when naming kids people wanna name their kids something that all the white kids and teachers will able to pronounce at school

dnt wanna speak punjabi in public because "what will the goreh think"

and then you have people who short their names down to tommy singhs, peter singhs, john singhs, paul singhs

fcking pathetic 

I have some people that changed the spelling of their names.

Like from Simran to Symren and Kiran to Ciaran. 

So unique!!