Happiness Lessons of The Ancients: Sikhism and Daily Habits
Author and activist Simran Jeet Singh, a professor of religion, discusses how Sikh wisdom, exemplified by his father's gratitude after 9/11, can transform life. He emphasizes practicing values daily, living in the present, and serving others to cultivate happiness and resilience.
Deep Dive Analysis
9 Topic Outline
Simran's Family's Experience Post-9/11
The Power of Practicing Values Daily
Sikh Philosophy: Embracing the Present Moment
Auditing Personal Priorities for True Alignment
Guru Arjan's Teaching: Eliminating Distractions from Love
Cultivating Generosity and Its Link to Happiness
Serving Others Even in the Face of Discrimination
Connecting with Humanity to Counter Hate
The Lantern Parable: Finding Light Within
6 Key Concepts
Practicing Values Daily
The idea that consistently living by one's values and good habits during calm times prepares an individual to respond with integrity and resilience during crises or difficult moments. This builds 'happiness muscles' for when they are most needed.
Present Moment Living
A philosophical approach, particularly emphasized in Sikhism, that focuses on finding liberation and happiness in the 'here and now' rather than postponing it for future achievements or an afterlife. It encourages engagement with current experiences.
Hukum (Acceptance/Self-Reflection)
A concept that involves honestly assessing one's current state and actions, even when they deviate from one's stated priorities. It's about taking a courageous look at oneself to identify misalignments and sources of unhappiness.
Setting Fire to Distractions
Derived from Guru Arjan's teaching 'Jalo Asirit Jitme Piyaravisere,' this principle suggests actively eliminating or detaching from any habits, rituals, or attachments (like social media addiction) that pull one away from their core goals, values, or the capacity for love and connection.
Service Beyond Self-Centeredness
The understanding that acts of service are fundamentally about showing up for others and meeting their needs, rather than being motivated by one's own desire to feel good or receive appreciation. It prioritizes the recipient's well-being.
The Lantern Parable
A Punjabi folk tale illustrating that even a single, humble act of challenging darkness by 'flicking on its light' can inspire others to do the same, creating a collective positive impact and revealing the inherent light and value within individuals.
8 Questions Answered
By consistently practicing good habits and living by one's values daily, these become second nature, enabling a positive response even when facing severe challenges.
Just like in sports or academics, daily practice builds resilience and prepares individuals to respond to life's inevitable hardships in a way that reflects their values and gives them a sense of agency.
Sikh philosophy emphasizes finding liberation and happiness in the 'here and now,' rather than deferring it to an afterlife or conditional future achievements.
An exercise involves imagining an 'alien observer' watching how one spends their time and headspace throughout the day, which can reveal misalignments between professed values and actual behavior.
This teaching, from Guru Arjan, encourages actively eliminating or detaching from any habits, rituals, or attachments (like social media addiction) that distract from one's core goals, values, or capacity for love and connection.
Generosity is a significant driver of happiness, as evidenced by scientific research, and teaching children to be generous helps them cultivate a lifelong source of well-being.
True service is not about the helper's feelings or self-validation, but about showing up for others and meeting their needs in a way that is comfortable for them, even if it means involving others.
By intentionally seeing the humanity in others, even aggressors, one can choose to engage with them from a place of values, potentially educating them and reclaiming personal agency and peace of mind.
10 Actionable Insights
1. Practice Values Daily
Commit to putting your values into action day in and day out until they become second nature, building resilience to respond well when hardship inevitably comes, allowing you to claim agency and reflect your values.
2. Live In Present Moment
Focus on living in the present moment, taking seriously what you experience right now, as this is the greatest way to find happiness, rather than planning for happiness in the distant future.
3. Audit Actual Priorities
Conduct an ‘alien observer’ exercise by imagining an alien watching you for a day, observing how you spend your time and what your headspace is, to reveal your actual priorities and recalibrate your life.
4. Eliminate Detracting Practices
Actively eliminate or ‘set fire’ to practices, rituals, or habits that take you away from your goals or core values, such as love, even if it means stepping away from addictive behaviors for a period.
5. Cultivate Child Generosity
Cultivate generosity in children by having them keep only one or two birthday presents and donate the rest, or by allowing them to choose charities to donate to, as generosity is a real driver of happiness.
6. Serve Others Selflessly
When serving others, prioritize their needs and comfort, showing up for them in a way that meets the urgency of the moment without making it about your own desire to feel good.
7. See Strangers’ Humanity
Implement a daily practice of taking ten seconds to observe strangers and see their humanity, fostering a sense of familiarity and moving beyond feelings of strangeness.
8. Engage Hate Constructively
When experiencing hate or discrimination, choose to engage with the person by seeing their humanity (e.g., like a student), sharing why their words are hurtful, to potentially educate them and reclaim your agency.
9. Embrace Your Inner Light
Acknowledge that the ’light’ of inherent value and the capacity to challenge darkness resides within you, and actively work to see, recognize, and embrace this inner light.
10. Be A Small Light
Contribute to challenging darkness through your actions, even if they seem small, understanding that your individual effort can inspire others to act and collectively create a positive impact.
10 Key Quotes
aren't we so fortunate? You know, we're so lucky that your neighbors have been coming by to give us food, that your teachers and your teammates have been checking in to see if you're okay. I mean, aren't we so lucky to have all these people around us?
Simran Jeet Singh's father
If we want to weather the bad times well, we need to practice good habits when things are less stressful. We need to flex our happiness muscles regularly to build them up for when we'll need them the most.
Dr. Laurie Santos
without real intention behind bringing those ideas into practice, like they just are so distant from who we actually are.
Simran Jeet Singh
when people have lived lives where they've practiced daily what their values are, like they're ready to show up in those difficult moments.
Simran Jeet Singh
the greatest way of finding happiness is to live in the present moment.
Simran Jeet Singh
just burn the things that are taking you away from your goal.
Simran Jeet Singh
generosity is a real driver of happiness.
Simran Jeet Singh
service is not about yourself and what you need to feel good. It's about other people and showing up for them.
Simran Jeet Singh
the world doesn't just happen to me. Like I can contribute to it. I can have a positive impact.
Simran Jeet Singh
that light is already inside of us. And what we really need to do is to see it, to recognize it, to take it.
Simran Jeet Singh
4 Protocols
Simran's Childhood Birthday Present Practice
Simran Jeet Singh (describing his parents' practice)- Have a big birthday party.
- The next day, go through the presents.
- Keep one, sometimes two, presents.
- Donate the rest.
Simran's Current Birthday Practice for Daughter
Simran Jeet Singh- Allow daughter to keep her presents.
- On her birthday, give her a list of charities developed throughout the year.
- Assign amounts of money to her.
- She picks which charity to give the money to.
Auditing Personal Priorities (Alien Observer Exercise)
Simran Jeet Singh- Imagine an alien from outer space observing you for a day.
- Based on their observations of how you spend your time, they will determine your true priorities.
- Reflect on both what you are doing with your time and your headspace during those activities.
Practice for Seeing Humanity in Strangers
Simran Jeet Singh- Take ten seconds every day.
- See the humanity in strangers encountered on the street.