Interview with Dr. Simran Jeet Singh

The subtitle of your memoir, The Light We Give, is How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life. Here at Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, we are especially interested in how faith shapes and even transforms one special part of life—giving.

What would you want us to know about the relationship between faith and giving in Sikhism?

There’s so much to say! Here’s one note. We learn through Sikh wisdom that generosity doesn’t just benefit the receiver. When approached with the right spirit, generosity can benefit the giver, too. Giving can help us decenter our own egocentrism, giving us more humility, more perspective, and ultimately, more happiness. This is what we mean when we say that it’s better to give than to receive: The world benefits, and so do we.

Are there core Sikh practices or teachings related to financial giving?

There’s an early account of our founder, Guru Nanak, that comes to mind. He meets a wealthy merchant who stashes away all his riches. Guru Nanak gives him a needle and asks him to hold on to it for the next life. The merchant laughs and asks how that would be possible. Guru Nanak then asks what the point is of hoarding wealth.

It’s a simple story, but it brings home a powerful lesson. We’re so tempted to accumulate as much as we can, and we justify it in so many ways. It’s for our comfort, or it’s a buffer, or it’s for future generations. All of that can be true – and yet, if we’re ultimately not using our wealth for good, then perhaps we’re deceiving ourselves.

Are there specific Sikh practices or principles that have been especially helpful to you in thinking about your own giving? How about in your fundraising for causes you care about?

Yes, so many. There’s a line in our daily prayers that talks about the generosity of the Creator. “The Divine keeps giving and giving; we take and take until we’re tired of it.” It’s such an interesting insight into human behavior. We are constantly consuming, worried about our own nourishment, yet somehow, we are never fully satiated. Perhaps the answer is not to consume more, but instead to consider a different kind of nourishment, one that gives us more satisfaction. I go back to this insight often, especially when I get caught up in our cultural outlooks of scarcity and competition. It reminds me that there are different approaches that could offer us different outcomes than the ones we see around us daily.

If you were to teach a course on “Fundraising from a Sikh Perspective,” what is one text or saying you would be sure to include?

I’m a longtime admirer of Shel Silverstein’s picture book, The Giving Tree. And while my views on it have evolved over the years, I still find it a wonderful text that sparks rich discussions. There’s so much to explore within it, and it often reminds me of a line from Sikh scripture that I try to keep in mind: “People keep on asking for more, and the Giver just keeps on giving.” It’s a touching reminder to me of how generosity is infinite, and that while we can always keep finding ways to give, we might also find new ways to appreciate the gifts we have been given.

What is the highest form of giving in Sikhism? Or is that the wrong way to think about it?

In my reading of Sikh wisdom, the most beautiful form of giving is one that is motivated out of selfless love. I’m not seeking to gain anything by serving you. I am serving you because I love you. Sikh wisdom teaches us that it’s possible to do this, not just for people we know intimately, but even for people we don’t know and might never meet. We call this “seva,” and it’s one of my favorite teachings in Sikh philosophy.

What’s equally important, though, is that one achieves the ideal form of seva through practicing service; one doesn’t just meditate and suddenly become adept at selfless service. The practice itself shapes you and molds you; the more one practices with intention and purpose, the closer they will come to realizing the most beautiful, selfless forms of seva.

Why is practice, rather than belief, so important to wisdom, in your view?

There’s a saying in our tradition: “Truth is high, but higher still is truthful living.” It’s a reflection on the difference between ideas and practices. The idea is important, but it means nothing if we don’t bring it into our lives. We can believe anything. We can say anything. But until we embody those values, they’re nothing more than empty words.

In 2020 you were recognized by Time as one of sixteen people fighting for a more equal America. Clearly you are a serious person. And yet you also are a funny person. Your book is full of humor, even in recounting very hard moments growing up Sikh in this country. Why is humor important to you?

First, thanks for saying I’m funny. I can’t wait to tell my wife. Second, I see humor as an important element of joy. It’s a way to appreciate the gifts we’ve been given, to notice the world around us, to take the world seriously without taking ourselves too seriously. I think I first started engaging humor as a coping mechanism, as a way to deal with the racism we encountered growing up in Texas. Over time, though, I see it less as a means of survival and more a vehicle for personal and social happiness, a practice to remember that as challenging as life may be, there’s so much to be grateful for and so much light for us all to enjoy.

Why did you decide to write your life story now?

As I traveled around the country and met people from all backgrounds, I began to see a shared challenge. So many of us were angry and frustrated with the world, and rightfully so. There was so much to be outraged about. At the same time, I noticed that we didn’t seem to have healthy ways to deal with our anger. We were getting bitter and nasty, and beginning to lose hope.

I looked back at the lessons I learned: both as a turban-wearing Sikh who faced bigotry growing up in this country, and also as someone who found ways through those challenges through the well of Sikh wisdom. I was convinced that I had a unique story to tell and hopeful that sharing what I’d learned might serve others who were desperately looking for answers. I’m so touched to see how well it’s been received and that it has helped people from all backgrounds find more calm and peace in their lives.

Simran Jeet Singh, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the Religion & Society Program at the Aspen Institute and the author of the national bestseller The Light We Give: How Sikh Wisdom Can Transform Your Life (Riverhead, Penguin Random House).

Simran’s thought leadership on bias, empathy, wisdom, and justice extends across corporate, educational, and government settings. He is an Atlantic Fellow for Racial Equity with Columbia University and the Nelson Mandela Foundation, and a Soros Equality Fellow with the Open Society Foundations. In 2020, TIME Magazine recognized him as one of sixteen people fighting for a more equal America.

Simran earned graduate degrees from Harvard University and Columbia University, and he writes regularly for major outlets, including Harvard Business Review, TIME Magazine, and Religion News Service. Simran also authored the award-winning children’s book Fauja Singh Keeps Going: The True Story of the Oldest Person to Ever Run a Marathon (Kokila, Penguin Random House).

Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Simran now lives in New York City with his wife and two daughters, where he enjoys running, writing, and chasing his kids.

To learn more about Simran and his work, visit simranjeetsingh.org.

Questions for Reflection

1. 1. How is your own understanding of faith and giving similar to/different from the understanding offered by Simran Singh?
   2. If you were to teach a course on faith and fundraising, what core text would you include?