Thought for the Day, 3 November 2009

Indarjit Singh

This week Sikhs are celebrating the birthday of Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh faith. Celebrations take the form of colourful processions, and services in gurdwaras on Sikh teachings. We will be reminded of the Guru's stress on the equality of all human beings including gender equality, the need for responsible living and a commitment to always stand up against social or political injustice.

While teaching respect for different religions, the Guru was forthright in his criticism of rituals and superstitious practices becoming substitutes for ethical teachings. Some of his observations on religious practice would have been deemed politically incorrect today, but in those more difficult times, they were a breath of fresh air equally welcomed by both Hindus and Muslims. When he died, a Punjabi verse relates how he was acclaimed as both a guru of the Hindus and a pir, or religious leader of the Muslims. In reflecting on the Guru's teachings, I wonder how he would see today's times. In some ways he'd note that things haven't changed much. Emphasis on rituals still dominates our attitude to religion. We set religious teachings to beautiful music, sing and chant those teachings, but forget to carry them into our daily lives.-.

The Guru would certainly have welcomed today's tentative steps towards an Arms Trade Treaty, as he would current discussions at Windsor Castle and talks in Copenhagen next month on the threat from global warming. But he would also have warned that grandiose declarations of intent are not enough, unless we also walk the talk.

It doesn't take Guru Nanak however, to tell us that tell us that we've made a bit of a mess of things with our skewed priorities that ignore the consequences of selfish living. We live in a world in which so-called defence industries in wealthier nations help them to grow even richer by exporting the means of mass killing to poorer countries where Kalashnikovs are easier to buy than basic food;. a world of undreamt prosperity for some, while tens of millions of others face starvation, made more imminent by the way we have allowed greed to damage our environment.

The Gurus advice to us today, would be that we wont get far on our journey to a fairer world unless we reset our moral satnavs and follow the direction of more responsible living; the underlying message of all our different faiths.