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Summary of Question:	Stealing From Nike
Category:	General Sikhism
Date Posted:	Saturday, 6/11/2005 1:27 PM MDT

WJKK WJKF,

first of all i just want to say thanx for the seva you all are doing. its amazing!

im 21 n just finished uni. im planning to start my own business. me and my mate got an offer to sell sports merchandise. the problem is the goods are fake. in my part of the world it is not illegal to sell these stuff and there is a high demand for it. so in a way im doing a seva (i think) by providing society with these stuff because most people cant afford the real ones. but i feel bad because it doesnt seem like an honest business. im not cheating anyone because the people who buys it knows its fake. the only party that suffers is the multi billion corporations like nike and adidas. but i like to think that they do all those hanky panky stuff like child labour and sweatshops, so this is like their karma. but i still dont feel this is what Guru Nanak meant with 'Kirt Karni'.

the same goes for lawyers. suppose you are a lawyer and you know your client is guilty. do you stop representing him or do you ignore and do what you are paid to do?

business just seems like a dirty job. i feel i should hv become a doctor or something. so what should i do now? sorry to take your time.

Gurfateh,

---reply

Gurfateh Singh,

You are the one that has to live with your own consciousness. If you can't justify your actions then look for something else. Or, try it for a while and see how you feel after a period of time. Give your self a set period of time, like 6 months. See how you feel after the 6 months. Pray about it. Ask the Guru to help you make this decision. If you don't feel good about it, there will be another opportunity for you. Now, if you have to put in money to be a part of this business, that makes it more complicated. Then, you will have to think about it more clearly now. The rationalizations you gave are true. Maybe that will be enough to justify your actions. The Guru upholds righteousness. Only you can make this decision. Humbly, GTKK