Canada is probably the most popular destination for the Punjabis. Out of Canada, the BC (British Columbia) remains the top choice for many Punjabis. A recent migrant from Punjab who is a retired Principal of a college in Punjab, wrote in one of the newspapers that if there is a heaven on the earth then it is in Canada. An elderly reader called her and asked her that how long she had lived in Canada. She replied that she had been there just for a few months. The elderly man said that if she would have written the same article after living in Canada for a few years then he could believe her.                                                                               

By Dr. Sawraj Singh

I still remember a very popular song from John Travolta’s 1980 movie Urban Cowboy. The famous country singer Johnny Lee sang this song “Looking for love in All the Wrong Places”. This song reminds me of many people from the third world countries, particularly the Punjabis, who are looking for heaven in all the wrong places. They are looking for a better life in the western capitalist countries. However, the western societies are in a state of decline. A good question can be that how can we find a better life in the declining societies.                                                                                                                                                           

Canada is probably the most popular destination for the Punjabis. Out of Canada, the BC (British Columbia) remains the top choice for many Punjabis. A recent migrant from Punjab who is a retired Principal of a college in Punjab, wrote in one of the newspapers that if there is a heaven on the earth then it is in Canada. An elderly reader called her and asked her that how long she had lived in Canada. She replied that she had been there just for a few months. The elderly man said that if she would have written the same article after living in Canada for a few years then he could believe her.                                                                                                                                          

Perhaps, if this well educated lady reads the British Columbia Psychological Association’s offer to the new Government, Solutions to Make Mental Health Care More Effective and Efficient, then she may reconsider her assertion that Canada is heaven on the earth.                                                                                              

According to this report:                                                                                                                                                                                    

– At some point in their life 1 in 3 Canadians will likely suffer from mental health or substance use disorder.                                                                                                                                                                            

– There is 50% prevalence of mental health and substance use disorder by the age 40 years old.                                             

– In any 12 month period 1 in 5 individuals will experience significant problem and impairment related to mental health and substance use.                                                                                                                                       

– The economic cost of mental health and substance use to the Canadian economy are estimated at over 50 billion dollars per year. The economic cost to BC economy would be more than 6.6 billion dollars per year.                                                         

The western capitalism has always promoted the wrong concept of heaven. This is the concept of Bigger-Better-More. It means that quest for heaven is always an outward journey to acquire more consumer goods.  As opposed to this the eastern philosophy has always emphasized the inward journey of self realization. Heaven (True Happiness) can only be experienced by knowing your “True Self”. The western quest for happiness (Heaven) leads to alienation or separation from your true self whereas the eastern concept of happiness emphasizes uniting with our true self. We know that separation is generally a painful experience whereas unity is associated with a pleasant experience.                                                                                                                                                                        

The eastern concepts of true happiness are made very clear in Sri Guru Granth Sahib. According to Sri Guru Granth Sahib we all are entitled to Vismad. Vismad is a state of ecstasy or wondrous joy. However, to achieve this state we have to become enlightened selves (Gurmakhs). The egoists and self willed people (Manmukhs) can never experience true happiness and are bound to suffer in the end. To live in harmony with nature (according to Hukam or natural law and Bhana or Raza, Divine Will) is the way to true happiness. It means that you should be contented with what you have rather than constantly striving for more. According to Sri Guru Granth Sahib if we fail to achieve contentment in life then we have wasted our life.                                                                                                                                                                                          

However for western capitalism contentment means becoming complacent or losing one’s drive to achieve. Therefore, western capitalism will never let you feel contented. On the contrary, it will keep you on the edge so that you feel insecure and constantly fear that your existence is at stake. In this way you will remain maximally productive.                                                                                             

 In the final analysis, heaven and hell are nothing else but are states of your mind. If your mind is enlightened and you are contented with what you have then you are in heaven. This state of mind is almost impossible to achieve in a western capitalist society. Therefore, if you came to the west looking for heaven then obviously you have come to the wrong place. .                              

Dr. Sawraj Singh, MD F.I.C.S. is the Chairman of the Washington State Network for Human Rights and Chairman of the Central Washington Coalition for Social Justice. He can be reached at sawrajsingh@hotmail.com.