To conclude this manifesto, the following is a brief summary of the key points addressed: Self-interest is a driving force behind the vast majority of human behaviour. Incentives should never be underestimated in their importance when it comes to influencing the choices people make. By removing the Government from markets, the propensity for the State to create perverse incentives is drastically reduced. Respecting people’s personal freedoms, and their right to transact with each other freely and voluntarily, ensures the self-regulation of markets. In this way, no central planner is needed, as the market itself adapts to shortages and surpluses through the pricing mechanism and the laws of supply and demand. The only time in which the State should intervene is either to ensure the protection of the market or to contest those who break the NAP. Further to this, innovation best arises when private entities are free and unhindered to compete in a NAP-based environment. Not only does this advance human potential, but it also protects consumers from monopoly exploitation. Monopolies only persist with the aid of the Government through lobbying or other forms of corporate welfare. Nationalisation of industries is simply another form of monopolisation in which the State assumes direct control of the production of goods and services. This inevitably leads to uncompetitive entities funded by taxpayers rather than voluntary transactions. As a result, the pricing mechanism fails, inefficiencies arise, and innovation declines. Taxes are inherently unjust, as they amount to State-mandated theft. Under Azadism, taxation would be reformed initially with an aim to eradicate them entirely in the long term. In the interim, a Negative Income Tax (or Universal Basic Income) should be implemented to provide a safety net, rather than a welfare state that perpetuates poverty and removes opportunity. Minimum wages, too, should be replaced by a Negative Income Tax, thereby relieving small businesses of the burden while placing the responsibility for providing a living wage upon the State. Private charity would then replace much of the social security function the State formerly provided. The State, under Azadism, is reduced to these four functions initially to be officially classed as Azadist: 1. National Defence 2. Policing 3. Justice System and Courts 4. Tax administration From this starting point, the State should gradually reduce its role and ultimately limit itself out of existence over the long term. Combined with a well-armed populace, a Khalsa Government is an ideal candidate to administer this process of returning power to the people and away from tyrants. It could be organised as a decentralised, Modernised Misl system. Finally, contracts are a crucial element in allowing different groups to set their own laws on top of the NAP based law system layer. This is the proposal Azadism has been designed to put forth and feedback, further discussion and debate is welcomed. The level of discourse around Azaadi needs to evolve. As a Panth, we are so far behind in these matters, and it is frankly disappointing. Looking through our recent history, it is understandable why this is the case, but it nonetheless does not excuse our present-day ignorance. We stem from a legacy where our Gurus raised cities and armies. Through Dasvandh they contested taxing authorities and civilisations a better way. They sacrificed their own lives to stand up to tyranny and defend liberty. The blood of our Shaheeds is a currency. It has bought us time and space in which to manoeuvre. We can either waste this resource by clinging to old methods of fighting, simply tackling problems head-on without any planning and foresight, or we can become more strategic. Instead of being so reactive, we must become proactive. Let’s stop fooling around as activists, or more accurately, re-activists, and start becoming *pro-activists*. We must stop waiting for problems to arise before taking action, for by that point it is already too late. What follows is damage control, not the implementation of real solutions. This attitude in which we approach problems in the Panth must stop. We have become slaves to our emotions and have thrown reason out of the window. To use logic in matters of Raajniti is to do _Khandan_ of issues, breaking them down into parts and using our _Bibek Buddhi_ to analyse. ‍ > Salutations to the highest Sword, the cutting Sirohi. Making *two from one*, the warrior who holds You in their hand is victorious! > > ― Sri Guru Gobind Singh, Bhagauti Astotar ‍ But as of now, our faculty to do _Khandan_ is impaired by victimhood, leading us to ignorance and bad ideas. We approach situations too readily with our hearts and forget our brains. There is an important place for that in _Bhagti_, but we cannot use the same thinking for everything. There is a _Sama_ for each state of mind. This is why, on the verge of battle, Guru Gobind Singh would send his court philosophers away, reasoning that they would spend too much time deliberating and causing doubt. Unhelpful traits in a time like that, but invaluable in times of peace. Understanding how to do _Khandan_ is, in itself, a form of _Shastarvidya_: not of physical weapons, but of the mental. The world has moved on from fighting on horseback, and stabbing or shooting our problems will not solve them. Now is an age of information warfare, where ideas are the armies and the mind is the battlefield. There is currently a pandemic of ignorance infecting the Panth. For this reason, we act like sheep when problems arise and are dragged by the ear by perverse agendas and bad ideas. What we as a Panth need is a long-term, well-thought-out approach that takes into account the lessons of the past, adapts them to the present to forge a future that benefits all humanity. We must make our principles strong, but our techniques fluid. Only then can we avoid future bloodshed and oppression by forces far smarter and more resourceful than ourselves. In order to outmanoeuvre the enemy, we must first understand the enemy. But the first step towards any of this is conquering your own mind. Change begins with ourselves. Stop begging at the doorsteps of your enemies and take action into your own hands. Why would a thief grant justice to his victims? Especially when the thief is still plundering the homes of others. Why expect compassion from them? Learn to use a system rather than allowing it to use you. This manifesto is only one step in this effort. You, as the reader, are encouraged to further solidify and apply this knowledge. Whilst debate on the topic of central planning versus free markets is certainly valid, the need to advance the discussion to answer some of the details raised in this manifesto is perhaps even more important. This is the level of discourse the Panth must aspire to if it wishes to get ahead. If we are to seriously consider the possibility of establishing our own nation-state, reforming an existing one, or set up new models in statecraft entirely, then sound economics must be understood and implemented. We do not want to fall into the same patterns as all others before us. For these reasons, the following list of questions highlights just some of the areas requiring further _Vichaar_: - How long should each phase last on the path to full privatisation? - What should be done about tariffs? - What is the policy on immigration? - Is UBI better than NIT? - What should the threshold income be for a NIT? - What should the flat tax rate be to begin with? - What type of tax should be implemented? - When should taxes be phased out entirely, if at all? - When does the right to be protected under the NAP apply? - How would the legal system contain the correct incentives to supply justice and avoid corruption? - What methods should be implemented to allow for communication between Misls? - What constitutes as a contract? What are the necessary components of one that clearly define the agreement and avoids future issues? Should a defined template be used? - What are the rules of engagement in potential battles between Misls? - How to integrate the latest advancements in technology into systems to reduce bureaucracy? - Should there be a death penalty? - What is the stance on patent and intellectual property rights? These, and so many more questions and topics will be explored further by myself and others at Bunga Azaadi, a think tank set up to study Sikhi & Statecraft. This institution aims to become a preeminent source of wisdom for all things related to “Sikhi, Statecraft & Economics”. This also forms platform to start expanding the scope of what is covered in this manifesto. Whilst Azadism itself is primarily focused on the economics, with the advent of the Bunga we could delve into more topics that may not be so directly related to statecraft, but we feel are necessary to prepare the mindsets of Sikhs to engage in Raajniti effectively in the modern age (whether that be through self-determination with something new or the reformation of something old). Hence why we now exploring subjects like AI, philosophy, itihaasology, history, and perhaps most importantly, reviving the *Khalsa Matt* — there is no point in striving for a Khalsa Raaj, if there is no Khalsa! Therefore the Bunga is being grown into a launchpad projects that actually helps facilitate the re-emergence of the Khalsa, not just as a bunch of guys playing dress up, but a competent organisation (or organisations) of people who can effectively engage in Dharam Yudh, legally and strategically of course, and also not always by using physical force. But all in the attempt to progress towards _Khalsa Raaj_. We have also developed a roadmap internally for how we envision we could achieve Khalsa Raaj as the end goal of a multi-phased, and long-term plan (that is also multi-generational), with work already going on behind the scenes to progress it. We aren't yet ready to reveal that publicly because we need to be sure that enough people at least agree on the end-goal. Just like with Google Maps, you can't work out a route until you specify a detailed enough destination. If I wanted to go to Shepherds Bush Gurudwara in London, I can't just put "London" in the app and expect to get where I want to go. Looking at how vague the demand for a Sikh State is in our Panth today, it is like putting in England as the destination. Some do not even know where their starting point is either, no wonder people are all over the place and are even going backwards in some cases. Our end-goal isn't necessarily a nation-state either. It may be a step towards it (depending on how it works), but by no means is it the final destination. Instead, our definition of Khalsa Raaj is an environment in which those seeking to pursue Mukti can do so free from tyranny. It is the Khalsa's Dharam or duty, therefore, to engage in Dharam Yudh to establish such environments. This can start locally, and eventually extend globally, perhaps even galactically in future. This should be the extent of our ambition! But even more importantly, before any of that, Khalsa Raaj must first exist within oneself. If you don't have _Azaadi_ (liberty) over yourself, internally, then how will project Azaadi effectively externally? This is why one of the underlying motivations of the Bunga right now is re-inspire an Azaadi mindset once again. Right now we are collecting Vichaars in our growing "Vichaar Repository" at BungaAzaadi.com so that when the time comes, when we are in better positions to conduct our own experiments in Statecraft, we are not going into it so blindly. When the founding fathers of the US formed their nation, they didn't just start with writing the constitution out of nowhere. So much prep work went in to inform the mindsets of those men, from the works of John Locke, the French classical liberals, ancient Greek philosophers, right up till things like the Bill of Rights, Federalist Papers, and then the declaration of independence. Only after all of that was the constitution constructed and even then it wasn't perfect. You don't start a business without a business plan, so why are we attempting to start states without one? It's not just shareholders wealth at stake here, but the lives of potentially millions, if not, billions of people. Hence why, with the luxury of hindsight and access to more information than ever before in history, we need to be dedicating energy to establishing the correct foresight. Bunga Azaadi and this whole project is thus very much inspired by the Darbars of Guru Gobind Singh who would bring in and collect the world's top wisdom in all manners of subjects from political science, Aryuveda, Raag Vidya and more. Those Darbars developed a Sikh intelligentsia that went on to imbue the values and intellect that established Misls and the first Sikh kingdoms. We today, it seems, have lost a lot of those kinds of institutions that collect wisdom, and instead we blindly but our heads against forces and states currently far more powerful than us and expect some desirable outcome. If you are not going to do the prep work, extract and apply principles of our past or value the gifts our Guru at all then why do you expect any sort of success? The mission of Bunga Azaadi can be summed up like this: "If you want Raaj tomorrow, start thinking like Raajai today". **A final note for the Khalsa.** Stop looking for leaders to guide you. We already have them as Sikhs: our Gurus, who have given us a wealth of lessons. Abandon the mindset that if we could only get the right person in charge, then things would be so much better. Not only is it almost impossible to find such a person, but even those who appear strong-willed, moral, and of high character can change. This is one of the key lessons in Rattan Singh Bhangu’s _Panth Prakash_, in the story of Banda Singh Bahadur. Even someone who was given _Khande Di Pahul_ by Guru Gobind Singh himself was still susceptible to failure. Understand that the Guru decentralised power and gave sovereignty to the Khalsa Panth as a whole for a reason. Any system that relies on the competence and benevolence of single individuals or a small group is doomed to fail at some point. Therefore take responsibility and defend your autonomy. Recognise your sovereignty. Stop acting like beggars and become kings of your own kingdoms. Realise that wherever you place your foot is Takht. Develop a love for liberty, and oppose all that threaten it. The great philosopher Alan Watts once gave a lecture about happiness. He spoke about the difference between how happiness is thought of in the West versus the East. In the West, happiness is something you _attain_, an addition to yourself. However, in the East, it is seen as something inherent, something you reach by removing the external barriers to it. Freedom is the same. It cannot be given; it is the natural state of all things. Similarly, so are love, compassion, honesty, contentment, and humility. These are what remain when the _Panj Chor_ are destroyed. Even more fundamentally, when the ego itself is removed, all that is left is everything else — God itself. Stop waiting for reincarnations of the great Singhs of our past and instead become the great Singhs of today. This is true Azaadi: recognising that the _Akaal Purakh_ outside you is the same one that is within you. In this way you ascend to become a warrior-king in Akaal Purakh Ki Fauj. To become Khalsa is an apotheosis. You are that which you seek, if only you take the initiative to recognise what you have been blessed with. Take Raaj, do not wait to be given it.