By Dr. Sawraj Singh

  What are the main challenges and problems of modern man? I feel that these are: Fear, Anxiety and Insecurity. What is the root cause of these? Alienation from one's true self caused by capitalist consumer culture is the main cause of the challenges and problems faced by modern man. Capitalism has alienated modern man from nature, society, family and self. Self-alienation is the ultimate price extracted by consumerism of capitalism. The philosophy of Sri Guru Granth Sahib helps us to reverse this phenomenon by realizing and uniting with our true self.                                                                                     

  Consumerism of capitalism incites desires. The desire pathway leads to wandering and frustration in the end; because desires can neither be defined nor be fulfilled. Needs can be defined and therefore can be fulfilled. This leads to stability and contentment. Fear, anxiety and insecurity are the result of the alienation and frustration from the desire pathway of capitalist consumerism. Wandering and frustration lead to imbalance and an unbalanced state of mind. An unbalanced mind cannot connect with our true self. Our true self is the source of our inner strength that enables us to cope with the challenges and problems that we face in our life.                                                                                                                                              

  The Sikh philosophy emphasizes that we should achieve a balanced state of mind and get connected with our true self. For this purpose, we should first control our wandering mind and reach a state of equipoise. The one who has controlled the mind has conquered the world. Because then he can feel the way he wants to feel regardless of whatever is happening in the outside world. This state can be called an end of our suffering , a state of eternal bliss or wondrous joy called Vismad. The Sikh philosophy tells us that as a human being we are entitled to this state as long as we are connected with our true self and are living in harmony with nature.                                                                                                                               

  Alienation from nature and our true self makes us vulnerable to vicissitudes in our lives. We lose our balance. The unbalanced state of our mind is the main cause of our suffering. Consumer culture of capitalism has made this situation worse. It has practically negated the spiritual aspect of life and has led to unbalanced materialism. This imbalance in society has made the unbalanced state of our mind worse. The Sikh philosophy, by promoting spiritual enlightenment, can restore balance in society as well as of our mind and that will lead to stability in society as well as mental stability. Such a state of mind becomes less susceptible to problems like fear, anxiety and insecurity; and if these problems already exist, then we can cope with them better.                                                                                                                      

  The Sikh philosophy suggests a very simple formula to cope with fear. There are two kinds of fear; fear of worldly things and fear of God. One is negative and the other is positive. Fear of worldly things makes us weak, whereas fear of god makes us a stronger person. There is space for only one fear in our heart. In other words, we can have either the fear of worldly things, or we can have fear of God. We can get rid of our worldly fears by replacing it by the fear of God. Fear of God is realized by spiritual awakening. When we realize that the essence our existence is not our body or mind, it is our spirit, then we become fearless because there is no weapon or force that can destroy our spirit. Fear only exists at the level of body and mind. There is no fear at the level of spirit.

Anxiety is the constant worry about what is going to happen to us. This is the result of limiting one's existence to oneself alone and not looking at it as a part of the whole. If we consider our existence as a part of the whole, then we will not feel anxious about what is going to happen to us. Because whatever is going to happen will happen according to universal will and natural law ( Bhana and Hukam) rather than our efforts alone. The Sikh philosophy, while emphasizing the role of efforts, also prepares us to accept the results because they are determined by universal will and natural law. To cope with anxiety, we have to constantly remember our creator and keep reminding ourselves that whatever is happening is happening according to His will. Therefore, we should stop worrying and gladly accept it because He is our father and friend and He knows what is in our best interest.                                                                                          

  Insecurity is the result of a feeling of a lack of support and back up. To feel secure, we seek security from money and property as well as from influential and powerful people. However, Sikh philosophy tells us that instead of making us more secure, money and property make us more insecure because now we are constantly worried that somebody may take these away from us. Similarly, the influential and powerful cannot make us feel secure because they are constantly worried about losing their influence and power.                                                                                                                                                                

  The Sikh philosophy tells us to seek support only from the one that is the most powerful and is prevailing everywhere, Omni potent and Omni present. Where can we find Him? According to Sikh philosophy, you do not have to go anywhere to find Him because He is present inside you. Recognizing your true self, you will get you connected with Him. Self-awareness and self-realization will lead you to the ultimate source of energy; that will give you the strength to face all your challenges and problems.

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.