In Punjabi culture, Seva is one of the most important values we have inherited.
We are taught to give. Give to those who have less. Give food. Give money. Give our time. Volunteer. Support our community. Many of us were raised with the belief that a portion of what we earn should always go toward helping others.
But at Today's Punjab, we believe there is another form of Seva that our community urgently needs.
We need to give each other our time, attention and love.
We Had Less, But We Had Each Other
Think back to our community in the 1980s and 1990s.
Many Punjabi families were building new lives. Money was often tight. Parents worked long hours. Families shared homes. People worked multiple jobs. New immigrants were learning how to survive in unfamiliar countries while supporting relatives here and back home.
Materially, many families did not have much. But they had each other.
Brothers and sisters talked.
Cousins grew up together.
Grandparents were surrounded by grandchildren.
Uncles and aunts were genuinely involved in the lives of their nieces and nephews.
Friends became family. People visited one another without appointments.
When somebody needed help, people showed up. There was camaraderie. There was community. Most importantly, there was love. That love helped people survive some incredibly difficult years.
Today We Have Everything, But Are We Connected?
Today we have smartphones, social media, beautiful homes, cars, careers, education and technology that lets us speak to someone on the other side of the world instantly.
Yet somehow, many of us have become more disconnected.
A person can have 2,000 followers and nobody they feel comfortable calling when life becomes difficult. A person can have 50 relatives and still feel alone. A large family tree does not automatically mean a connected family.
People within our own families may be facing depression, loneliness, financial difficulty, relationship problems, work pressure or personal struggles without anyone knowing. Sometimes the person who appears happiest in the family photograph is fighting the hardest battle privately.
We cannot assume someone is okay simply because they are surrounded by people.
A Phone Call Can Be Seva
This is where we want to expand the meaning of Seva. Seva does not always require money. Sometimes Seva costs nothing.
And don't call because you need something. Call because they matter.
It doesn't need to be an hour-long conversation. Give them one minute. Give them two minutes.
You have no idea what might be happening on the other side of that telephone. Your two-minute phone call might be insignificant to you. To the person receiving it, it could mean everything.
Protect the Bonds Within Our Families
Almost every extended family has special relationships within it. There is an uncle a nephew trusts. There is an aunt a niece can speak openly with. There is an older cousin a younger cousin looks up to. There is a grandchild who can make a grandparent's entire week simply by calling. There is a family friend who has become another parent.
Those relationships are valuable. Protect them.
Being someone's uncle, aunt, cousin, brother, sister or grandparent should mean more than seeing each other at weddings and birthdays. Stay involved. Ask questions. Give advice when it is wanted. Listen when someone needs to talk. Celebrate their victories. And notice when something is wrong, before they have to tell you.
This, too, is Seva. And it is the kind our community needs most.