Reaching out to our Brothers and Sisters of the Sikh Community
Close on the heels of the shooting tragedy in a Gurudwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, the Atlanta Sikh community has been dealt another blow in the form of a disturbing family tragedy in Johns Creek, Georgia. While the details of this incident may already be known to many readers, and are better left to be addressed in other forums, it is enough to say that it deeply hurts every one of us to see how our much-respected and loved Sikh community is going through challenges, one after another.
We painfully recognize the limitations of the power of words on occasions like these; but human feelings, with their uncanny ability to reach out to others’ hearts, will hopefully heal our wounds. The entire Indian community is filled with deep empathy. I can say this without any need to verify because God has blessed us to hear each other’s heartbeats.
Having been a frequent visitor of gurudwaras in town, and an ardent believer of Guru Nanak, I gazed intently at Guru Nanak’s picture to draw upon his remedial resources, and I could see coming from his wide, compassionate, loving eyes a message—that tragedies are inevitable in human life. They come like an eclipse, casting their dark shadow on the world. But no eclipse lasts for long. His mercy cuts through the darkness and lets us perceive the light of the day. The very meaning of the word “Guru” is dispeller of darkness and bringer of enlightenment. There is no wound on earth for which there is no healing in heaven. His grace will restore our peace of mind.
There is a bigger and more serious responsibility that we are charged with. We have to mindfully raise our children to render them fearless for the present and the future. Negative events should not be permitted to cast their darker shadows on our children. Let
us appease their minds if any untoward events
generate insecurity or destructive doubts in their
tender minds. The scars left on children’s minds can
cause inestimable damage to our community, both
in the short and long run. This must be proactively
dealt with. Love is the only antidote to thwart such ill effects. There might be many differences of opinion amongst us as a community but we are unswervingly
committed to our children. Let us restore our and
their faith in God. After all, was it not Guru Nanak himself who said,
“What terrible separation it is to be separated
from God
And what blissful union to be united with God!”
So let us be united first as a single family, inseparably bonded by love and commitment to each other.
Peace! Peace!! Peace!!!
—Bhagirath Majmudar, M.D.(A member of Interfaith Community)
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