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Summary of Question:	Spirtualism/Education
Category:	General Sikhism
Date Posted:	Sunday, 11/27/2005 8:45 AM MST

Sat sri Akal!

I have asked this question numerous times before but no one responds. Can someone please please please answer my question?

i have a question that i think many young adults/teens probably have.....
so, today i had an exam and i just looked at my scores and i didn't do too well BUT i had studied for 2 days straight. WHY????? there is a twist though: instead of going to the gurdwara (which i do normally) on sundays, i stayed home to study for this test bc i thought that i had to do well in it. Well, even though i studied sooooo hard for this test(which was a very important one), i still didnt do well. could it be bc i didn't go to the gurdwara and instead choose education as more important????? I dont really understand: we have to do hard work but then is it allowed that this hard work interupts our normal religious activities???Many times i pray to God to give me success and help me connect to Him. These two things are very important in my life but i wonder if one should have more dominant in my prayers/desires. i could say that the only big thing i want in life is to connect to God, but do i really believe it???? do i actually spend more time connecting to God or doing Hwk and studying???? in this world, education is VERY important as we all know but in the NEXT world and forever forward, SPIRTUALISM is very important....so do we think long term or short???? if none, then how do we balance the two when you are working towards a very big goal (such as becoming a doctor etc)???? Education is supposidly become the "trend" of the day especially w/ Indian. Nothing against that but i want to know if it really is as important as it seems: cant we live doing a okay job or do we have to be RICH. I believe, that being middle class is great bc then your head is not floating up around and you are more likely to be concentrated on spirtualism rather than always trying to gain materialistic things (nothing agaist rich people though!)on one hand people say that we should never take our concentration away from our studies and the SGGS says that the most valuable thing is to pray/do simran soI am somewhat confused, i dont know which is more important: spirtualism or education.

i am anxiously awaiting for your reply!
Thanks~
Sat sri akal!!!!


---reply

Thank you for asking your question again. It's impossible to answer everyone's questions on the first try. So its good to keep trying.

Your question is not a simple one and requires a complex answer. First the person needs to ask themself some questions, which need to be answered honesty, not according to what the person thinks his or her parents want.

1. What are my prioroties? What are my goals in life? How much money do I want to make? How important is this to me?

2. What am I good at? What do I feel passinate about enough to go to school and study and then do for a good portion of my life? Not everyone is suppose to be doctors or computer experts. It is important to explore what you like and want in a career.

3. How important is spirituality in my life? Is it worth sacrificing for a period of time to pursue my educaiton? Can I balance education with spiritual pursuits?

4. Do I need tuitoring in managing my sutdy time? Maybe I need to examine how I use my time. Maybe I allow my mind to wander when I am studying. Maybe I need a coach in how to study better.

I hope this will give you a start in looking at this dilemna. Let us know how you are doing. Blessings. GTKK