GLOBAL SIKH DAILY NEWS from Friday April 13, 2001 The Kamalla Rose Kaur Column GURU FATEH! I seem to have more faith than anyone around me. I live among USA artists and scientists, agnostics and Universalists mostly, and they appear to have all resigned themselves to doom. Turns out that many of my friends study and track very closely the 5 subjects that the USA News media, at least, does not discuss:

1. Overpopulation 2. Over consumption 3. Biodiversity Loss 4. The coming destabilization of the climate 5. The homogenization of human cultures

My more positive environmentalist scientist friends tell me that humans have about 20 years to go before irreparable damage to the Earth's ecology is a done deal. Many environmental scientists believe that it is already too late. In truth, nobody really knows when the DEAD-line is, just that it is near or already too late. In either case, most agree that human's suicidal war on trees and animals, on water and air, must be stopped, ASAP.

Yet Western activists are tired and burnt-out from fighting for social justice and the environment for the last 3 or 4 decades. They feel defeated. They seem to be simply waiting now for the next nuclear plant to blow up and send radiation around the World, or for the chemicals in our food, and in the air, to turn to cancer cells. They watch the last virgin trees on Earth get cut down (Redwoods even, the oldest trees on our planet) and they watch species of animals go extinct at a rate that is blinding ("goodbye tigers, goodbye elephants"), they see kids bringing guns to school and shooting each other, and they feel absolutely HOPELESS for humanity.

But, I have more faith than most of my friends and this has a lot to do with being a Sikh.

"Sure fighting sexism and racism and fighting for clean air and to slow down the destruction of our forests, and working on behalf of animal's rights to live on Earth too, and battling child abuse, has been tough going here in the USA but you folks should consider the Sikhs! Sikhs have had a much more intense history than the likes of us and have pulled off so many amazing, inspiring, VICTORIES!"

Of course, I can also see that most Sikhs too feel hopeless of ever achieving justice and peace on Earth. We have deep corruption and so much horrible trauma to heal from. And Sikhs have been passionate social activists, generation after generation, so, of course, we are burnt out too. Sikhs have fought so hard and so bravely for very good causes. Sikhs deserve to be sad and depressed and angry. We all deserve to be sad and depressed and angry. The "good guys" don't seem to be winning- within Sikhi or anywhere else.

But, given that I already confessed that hope springs eternal in my heart, just for discussion's sake, what would it take to turn things around?

First and foremost, I feel that it would take a wave of FAITH rising and flowing around this World, among all peoples, sourcing a tremendously inspiring grassroots movement! For instance, watching Sikhs rise up in a wave of gratitude for Sikh women and for women everywhere, mandating Sikh women into equal authority with Sikh men in all our institutions - all in one big SWOOSH, with the World watching - might be the very trick!

Sikhs already know that we have to establish women's equality within Sikhi any day now, because Guru Nanak did. We need Sikh Women's Studies/History and we need to take the inaccurate and misleading sexist language out of all our Gurbani translations, quickly. Thankfully Sikhs are great students and scholars and racism and sexism are among the most studied subjects on Earth! We will have lots of opportunities to give praise and thanks to all the research and scholarship that has paved our way and accept HELP (yes, its a test men!) from all sorts of good hearted people and organizations who can assist us in empowering Sikh women quickly. Many many people will want to help, if only Sikhs can give the World a booster shot of HOPE. Who else BUT Sikhs are as likely to rise up and do crazy/wonderful acts of righteousness? And what better and faster way to dismantle Patriarchy than by quickly empowering women?

Remember, the Women's Movement has been huge and successful, but men, overall, haven't been that charming about giving up the Baboon Troop mentality - the urge to be King, Guru, CEO, Boss, Alpha Male and LORD. In truth, NEVER has a large male population actively jumped in to HELP women into equal leadership and power. And, trust me, women around the planet are upset with men about this too. Women feel men are not nearly ROMANTIC enough. USA women speak about the "myth of heterosexuality". Where are the men who love women and want to please women, more than they want to show off to other men?

The FBI, under J Edgar Hoover (a very kinky fellow), infiltrated the USA Women's Movement with a huge supply of "informants". Only problem was that the FBI couldn't find any "leaders" within the Women's Movement.

Women don't set up authoritarian hierarchies. Clever, don't you agree? (Read "The World Split Apart" by Ruth Rosen).

In a true grassroots movement, we hold ourselves individually responsible and we make our own decisions. I follow my own heart and have my own relationship with the Divine. And I don't expect every other person, much less every religion, to be guided in exactly the same way that I am guided.

As a Sikh I can ask the Guru, Sri Guru Granth Sahib, anything at anytime and get my own PERSONAL advice and guidance from the Guru. And when I know something is the right thing for me to do, I can simply do it. It is an intimate thing, between me and my heart's Sat Guru, me and my GOD. In light of this, I truly believe that Sikhs don't need better leaders to follow; we need a mass of better followers to lead! Yes, I mean you!

And how do you know you are doing your purpose and Divine calling? Easy. When you are following your HEART, surrendered to Divine Will, (rather than merely observing convention, going for ego-gratification, and/or fulfilling other's expectations of you) you will be filled with creativity, passion and love.

Which isn't to say that you won't have lots of challenges- you will. After all, there is a lot of work to be done and cleaning up long-standing messes is a big part of our job on Earth at this time, both physically and emotionally. We will all have some grunt labor to do as Seva- BUT, for the most part, GOD wants our top resume skills applied to Her/His service, NOT our drudgery.

Is a Worldwide grassroots movement possible?

Yes. I am a dreamer. But I am, certainly, not the only one!

Someday the Whole World will join us dreamers, yet I think it is far more likely to happen if we ask for more FAITH and we spread the Universalist FAITH that Sikhi and our personal relationship with the Cosmos blesses us with, free from proselytizing!

And yes, a major Sikh uprising, honoring and appreciating Sikh women and the whole World Sisterhood, feels to me like a very positive, possible, and powerful demonstration of Khalsa values and courage. It seems timely too.

Why not go ask the Sri Guru Granth yourself? I believe that Sikhs understand about grassroots movements. World transformation happens one heart at a time.

This or something better, vaheguru! May LOVE be the Victory. Guru Fateh! Guru Fateh!

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