This global pandemic has drastically hit all mankind in one way or the other, who would have ever imagined to face something so fictional in our real lives?
From crashing economy to healthcare crisis, from surging stress and anxiety to loss in human connection, we have seen it all over the last few months. Our new reality is totally uncertain and there is nothing we can predict or plan for our near future. The best we can do in our capacities, is to be grateful for being healthy and alive, when the whole world is turned upside down.
ਜੇ ਸੁਖੁ ਦੇਹਿ ਤ ਤੁਝਹਿ ਅਰਾਧੀ ਦੁਖਿ ਭੀ ਤੁਝੈ ਧਿਆਈ ||
If You will bless me with happiness, then I will worship and adore You. Even in pain, I will meditate on You. ||2|| Ang-757
Gurbani is always there to guide us during difficult times and to channelize us on the days we are feeling low. Therefore, the best we can do is to do ardaas in front of guru sahib to bless us with his name both when the times are challenging and also when we are happy and fulfilled. If we trace back to our Sikh history, times were never easy for the gursikhs and their whole life was filled with obstacles and adversities at every step. Still, they were always grateful for the akalpurakh’s blessings and led great lives as true gursikhs. Those gursikhs have set great examples for us, so we can always stay in ever rising and high spirits .
Now due to this pandemic, we can’t really go out, physically meet our near and dear ones, or even go to school or work. This leaves us with so much time to reflect on our inside and be a better version of ourselves that we have been procrastinating forever. This is the time, we can dive in deeper, connect with ourselves and with guru sahib so that instead of complaining and being bogged down, we can accomplish and achieve all those goals we had set without any deadlines.
When we come out of this pandemic, we’ll be thrilled to see our transformations and our changed perspective towards life, if all we do is connect with ourselves and lend a helping hand to those that are suffering and need aid to get through these uncertain times.
To sum up all my thoughts, I sometimes think that this is a mere plan of akal purakh to guide us and make us understand that nothing in this life is certain and we have no control over what’s coming next. Consequently, living in akalpurakh’s hukam and staying in chardikala shall help us sail through the storm.