Keeping it real

Available for 29 days

Spiritual reflection to start the day with Rupa Mooker, a lawyer and member of Glasgow’s Sikh community. Script: Good Morning. If you ask a person of the Sikh faith how they are, there’s a very good chance they will respond with a version of “With God’s grace, I’m in Chardi Kala”. As a Sikh, Chardi Kala is a concept I’ve always loved. It’s often loosely translated as a “spirit of optimism” or “rising spirits” and having a positive and optimistic attitude to life. But I don’t think it means pretending that everything is fine – and how could we when we see so much pain in the world. Life can be difficult and we all have days when we're worried, disappointed, exhausted or anxious. Being positive doesn't magically make any of those things disappear. For me, Chardi Kala is about something slightly different. It’s the determination to keep going and to hold on to hope even when things aren't going the way we planned. It’s to believe that tomorrow might bring something different. I think we sometimes put too much pressure on ourselves to be relentlessly positive. We tell ourselves to look on the bright side, to be grateful, keep smiling, be content. But perhaps hope doesn't always look like a smile. Maybe sometimes hope is just getting out of bed or asking for help. It might be trying again after something hasn't worked or sometimes it’s just saying “today is difficult, but I’ll take the next step anyway”. My prayer today is this: Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh. Waheguru, when life feels heavy, give us the strength to keep going. Help us to hold on to hope without pretending that life is easy, and to remember that hope should not be just for ourselves. Remind us to share our hope with those who need it most. May we rise together.