Sikh Research Institute

We spend our lives in accumulation—seeking more, moving the goalposts, feeding the desire for more wealth, more assets, more success. In this race toward accumulation, we exhaust ourselves. We may reach a point where we wonder what it is we are chasing, and whether it is worth it.

This week, as nationalism and jingoistic rhetoric continue to make waves across the globe, as tensions rise and Nation-states act without consideration for civilian life, as the most vulnerable once again must bear the worst of it, made 'collateral' yet again, we turn to Guru Nanak Sahib's Asa Ki Var, the Song of Hope.

When we are children, we find ourselves leaning into our stubbornness. We may feel a resistance to being told what to do. We are hard-headed and inflexible. As adults, this tendency may reveal itself in certain moments.