Sikhs Defence Training

"When all other means fail, it is righteous to raise the sword"
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/hard-talk/36853-sikhs-defence-training.html

Sikhs need to defend themselves and stay alert at all times, by this i do not necesarily* mean weapons. I mean mentally and spiritally defending themselves, and i beleive if one is to make the decision to defend themselves with a weapon, they should be TRAINED to know how to use that weapon, but even BEFORE that, a sikh should know how to defend with his/her own body(fight like a man).

Back to defending mentally and spiritualy. A singhs strength comes from within, not from a tool or device. And by defending, i dont mean being vulnerable or "having" to defend yourself, I mean being PROUD.

The true meaning of what it means to be a Singh in this aspect, I dont completely or CLOSE to know, but I sure can share my thoughts and anticipate descussion on this topic. Pardon my spelling, I merely wanted to get my point across, and please correct/discuss/explain your thoughts and beliefs, and if I had said anything incorrect or that I should not have.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=36853

Thank You

 
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I personally think we have too much emphasis on the martial aspect of Sikhi. If there was more emphasis on the spirituality, the saint side then the strength and guidance on behaviour will come from within. Of course the skill needs to be learnt separately. A few months ago at my local Gurdwara, there was an art class for the kids. They were given free reign in what they wanted to paint as long as it had a Sikhi theme. When youngsters who understand very little about the basics of Sikhi are drawing AK47s around a khanda it is a worrying state of affairs!!

The way I see it, it is not easy at all to learn a martial art, how to use a sword, or properply defend yourself, or build physical strength. All of which takes skill, dedication, practice, and the want to learn, by this I mean that it is something which once achieved you will always have this skill to use at your command. When man gets angry and down to the last straw - he uses physical force, go to war, and impliment death. Its the way things happen. So shouldnt one be prepared for opposition and ridicule? Think about a situation where you might be overpowered and outnumbered, with nobody caring about your belieff/side of the story, what will you do to defend yourself? All animals hunt and get hunted. If you knew that you can use a form of self desense because you have LEARNED it, would you not use it in this time of need?

By all means practice a martial art. I have also undergone marital arts training for 2 years so I could defend myself. However, the martial arts will only lead to violence and misunderstanding unless Gurbani is studied alongside it. Without the attachment to bani, anger remains anger, and martial arts remain only physical. We are saint soldiers not soldier saints.