SELF-ACCEPTANCE (kesh, tattoos, body piercings...)
Self-acceptance is an integral part of the Sikh faith. Guru Gobind Singh, when confronted with spineless men and women of Indian society...people who blindly followed and bowed before manmade laws, no matter how degrading...introduced the Kesh-Kangha privilege: Kesh (or unshorn hair) as a symbol of acceptance of the Creator's given form, and Kangha (or comb) to take care of the Kesh...to keep it healthy and clean.

In most cultures body modifications such as haircuts (many jobs are off-limits for men with kesh), circumcision, tattoos, etc., are demanded to ensure conformity and order. So much so that in the 1960s when the Hippie Movement started in America, men grew their hair long and kept their beards as a symbol of rebellion. However, the Sikh concepts of kesh-kangha is not a sign of rebellion...it is a sign of acceptance of the Creator's gift and a nurturing of that gift.

Q: Why does Sikhism reject haircuts, circumcision and other similar rituals that a large fraction of the world's population practices? Do Sikhs consider these people sinners or bad people?
A large part of the world's population does participate in rituals such as shaving of hair, circumcision, body piercing, etc. In this sense, Sikhs are in the minority. However, for a Sikh, acceptance of Nature's beautiful body is an important component of the Sikh value system. Acceptance of one's God-given physique without "improving" it by razors and scissors is a first step in accepting other laws, the foremost of which is becoming a universal being. Sikhs view others who engage in such rituals as people who carry unnecessary burdens in their lives; not as sinners or bad people.

Q: What does the Guru Granth Sahib say about body modifications such as haircuts, circumcision, tattoos, body piercings, etc.?
It is common for religion texts to provide very detailed outlines of do's and don'ts. The Bibles (old and new) and the Koran provide very detailed guidelines to their flock on daily living. The Guru Granth Sahib refrains from doing this. The Guru only provides us basic Universal principles (One God, Truth brings bliss, oneness of the human race, etc.) and the path to reach Truth (by minimizing ego and seeing oneself in everyone). In the Sikh "rahitnama" or code of conduct, kesh is to be accepted as the Creator's gift and taken care of with a kangha (comb).

Acceptance of the Creator's given body is a natural outcome of a lifestyle that is in conformity with the Guru's teaching. Of course, this does not preclude the use of surgery or other medical interventions when the body has become ill.

Q: Why are there so few Sikhs and how do Sikhs feel about being such a small minority?
It is true that Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism can claim over a billion followers each, while there are only twenty million or so Sikhs. However, this is not a source of pessimism for a Sikh. A Sikh's goal is to be in Chardhi Kala (unbounded optimism) because Sikhism is a religion of Truth. The Guru's guidance makes sense, because it brings bliss in this life.

Q: Don't you think that Sikh faith would have a lot more followers if Sikhs were allowed to shave and have haircuts?
The Sikh faith is not a club or a party whose goal is to increase the number of people who profess to be Sikh. Kesh is definately the easiest part of being a Sikh. The other requirements: Always living in Truth; love for all (including non-Sikhs); standing against injustices (even at personal risk); giving up the arrogance of racial or lineage superiority...are immensely more difficult.

Kesh and Khanga are a privilege we are given by the Creator...a privilege Guru Gobind Singh asked us to enjoy. Sikhi is a faith of the individual and his/her relation with the Creator. It requires courage and confidence even if one has to walk a lonely path.

Q: I am a young woman. All of my friends shave thier legs. I do the same, but feel guilty. How can Sikh women participate in society if they don't carry out practices that are expected of them from that society?
Women around the world and in all cultures have had to participate in all sorts of fashion pracitces to be "beautiful and desirable." Men were not subjected to these practices...practices which were sometimes degrading and always frivilous...because men set the rules. In China women's feet were bound...to the extent that grown women could barely walk due to their small and deformed feet. In many Islamic societies women are covered in cloth from head to toe, which puts them in a vulnerable position in public. In Western societies women are expected to pluck out their eyebrows, shave their legs, and if they wish to be on the beach in swimsuits, they undergo painful waxing procedures to strip out "unwanted hair"...a painful process. Most men would not dream of doing the same.

Sikh women have an opportunity to make a statement here...provide personal examples of healthy living without these silly and irritating practices. Of course, it is much easier to conform!

Q: I am a twelve year old boy. When I go to the gym locker room I see that most of the other boys are circumcised. I feel so different because I am not circumcised and I keep my hair long. How should I get over these feelings of being different?
According to Jewish and Islamic beliefs is the duty of a good Jew or Mulsim to be circumcised. This practice spread in North America and by the 1970s almost all American boys were routinely circumcised. This practice is reversing, and fast. It is expected that in another generation very few American boys will be circumcised (in European countries, this practice is rare).

In a way, the idea of self-acceptance is spreading and more people are looking at male circumcision as a barbaric practice. Respected child psychologists and the American Association of Pediatrics are raising their concern against this practice. Even Jewish groups are arguing for the discontinuation of the practice of circumcision.

So it is very likely that the boys you see in the locker room are envious that your parents did not circumcise you.

Q: A number of women (Sikh) and men I know have piercings in thier ears (even in their nose and belly button). Is this acceptable?
Only you should be the judge of what is acceptable. However, here are some comments that you may find useful. Only the person voluntarily having their body parts pierced can know why they would want to mutilate their God-given beautiful body. Perhaps they lack self-confidence, perhaps they are succumbing to peer pressure, or perhaps they have a desire to "rebel" against some imaginary power. In any case it would be logical to infer that this is not a practice in harmony with Sikh faith.

Q: Is uncut hair and a turban all that is needed to become a good Sikh?
No! A Sikh must incorporate universality into all aspects of his or her life. This is a lifelong discipline.

Q: Why do Sikhs cut their nails and not their hair? Isn't it the same thing?
If one does not clip the nails, they will grow too long and limit your ability to work and lead a healthy purposeful life. The hair offers no such problem. In life we have to make lots of choices...and the choice about what to do with our bodies and with nature are ever expanding. We can get tatoos, pierce our ears, nose, eyelids, and stomach. We can have implants in our breasts, chins, nose, buttocks...Some choices we make for healthy living. This is a good reason for a Sikh. Other choices we make to overcome our sense of insecutiry, or to feel fashionable or to belong to a particular group.

A Sikh does cut his/her toenails, brushes his/her teeth, takes medication, etc., since these actions are required for healthy livng. We reject body piercings, circumcision, tatoos...and haircuts because they disfigure our bodies and are either useless for health or are quite unhealthy. The same approach can be used in our dealings with the Creator's other manifestations...animals, plants, rivers, oceans...