No Answers?

I used to have answers... I would be asked so many questions, about spirituality, about God, about existence, meta-physics, and philosophy... and I would always have some answer. Whether it was satisfactory or not... well that was another matter, but questions were meant to be answered... at least that's what I thought.

A few months ago, I was asked a question to which I didn't have an answer - in fact, I still don't despite extensive research and questioning. So, I've re-evaluated everything.

We don't need answers to everything, creation, life, existence, these are all things that may not have a definite answer (or as some believe, there may be an infinite number of answers to each question). Looking at it logically, I believe a person eventually will see that logic can't work (love the oxymoron there). Allow me to explain. If (and this is the big assumption here) we assume that there is a God, then we have to take a host of other assumptions as well tied to the concept of God... All-Knowing, Infinite, Absolute, Powerful, Omniscient, etc... Having made the assumption that there is a God, we know that the concept of God must lie beyond the concept of man. The very existence of God would be a hypothesis impossible to prove, because God by definition would be beyond proof and beyond comprehension. This is where logic (our friend and trusted companion up to this point) must leave us. Since God is beyond comprehension and logic, the only way to truly understand the deepest questions of life, the deepest questions of spirituality would be to experience them. Yes, our minds and bodies are limited... however, our ability to experience and our potential? That is limitless. This region of experience, this ability innate in each of us, surpasses all the knowledge that rote memory can ever bring. Through this grace, a pauper can exceed a king, for the pauper will understand what the king cannot... God.

But this explanation falls short, for even this limits God to the realm of human experience. This is why it's so difficult to articulate what God is... and why it is so important to us to keep trying. We are bound to fail, however, the attempt to articulate the infinite is an experience in itself... one that I propose is essential on the path to truly experience God or at least that which we are given leave to experience.

Restful Greetings

A common Muslim greeting is Asalaam Wa'alaikum - this means (loosely translated), May God's Peace be upon you. In this greeting we ask for peace for the person we greet. In my life, peace sometimes finds itself being synonymous with rest, because for me, being rested is being at peace (I'm very lucky in that way, because of where I live).

However, I find that relaxing sometimes is hard. Let me put that statement into context. I am finishing off the fourth and final year of Dental school. This means that my last final exam was in early April, which has resulted in me doing almost nothing for the past 2 months (at least in the evenings), so what have I done with my time??? ... nothing! I have sat around, doing very little, playing video games, watching anime, watching the occasional movie / TV show (gasp), hanging out with friends, and generally catching up on sleep and rest. So why didn't I feel rested???

This week I was given the fantastic opportunity to sing at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto Ontario. During this week from Monday to Friday I spent roughly 6 or 7 hours a day singing and a few more hours practicing... daily. Yet, right now I feel more rested, more satisfied and fulfilled than I have felt in almost a year. Why?

A fellow chorister stated it very well during one of our discussion sessions when she said that the feeling of peace sometimes comes not from doing nothing... but from doing what you love. It's perfect, and it's true. When I write about God, I feel at peace, when I use my mind, I feel at peace, when I exercise my body and am active, I feel at peace. Peace abounds in so many things we can do, but choose not to. Why? From my personal experience at least, it's because I felt that I was due for a break, for rest. I didn't realize that the best way for me to rest, was to work harder doing things that I love. Now here comes the tricky part, I'm inherently lazy as well, this means that I have to actually push myself to do things, even things that I love. If I let my mind go on auto-pilot I'll find myself lying in bed instead of reading that novel I really want to finish or writing that blog I want to get around to. This means (for me at least) that searching for peace must be an active process. Though we all want peace, though we all want only the best for ourselves and others - it is something we must work towards. Peace cannot generate itself, because human nature (again, generalizing my own personal experience) will not automatically result in the positive result we would all like to believe it brings about.

Peace is a blessing that we all wish for, but true, inner peace can only come about through effort, love and ... well, there is an element of luck in there as well.

It is 4 am, I am extremely tired... but right now, I, Rahim Shivji, am very well rested.

Khuda Hafiz

Love

Love - it's one of the most abused words in the English language, but maybe not in the same way you'd think... I often hear people saying that the word love is tossed around today and that people often say it when they don't really mean it. Okay, maybe that is true, maybe many times when I hear someone say "I love you" to someone else, it doesn't hold the same weight that it may have meant in another time or another era, but think of it this way... what if we're not saying it enough?

To love is to be human, it's a pure emotion, but what truly is it? You can love people in different ways, depending on who it is and what they have done for you. :) However, where does love come from, and is there an underlying similarity between differing expressions of love? I would argue that there is, and if I may indulge in a moment of condensed storytelling...

The poet Hafiz was an ordinary young man once, who worked in a bakery. One day he was delivering bread to the wealthy district and saw the woman whom he would love for the rest of his life. Hafiz was unable to get her out of his head, and thought of her constantly and even tried composing poetry in her name, although her station in life was far above his, and she was slated to marry a prince. Hafiz heard a legend that a wise master had once decreed that whoever stayed awake near his graveside for 40 nights would be granted 3 gifts, immortality, poetry and his heart's desire. Hafiz chose to attempt this feat. Somehow, he was able to complete it, and on the 39th night near dawn, Hafiz was approached by the angel Gabriel. Gabriel gave Hafiz a cup to drink from, and declared that Hafiz had now been granted immortality and the gift of poetry. Hafiz was then asked what his heart's desire was. Upon seeing the face of Gabriel, all thoughts of Hafiz's beloved were gone, Hafiz realized that everything he loved in the world, was but a reflection of God's beauty. So what did Hafiz say???

He told the Angel Gabriel, "I want God."

I feel this is how we are. Every one of us, loves everyone else... because in each of us we see a minor "reflection" if you will, of God. So, why is it wrong to tell everyone that you love them? I feel that this is a way to increase enlightenment. Loving another is the greatest of acts, for in loving we are recognizing God. We remember God. We love God. By loving others; truly loving them - and ourselves - we bring ourselves up to a higher spiritual level.

So, I say to you,

I love you

Cosmopolitanism

I recently had a great opportunity to hear Rizwan Mawani speak on what cosmopolitanism is. I began to think about it, assimilate it and now think I'm ready to write a little bit on what it is and how it affects all of us.

Firstly, cosmopolitanism in this context does not refer to the magazine, not does it refer to being "worldly" or "urban," I refer to it here in the ideological form. Before discussing this, we must set a few premises. Diversity must be recognized as being a fact (which it is for all intents and purposes), our lives, our world, our communities, no matter how homogeneous all express diversity. Having recognized diversity as being a fact of life, we must climb the conceptual ladder to the concept of pluralism. Pluralism is a concept that refers to acceptance of diversity. It is something that is spoken about in the writings and speeches of many renowned figures, including the Aga Khan (IV) and the Dalai Lama. So, diversity is a fact, pluralism is a thought... where does that leave cosmopolitanism (and what is it anyways)?

Cosmopolitanism is an action (and as wikipedia says, an ideology, however, it can be argued that the two are the same here). Cosmopolitanism is putting into action in your everyday life the belief that all human beings are equal. All of us are from the same community and race (the human race - I love cliché’s). So, it is often argued that a person who believes in the ideals behind cosmopolitanism may want a form of world government or have wish for inclusive moral, economic or political relationships between people and nations. This may be true, but I would argue that cosmopolitanism doesn't involve only broad over-arching thoughts such as these. The way in which I see cosmopolitanism is through the lens of daily life. I see a cosmopolitan individual working in their community to actively encourage diversity and its strengths and working to overcome its inherent problems, (diversity is a strength, but it's at times a difficult one to utilize effectively). I see cosmopolitanism as the implementation of pluralism, and thus, in the concept of cosmopolitanism, I see our future.

Our world is wracked with problems, oil spills, energy crises, environmental crises, wars, ideological battles, intolerance, poverty, ignorance and many others, are constant challenges. To face these challenges, all we have is the indomitable human spirit and hope. In cosmopolitanism, I see hope for a brighter future, where ignorance exists, but it doesn't affect how we treat each other. I can be ignorant of your faith, beliefs and values, yet still respect you for being a fellow human being with your own intellect and your own rights. With respect for others and for creation, I see each of us doing our own part to clean up our world and act as vicegerents of God on this Earth, as we were truly meant to be. With a cosmopolitan ethic, I see ideological differences being insignificant, for acceptance of difference would be the norm.

It is my sincerest prayer and hope that this ideology, this action is adopted by all, for in it, I see love.

Utopia

Utopia, the perfect society. It's been a goal of humankind for... well as long as we've had societies. Of course the practical realization of a utopia will likely never truly come about, but trying for it has driven the improvement of human society for a long time. One of the most important aspects of a society - specifically an ideal one - is a system of governance. Think about it, an effective government is like a framework. It gives you everything you need to build something great. Countries today that do not have effective governments suffer. Look at a great, industrialized nation like Great Britain. There exists so much controversy due to the election of a minority government, a situation that isn't as much of a problem in many other countries. So, what does an effective governmental system entail, and why talk about this on a blog that seems to generally focus on the spiritual?

The first question is a difficult one, for the answer varies with the needs of the time and location. The answer to the second question is easier! Islam as a faith teaches that the spiritual and material are not to be separate. Your religion and faith is a part of everything you do... it doesn't get left outside the doors of parliament, (now this does NOT mean that those religious fanatics who claim to hurt others in the name of Islam are right in laying the blame on the faith, those people don't truly understand the relationship between faith and life).

I would argue that government systems in general are not set up to be successful in most of the world today. Looking at a country like Canada or the US, we have democratic processes in place to elect our leadership... but how many people actually take the time to educate themselves on the facts? Contrast this to a communist country like China where for all intents and purposes, a few individuals make decisions for the country. Now, don't get me wrong here, democracy is effective, however would you rather have 30 million ignorant people choose the leader of your country, or a few motivated, well-educated people? I would take this a step further and argue that in many cases, the most effective form of government would be one in which there is a single ruler - a monarchy so to speak. Of course, this is only valid if you have a benevolent monarch, one with a large, intelligent and perceptive group of advisors. Some of the most successful periods in history have been times when a country or empire has been ruled by a single individual who is able to create change. These dynasties often fall within a few generations as different individuals may not be as suited for rule as their ancestors may have been. So where does that leave us?

In the footsteps of Plato's Republic, I would propose that an effective government system would be one that combines a benevolent monarch, with the wisdom inherent in consensus and the checks and balances found in democracies (the judicial system, the senate and parliament balancing each other out). Government is an important aspect of life, both from a spiritual perspective and from a material one. Until the perfect society forms (or something close to it at least), let us all do our part and learn more about the issues facing our world and governments, and make informed decisions when we vote. Democracy is flawed, but it is effective in many contexts today. Better Democracy than Bureaucracy right?

God Bless

Good Deeds

What is a good deed? I ask this because I was recently stumped by a good question. If a person tells the truth, are they performing a good deed? It's an interesting proposition... if you lie, you are doing something bad (usually), or committing a sin so to speak. However, what about the truth? We are beholden to tell the truth, but is there benefit to be gained from telling it? I would argue yes, but not in the way that one would expect.

The term good deed implies that one is doing something out of the ordinary (almost like saying one is going out of their way to do good). Like rescuing a cat from a tree, or helping an elderly person who is having difficulty to cross the road. Doing something trivial that one should be doing anyways does not merit the status of being a "good deed," in common parlance. I think this is where we as a society become beholden to flaws in our language. In English, there is no appropriate way to combine the concepts of responsibility and the common good with daily actions an individual takes (or in the likely even that there is such a way, it is beyond my current grasp of the language). The problem really comes in when we combine Good with Deed. Either term is fine by itself, but the combination opens up the proverbial "can of worms." Good is a subjective principle to an extent. Everyone is good by their own terms - however a deed is an action. So the term good deed combines the subjective - that which can be perceived as good, with the objective - that which can be done / performed. In a society full of liars, telling the truth could be perceived as the greatest of good deeds with a lie being considered normal (not a bad deed), however in our modern society where being truthful is expected of another, a lie can have a shocking effect. Knowing someone has lied to you can bring you anger, can embarrass you or cause you to feel distant from that individual. Once again this is societal... without the subconscious effect our "good society" has on us, we wouldn't view the world with this perspective.

So telling the truth is not really a "good deed," from my Canadian context because the term good deed is defined by the society around me, through my own interpretation (and for me at least it doesn't). However, I would argue that the avoidance of sin or a bad deed is also a good deed. Either way, it's a moot point. At the end it must be remembered that good and bad are not measured in a quantifiable manner... I do not believe that I will be judged based on a point system that will say - 131 good, 129 bad... ok, better than not. If this was the case, the measurement of good vs bad would truly have meaning. Lying may even prove to be the only good action that can be performed in a certain situation. In reality, all one can do is behave in the most ethical manner that one knows how to. Live, love, laugh and sing - know that whatever you do, at least to thyself be true.

Searching for the True Self

What are you searching for?

Everyone looks for something in their lives. Whether we go on a perpetual quest for love (the REAL kind, you know in the movies?!), for money, for spiritual satisfaction. Whether we are looking to find ourselves, a purpose, a job, a meal, a life. Everyone's always looking, searching and occasionally, if we're lucky - finding. What do we look for, and why?

A Persian Poet named Hafiz speaks of search in his poetry. Throughout his life he was searching for his beloved - God. In his poetry, Hafiz refers to the world and things in the world as reflections of God, kind of like how the moon reflects the light of the Sun. The Moon is incredibly beautiful, but the reason we see beauty in the moon is because of the Sun. In this way, things in the world are a reflection of the divine.

Looking at it from this perspective, we are searching in the material world, but we search for reflections of the spiritual. When we look at beauty in another human being, we are seeing a reflection of the beauty that is God. When we feel love for another, we are feeling a shadow of the love that is God. When we search for happiness, we often find only a reflection of true happiness. That's a bit sad to think of. The reason we will only find reflections and shadows is because our mind and sense of consciousness work together to enable us to interact with the world. This means that the mind uses consciousness as a medium with which to interact - it acts as the intermediary between the exoteric and the esoteric. So the flaw is in the medium... the mind is an esoteric entity, but the conscious mind is one that is forever trapped in the exoteric. Finding the truth is a true challenge, but hey, as I've said for many years, "How can you ever find yourself if you don't get lost?"

Best of luck in the search