Has God ditched human race during Covid-19 pandemic?

[singhbj singh]

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/has-god-ditched-human-race-during-covid-19-pandemic-1659716-2020-03-25

 

 

People stand in a queue outside a grocery store after PM Modi announced complete lockdown all over India. (Rep photo: PTI)

 

From one viewpoint, Mother Nature has shown the human race its place.

HUMANS VS OTHERS

In his book, The Descent of Man, Charles Darwin reasoned that human and animals differ in degree not kind.

But this differentiator is phenomenal. Humans read, write, speak, forecast future, discover the history and send missions to space.

Humans invent and develop technologies in science, communications, engineering, warfare, architecture, transport and so forth.

Humans build and develop institutions of economy, politics, governance, religion, art, entertainment, diplomacy and education.

Humans, in innumerable ways, stand out as a one-of-a-kind species on Earth.

COLLAPSE OF CIVILISATIONS

And it’s not the first time that humans are stricken by a calamity.

History reveals how civilizations have collapsed in the past.

Indus cities, for example, began to fall apart around 1700 BC. Nobody came to know about them for thousands of years till the remains of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro were excavated in the 1920s.

But the human race, on the whole, has survived. And it likely will the coronavirus pandemic.

VIRUS TURNS HUMAN NOTIONS ON HEAD

But for now, the disease has turned every institution and almost every human notion on its head.

Many among the world's most powerful and wealthiest elite are themselves quarantined. Some other from the same super-rich elite are jetting off to subterranean hideouts, accompanied by personal medics, a Guardian report said.

VIRUS SHUTS DOWN FAITH CENTRES

Believers turn to religion for solace during distress. But an invisible virus has forced shutdown of some of the world's major religious centres of almost all major faiths.

The heartland of Islam, Saudi Arabia, has suspended pilgrimages to Mecca and Medina. Jerusalem's Al Aqsa mosque is also closed.

On March 15, Pope Francis delivered his blessing to an empty St. Peter's Square at the Vatican.

In the heartland of Hinduism, India, major Hindu temples were closed to worshippers before the national lockdown set in. Among them were Tirumala Tirupati, Siddhivinayak and Vaishno Devi.

The Akal Takht, the highest seat of Sikh temporal authority in Amritsar, issued what was a rare order in the 550-year history of the faith.

On March 22, Giani Harpreet Singh, the Jathedar or the head of the Akal Takht, directed gurdwaras across the globe to limit activities to low-profile practices and postpone large congregations and religious events for two weeks.

ARE GOD, HUMANS LEAVING EACH OTHER?

This leads us to wonder whether God or Divine Intelligence, Allah, Waheguru, All Knowing or All Powerful -- call the creator and ruler of the universe by any name -- is abandoning humans and vice versa?

I turn to my faith, Sikhi, for an answer.

At the community level, there's largely an agreement that social distancing holds the key, as suggested by the Akal Takht. This, despite the Sikh faith's long-cherished tradition of Sangat or congregation.

FROM CONGREGATION TO CONTEMPLATION

At the same time, the severe coronavirus restrictions seem to be striking a balance between outward actions and inward attitudes.

Giani Harpreet Singh, for instance, has directed all major gurdwaras to direct one of the core concepts of Sikhi, sewa or voluntary service, towards the care of the victims of coronavirus and that of the lockdowns it induced.

He urged gurdwaras world over to throw open their guest houses for possible use as quarantine facilities for Covid-19 patients.

"Sikhi is both a personal and public commitment," explained Harinder Singh, co-founder of the Sikh Research Institute in the United States. "Since the time of Guru Nanak Sahib, we have been sharing the langars -- distribution of wisdom and food. Let’s double down on both to fight coronavirus. Guru Nanak Sahib asked 'whys' at a personal level; the Guru served with 'Hows' at the public level."

FAITH VERSUS BLIND FAITH

In the religious realm, again as of now, the pandemic is also settling what has been an endless debate over what constitutes faith -- and what blind faith.

"The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility," once wrote Albert Einstein, the great 20th-century scientist whose views about God have been variously interpreted.

"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind," he said.

In his March 22 message, Giani Harpreet Singh cautioned the believers against superstition while sustaining unflinching faith in Absolute Being.

Harinder Singh of the Sikh Research Institute explained how intellectual strength and faith can complement each other in the deepening crisis.

"Stay at home, unless you are an essential worker -- medical, food, logistics. Become more centred by connecting with 1Force (All Powerful), by traditional means or current mechanisms. You need to decide how to connect with 1Force!" he remarked. "That means, strengthening your intellect and your body to share your assets. Take precautions, remain calm and informed. If willing and able, support essential workers by joining them for service, or fund them."

Spirituality and imagination, continued Harinder Singh, are vital sources for life. "Pray as victorious people, not as defeated beings!" he concluded.

Admin Note: Singh ji, please post a snippet of the news article or the full news article with credit and link given of the news article. Just posting URL does not look good for the New topic. Post at least a paragraph or something to it. Thanks

[MisterrSingh]

Quote

"Sikhi is both a personal and public commitment," explained Harinder Singh, co-founder of the Sikh Research Institute in the United States. "Since the time of Guru Nanak Sahib, we have been sharing the langars -- distribution of wisdom and food. 

There it is again! Shall we rename Sikhi to Langari, and be done with it?

Let's modify the Sikh insignia that bears two kirpans and a chakkar, and replace it with a roti and two rolling pins. Might as well, because that's where we seem to be heading.

[S1ngh]

1 hour ago, MisterrSingh said:

There it is again! Shall we rename Sikhi to Langari, and be done with it?

Let's modify the Sikh insignia that bears two kirpans and a chakkar, and replace it with a roti and two rolling pins. Might as well, because that's where we seem to be heading.

Fully agree with you. Lets keeps the langar in our guru ghars. Anyone who is hungry, let him/her come to gurughars. 

[Redoptics]

Guru Ji is cleansing this sick world, it natural when we have fd up so much

[MisterrSingh]

Just now, S1ngh said:

Fully agree with you. Lets keeps the langar in our guru ghars. Anyone who is hungry, let him/her come to gurughars. 

It's more than that, though, bro. Yes, in exceptional circumstances there's no shame in opening doors to tend to the people, but the Gurughar isn't a perpetual holy soup kitchen. That narrative needs to be dismantled. Langar, in my opinion, is more an act of frugal and humble symbolism that's been bastardi5ed by the excesses of the modern age.

[puzzled]

17 minutes ago, MisterrSingh said:

It's more than that, though, bro. Yes, in exceptional circumstances there's no shame in opening doors to tend to the people, but the Gurughar isn't a perpetual holy soup kitchen. That narrative needs to be dismantled. Langar, in my opinion, is more an act of frugal and humble symbolism that's been bastardi5ed by the excesses of the modern age.

langar at campus   as well lol! 

[H908]

But in recent times mahapurash across india have been handing out langar to poor ppl outside the gurdwara 

i think the problem arises when we use our resources, time etc to help others when we aren't progressing. While some of those groups might be actively plotting against sikhs. 

[MisterrSingh]

1 minute ago, puzzled said:

langar at campus   as well lol! 

In the next few years: 

Langar in prison (they're halfway there, tbh, they already have the metal trays in there).

Langar for LGBT. Sikhs setting up langar stalls at gay pride parades, specialising in food such as stuffed, foot-long kerele; rolled-up parathe dripping in makhni, and other suggestive Punjabi dishes.

Langar for Aliens. When they launch a full-scale invasion of Earth, I bet some of us will turn up at the landing site ready to please our alien overlords in the hope they change their minds when faced with our kindness.

[MisterrSingh]

In all seriousness, the langar issue is a symptom of a larger, more layered problem. I don't think we should obsess specifically over this specific issue without addressing the root malaise. That's way more controversial, and liable to upset many different groups of people.

[puzzled]

6 minutes ago, MisterrSingh said:

Langar for LGBT. Sikhs setting up langar stalls at gay pride parades, specialising in food such as stuffed, foot-long kerele; rolled-up parathe dripping in makhni, and other suggestive Punjabi dishes.

LMAO          i laughed like a pagal        my mum and sister were staring at me wondering whats going on  

but honestly speaking  i can see this actually happening      they will do it