The Sikh Woman

(Guest post by The CandyMan)

I love to travel. I never really did it in college -- I always went to Israel for vacation, or home. But I caught the bug in grad school and haven't looked back since. On top of all the cultural experiences, it's a great chance to meet people. I met my wonderful, sweet girlfriend overseas and we have been in an LDR ever since. This time, we met up in Malaysia.

On the plane ride over, I chatted with a Sikh woman who was traveling to Punjab. She was middle aged, with dark, smooth skin and glasses. She covered her hair in a big black turban, and liked to smile. I didn't know much about Sikhism, but it turns out to be a pretty interesting religion. The Sikh lady was a die-hard. She loved Sikhism, it was her entire life (other than her insurance business). She had three kids and a hubbie in California, but she was taking a trip to the Golden Temple (shown at left) to meditate and pray for two weeks straight.

Back home, she lived on a large plot of land with her family and horses (apparently a Sikh staple). Her dream was to start a Sikh school for community youth. She explained that Sikhism had straightened out some of her friends' lousy husbands, which reminded me of how many inmates find Islam in prison. Not that marriage is prison, but you know what I mean. Talking with this woman, I was reminded that atheism is to some extent a luxury of well-educated Westerners. In many societies, a religious belief system may be the primary source of moral thought. It can do some good, straighten out the savages who would otherwise treat their wives like dirt. Perhaps we should take a more utilitarian view of religion, rather than think of it in terms of fact or fiction.

She also showed me her copy of the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the Sikh "Torah" (although it's only 400+ years old). She had to wash her hands before showing it to me. It had a commentary/translation in Punjabi, reminded me of a Chumash. She told me she was memorizing it, which I thought was good.

I wanted her to benefit a bit from my experience, as well. I was concerned that she might suffer from some of the same ills as my family, or LNM's. What might happen, I asked her, if her soon-to-be-married daughter rejected her arranged marriage, and married a Westerner instead? What if her son, a sweet boy who loves stray cats, decided to have nothing to do with Sikhism and became an atheist?

She smiled. "I would be OK with it," she said. "I would still love them. Our religion is about love. All my learning, this is the message I have come to. There is not enough love in the world."



As for Malaysia, it was beautiful -- we stayed on an island. Here are some pics:

Your friendly Shul CandyMan

Jungle scene with green anole lizard, Air Batang

Chinese Temple of the Tiger Goddess, Mersing

Jungle soccer field, Air Batang

White Sands Beach and fishies, Coral Island