Something that I read from Tapoban Forum which I would like to share. A really thought provoking post.....
I want to save Sikhi;
Well, not really. But I've seen this attitude lately. It's not a bad thing. We need to really do something to help Sikhi out. But, this is easier said than done.
I remember when I used to be involved in camps, the organizers used to have meetings and privately discuss how many amritdharis we were going to "create" with this camp. What lectures we could give to inspire people to take amrit, etc. Ironically, at one meeting like this, me and another organizer were talking and he jokingly asks me "So, what time'd you get up today?" I replied "Seven...hehehe" he replied, "High Five! I got up at Eight! hehehe"
Here we were, two people thinking we were going to inspire people to become amritdhari, and we both realised that we were jokers who didn't even get up for amrit vela ourselves.
This reminds me of a story I read about a Sikh politician who came to visit Bhai Sahib Randheer Singh. The Politician told Bhai Sahib about all his schemes and how the Panth would be helped and he had come to ask for Bhai Sahib's support and backing. Bhai Sahib silently listened to the politician and then once he was finished, asked "That's all fine, but have you done your nitnem today?" The politician was a bit embarassed and replied "no, I've been quite busy today, so not yet" Bhai Sahib then said "How can we have such big ambitions for Panthic Seva if we dont' even do our nitnem?"
The issue is that we need to have "jeevan" of our own before we can be of any real service to the Panth. We need to be living Sikhi before we can hope to inspire anyone. We can never "create" amritdharis, only Guru Sahb can, and Guru Sahib does kirpa on his Khalsa. If someone is being told how great Sikhi is but the preacher doesn't seem to have any of the qualities he's speaking so highly of, I'm not so sure his parchar will be successful.
On the other hand, if there is a Khalsa who lives rehit, does naam and bani, I know from personally seeing this, that just by entering a room, people will take notice and want to learn from such a person. People approach this Khalsa and ask question and want to know how s/he became this way. Without a word, such a person can do more parchaar than 101 other preachers who aren't like this. And that person's words will certainly have an effect.
So please don't take me the wrong way. I know a lot of us want to change the Panth and do parchar, but my point is that unless we live Sikhi ourselves then we can't hope to inspire or change anyone else.
