Fake Friendship

I was hurt at first.  I noticed that I sent out my blog about my views on Spirituality and Sikhism to a few Sikh "friends" on Facebook to see what they thought.  I mean, I know I'm not traditional, but I'm also not the most offensive person alive. I was defriended  by one Sikh chic who friended me first.  Then another guy, I posted a link to my blog on his wall and he removed it and never commented to me on it.  The rest of the Sikhs I sent my link to did not comment.

I think that's weak.  Sikhs are supposed to be strong.  You see, I made it really difficult for the religious people who don't like me to ban me.  They know that's a stupid idea.  So it's now sort of just silence.

Some of the people who made no comment I think just don't know what to say.  But the others:

I'm twisting "their" religion in their eyes.  I don't understand anything about what "their" Guru said.  I'm not one of them.

How dare I, how dare I disagree with their beliefs and have the gall to be publicly displaying my thoughts? What if I get through to some people who are not Sikh and they start to get this distorted view of Sikhism?  And what about impressionable young kids?  I imagine these are some of their thoughts.

I don't care.

I take that back, I do care that there are people who are so closed minded that they become fanatical fundamentalists who cannot see anything but their own perspective.  I care that these people have power in the world. I care that they think they are "good."  I care that they usually do things that are not.

I'm honored though, that someone would think that I'm a force to be reckoned with.  That someone would think that ignoring and de-friending me was the way to maybe ensure that I don't try and shake things up.

I think things need to be shook up.  I will not shut up.  I don't care if you don't want to hear what I have to say.  There are people who do, I have found.  

So what's my plan.  To keep writing and writing and exploring my own thoughts, in public.  I sometimes am not even sure what I think about something until I write it down.  

I don't care how many friends I have.  I know who my friends are and I will find out for sure the more and more I keep displaying my true thoughts, which sometimes are not popular amongst some groups of people.  

I want to say this.  I am a Sikh.  I am not however, the poster girl for Sikhs.  I don't want to be the poster girl for anything.  But you have no right to take my identity from me because you don't think I'm a "good Sikh."  I don't think that's for you to decide. 

Sikhs as a group like to think they are so modern, progressive and open minded.  However if someone in their own community says something they don't like, a small minority have been known to even get violent.  Sadly, that is the dark side of our community.

The better side is the Sikh people I know that live and let live.  They are not always trying to prove that they are the "true believers."  They understand that "truth" is relative.

So if you have a problem with what I'm saying, why don't you step up to the plate and say it to my face?  Why don't you say it in public?  What are you afraid of?

Tell me I'm crazy.  Tell me I'm stupid.  Don't just say nothing, that's just sad.

Let's open some debates.  We don't have to be "friends" or like each other, but we can agree to disagree.  That would be the adult thing to do.

Defriending someone is a bit childish, don't you think?

nina