The world seems to be possessed by lust. The urge to acquire much more than what one can bite seems to have influenced us all. The farther one runs to amass material resources, the farther and more alluring they get. Recall the recent news on the plight of a poor lady, who was rushed from one hospital to another by her helpless husband, for immediate dialysis that she needed, but was turned away from every door. Our cities, today, are flooded with multi-speciality hospitals but are meant only for the rich.
But, what about charity?
The government has tried to implement the norm which says that each such institution should have beds to accommodate people who belong to below poverty line.
This helps me get connected to the concept of `Daswand', started by Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th guru of the Sikhs. It says every person, in proportion to his economic status, should donate or keep aside one tenth of his earnings for philanthropic purposes. I heard about it from my grand mother and later saw my parents follow it. And now, when I have the opportunity, I have been trying to continue with it. And yet I have never faced dearth of any material resources.
Another example from the Sikh history that inspires us to believe in charity is that of Bhai Kanhaiya, who was blessed with the idea of neutral service to the mankind.
During the battle days, he would carry water and bandages to the battle ground and would equally treat the warriors from either side and serve them with love. His answer for the neutral concern was that he saw the glimpse of God in each wounded person whether a Hindu, Sikh or a Muslim.
Such ideology nourishes our soul and brings us closer to the Almighty. Let us implement such philosophy and see the blessings pour in and change the course of life.
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