Here is the deal. You are always assuming that it is mutually exclusive, i.e. that one has to necessarily be a fraud if they show any form of external respect.
On balance, I would say the those that go overboard on treating the SGGS as a living Guru, rather than simply just reading it and bring it into their lives, have lost understanding of what the tenth master really mean't when he said 'Guru Manio Granth'. That is not to say that showing respect is a clear sign of fraud, but in my view, going overboard speaks volumes.
When that phrase was uttered, what was actually inferred? Did the tenth Guru envision his Sikhs reading, singing and living the SGGS, or did he envision that they would turn it into an idol and then worship it?
Why is it so hard for you to believe that someone can have a clean heart and behave well in the world AND show appropriate respect in Gurus Darbar.
Appropriate respect I have no problem with, but to me, appropriate respect for the SGGS can only be shown by reading and living it, worshipping it, setting the correct temperature, treating it as a living Guru is not my understanding of Sikhism, reading it is, living it is.
In your world, only the clean hearted people smoke and drink because the ones who don't are necessarily frauds and hypocrites and do an outward show in Gurus Darbar.
I have no problem with people drinking and smoking, I have met a lot of people in my life, if anything, those that were honest enough about themselves, tend to be honest about most things, I would certainly rather spend time with a smoker or a drinker who did what they wished to do, rather than someone who followed rules and regulations out of fear and respect and with no understanding other than, 'this will make god angry'. For the record, I do not smoke, and rarely drink. (its just shooting up for me these days!), I find people that follow rules tiresome, either understand and embrace what you are doing, or don't do it, is my feeling. This brings me nicely to facets of Sikhism, honesty, bravery, to see god in all, not to waste time on pointless ritual and ceremony, to accept that god is one, and can never be fully known, and to do the best we can in adopting the attributes as outlined in Mool Mantra. But what do we as Sikhs focus on? do you drink? do you smoke? do you cut your hair? I would prefer do you lie? do you see god in all, and treat all as god? are you loyal? are you honest? can you feel others pain and happiness? and most importantly of all, are you prepared to live and let live? Sikhism is not about imposing our poor understanding on others.
Perhaps you don't like the idea of protocol and standards being applied to you
your correct, I don't.
o you just keep going on and on about behavior and etc. which is a different thing than what I was talking about, which is respect in Guru Sahibs Darbar. Which you apparently don't give a toss about.
The whole world is Gurus darbar to me, I am sorry if that concept offends you.
If you don't think it's of any importance, then go ahead and throw all conventions out the window. Why do you observe social conventions then?
I have always felt that one should walk the walk and not just talk the talk, I have thrown all conventions out of the window, including social ones. I sit here in this shop from 6am to about midnight, 7 days a week, I have no friends, no social life, nothing. I wear whatever I wish, I say and do whatever I wish, you come into this shop, you enter my world, with its complete lack of convention and social rubbish, you either leave, or you buy a laptop, its quite simple. I live like this so I can be free, free of the constraints that dictate the lives of most people, I refuse to buy into the world as it is, its hard for me even to respect it, how can you respect a world where we talk about love, and charity, and assistance, yet in India, the home of Sikhism, its perfectly normal to walk past crowds of starving people and into a posh restaurant? You talk about people singing and dancing in front of SGGS, yet, there is a distinct lack of people willing to challenge the system, we have sold out, and the more we sell out, the more we enforce pointless rules and regulations and forget the most important.
It's really sad how everyone is so eager to throw out all satkaar and then claim its better to "be a good person"
As if showing respect makes one a bad person
I don't show respect to anyone, I either respect them or I don't. Either way my actions clearly show how I feel, we live in a world where everything is for show, even respect, but when people show it, but continue to lie, cheat, steal and lust after objects, what point does it serve?
If someone comes into my shop and shows me respect, I am naturally suspicious, if they compliment me, or go out of there way to show me what a great person they are, it makes me even more suspicious, if they start buying me things and trying to make my life more comfortable, I ask myself why?
If however, they are honest with me, they have no agenda, if they treat me like they would treat themselves, without any great show or song and dance, then that is respect, the former is just a show.
Guruji knows what is show and what is not, my argument is that there is too much show in Sikhism.
