( please note- I am writing this at 2am,so I may sound confusing- but I hope I can convey whats in my heart.)
My nation, my religion, my community ?
Should I be proud when a Sikh accomplishes something in a sport; or a Punjabi / Indian achieves a superlative heights in a profession ?; Or since I am living in Indiana now - should I be proud when the Colts win ?
These questions arise when I try to question my integrity on the belief that the world is one - we are all the children of the same creator. We are all "together" in this journey.
So when & whom should I be proud of? Could it be more satisfying if:
I were inspired by, and proud of, acts of selfless courage, selfless service performed by anyone in service of humanity; All acts of superlative human achievement.
So - I should be proud of human achievement when someone climbs mount Everest - not of the fact that the nation/religion he/she belongs to is the same as mine.
We all know it, but then alas - it is so hard to nurture this feeling of universal love and brotherhood.
While it is so easy to feel attached to those who look like us, speak like us & vote like us. It is so easy to paint the world into "ours" & "their" camp.
But does this mean I cant be proud of the Colts ? or Sikh basketballers ? ... well I kind of have to make peace with the fact that its easier to associate with those who share commonalities with me . But, at the same time the more effort I make to see the universal oneness, the more I am able to appreciate the beauty of human endeavor. So in the case of American football I come to appreciate the team spirt, the coordination and the execution of human teams, rather than just root for the Colts.
No conclusions here . Just that my heart is uneasy thinking "even though I should not take sides based on kith and kin, but I know it will happen, and I will regret it latter."
My nation, my religion, my community ?
Should I be proud when a Sikh accomplishes something in a sport; or a Punjabi / Indian achieves a superlative heights in a profession ?; Or since I am living in Indiana now - should I be proud when the Colts win ?
These questions arise when I try to question my integrity on the belief that the world is one - we are all the children of the same creator. We are all "together" in this journey.
So when & whom should I be proud of? Could it be more satisfying if:
I were inspired by, and proud of, acts of selfless courage, selfless service performed by anyone in service of humanity; All acts of superlative human achievement.
So - I should be proud of human achievement when someone climbs mount Everest - not of the fact that the nation/religion he/she belongs to is the same as mine.
We all know it, but then alas - it is so hard to nurture this feeling of universal love and brotherhood.
While it is so easy to feel attached to those who look like us, speak like us & vote like us. It is so easy to paint the world into "ours" & "their" camp.
But does this mean I cant be proud of the Colts ? or Sikh basketballers ? ... well I kind of have to make peace with the fact that its easier to associate with those who share commonalities with me . But, at the same time the more effort I make to see the universal oneness, the more I am able to appreciate the beauty of human endeavor. So in the case of American football I come to appreciate the team spirt, the coordination and the execution of human teams, rather than just root for the Colts.
No conclusions here . Just that my heart is uneasy thinking "even though I should not take sides based on kith and kin, but I know it will happen, and I will regret it latter."
Comments
We should be proud of devotion our prem our ishq of our guru... nothing else is ours to be proud of.....all else is his creation so we should respect that...
I try to understand these things better and trying to live like this...
under constant guidance of guru..