The soul

I've been thinking of what will happen after I die.

A grim thing for most people to think of, but it is something that any "spiritual" individual must try at least once.

I believe that I have a soul, that everything that exists actually has a soul, whatever the true definition of said "soul" may be. Furthermore, I believe that this soul that is contained within everything in creation is a gift from The Almighty, from God, from Allah. This gift of a soul is what links us to the eternal, what brings our present into the past and the future. However, when I think about it, I don't believe that Rahim Shivji will live forever in any way, shape or form. My identity, my sense of self, everything that is ME will only exist for as long as I am alive. It's a bit sad to think of, but each one of us is a unique piece of creation. From eternity until eternity, there will never be another me, there may be an individual with similar or even identical DNA, there may be individuals who look the same, who think in a similar manner, but there will never be a second me. This is because "I" am comprised of biological matter, ideas, thoughts, beliefs, opinions, and all of these things are multiplied in their complexity because every person who has interacted with me has contributed a small piece to who I am.

My soul is eternal, there is something within me that is pure, holy, and beautiful that will exist for all time... but my persona, is definitely not the same thing.

Now having said this, I do feel that the soul is definitely impacted and influenced by me. My actions play a role on my soul's existence, but what role could this possibly be?

I am unable to interact with my soul, my true interactions with the spiritual lie in meditation, prayer and thought, but physical interaction is impossible. However, I know that I will be held accountable for my actions during my life. There is to be a reckoning at some period in time with the All-Merciful, (see how I bring up the "Mercy" trait when I mention judgment? Well played Rahim). What will this judgment entail? How can my eternal soul be held accountable for these actions when said soul is not truly mine to begin with?

The soul doesn't belong to you... this is one reason why I chuckle whenever I hear or watch a story about someone "selling their soul." The notion is preposterous, how can you bring the esoteric to the material level in such a way... and how can you sell something that isn't yours?

Now I'm not sure how ownership of a soul would really work, but I do believe that I have no true claim over my soul. It is my humble opinion that the soul belongs only to God, and to God only will my soul one day return if that be His will.

When I die... I truly will be no more. I will cease to exist, because my "I" will only live as long as my thoughts, my ideas, my life.

So, here's to eternity... May it be blissful for all.

Suffering

Suffering?

When I think of the word, I think of hardships and pain and sorrow, but mostly I think of justice, or at least a lack thereof. I don't think very many things in all of creation deserve to suffer, regardless of how heinous one's actions, I personally don't feel that suffering is an appropriate punishment.

So, why does it happen? Why does God send suffering on mankind... and does God send this?

I have been thinking of this question, particularly after the horrific events that have happened in Japan this past week. When I think of the lives that have been lost and those that have been irrevocably changed, I wonder where the justice lies in all of this, because at the end God is just... and everything happens only with God's leave. How is it just for thousands of innocents to die, millions to suffer? The worst part about all of this is that the event that directly caused all of this was likely not caused by human activity... This is as close to a so-called "Act of God," as one can get.

I have no answers, only more questions - but I have been thinking on the nature of suffering.

There is a story told in many holy scriptures about Prophet Job, and the suffering he had to endure... and when he finally asks God, "WHY?" God asks him, "Where were you when I created the heavens, the earth and the stars?" I am paraphrasing so please don't quote that.

So, where were we? My belief is this. When God created what exists, I was a part of God... I was not a separate entity... this was my place. So how could I have suffered? Which leads to the crux of the problem. I don't think we truly understand what suffering is... Suffering of the material body is limited in time and in place, for regardless of the harm that has occurred, eventually time will heal it. I feel that what we experience as suffering in our material world is simply a part of our journey. Our spirit, that infinite link between our consciousness and the Divine needs to do certain things, experience certain things in order to truly understand it's own exalted status. This means that there must be suffering, there must be hardship. Without these 2 forges our spirit would never regain it's lost luster.

Additionally, I don't think any one truly understands why we are here, what we are here to do. Loss of life while being tragic and horrific is a natural aspect of life. Eventually all of us are destined to die, and how this occurs is not within our hands. This also means that life may not be what we think it is. What if this state of existence that I consider life is not the positive experience I expect it to be? What if in the final analysis, death is truly "life," and life as we know it is simply a shadow or a reflection of death?

It is possible that these are simply the wild musings of a bruised and hurt heart but I for one am not content with hypothesizing. At the end, what purpose is life if you do not know the purpose of life?

Why Tradition?

What place do Traditions have in our world, and why do we cling to these remnants of the past? Traditions serve as a link to our past, and this does go a long way towards explaining our attachment to them. A typical human being easily gets attached to almost anything - be it a blanket, a toy, a gadget, an individual, or even a ritual. We tend to hold on tightly to things we care for and mourn their departure. This is one of the biggest reasons why many people lament when a species goes extinct. Millions of species have died out forever over the course of the existence of life on Earth, however if we see a species die out that we have become familiar with, we really feel that loss on a personal level. This same principle can apply to death. In some way, when someone we know and love dies, we mourn for ourselves, for what we have lost, for the irrevocable change in our state that results.

Traditions are rituals, actions, beliefs that have persisted, and the slow loss of these from our world is something that should be mourned. However, many times, we do not perceive that these pieces of our past are in danger of being lost...

Why should we care? Traditions give us a sense of identity... yes, but so do many other things. I can identify myself as a user of an iPhone or an Android for example... but these "identifiers" serve only to further materialistic purposes. Oftentimes in our world today identity is tied to the material, to the possessions we have (or can potentially have). I dislike this greatly. For me identity is integrally tied to Tradition. Our Traditions give spiritual insight into ourselves. They provide an esoteric window through which we can view our present world. This is the true beauty of Tradition - not the preservation of the past (although this is a great role of Tradition), I would venture that the greatest relevance of Tradition in any time or place is the balance Tradition provides between the worldly and the spiritual.

The voice of Tradition is the past in the present, guiding the future.

A Thought

I have wondered recently on the nature of a thought.

It's something that exists for an indeterminate period of time, has no real end and no real beginning, but also no duration for it's existence. Very curious... If I have a thought today, I don't really know for sure if this thought stems from another thought I may have had in the past (or if it is influenced by ideas, thoughts and words that others have spoken or written in the past). The only thing I can say about thoughts is that they come from my brain... but even that is suspect.

Is a brain all that is required to have a thought? If that is the case, then thoughts must exist within the brain, but how can a thought be localized? Are thoughts "found" in the frontal cortex? The temporal lobe? If one was to systemically remove portions of another's brain, would they eventually lose the ability to think? When would that happen? Would it be based on a percentage of brain matter existing, or would it depend on specific structures? Would it vary from person to person, or would it be the same for all humans?

I don't know how to answer any of these questions, but the one thing I do know is that a thought seems to be beyond the physical structure responsible for it's generation. I believe that our thoughts are an interface with the metaphysical. The fact that our mind is able to comprehend the abstract, the esoteric (to some extent), and the metaphysical points to it's metaphysical nature. Many say that the brain/mind dichotomy is a fallacy, that the mind exists simply because the brain does. I don't think this is the case. Maybe consciousness does simply require a certain amount of "processor power" to manifest itself, but I still feel that the ability to think, the internal monologues we are able to pursue, the gift of comprehension we have, is not one that is tied purely to the physical realm.

How to go about proving, or disproving this? I do not know. I do not know if it is even possible to use scientific principles on something that may extend beyond the realms of science today, but I do know that the ability to look for the answer is a part of both the question, and the ultimate answer.

Spiritual Meritocracy

Religion has played an important role in the human experience, arguably since humans have had experiences. This is interesting, because religion ties into the human experience... With the key word being experience.

Human beings can and according to many interpretations of differing faiths, do seek out religious knowledge, but this is very distinct from religious experience. Religious experience is an interesting term, I would argue that this term encompasses the true beauty of religion. Religious knowledge is something that can be learnt, that can be passed on to others, and it is an important part of faith for many. However, it only makes up a small piece of a true religious experience. Religious experience cannot be transmitted to others, it cannot be taught, or learnt, it does not depend on the amount of training that a person has, or the environment in which one lives. So since, it can be argued that religious experience is the primary goal of religion, and that every person has their own religious experience, it leads us to another interesting point. If the earlier presumptions are correct, it means that religion and religious practices at their ultimate base form a meritocracy.

Now meritocracy may be a misnomer of sorts, as the "cracy" in it implies a system of government, but the key point remains the same. A meritocracy is a society wherein an individual who is meritorious, or worthy, is the one who benefits - that is those who deserve accolades are the same people who receive the accolades. The principle is the same in religious matters. A religious experience does not depend on how much money a person has, how much education they have, how powerful their families are, or even how much religious information a person knows. A poor individual has the same likelihood of having a positive religious experience as a rich one. The most learned individual may never have this experience, while one who is ignorant may surpass the learned.

Now, I do not know what creates a positive religious experience, I only know that it is subjective. One person may have an enlightened moment while engaging in formal religious practice, another may find these experiences while informally meditating, and yet another may encounter this during a busy working day. This subjectiveness is necessary for this, as there is no way to measure a religious experience externally. We create our own positive religious experiences... they exist within us and because of us. Whether we create them through prayer, meditation, sheer belief, incisive questioning, generosity, or a host of actions, the key point is that we create these experiences for ourselves.

So, what is the reason for all of this? ... I believe the proper answer to this question is "Why." Our search for a "why" is the reason behind the importance of the religious experience. Why are we here? To have an experience that surpasses the capabilities of the human intellect, to grow beyond ourselves. The path to this experience differs from person to person, the road differs, but something deep inside tells me that the destination may be more similar than any of us would believe.

Pluralism

Pluralism is an interesting concept. It's been spoken about in so many ways and by so many people - and defined as well, but what truly is it?

The way that I look at pluralism, is as a way of thinking. To me pluralism represents the ability to think about diversity in a positive way. It is the ability to celebrate diversity while recognizing that it comes with challenges, but being willing to work to overcome these challenges... but is this it?

This definition is a very broad one, but I don't know if it's broad enough to capture a concept that is as pervasive as pluralism. Here's an example of the problem I have with the above definition... if you were an individual who lived by pluralistic values and you were placed in a very restrictive society where homogeneity was encouraged and all those around you refused to accept diversity... would you still be a "pluralistic individual"?

It's an odd question, but if you really think about it, it makes some sense... by the definition pluralism is something that can be accomplished on an individual level - I can personally celebrate diversity, recognize it's challenges and work to overcome these challenges - without involving anyone else. But this isn't right!

The more I think about it, the more I believe that pluralism depends on one's environment to truly flourish. It is a thought - a way of thinking, a way of communicating. So, pluralism cannot exist on a purely individual level... We can individually enact pluralistic values, however the true form of pluralism can only be found on a societal level. This doesn't mean that we shouldn't each work to live by pluralistic values, but it does mean that a primary goal of anyone who wishes to encourage the growth of this value system is to help others achieve the values that you wish to espouse. So really... it isn't possible to be "pluralistic individual," but it is possible to build a pluralistic society. So... wanna help me try?!

relationships

Relationships are an essential aspect to human life. Now when I say this, I don't mean to limit it to only intimate relationships, I mean the whole gamut of different social interactions we can have with each other. There are 2 major types, or forms of relationships. One that God makes for you, and the other which you choose for yourself. Now, when God makes a relationship, such as that formed between siblings, or between relatives (yes, I would include husbands / wives here) - these relationships are an essential part of life, and regardless of how negative these relationships may feel they cannot be changed. For me, this carries several layers of meaning. Firstly, I must believe that these are the best possible relationships we can have. I don't mean that everyone's home / family life will be perfect. Far from it... I mean that these bonds play an irreplaceable role in shaping our individual psyche. If it weren't for our families, we wouldn't be the people we are... and for better or for worse, these specific bonds are God's way of shaping us in some way.

Looking at relationships that we form ourselves, these include friends, acquaintances, rivals and our interactions with all other people whom we are not related to. These bonds are formed by us and they require us to consciously choose to create and fulfill them. I believe these formed relationships are God's way of giving us a choice in who we become. These represent our free will. These relationships are the ones that act as a mirror. They let us see ourselves, because by looking at those whom we surround ourselves, we have a great view into our own respective persona.

A relationship between any disparate individuals is the basis of being human. These bonds can be driven by fate, or by intent. Both are necessary for true knowledge of the self, for the first step towards knowing the self, is to know others, and how you appear to them. I firmly believe that free will and pre-destination act in many aspects of our lives, however, I feel that this is most apparent in the context of a relationship. The interesting thing in all of this though, is the fact that these bonds are essential to the human experience... why would this be? Because a relationship is a spiritual experience. It isn't something that happens to you only on a material, social and physical level. A relationship, an interaction, a word between yourself and another changes you spiritually. This change can manifest in many ways, but at the end of the day, we should stay conscious of the power we have over others, and they have over us.

Make another person happy, in fact, make everyone as happy as you can, for in this positive bond lies a form of spiritual salvation.