One Love.

I’m Sikh. My roommates are Catholic and Muslim. Some of my closest friends are Christian, Hindu, and Jain. I don’t view any one of them as superior or inferior to me due to their faith and beliefs (or at all, lol). And because of this, I cannot wrap my head around the fact that about 95% of the hatred in this world is due to the fact that people are of different religions. Obviously everyone is obliged to their own opinion and can hate or love whom ever they wish to; this is just my own opinion on how the beautiful people of the 21st century should interact!

Just in the past few weeks I’ve heard a lot of negativity towards people due to their religious denomination. People are pointing fingers at the pilot of the flight that went missing because he is Muslim. A Rapper posted an Instagram picture of an elder turban wearing Sikh at the airport with a rude caption in regards to the security check. The Fort Hood shooter’s case is being scrutinized and called unfair because he is Christian and not of a religion stereotyped with terrorism. But that’s just in the past few weeks. Throughout my life I’ve heard plenty of things about people of different religious denominations; and I don’t understand why such things are said in the era we have progressed into. “You can’t marry him, he’s Muslim/Christian.” “You don’t worship Jesus? You are soulless and going to hell.” “What kind of religion believes in reincarnation? That’s stupid.” And the one that gets me the most… “You live in a Christian Country.” The last time I checked, people migrated here for the freedom of religion and I’m pretty sure it’s in the First Amendment. The proper phrase would be that the majority of the population in this country are Christian, but that does not make us a Country that must abide and live by the Bible.

I’m no expert on the religions of the world, nor am I an expert on my own religion. But, I find an interest in learning about different cultures and religions so I have done quite a bit of reading. And what I have deduced (remember this is my own opinion!) is that essentially all religions are the same. The main point of all religions is to give people order, a set of rules that allow the human race to live together in a civilized manner. The next main point is to give people a source of faith and hope. The thought of a superior being (or beings) allows for people to leave fate in the hands of that superior being. And another main point is that religion brings unity. A common set of beliefs brings together a group of people, and that group of people could be an entire country, or just a dozen people in a community.

From what I’ve read, all religions have the same back bone. BE A GOOD PERSON. Don’t think of yourself as a superior. Help the community you live in prosper by lending a helping hand to your neighbors. In Sikhism there are three pillars the religion stands on; “Kirat Karni”- which means to gain your earnings honestly and respectfully, and to carry out good deeds; “Naap Japo”- which means to remember god’s name, leading your mind to rid of ego, greed, anger, attachment and lust, bringing peace; “Wand kay Shako”-  which means to share your wealth and help those in need. To me that’s just the Punjabi or Gurbani translation to what every religion preaches! The only difference I see is the way certain rituals are enacted and how punishment is given, if given at all. But rituals and punishment are just minor parts to religion, the major part is what the beliefs are. Religion is why most people don’t murder, steal, or harm others. Religion is what keeps optimism and hope in people when going through a hard time in life. It provides a light in the darkness, something to lean on for peace and serenity.

So what? So this should show why we shouldn’t segregate based on religion, or at all really. Sure there are differences here and there between faiths, but that’s just something new to learn from when exposed to, it may help you become an even better person. We all believe in and want to be a better person, so we shouldn’t let religion get in the way of doing that. We shouldn’t let religion be the ‘reason’ or ‘blame’ for a catastrophic event. We shouldn’t let religion determine who you can interact with or be the reason you hate a person.

A Sikh can marry a Muslim. A Hindu can marry a Christian. A Catholic can marry a Buddhist. A Jain can marry someone who is Jewish.

There shouldn’t be a reason those relationships should be looked down upon. Each individual can have their own set of beliefs, and learn to fuse them with those of their loved ones. I’m sure it’s easier said than done, but hey, no pain- no gain.

We shouldn’t blame someone for a crime, or an act looked down upon because of their religion. They should only be blamed if they are the culprit and if their individual set of beliefs lead them to take that action; not every person that belongs to the same religion would believe that action is righteous. There will always be a rotten apple in the batch, but you cannot let that categorize the entire batch as rotten, or you will be wasting a great resource of energy. Same thing applies to people of different cultures and religions, don’t let one person leave a sour taste for the rest of the group!

I probably could go on for days about this but I think I’ve made my point. One love y’all. As I’ve said before, we’re all in this world together, let’s work together to succeed. Maybe you’ll ask the random person sitting next to you on the bus/metro about their faith and culture today, learn something new? It can’t hurt!

Have a splendid day!

-J