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Toxic Leadership
Part II
Janam Da Firangee,
Sikhi Mai Mangee

FATEHPAL SINGH TARNEY

 

 

 






Toward the end of World War II, some American social psychologists did interviews and administered surveys to German prisoners of war, asking them why they continued fighting given deteriorating weaponry, inferior equipment, fewer and fewer supplies, and ever-increasing knowledge that the war was lost.

The results were as follows: Some German soldiers were still captivated by the charisma of Hitler. Others continued to fight for the “Fatherland” - Germany. Some still believed that Germany would win because of secret weapons that would be developed just in time: jet planes; guided missiles; perhaps nuclear bombs.

And then, there was the individual sense of self-preservation.

However, the vast majority talked about loyalty to their fellow soldiers – their small unit of comrades. A German word for this camaraderie is Gemeinschaft. In the end, in combat, it was commitment to one's comrades that made one continue to fight against great odds. Most soldiers who have fought in war can relate to the German experience, regardless of victory or defeat.

In my previous column, I discussed my experience in a very dysfunctional American military unit with leaders having no interest whatsoever in the lowly enlisted men they expected to fight and perhaps die in Vietnam. We fought well – certainly not for these dreadful leaders, and we did not even fight for America nor against the spread of communism – we fought for each other!

I remember some remarkable acts of courage during the Vietnam War. I also recall some humorous incidents, but etched in my mind are the three horrendous leaders in this one battalion: the commanding officer, a lieutenant colonel; his executive officer, the Major from Hell; and the sergeant major who was supposed to be the liaison between the commissioned officers and all enlisted ranks.

My thoughts go back to the “Major from Hell.” At our rear area base camp, there was a volleyball court and exercise there was useful, but when the major played, it became a nightmare. If a lowly enlisted man made a mistake, such as serving the ball into the net, this major would get right in his face and berate him for the error. He would shout only one word, “Inexcusable!”

We all began circulating the quip that there were only two perfect volleyball players “God and the major!”

Despite being a humble enlisted man, I had to interact with this major frequently because I was an interpreter. I had excelled in Vietnamese language courses. This officer had as much disdain for the Vietnamese people as he had for lowly enlisted men. Even at the tender age of 19, I knew that with people like him, America would never win a war in Asia!

Now I turn once again to our Sikh community and certain dysfunctional Gurdwara behaviors. Ajit Singh ji from New Jersey made a very good point regarding those who do langar seva. “They are God's servants. They are required to remain free of pride and arrogance.”

Humility and cheerfulness should be inherent in any and all seva.

The challenges our community faces as a religious minority, both in Punjab as well as in the diaspora, require us to be kinder and more forgiving among ourselves. The tendency of some to criticize and never praise; to be ultra vigilant regarding minor infractions of gurdwara protocol, but be aloof and unfriendly to each other and to guests, are detrimental and contradictory to Sikh principles.

A great Sardar Sahib in England, Sohan Singh, has said in an internet post, “We preach equality, give examples from gurbani to make our speeches sound genuine or powerful, but are very poor at translating our words into action.”

One of the saddest and most disturbing video clips I have ever watched was a young sevadaar beating a much older Sardar with a laatthi in a Gurdwara Sahib that might even have been at one of the five Takhts. I have no idea what the alleged infraction was, but was this the only remedy to the problem?

Is this how we treat each other in the ancestral home of our faith?


April 5, 2017

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Part II
Janam Da Firangee,
Sikhi Mai Mangee"









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