Love Thy Neighbor

“...All men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.” These famous words were written by our forefathers, in the Declaration of Independence. It is clear that we as Americans believe in equality for all… or we say that we do.

Equality, one of the many core values Americans pride themselves in having. In light of recent events and history, equality may be a little hard to believe. Despite all of the lovely words our forefathers wrote, it took many years to end slavery and segregation, and the fight for same sex marriage is still an issue in some states. With this in mind, how is it that equality can be called an “American core value?” If you do not know what is going on in the country one word: Trump… among other things.

In the state of California, we have been dealing with a great amount of rainfall (much needed). With this rainfall comes a great concern for flooding. In the city of Oroville, the Feather River has a dam to control the water supply, preventing floods, and generating power. Due to the excessive rainfall the dam has over flown, and is causing erosion which is threatening many people's homes. Nearly 200,000 people have been affected by this epidemic. The concern arose on the 11th of February, and on the 12th people began to flee their homes. Federal aid wasn't approved until the 14th, that’s 2 whole days where people didn’t have a place to go. Reasons for the failure of the federal government to act is unknown. Various places of worship including churches have decided to open their doors to offer any assistance to those who need it. The one that seems to be catching everyone’s attention is the Sikh temple.

I was raised in the Sikh faith, and it makes me proud to know that leaders in the local temples have decided to help those who are in need at this time. We are finally shown in the news in a positive light. Often times we are in the news as the result of some sort of hate crime do to ignorance. One thing that is unique about the Sikh religion is that followers physically mark themselves through their appearance. Sikhs are known for their turbans and long hair, among other things. Unfortunately, many people mistake us for terrorist, simply because that is what the media shows. The media has done an amazing job at ensuring that when we think of terrorist we see a brown man, long beard and a turban. That is also the basic description of a Sikh man. When I heard the Sikhs were being mentioned on the news again, my ears perked up and it was refreshing to hear that there was not another hate crime.

All of the news outlets and social media are taking this news and turning it into something that is shocking and rare. I am all for positivity and seeing the silver lining in a situation, however, I fail to see how this is news. Being raised in the faith I have been brought up with the notion that everyone is welcome to the Sikh Temple, no matter race, gender, or most importantly religion. One of the main pillars on which the religion was founded on is equality (same as the American values). We love to teach others about who we are, and we extend our hospitality to ALL people. Hearing the news that the Temples have opened their doors for aid, was kind of a no brainer for me. The Sikh temple is always open for those who are seeking help, not only when there is an epidemic. Seeing this “News” on many different types of media repeatedly, made me wonder why is it such a big deal? I know that churches always offer helping hands, as they have this time as well, but why aren’t the churches getting the same amount of attention? I posed this question to a friend and she said, “churches are expected to do it.” Helping others when they need it most is called being human! And last I checked we are all human before we are Sikh or Christian. Every human being should be expected to help when they can. Helping others is an extension of believing in the notion of being equal. We are not aliens as some may think. Shouldn't we all practice kindness and equality?

The one thing that stood out the most was that a lot of these media/news outlets were saying that it is very “American” of the Sikh community. I didn’t see this act as being “American,” I did see this act as being kind and courageous. Despite all of the hate crimes we have dealt with in the past, we still stay true to our teachings and show others kindness when kindness is not always shown to us. As I mentioned earlier, equality is one of the main values in the Sikh faith, and this also aligns with being American. With Trump and his efforts to enforce his little immigration ban, everyone who is a darker shade of brown or the wrong shade of orange has to be cautious. ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) sweeps have been popping up in places where there are bigger populations of immigrant families. During this time, we all need to band together and work on making our world a better place. The Trump storm will pass, and we must do all that we can for future generations, no matter what we identify as. First and foremost we are all human, and we need to show our humility to one another. So do something kind for someone today, and universe will know.