chk1
SPNer
- Nov 25, 2006
- 35
- 5
I originally posted this as a reply to a topic, but after some thought i decided to make this as a new topic so that every member, visitor could read it and perhaps feel inspired to help make a change. I felt it was really important to get this message across to you all.
Envision this: A World where every human lives in peace with one another, where religions co-exist peacefully and people become friends instead of enemies with one another.
Impossible you would say, it is not possible to have a "heaven" on Earth. But how many of you actually want this change? How many of you are tired of seeing and hearing bad news? Violence? Deaths? How many of you truly want to see a change? Well the good news is we can change things, all of us can if we put our minds to it.
So it's not as easy as it seems, i agree. The task is huge.
I often look at our local situation, within the UK istelf and wonder how we can tackle the prejduices and racism within our society. Firstly we have got to want to change those if we want a more peaceful environment.
I'm sure many of you are aware of our Sikh brothers in the US who were killed by "ignorant whites" who mistook them for being Muslims. And what
was done about it? Sikhs went on a march in an attempt to educate the whites and inform them of our religious and cultural differences. To an extent I agree, why should Sikhs suffer persecution and be subjected to violence and death because we "look" like Muslims? Yet how many of those Sikhs stood up with Muslims simply for the fact that these prejudices and violence should not be occurring in the FIRST place? How many did this in an attempt to bring some form of peace? Yet instead they chose to isolate the Muslims and make sure they were not associated. Fair enough you must be thinking! Why should we be mistaken for them? But if you are the ones who want to bring peace in our communities some things will require change.
This Sikh-Muslim war has been ongoing for quite some time. If you wish to
include Sikh history in this topic fair enough. But isn't it time we tried
to bridge the differences? Think about it this way: Today we as Sikhs sit in
our houses, discuss the current affairs an all agree how terrible the war on
iraq is. At some point you have all discussed this. We also agree how terrible
it is what the suicide bombers, extremists are out there doing. We also more
often than not, discuss how Muslim boys are being sent out to convert Sikh and Hindu girls. And we say its not a few Muslims doing this, They are ALL like that.
OK,but think about it this way, what IF that was Sikhs suffering like the
Muslims are? Not even Muslims, even the Jews in Israel, what IF that was our
religion being portrayed as bad, as evil, all because some individuals have
interpreted the religion DIFFERENTLY to how we would? What would we as Sikhs do next?How would we display ourselves?
We too would want to alienate the extremists and educate the World
about the true meaning of Sikhi. So why is it we are so judgemental of
Muslims? Why is it we create propaganda in an attempt to protect our community,however we distort the truth to suit US. If you are like me you will believe in the saying "What goes around comes around". You naturally think when someone uspets you, well it will happen back to them too. Instead of trying to be more understanding, a bit more compassionate and open our minds and hearts we are becoming increasingly judgemental, narrow minded and defensive. We are making the gap WIDER, we are contributing to the violence, to the threats, to the prejudices.
And one day, perhaps not on such a huge scale, Sikhs will be the ones under
the limelight all because of a few individuals and we will be the ones
desperatly trying to show the World what those indiviuals are saying is wrong, and we are right. As the normal ordinary Muslim population are doing today. As those who are living their normal day to day lives saying they are not extremists, they do not condone the extremists working abroad or within the UK, on a mission to convert girls. We too, will say it is wrong in the future and protect our religion.
It is a fact that there are extremists, fanatics within our religion, they
may not be blowing people up but they are still extremists, we do not associate ourselves with them, because we believe what they are doing is wrong. There are extremists in every religion, majority of people do not agree with the, so why do we judge the Muslims and say they are "all" the same?
To make our world a little less violent and little more peaceful, stop
being judgemental, and start opening your hearts and minds. Understand how you would feel in such a position and stop being a hypocrite. We are all guilty of hypocrisy, we all feel angry when we are misjudged, for example the Sikhs
in the US, or generally within the community when the older generation judge
us and make assumptions about our character and nature. We do the same to people of other religions, we judge them and consider them to be all the same, but remember just as we are all individuals with different approaches and ways of thinking, so too are others. Some bad some good, but all the same they are individuals, children of the same God.
There is only Ek Onkar.
In a time where we are vulnerable, where others too are vulnerable we need to open our hearts and minds and bridge our differences, offer our friendships and stick together.
Impossible you are probably thinking, but nothing is impossible if only you
have the will to change our World and bring light and peace.
BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE IN THIS WORLD!
My sincere apologies to my brothers and sisters to whom i may have
offended.
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----------------------------------------
Envision this: A World where every human lives in peace with one another, where religions co-exist peacefully and people become friends instead of enemies with one another.
Impossible you would say, it is not possible to have a "heaven" on Earth. But how many of you actually want this change? How many of you are tired of seeing and hearing bad news? Violence? Deaths? How many of you truly want to see a change? Well the good news is we can change things, all of us can if we put our minds to it.
So it's not as easy as it seems, i agree. The task is huge.
I often look at our local situation, within the UK istelf and wonder how we can tackle the prejduices and racism within our society. Firstly we have got to want to change those if we want a more peaceful environment.
I'm sure many of you are aware of our Sikh brothers in the US who were killed by "ignorant whites" who mistook them for being Muslims. And what
was done about it? Sikhs went on a march in an attempt to educate the whites and inform them of our religious and cultural differences. To an extent I agree, why should Sikhs suffer persecution and be subjected to violence and death because we "look" like Muslims? Yet how many of those Sikhs stood up with Muslims simply for the fact that these prejudices and violence should not be occurring in the FIRST place? How many did this in an attempt to bring some form of peace? Yet instead they chose to isolate the Muslims and make sure they were not associated. Fair enough you must be thinking! Why should we be mistaken for them? But if you are the ones who want to bring peace in our communities some things will require change.
This Sikh-Muslim war has been ongoing for quite some time. If you wish to
include Sikh history in this topic fair enough. But isn't it time we tried
to bridge the differences? Think about it this way: Today we as Sikhs sit in
our houses, discuss the current affairs an all agree how terrible the war on
iraq is. At some point you have all discussed this. We also agree how terrible
it is what the suicide bombers, extremists are out there doing. We also more
often than not, discuss how Muslim boys are being sent out to convert Sikh and Hindu girls. And we say its not a few Muslims doing this, They are ALL like that.
OK,but think about it this way, what IF that was Sikhs suffering like the
Muslims are? Not even Muslims, even the Jews in Israel, what IF that was our
religion being portrayed as bad, as evil, all because some individuals have
interpreted the religion DIFFERENTLY to how we would? What would we as Sikhs do next?How would we display ourselves?
We too would want to alienate the extremists and educate the World
about the true meaning of Sikhi. So why is it we are so judgemental of
Muslims? Why is it we create propaganda in an attempt to protect our community,however we distort the truth to suit US. If you are like me you will believe in the saying "What goes around comes around". You naturally think when someone uspets you, well it will happen back to them too. Instead of trying to be more understanding, a bit more compassionate and open our minds and hearts we are becoming increasingly judgemental, narrow minded and defensive. We are making the gap WIDER, we are contributing to the violence, to the threats, to the prejudices.
And one day, perhaps not on such a huge scale, Sikhs will be the ones under
the limelight all because of a few individuals and we will be the ones
desperatly trying to show the World what those indiviuals are saying is wrong, and we are right. As the normal ordinary Muslim population are doing today. As those who are living their normal day to day lives saying they are not extremists, they do not condone the extremists working abroad or within the UK, on a mission to convert girls. We too, will say it is wrong in the future and protect our religion.
It is a fact that there are extremists, fanatics within our religion, they
may not be blowing people up but they are still extremists, we do not associate ourselves with them, because we believe what they are doing is wrong. There are extremists in every religion, majority of people do not agree with the, so why do we judge the Muslims and say they are "all" the same?
To make our world a little less violent and little more peaceful, stop
being judgemental, and start opening your hearts and minds. Understand how you would feel in such a position and stop being a hypocrite. We are all guilty of hypocrisy, we all feel angry when we are misjudged, for example the Sikhs
in the US, or generally within the community when the older generation judge
us and make assumptions about our character and nature. We do the same to people of other religions, we judge them and consider them to be all the same, but remember just as we are all individuals with different approaches and ways of thinking, so too are others. Some bad some good, but all the same they are individuals, children of the same God.
There is only Ek Onkar.
In a time where we are vulnerable, where others too are vulnerable we need to open our hearts and minds and bridge our differences, offer our friendships and stick together.
Impossible you are probably thinking, but nothing is impossible if only you
have the will to change our World and bring light and peace.
BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE IN THIS WORLD!
My sincere apologies to my brothers and sisters to whom i may have
offended.
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