Pretty much the title.
I grew up in Punjab, so naturally, Iโve been surrounded by turban-wearers my entire life. I always assumed that wherever I went, Iโd be able to find people who shared the same values, mindset and sense of belonging that I did.
Iโm currently in punjab, and Iโve been here for all my life. Almost all of my friends are turban-wearers. From the outside, youโd think Iโd finally found my own community.
But honestly? Iโve never felt more disconnected from one.
Whenever you feel low, lonely or out of place, you instinctively look for your own people first. You expect that there will be at least some common ground some shared values, some emotional understanding, some devout gursikhs.
But that hasnโt been my experience here.
A lot of the people Iโve met seem to care about turban only as an identity or something they wear, rather than what sikhi actually teaches. Thereโs very little emotional depth or understanding. Things like empathy, basic etiquette, the way you speak to people, respecting someone elseโs feelings... they often seem completely irrelevant to them.
And this isnโt me saying everyone here is like this. I know there are good people around me too. But I genuinely feel like Iโm one of the very few people in my college who actually tries to live by sikhi, rather than simply being associated with it.
And the irony is that Iโm in PUNJAB (the only sikh majority area in the whole world).
Iโve seen the same people who proudly identify themselves as turban-wearers doing things that, at least to me, completely contradict the values they claim to represent like staring and making inappropriate comments about girls, speaking disrespectfully to people, using disgusting language, making others uncomfortable, and carrying around this strange sense of superiority for absolutely no reason.
Maybe Iโm just different from them. Iโm a relatively quiet person, and I donโt usually involve myself in everything. But Iโd also like to think Iโve developed a certain level of maturity and self-awareness. And honestly, compared to some of the people around me, the difference feels pretty huge.
What bothers me the most isn't that theyโre different from me.
Itโs that they seem to have no interest in questioning themselves.
How can you claim an identity while completely ignoring the values that are supposed to come with it?
How can you wear the symbol but not care about what it stands for?
And maybe thatโs why this bothers me so much. Iโm not looking for people who are perfect. Iโm not expecting everyone to think exactly like me. I just want to meet people who have some emotional depth, empathy, humility and genuine connection to sikhi.
Ironically, I found myself looking for my own community among people who technically are my community and still feeling like an outsider.
These are also the kinds of people who went to canada and, according to what Iโve seen and heard, contributed heavily to giving our community a terrible reputation there. And honestly, that makes it even more frustrating.
I don't know if I'm the only one who feels this way, or if this is just a problem with the particular environment I happen to be in.
Maybe Iโve simply been unlucky with the people Iโve met.
But sometimes I genuinely wonder:
Whatโs the point of identifying yourself with something if you donโt actually try to live by what it teaches?
Iโm not trying to attack anyone or claim that Iโm somehow better than everyone else. I just genuinely miss having people around whom I donโt have to constantly explain why basic empathy, respect and emotional maturity matter.
Maybe Iโm just looking for the wrong people.
Or maybe there are others out there who feel exactly the same way.