This story was submitted by a member of the Spiritual Changemakers Community.
At the age of 22, I left America to follow my quest for one who could connect me with God—the Eternal Truth revealed in all traditions and the Power that drives all creation.
As the first foreign devotee of H.H. Baba Virsa Singh ji of Gobind Sadan, a great Saint in the Sikh tradition, I learned first-hand to connect with the Voice of the Cosmos – and learned to see directly the same Light in all of nature.
Under Babaji’s tutelage I began to feel responsible for everyone and everything around, as part of one human family. Nature was already in harmony and it was our responsibility to be in tune.
My work – stories have the power to change the world.
While I have spoken and written extensively on the need for spirituality and values in education and public life, my work focuses on ways to introduce spirituality in public education and in community building.
Much of the social problems and mental health issues we face today grow out of a lack of attention to the inner voice and values that grow from the process.
Our education system has neglected the “whole child,” and my work focuses on developing curriculum and training teachers to use traditional wisdom stories to help children find their own inner voice and learn that they can change the story of the world around them.
By sharing our stories, we can learn to live in community together.
Children and adults learn that we don’t have to agree with everyone to be part of the same community.
Following the post-9/11 arson attack on our spiritual center, Gobind Sadan, USA, North Syracuse, NY (the first attack on a Sikh house of worship), we immediately offered a prayer of forgiveness. We went public with Baba Virsa Singh ji’s powerful message of forgiveness which galvanized the entire community and provided an opportunity for the young people involved.
This received major local and regional media coverage, and even 20 years later, everyone from the young people themselves, the law enforcement officers, and the DA’s office has stated that our approach to forgiveness has transformed their lives and approach to an understanding of spiritual community.
The young arsonists wrote to us from jail, “If only we’d known your story – we never would have done this.”
Even today, one of them delivered the message, “Your power of forgiveness overcame the hatred, healed, and transformed my life. The most important message I could put out there for educators and parents is to teach your children about diversity and cultural differences, but most importantly, teach them that we are all the same. Teach them acts of kindness; we are all in this together.”