By Kamalpreet Kaur from Sikh Interfaith Council of Victoria
Humans are social creatures with an inbuilt yearning to connect with others.
Ever since the spread of coronavirus, its reverberations have been felt in the entire world as it has resulted in lockdowns, social distancing, and quarantine in extreme cases.
Suddenly, life has become shallow, like living in a survival mode rather than living normally as we are accustomed to.
As the virus forces us to socially distance, we all as a society have started showing signs of its impact.
We are missing the ability to visit, have conversations, go out, travel, or spend time with dear and near ones by socializing.
This loneliness is being experienced on a scale as never before and can produce unfavourable outcomes for both physical and mental health.
However, there is another aspect of being alone, connected with the inner self without the negative feeling of being lonely.
The person might be physically alone and yet not feel isolated if there is a connection with the inner self.
Being alone gives us an opportunity to go deeper within, by practising mindfulness, to know ourselves better and to search and explore techniques to respond positively to appreciating oneself.
This solitude could be inspiring, invigorating and nurturing.
It can even evolve us higher, giving rise to a feeling of being connected with the Almighty, when one is all by oneself.
As per the Sikh beliefs, everything that happens in one’s life is the will of God.
An afflicted mind may harbour negative thoughts but meditating upon God’s name has a therapeutic effect.
Through contemplation and listening to religious hymns and keertan (music), the feeling of blissfulness can be attained.
Connecting with the gurduaras and congregation via online streaming to do prayers, meditation, reading of scriptures and devotional singing enables peace and joy.
The more we start to appreciate what we have instead of focussing on what we don’t have, it creates a sense of gratitude which will result in a positive attitude towards life.
The Sikh faith practices the concept of “ChardiKala”, the positive attitude which is an equivalence of a mind that never despairs, never admits defeat and refuses to be crushed by adversities.
It is the cherished ideal mood which the gurus have preached and for which a Sikh individual daily prays saying “Oh Lord, may everyone in the world prosper and be in peace”.
