Staying Good

1965ish, Shillong, India

I was driven back to the airport after my recent trip to New York City by a turbaned Sikh cab driver and as we got out I couldn't help but say, "We are from South Carolina, you know, where we just elected the first Sikh Governor in the United States."

Of course he knew.

He said, "Yes, yes, I know. I hope she is good."

I said, "I hope she is. Sikhs are well known for honor and honesty. She is very clever and beautiful"

He was very thoughtful and said, "Yes, she is beautiful! I do hope she is good and will stay good."

Nikki Haley is the new Governor of South Carolina, a Republican woman and daughter of Indian immigrants. May she stay "good" and lead us well.

The photo is not of the very attractive Governor Nikki Haley but my father Donald Perry (on the left). He had grown a beard during our time in India and a friend wrapped a turban around him. When he sent the photo to his mother she didn't recognize him.

Sikhism believes in one supreme God. The Sikh school of thought teaches gender and race equality, sharing, working hard and being honest, contentment, selfless service, talking sweetly, worshiping, good etiquette, tradition, prayer, meditation, the concept of the saint-soldier/warrior, remembering God all the time in all actions, keeping in good company, proper sexual conduct, the life of a householder instead of becoming a celibate monk or rejecting the world, compassion, faith, justice, mastery, righteous actions, bravery, courage, love for God, humility, salvation, the afterlife, the law of karma which is counteracted by dharma, charity, and good will to humanity. It also teaches God's omnipresence, transcendence, omnipotence, and omniscience.