hmm. so yeah. this is the demographic breakdown of the indian state of punjab. im happy to say youve got a very righteous helping of sikhs represented in the population. 75 percent of the general population of the state, amounting to 18 million people. thats a significant bunch. consider that the population of iceland is 300,000. thats quite a few sikhs. we're decently represented. now there's a great deal more people in the world, numbering in the billions, but the religion of the sikhs is still a fairly prevalent one. its one of the top 5 if not top 6. but the real contenders in honesty are the top 2 or 3. christianity, islam, hinduism. if there are 18 million sikhs in the state of punjab, there are far more Hindus in the country as a whole. Sikhs are a minority in India, as they are in America. But there is a place where Sikhs outnumber all others. The state of Punjab is a place a Sikh can go and feel they are akin to the average person. Sikhs dont exist in great numbers, but the founder of Sikhism was a Hindu, and so you can say that the Sikhs and Hindus do share some common ground. While in philosophy they largely differ, they share common history, and the people of the Sikh religion were once Hindus or perhaps Muslims. We share a common history, and because of this we are intertwined. It may be similar to comparing members of the Anglican church to followers of the Vatican in England. While the religions are different the King created the Anglican church in order to allow his divorce from his wife and before the creation of the church the people of England were followers of the Vatican. Perhaps the way someone worships is only a small part of who they are. I think both Sikhs and Hindus can be better classified as Indians. Perhaps they can be united under the banner of patriotism. I know what it is to be British. Perhaps that is what it is to be Indian. Perhaps the Sikhs and Hindus arent as divided as I have been taught to believe. My father certainly does not dislike Hindus or India. Contrary to that, he is quite fond of both India and Hindus. I perhaps have encountered some extremists within the Sikh community and made to feel that Sikhs are very seperate from all peoples and states. I believe I have been misled. The problem with being a Sikh according to some peoples views is that you are Sikh before all other things. In Britain one could have his faith AND be a patriot. In India Sikhs arent as well intertwined or so I have been led to believe. I definately do wish that Sikhs would be integrated and not feel seperate from the people of India or the people of the Hindu faith. Our faiths may be different, our beliefs may be different, but if we can worship together, we can bring our people together. I know Sikhism is about the relinquishing of certain Hindu and Muslim beliefs, but at core we do sit and sing hymns and we do listen to passages from the Guru Granth Sahib, the Guru meant to replace men. A book that was written by a succession of flesh and blood gurus. I do not know if this was a good decision. As the world changes and modernizes, there is an increased need I feel for a human voice of leadership among the Sikh community. Without a leader the Sikhs are fragmented I feel.
But enough for now.
