I have come to this conclusion because I have analyzed the Granth objectively, without preconceived notions, deriving this nuanced position and others concerning the true nature of Sikhi as per the writers of the Granth, not the Sikh collective.
I have not tried to fit my position to respect any commonly accepted historical narrative or bend my ideas to avoid offending commonly accepted sentiments about Sikhi.
I believe the common sentiments held by Sikhs today are false and contradicted by the nature of the Granth when read objectively, without preconceived notions of holiness, ritual, or virtue or history.
Please read what I have to say before dismissing me as a heretic.
Onto my essay.
If Nanak included Kabir in the Granth, then he ascribed to Kabir's philosophy that is within Kabir’s writings.
Kabir however did not write a philosophy at all, neither did Nanak or any of the other writers of the Granth.
They simply made observations concerning the same thing.
What is the thing that, when observed, has created a consistent nature in the arguments made in the Granth by each writer?
This thing is an entity; this entity, according to them, is an extension of God, a part of God that we can preceive, while the rest of him is unbeknownst.
The word “entity” brings about some biases, and many would dismiss the idea I will discuss solely based on the language I use.
And these people will never learn.
This entity is separate from the self’s own conscious mind or self-mind (Manmat).
This entity is the unconscious that is of divine nature.
This entity is known as the Sat Gur that exists in all people, placed there by the creator, and its nature is of Gurmat, and it provides messages known as Gur Parsad or Shabad or Amrit.
The writers of the Granth have recognized this entity within them, noted its qualities, and how its messages have changed them and brought about virtues.
According to the writers the path to the Sat Gur is for mankind is tiny because it requires one to throw away all delusions, sway away from the collective, and once he has recognized the Sat Gur to follow it no matter what.
From here, according to the writers, he has become a Gurmukh, no longer a Manmukh like the rest of collective.
He is no longer ignoring his Sat Gur.
According to the writers not many individuals can take upon this path because it is difficult, and the path to the Sat Gur is small (many analogies are used to describe this).
The concept of the Sat Gur and the Gurmukh separates man, as the Granth points that the collective of mankind is wrong, misguided and weak while the minority of those who follow the Sat Gur are strong, beloved, and have acquired true virtue.
If Sikhs want to say that we are all equal, they have to accpet the idea of the Sat Gur that exists within all people and that is origin of equality.
The Sat Gur made us equal not a man named Nanak.
The Sat Gur made the writers recognize equality in all mankind for having a Sat Gur.
If a Sikh wants the true virtue of equality he must embrace the idea of the Sat Gur first and receive it in the form of Shabad.
Never embrace virtue for the sake of virtue, but virtue for the sake of Sat Gur. This is what the writers want.
The virtue must be provided by the Sat Gur either directly from it, or via its acknowledgment.
The divine aristocracy exists only within the self.
It is your only Guru not Nanak or Gobind or a thousand page book (Granth).
And the writers of the Granth (Nanak, Gobind, etc) wanted it that way.
I have not tried to fit my position to respect any commonly accepted historical narrative or bend my ideas to avoid offending commonly accepted sentiments about Sikhi.
I believe the common sentiments held by Sikhs today are false and contradicted by the nature of the Granth when read objectively, without preconceived notions of holiness, ritual, or virtue or history.
Please read what I have to say before dismissing me as a heretic.
Onto my essay.
If Nanak included Kabir in the Granth, then he ascribed to Kabir's philosophy that is within Kabir’s writings.
Kabir however did not write a philosophy at all, neither did Nanak or any of the other writers of the Granth.
They simply made observations concerning the same thing.
What is the thing that, when observed, has created a consistent nature in the arguments made in the Granth by each writer?
This thing is an entity; this entity, according to them, is an extension of God, a part of God that we can preceive, while the rest of him is unbeknownst.
The word “entity” brings about some biases, and many would dismiss the idea I will discuss solely based on the language I use.
And these people will never learn.
This entity is separate from the self’s own conscious mind or self-mind (Manmat).
This entity is the unconscious that is of divine nature.
This entity is known as the Sat Gur that exists in all people, placed there by the creator, and its nature is of Gurmat, and it provides messages known as Gur Parsad or Shabad or Amrit.
The writers of the Granth have recognized this entity within them, noted its qualities, and how its messages have changed them and brought about virtues.
According to the writers the path to the Sat Gur is for mankind is tiny because it requires one to throw away all delusions, sway away from the collective, and once he has recognized the Sat Gur to follow it no matter what.
From here, according to the writers, he has become a Gurmukh, no longer a Manmukh like the rest of collective.
He is no longer ignoring his Sat Gur.
According to the writers not many individuals can take upon this path because it is difficult, and the path to the Sat Gur is small (many analogies are used to describe this).
The concept of the Sat Gur and the Gurmukh separates man, as the Granth points that the collective of mankind is wrong, misguided and weak while the minority of those who follow the Sat Gur are strong, beloved, and have acquired true virtue.
If Sikhs want to say that we are all equal, they have to accpet the idea of the Sat Gur that exists within all people and that is origin of equality.
The Sat Gur made us equal not a man named Nanak.
The Sat Gur made the writers recognize equality in all mankind for having a Sat Gur.
If a Sikh wants the true virtue of equality he must embrace the idea of the Sat Gur first and receive it in the form of Shabad.
Never embrace virtue for the sake of virtue, but virtue for the sake of Sat Gur. This is what the writers want.
The virtue must be provided by the Sat Gur either directly from it, or via its acknowledgment.
The divine aristocracy exists only within the self.
It is your only Guru not Nanak or Gobind or a thousand page book (Granth).
And the writers of the Granth (Nanak, Gobind, etc) wanted it that way.