At the conclusion of each assembly, Sikhs pray for Sarbatt Da Bhalla (“ਸਰਬੱਤ ਦਾ ਭਲਾ”) or universal welfare transcending arbitrary/sociopolitical barriers. The Sikh mode/perception of universal welfare is, however, radically opposed to the current welfare state model which is rapidly unravelling at the seams today. While some academics resort to mis-contextualizing Sikh principles in a bid to evince some newfound patriotism for their adopted homes, the ground reality is starkly different. On the issue of Sikh-led welfare and the welfare state one needs to understand that Sikhi emphasizes:
(a) Self-autonomy in the form of ਕਿੱਰਤ ਕਰੋ: where one is to find a conducive purpose in life and realize it through ethical and moral means.
(b) Self-reliance in the form of ਨਾਮ ਜਪੋ: comprehending the dynamics of Creation to accrue ਨਾਮ or Gian through one’s own agency.
(c) Liberating others through ਵੰਡ ਛੱਕੋ: by sharing the secrets to an inspirational life.
These three principles are summarized by Guru Nanak in the conclusive verses of his Japji composition:
ਜਿਨੀ ਨਾਮੁ ਧਿਆਇਆ ਗਏ ਮਸਕਤਿ ਘਾਲਿ ॥
ਨਾਨਕ ਤੇ ਮੁਖ ਉਜਲੇ ਕੇਤੀ ਛੁਟੀ ਨਾਲਿ ॥੧॥
“The pursuit of Gian entails surmounting insurmountable obstacles, but they who remain dedicated to the end liberate themselves and others alongside them…”
-Guru Granth, 8.
This threefold path of attaining Gian is not the mitigated pseudo-mystical exercise promulgated by Pujari cliques today. They would have us believe that ਕਿੱਰਤ ਕਰੋ is some unfortunate necessity in which one has to earn enough to contribute to the Gurudwara donation box and feed one’s family. ਨਾਮ ਜਪੋ is renunciative meditation where one purchases a rosary to solely regurgitate Vaheguru, Vaheguru and ਵੰਡ ਛੱਕੋ begins at and ends with Langar. The objective behind such a smokescreen is to make Sikhs dependent upon an external element for their political and spiritual upkeep. It is undeniable that Pujaris of all faiths today retain excessive political influence and nor is the social paradigm free from their presence given their position as moral trendsetters. However, even without the Pujari sometimes the best intentioned of policies/schemes unravel.
The Welfare State:
The modern welfare state was conceived of and initially implemented, albeit embryonically, by Otto Von Bismarck. In a candid conversation with his media aide Moritz Busch on Friday 21st January 1881, Bismarck theorized:
“…a beginning must be made with the task of reconciling the labouring (sic) classes with the state. Whoever has a pension assured to him for his old age is much more contended and easier to manage than the man who has no such prospect.”
-The Welfare of Nations, James Bartholomew, 4.
Speaking fundamentally, the welfare state was envisioned as a means of socio-psychological control of the working classes which were constantly in ferment to better their lot in life. Bismarck’s idea was roundly lauded globally, although its more inimical consequences were never wholly underlined or questioned until almost 200 years later.
While Bismarckian Europe was unable to fully realize the welfare state, the United States proved different. President Lyndon B. Johnson declared an ubiquitous war on poverty in 1964 which solidified in the form of the modern welfare state where the government guarantees the necessities of life.
Issues:
While the welfare state is an impressive concept on paper, in reality it enlarges cantankerous bureaucracy and mentally neuters the recipient of welfare. The adage,
“give a man a fish to eat and he feeds himself but teach him how to fish and he is made independent”
principally applies here. By reducing the need for proactivity in life, the welfare state renders its constituents apathetic and breeds in them a sense of entitlement. The following are only a few symptoms of welfare negativity:
-Housing: with the state providing subsidized housing, mitigating rents and emphasizing that recipients not undertake any wholehearted employment (variations exist)-the necessity of purpose ਕਿੱਰਤ ਕਰੋ is obviated.
-With the state undertaking to provide the requisites of life, the already apathetic recipient is now thrust aloof without a purpose. The very fundamental motivation of providing for oneself and one’s family via one’s own blood and sweat is nullified because there is no need for it. Thus the thirst for bettering oneself and one’s world ਨਾਮ ਜਪੋ is effaced.
-The sense of entitlement bred by the welfare state, that it is a right to depend on the government for everything in life, negates the spirit of ਵੰਡ ਛੱਕੋ. This emphasizes that an enlightened individual take it upon themselves to aid others irrespective of whether the incumbent state/society does so or not. With this element negated, the individual’s socio-psychological connection and identification with humanity is destroyed leaving them atomized and isolated.
Critically:
The above three points reinforce one’s reliance on the state until the state becomes the ultimate guarantor of life. It renders one a slave of the welfare state on a quid pro quo basis where the individual votes for welfare output rather than any well-grounded and relevant to the times policy.
The Sikh View:
In light of the welfare state’s negative implications, does Sikhi ignore the plight of the less well off? The Sikh view is not articulated by the current misappropriation/mistranslation of Langar as being free food. Langar was the first step towards reinforcing the concept of universal welfare, led by society, as a hand-up sans hand-out. It was followed by an emphasis on autonomy and independence in one’s personal and social life. This was made one of the cornerstones of the Sikh life in the form of the Householder’s life. Gurbani enunciates this principle in the below verse;
ਕਾਯਉ ਦੇਵਾ ਕਾਇਅਉ ਦੇਵਲ ਕਾਇਅਉ ਜੰਗਮ ਜਾਤੀ ॥
ਕਾਇਅਉ ਧੂਪ ਦੀਪ ਨਈਬੇਦਾ ਕਾਇਅਉ ਪੂਜਉ ਪਾਤੀ ॥੧॥
ਕਾਇਆ ਬਹੁ ਖੰਡ ਖੋਜਤੇ ਨਵ ਨਿਧਿ ਪਾਈ ॥
ਨਾ ਕਛੁ ਆਇਬੋ ਨਾ ਕਛੁ ਜਾਇਬੋ ਰਾਮ ਕੀ ਦੁਹਾਈ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਜੋ ਬ੍ਰਹਮੰਡੇ ਸੋਈ ਪਿੰਡੇ ਜੋ ਖੋਜੈ ਸੋ ਪਾਵੈ ॥
ਪੀਪਾ ਪ੍ਰਣਵੈ ਪਰਮ ਤਤੁ ਹੈ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਹੋਇ ਲਖਾਵੈ ॥੨॥੩॥
“Countless deities and countless modes of worship emanate from within one’s mind. Why do you seek for everything in the without when all the solutions are within your intelligence? The Creator of this world neither comes nor goes. The Creator is revealed through the Guru.”
-Guru Granth, 695.
The Sikh view of welfare is a radical antithesis of the modern welfare state. The state, as the provider of welfare, nullifies the need for utilizing one’s intelligence. Sikhi, on the contrary, emphasizes its application in all walks of life.
Conclusion:
The welfare state is problematic even in countries like Singapore and Switzerland where its a temporary hand-up sans hand-out. What is needed is an ubiquitous overhaul of the entire concept. The foremost issue with such a revamping, though, is that the welfare state is as much a matter of policy as of belief. Left vs. Right politics has entrenched its elements in the minds of opponents/supporters. Politicians of both spectrums lack the conviction to articulate that its pernicious negativity outweighs its temporary good. Their lack of spine, however, is expected given that the quid pro quo nature of the welfare state accrues them easy votes. Only a people like the Sikhs, for whom welfare consists of independence and self-reliance, can right the destructive machine of the modern welfare state. But this too if they awaken to what their faith entails.
You don't awaken to what you faith entails, You establish a state based upon it.
https://www.academia.edu/1549528/2_The_Christian_origins_of_secularism_and_the_rule_of_law
The modern state is based on christianity for example, just not medieval christianity.