Can we at least agree that there are some pressing issues that need addressing in the Panjabi Sikh community then?
By this I mean stuff like the real deeply entrenched hate some "castes" of Sikhs feel towards other Sikhs.
The problems with alcohol abuse that plauge some sections of the community.
Conversions to other faiths especially by Sikh females in certain parts of the west.
Apathy and lack of interest of Sikhism by many of the youth.
Violence against Sikhs due to mistaken identity (the Bin Laden syndrome).
By this i'm not saying that Sikhs haven't achieved great things but that some things need to be faced outright. Whether we address these with a conservative approach or a more radical one. Usually to solve issues we need a multipronged approach, so it is not like conservatives and nonconservatives cannot work towards a common aim.
I understand your general point about unrealistic portrayals of Sikhism by some people now. But in any society, there will a spectrum of people including conservatives, the lax and those that are more robust in their approach, the radicals, idealists. This is not a bad thing and debate between such people should hopefully lead to rich understandings. I don't share your views on idealism however, some of this is in order and makes for a comtemplative society. We need idealists as much as we need conservatives.
And I really do understand the disillusionment that can be caused when we compare Sikh society or practice against some of the ideals that permuate the community. I still hold that it is not a bad thing that we have ideals but inline with your thought, maybe we need a meeting in the middle on these issues.
In my mind it is still better to have noble or ideal aims and aspirations to look up to, even if we are unlikely to achieve them in full right now. They serve as a reminder that we can do better, once we rest on our laureals we can become stagnant and non responsive to a changing environment. But I think this is the major crux of where we disagree, in that you think we can are better off without them (ideals).
All being said, I now appreciate your position a bit better and can see some merit in it. But by being Sikh skeptic you are going to meet all sorts of brothers and sisters with a full range of different opinions and views. You would do better to accept that fact and discontinue using labels such as neoSikhs which just causes more unneeded animosity within the panth.
PS - Are there any books/literature on Sikhs/Sikhism that you consider to be good. If so, please let me know about these.
