The ideal reader

The Insignificance of Humanity.

I started my new job a few weeks ago, and I can honestly say that I really enjoy the work I do and the people I work with. I teach maths and frankly its a job which gives a lot of variety but can be very tiring, as it is I take part in a 2 hour commute to work every day so I often come home shattered.

The commute to London is strange. In the morning I wait for the 6.47 train to pull up, while I see weary looking ‘humans’ stumble on and find a seat to sleep on. Thirty minutes into my journey the train fills up with scores of other commuters, each glued to their phones, ipods and books even. Silence envelops the carriage, nobody dares to strike up a conversation with someone else to be branded a weirdo or god forbid….a nice person. My stop approaches and I begin to shuffle to the door so that I can be the first one out, I often fail but it is a worthy effort.

What happened next shook me for life. But when I tell you the story it is not something extra-ordinary or complicated. You can experience this yourself in your everyday life and yet take it for granted.

I ambled off the train and proceeded to walk very quickly in an ordered fashion to my next platform. It was here I noticed my shoes were untied so I managed to squeeze out of the rat-race and sit down on a platform bench. Instead of rushing to my next train I decided to sit for a while, maybe I was lazy but I wanted to catch a breath. I sat there while I saw what seemed to be the whole human race pass before my very eyes; worried expressions on their faces as they tried to get to work on time. Some were running faster than Usain Bolt, if indeed possible. I looked up the Shard, a modern skyscraper recently constructed to show London economic and financial ‘strength’…

A thought clicked in; I wonder what life looks like from the top of that tall building?  What would I see? A brilliant sunrise maybe, or the vast concrete jungle that is London in its glory?

Ants.

That’s the first thought that came to my head if I imagined myself on that skyscraper…ants. Consider it, I look down on London Bridge train station and I see thousands of little things running in a chaotic manner from A to B to C to infinity. Some of these little things would run, some would walk while others will stop altogether. It immediately reminded me of a vision from my childhood when I saw an ants nest in my garden, upon kicking a football at it all the ants descended into anarchy while they tried to make sense of the situation at hand.

What do you think when you see some ants? The first word that comes to mind is how insignificant they seem compared to you in size and strength. In fact I know some kids have a sadistic pleasure in killing them for some odd reason, such was their disdain for these creatures (or good parenting according to my mum).

So I considered zooming out of my scenario, I imagined myself in a plane then in space. The conclusion was the same, we are so insignificant in our universe and yet we consider ourselves to be pretty valuable to the world we live in. I guess this is how people first thought about the existence of God all those thousands of years ago…religion to them made sense of all this.

All of us, our feelings, emotions, lusts and ego pale in comparison to what our relative place in the universe is. But still, everyday we wake up, get on the train and live a life completely devoid of this bone shattering knowledge, such is our tunnel vision!

For those of you who think this is quite a narcissistic view on the world then just take a second to try my thought experiment. Imagine yourself on top of the Eiffel tower or Empire State Building and think clearly about what you see, not the buildings or the streets but the individual people themselves.

Don’t get me wrong as humans we have done a lot, but when the world ends…the universe will still carry on with out without us. It certainly humbled me and I think once this thought dawns on a lot of people then it would silence them also. 7 billion humans on this Earth and counting…each one with dreams and aspirations.

I heard a conductors whistle and snapped out of my thoughts, then realized that I had 2 minutes to run to my next train.

Headphones inserted, press the play button…get on with my insignificant life.

The Sikh Community in Britain; an outsiders opinion.

Britain is an island which has over the years become a melting pot of culture and languages. Each ethnic community has their own specialisms and strengths which has helped this country to become a beacon for social cohesion. Whether it is the West Indians who came during the 1950’s to work on the London buses or the Pakistani Muslims who worked endless hours in the Yorkshire mills. All of these communities have left an indelible mark in rich and varied script of British history.

In my post today I will look at the Sikh community, an ethnic group of people who hail from the Punjab region of North India. I live in a small town in England called Gravesend, which has its own very well established and growing Sikh community which is now in its 3rd or 4th generation. Even though my own ancestors hail from the same area as these people, I am writing this post as an outside because I am not a Sikh; I am a HIndu Brahmin. I follow a different religion and as a result a different culture to my Sikh brethren who live in my neighbourhoods.

This is my view of the Sikh community within the UK having not only lived in Gravesend for my formative years but also having spent 3 years living in Leicester and witnessing the Sikh students who strive to follow their faith…

The Sikhs of Britain are the most hardest working community in the land. They bring with them a tenacity to work and a humbleness to not complain, as a result they are also the wealthiest of the south Asian minorities in the UK with a median household salary of £200,000. The Sikhs today, as they did back in the 50’s when they first arrived always look after one another and their families. Many families try to bring relatives over from India and help them set up in this ‘land of oppurtunity’. However, although lots of families have gained immense fortune living here, the hardships they have had to endure to become successful has been great too. Many turbaned Sikh men still experience racism in this modern era even though there is lots of education within schools about differentiation of religions. However, if anything this makes the bonds between the people much greater and they face the adversity with a combined effort. Sikhs are also very progressive and integrate very well wherever they go, they have excelled in all aspects and sections of British life without compromising on their background. I think the best thing I have seen in my time living with these big hearted people is that they love their religion so much; it gives them boundless energy during their bad times as well as a reflection during their good times. This is why Sikhism as a religion is unique, because the people by and large carry out the message which the Gurus laid out before them in their illustrious history. They love their religion so much they have a mission to build Gurdwaras wherever they go so that they can pray and do sewa in peace. On that note the concept of ‘service for others’ or Sewa is a key tenet of the faith and again they hold this in high regard whether it be serving langar with love in the Gurdwara or giving great hospitality in family functions. They always seek to include, educate and promote others about their faith and do this by means of TV channels, leaflets and even facebook. All in all it is a faith for humanity.

As an outsider I have a different perspective on things and this provides me with a different view on Sikhism within this country. Although I understand much of the faith I do not claim to be educated in it, I have many Sikh friends who I consider my own brothers and this has provided me with much insight into the community. There are however various problems which are apparent from my viewpoint…

I think the major struggle the Sikhs (as with any ethnic minority in the UK) have is the battle to maintain and preserve their culture and religion. I have seen first hand at University how young Asian girls and boys, not only Sikh, try to diverge away from their true paths and try to become more modern in their ways. The Sikh Society at my university did a great job to educate the students but despite tremendous support in volunteering, one can only feel that these were the minority. There were very few people who I can say exhibit true qualities of a ‘Singh’ or a ‘Kaur’. The youth are in a struggle to try and fit into British society but also to adhere to their faith, it is a struggle which I have been through myself and it is tough.
The issue of caste, as mentioned in another one of my blogs, is indeed a cancer on the community which affects everyone. One of the fundamental tenets of Sikhi is that caste is wrong and one should not follow it; however there are deep divisions within the community due to people still believing that their caste is better than another. I have seen separate Gurdwaras for Ravidassia ( Low caste) Sikhs and it seems that people will still hold onto their attached caste.
More recently the cases involving sexual abuse and grooming of young Sikh girls has hit the community hard, I have seen and heard cases in Leicester involving grooming gangs in clubs and there is a lot of truth to these stories. There has even been a BBC documentary highlighting this issue and it is heartening to see that there are educational programmes out there in place to deter such vile acts against these girls.
There also seems to be some kind of weird mix between how one should uphold Punjabi culture; which promotes alcohol, eating meat and caste etc and the true values of Sikhism which do not promote such things. Again it is just my opinion, but for normal Sikh youth it may be a very difficult balancing act to try.
The burning issue for Sikhs who really are in touch with their roots is the issue of Khalistan and the events before and after 1984. TO MAKE THIS CLEAR; I was not born and I did not live in that time, so I will not comment on it because I have no knowledge other than news reports and friends. However, I will say that it is very clear that the justice system of India is a shambles and why the perpetrators of the Delhi riots have have not been dealt with is beyond me. My family come from Delhi and my Dad has recounted to me the story of how he and his brothers defended his Sikh neighbours with cricket bats while the city around them was in chaos. I cannot help but cry in anguish over his story, as well as the miscarriages of justice that has occurred in the Punjab during the 1990’s. I am not educated enough to comment on the validity of Khalistan (a homeland for the Sikhs) but the Sikh youth of the UK do try tirelessly for their cause and I respect them for it…you need to stand up for what you believe in.

I think the Sikh community in the UK have done themselves proud, they have made a shining example of social cohabitation and it has been a privilege to live among these fiercely proud people. The religion has inspired me through my tough times and its followers have shown me and my family a lot of love over these years. Despite the problems facing it, I am confident that the youth will overcome them with the same zeal and effort as their fore-fathers.

If I have offended anyone then I am incredibly sorry, it was not my intention. Please however leave comments or criticisms if you get time, I would love to educate myself. This post is merely an objective viewpoint of Sikhism in this country, not an attack.

How to deal with ‘Haters’

‘HATERS GONNA HATE, YOU GOT HATERS YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING RIGHT, THIS IS FOR ALL MY HATERS OUT THERE’

This is an example of the many facebook statuses I see of people who want to show to their ‘haters’ that they don’t care. It is actually quite thick as it shows you actually do care about what they think about you and it is not a good look.

We cannot expect to go through life to be liked by everyone and anyone. Inevitably there will be people that will not like you for reasons of jealousy, envy or just because you smell good. There are an infinite number of reasons to be ‘hated’ by someone, and some people just love to prove such detractors wrong by shouting out loud for no odd reason.

The reason I am saying all this is not due to any annoyance on my part, it is purely based on what I have seen and I have come to the rather bone shattering conclusion that the best way to deal with haters is;

TO NOT SAY/DO/REACT TO ANYTHING AT ALL, IN FACT LOVE YOUR HATERS.

To some people this may be harder to do but seriously, if I hated someone and they showed me greater respect and love then I would immediately think ‘what the actual duck (another word rhymes with this)’. It would put me right off and instead of trying to direct my energy to send a message of propaganda against my enemy I would start to realize that actually I have been acting rather stupid.

THINK ABOUT IT! Instead of glorifying on facebook, twitter, instagram or bebo (YES I USE IT SO WHAT!) about your achievements and how ‘you shut your haters up’, you should instead just keep quiet. Be humble and be modest for you have gained the moral victory if anything. Your quiet success will speak a thousand words rather than a shouted achievement with pointed remarks.

I have proved countless people wrong over my short lifespan and god willing I will continue but there is no need for the dramatics, for the people who you consider ‘haters’ are and will never be important people in your life. However, by treating them with love and respect you are showing yourself to be a bigger person than they will ever hope to be. They will start to change themselves, and if they don’t then to hell with them…they are nothing anyway.

Oh and by the way, having haters doesn’t usually mean are you are doing something right, it could also mean you are a knob with nothing else to do but annoy other people. There will be some of you who love having haters and it apparently makes you ‘famous’…well that’s your own prerogative and I wish you best of luck.

Why are we so keen to grow up?

This week has been one of the most important in my entire life, I am beginning a new chapter as a maths teacher and suddenly I have become a responsible adult.

Woe is me, it seems like only 4 months ago I was chilling with my uni friends, having a laugh without a care in the world. Yes we had an eye on the future but it seemed too distant and unreal….that was until this week.

The one major difference from the student life and now is my sleeping habits. Whereas in university I slept like a bear in infinite hibernation, now I have to get used to waking up at the obscene time of 5.45 am just to catch the 2 hour train at 7 am! The daily commute takes me to central London where I witness the rat race in the city, thousands of bleary eyed city workers who smell of coffee and cigarettes racing to get to work. It is here where I had my epiphany, sitting between a rather smelly old man in a suit and a small lady in business attire;

I HAVE GROWN UP WAY TOO QUICK.

It suddenly hit me like a brick in the face, all these years from my primary school through to secondary school we all yearn to get older and get more freedom. I explicitly remember being unable to contain my excitement on the thought of going to uni and leaving my parents behind, only to realize that the 3 years flew by without me realising, and here we are!

In primary school we dream of going to secondary, in secondary we dream of sixth form and when we are finally where we want to be…it becomes an anticlimax of sorts. You realize you may not have enjoyed your younger days as much because you were relentlessly pursuing your ambitions.

I think personally we should take time to enjoy our present moment in time, because your youthful period of your life is your most productive, fun and creative.

Why rush to become the next manager, head of department or whatever? Enjoy what you have now! You may never get that feeling ever again…in other words BE A KID AT HEART!