The previous blog received some interesting comments, with it being correctly stated that our society seems to have evolved even past the concept of a knowledge society into one where there is significant importance that will be placed on "being Actionable" (Nav Nathoo - Facebook, December 3, 2013).
This is a great point and very true. Gaining information is simple, converting that information to knowledge is expected of all people, now we need to move forward into the realm of using knowledge... right!?
It's true that some societies in the world are at that point and soon enough the same shall be expected of all societies, however what we see at a micro level and what is expected at the macro level are very different things and I feel that there are specific reasons for this in today's context.
We live in a world where, increasingly, acceptance means approval. These are not the same things by any means. We must accept everyone, because regardless of where individuals are at in terms of physical ability, cognitive ability, social/economic means, personal fulfillment or any host of descriptors for human endeavor, each of us is where we are due to a sometimes skewed mix of circumstances, personal striving and societal expectations. However, I see an alarming trend today in society where things are being brought to the "lowest common denominator."
In striving to be inclusive of all peoples we seem to be forgetting that all people are not the exact same. Increasingly, having a "good education" refers to a degree where courses are taught that are the exact same as hundreds of other courses throughout the world (or in some cases, of inferior quality). I feel this is because we have a misguided interpretation of a "good society," and of pluralism. Pluralism (the ideology corresponding to acceptance of diversity) by it's very nature assumes that people are different. We are not the same, and should not be seen as such. We have different paths, different educational aims and different abilities. These differences, when viewed as a strength are what give pluralism it's ability to change the world.
We judge individuals based on tests that are flawed by their very nature, to encourage some people to pursue educational endeavors that may or may not be right for them or what society truly needs. This reduction to bringing knowledge to the level of the masses is good in many ways. We want an educated society, we want all individuals to understand everything they possibly can understand and engage with in a meaningful manner, but is this what is good?
Is it our goal to create a society, or societies with individuals who are "jack-of-all-trades, master of none"? Is this even something that society can or should play a role in governing?
On a societal level, we are already at the level of the "wisdom society," but are we doing it in a way that will lead to what Plato called, the "good society"?
Friday, February 28, 2014
The Importance of a Thick Skin
It is very easy in our world to get angry.
Anger is a natural phenomenon and it is accompanied by a host of diverse physiological reactions... in effect, being angry is similar to being afraid and let's be honest, in today's world we all have a lot to be afraid of and about.
Between climate change, wars, instability, and a lack of feeling secure in even the safest areas we all carry some low-grade stress with us at all times... sometimes, it only takes something small to set this off and make us... angry.
What usually happens to me is a host of different factors combine together with a single trigger point, something small that really isn't that big a deal, but seems to be a great injustice at the time, leading to acting in ways I normally wouldn't. Now don't get me wrong, I'm a very calm person and even when I am very upset, usually only those who know me well can tell that anything is wrong at all, but it feels terrible.
I hate being angry because it is irrational.
The trigger point that sets off most of us to being upset and angry is usually another person in our lives, often someone we care about, but sometimes just a random stranger who we feel has slighted us in some manner. That's the key there though... Very few people out there do things to make others angry (there are some though, but only a very, very small minority). Usually that checkout clerk that tells you that you have one item too many in your cart to use the express lane doesn't want to make you mad. People often do things out of their own self-interest, not in the interest of hurting others. That lady at the checkout counter may not want to be there, or maybe she's having a bad day, or maybe she just let someone else slide for having one item too many, only to be burnt by her decision.
We have the gift of knowledge and articulation, but we all have so much trouble articulating our why's... Even to ourselves. Why am I angry? Why is this a big deal?
Or maybe the issue isn't with articulation... maybe the issue is with reflection. Maybe we all need to regularly just stop, take a deep breath. Especially on those days when we've maybe had just a little bit less rest than is good for us, or on those days when we feel a bit more stressed out than normal.
Anger is a driving emotion, and a negative one. When a person is angry, they cannot think about the spiritual world, they cannot connect with the Divine, the material world and the cause of the anger become a consuming force. Anger is like a fire, spiritual search is like water. Fire has it's uses and is important to have, but one shouldn't bring it too close. Water on the other hand gives life, it suffuses our being, it is in our every cell. Too much time in the fire burns away the water and leaves only ashes behind.
Hydration and a thick skin are what is needed.
Anger is a natural phenomenon and it is accompanied by a host of diverse physiological reactions... in effect, being angry is similar to being afraid and let's be honest, in today's world we all have a lot to be afraid of and about.
Between climate change, wars, instability, and a lack of feeling secure in even the safest areas we all carry some low-grade stress with us at all times... sometimes, it only takes something small to set this off and make us... angry.
What usually happens to me is a host of different factors combine together with a single trigger point, something small that really isn't that big a deal, but seems to be a great injustice at the time, leading to acting in ways I normally wouldn't. Now don't get me wrong, I'm a very calm person and even when I am very upset, usually only those who know me well can tell that anything is wrong at all, but it feels terrible.
I hate being angry because it is irrational.
The trigger point that sets off most of us to being upset and angry is usually another person in our lives, often someone we care about, but sometimes just a random stranger who we feel has slighted us in some manner. That's the key there though... Very few people out there do things to make others angry (there are some though, but only a very, very small minority). Usually that checkout clerk that tells you that you have one item too many in your cart to use the express lane doesn't want to make you mad. People often do things out of their own self-interest, not in the interest of hurting others. That lady at the checkout counter may not want to be there, or maybe she's having a bad day, or maybe she just let someone else slide for having one item too many, only to be burnt by her decision.
We have the gift of knowledge and articulation, but we all have so much trouble articulating our why's... Even to ourselves. Why am I angry? Why is this a big deal?
Or maybe the issue isn't with articulation... maybe the issue is with reflection. Maybe we all need to regularly just stop, take a deep breath. Especially on those days when we've maybe had just a little bit less rest than is good for us, or on those days when we feel a bit more stressed out than normal.
Anger is a driving emotion, and a negative one. When a person is angry, they cannot think about the spiritual world, they cannot connect with the Divine, the material world and the cause of the anger become a consuming force. Anger is like a fire, spiritual search is like water. Fire has it's uses and is important to have, but one shouldn't bring it too close. Water on the other hand gives life, it suffuses our being, it is in our every cell. Too much time in the fire burns away the water and leaves only ashes behind.
Hydration and a thick skin are what is needed.
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
The importance of Being Knowledgeable
We live in a society that is increasingly getting smaller...
Unfortunately our society is not getting increasingly more equal. We are going into unprecedented extremes of polarity between the "haves" and the "have-nots" and it is quite worrisome. Gaps between wealthy individuals and those who are poor are increasing, yet the greatest gap seems to be forming in the realm of knowledge.
A long time back, it was possible for an individual to be a "master" of all or almost all fields of human endeavor. Nowadays, our fields of endeavor are so vast and complex, it takes a lifetime to master (sometimes not even reaching that far) a single field. Conversely, individuals are being misled and misguided in what they feel is truthful. Unfortunately, today the world is full of information and ignorance. I am someone who always wanted to be known as being well-informed. I would love to read news articles and discuss the events of the day with others.
I remember a discussion I once had with a friend of mine about the Iraq War (during the Iraq war - in early 2002). I told her that it seemed a bit premature for the US to have just jumped ahead with a war. It seemed almost a knee-jerk reaction and very few specifics were provided, besides the fact that Iraq apparently had "weapons of mass destruction." She replied that the war was justified and shot off a ton of factoids about the many different areas where the US was being attacked, the areas where the US army was helping civilians, etc... At the time the information I had was insufficient to adequately argue what I felt about the war effort, so I simply shrugged and stuck to the basic facts I had, it didn't make sense.
Looking back at this example I have learned a few things. It is remarkably easy to be well-informed in our society. There are facts and figures and information everywhere. It is extremely difficult to be knowledgeable though. My friend was well-informed. I was not well-informed nor was I knowledgeable. Being knowledgeable is an exceedingly difficult thing, it requires an individual to be well-informed and then interact with this information to produce knowledge through our critical faculties.
We all need to become more knowledgeable, we need to see when things we read are bluster and when they contain true substance. Even the best sources of information get it wrong, or have an angle on the information they feed the public. This is normal because news and information cannot be objective when it is reported by a person. We bring our own biases and subjectivity to anything we relay. Critical thinking is what leads to knowledgeability.
I don't want to just be well-informed anymore. None of us should be pleased with that title. We need to all strive to be knowledgeable... Maybe then we can figure out how to close that knowledge gap.
Unfortunately our society is not getting increasingly more equal. We are going into unprecedented extremes of polarity between the "haves" and the "have-nots" and it is quite worrisome. Gaps between wealthy individuals and those who are poor are increasing, yet the greatest gap seems to be forming in the realm of knowledge.
A long time back, it was possible for an individual to be a "master" of all or almost all fields of human endeavor. Nowadays, our fields of endeavor are so vast and complex, it takes a lifetime to master (sometimes not even reaching that far) a single field. Conversely, individuals are being misled and misguided in what they feel is truthful. Unfortunately, today the world is full of information and ignorance. I am someone who always wanted to be known as being well-informed. I would love to read news articles and discuss the events of the day with others.
I remember a discussion I once had with a friend of mine about the Iraq War (during the Iraq war - in early 2002). I told her that it seemed a bit premature for the US to have just jumped ahead with a war. It seemed almost a knee-jerk reaction and very few specifics were provided, besides the fact that Iraq apparently had "weapons of mass destruction." She replied that the war was justified and shot off a ton of factoids about the many different areas where the US was being attacked, the areas where the US army was helping civilians, etc... At the time the information I had was insufficient to adequately argue what I felt about the war effort, so I simply shrugged and stuck to the basic facts I had, it didn't make sense.
Looking back at this example I have learned a few things. It is remarkably easy to be well-informed in our society. There are facts and figures and information everywhere. It is extremely difficult to be knowledgeable though. My friend was well-informed. I was not well-informed nor was I knowledgeable. Being knowledgeable is an exceedingly difficult thing, it requires an individual to be well-informed and then interact with this information to produce knowledge through our critical faculties.
We all need to become more knowledgeable, we need to see when things we read are bluster and when they contain true substance. Even the best sources of information get it wrong, or have an angle on the information they feed the public. This is normal because news and information cannot be objective when it is reported by a person. We bring our own biases and subjectivity to anything we relay. Critical thinking is what leads to knowledgeability.
I don't want to just be well-informed anymore. None of us should be pleased with that title. We need to all strive to be knowledgeable... Maybe then we can figure out how to close that knowledge gap.
Friday, November 15, 2013
The Beggar's Lesson
We recently had the good fortune of going on our honeymoon to Italy and France. Fantastic countries with great food, usually friendly people and amazing sights. One of the interesting things I noted were the number of beggars in the streets. There were far more than we are familiar with in Canada (though admittedly far less than I've seen in Tanzania and other parts of the world). However, one experience in particular stood out for me.
I saw a man sitting on the ground smoking contentedly on a cigarette... casually put out his cigarette and then ask for money.
This was interesting for me because it led me to examine the morality of the decision. Now, in Islam we are encouraged to give to the needy and the poor, however there is also the deep belief against harming the self and the intellect. I personally cannot stand cigarettes and know that this individual asking for money is subsidizing the tobacco industry, so I feel that giving in this circumstance is not correct morally, by doing so I would be giving some money to something I feel is wrong.
What about other cases? How many people who are begging are going to use the money they gain from begging on personal expenses that the giver would feel are wrong or unwarranted? Does it matter? Or rather, did it matter? Because when I think of that I wonder - the issue of misuse of donations had to have occurred even during the time of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), yet still, the Prophet urged Muslims to give to beggars and the needy. How would he expect individuals to discern which beggars were going to use their gains in a positive manner and which would use it frivolously?
When I think about it... maybe it doesn't and didn't matter. Maybe the gain from giving to a needy person is simply meant to be enjoyed by the giver and the consequences of the action lie purely in the hands of the receiver. This doesn't mean that I personally can condone giving to someone whom I know will spend the money on alcohol or drugs or cigarettes, rather if one does so with a full heart and intent focused on helping another - The good far outweighs the bad.
Maybe I'm not blessed enough, maybe I'm too cynical... I couldn't do it. I can't do it... yet. However, I hold out hope that someday, I'll believe in my fellow human beings enough to be able to give to a person who asks without questioning their motives or what they'll do with it. I'm sure that's what our Prophet had in mind with the revelation of Surah 93 Ayat 10 of the Qur'an, "and for he who asks (begs/petitions), do not repel (him)"
To giving with a full heart.
I saw a man sitting on the ground smoking contentedly on a cigarette... casually put out his cigarette and then ask for money.
This was interesting for me because it led me to examine the morality of the decision. Now, in Islam we are encouraged to give to the needy and the poor, however there is also the deep belief against harming the self and the intellect. I personally cannot stand cigarettes and know that this individual asking for money is subsidizing the tobacco industry, so I feel that giving in this circumstance is not correct morally, by doing so I would be giving some money to something I feel is wrong.
What about other cases? How many people who are begging are going to use the money they gain from begging on personal expenses that the giver would feel are wrong or unwarranted? Does it matter? Or rather, did it matter? Because when I think of that I wonder - the issue of misuse of donations had to have occurred even during the time of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), yet still, the Prophet urged Muslims to give to beggars and the needy. How would he expect individuals to discern which beggars were going to use their gains in a positive manner and which would use it frivolously?
When I think about it... maybe it doesn't and didn't matter. Maybe the gain from giving to a needy person is simply meant to be enjoyed by the giver and the consequences of the action lie purely in the hands of the receiver. This doesn't mean that I personally can condone giving to someone whom I know will spend the money on alcohol or drugs or cigarettes, rather if one does so with a full heart and intent focused on helping another - The good far outweighs the bad.
Maybe I'm not blessed enough, maybe I'm too cynical... I couldn't do it. I can't do it... yet. However, I hold out hope that someday, I'll believe in my fellow human beings enough to be able to give to a person who asks without questioning their motives or what they'll do with it. I'm sure that's what our Prophet had in mind with the revelation of Surah 93 Ayat 10 of the Qur'an, "and for he who asks (begs/petitions), do not repel (him)"
To giving with a full heart.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Finding God
Rabrindranath Tagore wrote an interesting short story about a man who was searching for God which I've slightly modified. Now the man looked everywhere for God and eventually became completely engrossed in his search.
One day, the man saw a signpost saying, "This is the house of God." with a long set of stairs nearby. The man ran up the stairs until he reached a house. He removed his shoes and approached the door carefully... and froze with fear.
The man began to think, "What will I do with God? I've been searching for God for years, but I don't remember why. What will I talk to God about. What can I do once I've found God?" The man quickly walked backwards, grabbed his shoes and ran as fast as he could, afraid that God would hear him and come out. Since then, the man has once again been searching for God, looking everywhere except for the house with the sign.
This story is very interesting on many fronts. On first read, a part of me said, "but God is everywhere, He does not reside in a single house." but then I began to think on the messages embedded in the story. God does reside everywhere but there are some places where it is easier to access the Divine. One of these places is within the self through meditation and love... and what about the key question the man cannot answer? Can I answer that question? What will I do if I find God?
It's a very tricky question and a scary one too. Upon finding God, if one is so fortunate, does one lose their sense of self? Are thoughts of "what will I do?" moot? Does the finding of God render knowledge to the individual? Will one simply know? It's truly a tricky thought, because it can act as a barrier or as an inspiration.
At the end... does it matter? Does one need a reason or a purpose to search for and find the Divine? Will a reason hasten the search?
The answer lies beyond the door, all we have to do, is open it.
One day, the man saw a signpost saying, "This is the house of God." with a long set of stairs nearby. The man ran up the stairs until he reached a house. He removed his shoes and approached the door carefully... and froze with fear.
The man began to think, "What will I do with God? I've been searching for God for years, but I don't remember why. What will I talk to God about. What can I do once I've found God?" The man quickly walked backwards, grabbed his shoes and ran as fast as he could, afraid that God would hear him and come out. Since then, the man has once again been searching for God, looking everywhere except for the house with the sign.
This story is very interesting on many fronts. On first read, a part of me said, "but God is everywhere, He does not reside in a single house." but then I began to think on the messages embedded in the story. God does reside everywhere but there are some places where it is easier to access the Divine. One of these places is within the self through meditation and love... and what about the key question the man cannot answer? Can I answer that question? What will I do if I find God?
It's a very tricky question and a scary one too. Upon finding God, if one is so fortunate, does one lose their sense of self? Are thoughts of "what will I do?" moot? Does the finding of God render knowledge to the individual? Will one simply know? It's truly a tricky thought, because it can act as a barrier or as an inspiration.
At the end... does it matter? Does one need a reason or a purpose to search for and find the Divine? Will a reason hasten the search?
The answer lies beyond the door, all we have to do, is open it.
Friday, October 11, 2013
What is love? - Wedding Speech
Love is ineffable, indescribable, beautiful. Yet, it is one of the key things that makes us human.
In our lives, most of us experience some form of love, something that makes life worth
living. Yet, even with the fact that most of us have been touched by love… It is impossible to
articulate. What, truly IS love?
Love is a smile, love is a kiss, it’s an emotion, it’s a mental exercise.
Love is meant for God. That’s why we have been given the gift of being able to love… so that
we can love God. God put us here, so that we could recognize His creation, so that we could
experience it fully, so we could love Him through it. Loving God is a tricky thing though. God is
everywhere and in everything… and that’s what we truly fall in love with. When we love one
another, we love that reflection of God that we see in that person. This applies to all forms of
love. When a mother loves her child, when a brother loves his sibling, and the love between
friends. We care for another because we can, but we love each other because we must.
Different people reflect God in differing ways, yet none of them are bad because wherever
you look, however you choose to perceive it, if you try, you’ll see God. All I can say from my
experience is that eventually, it feels perfect. Eventually you find someone, and you love them,
and you realize that this, right here, right now, is the best reflection of God for you. The one
that makes your heart tingle, the one that puts those butterflies in your stomach, and the one
that keeps you awake at night.
And maybe, that’s what love is. Love makes us so happy, love energizes us, love drives us to go
to the ends of the earth because…
Love… is seeing God.
In our lives, most of us experience some form of love, something that makes life worth
living. Yet, even with the fact that most of us have been touched by love… It is impossible to
articulate. What, truly IS love?
Love is a smile, love is a kiss, it’s an emotion, it’s a mental exercise.
Love is meant for God. That’s why we have been given the gift of being able to love… so that
we can love God. God put us here, so that we could recognize His creation, so that we could
experience it fully, so we could love Him through it. Loving God is a tricky thing though. God is
everywhere and in everything… and that’s what we truly fall in love with. When we love one
another, we love that reflection of God that we see in that person. This applies to all forms of
love. When a mother loves her child, when a brother loves his sibling, and the love between
friends. We care for another because we can, but we love each other because we must.
Different people reflect God in differing ways, yet none of them are bad because wherever
you look, however you choose to perceive it, if you try, you’ll see God. All I can say from my
experience is that eventually, it feels perfect. Eventually you find someone, and you love them,
and you realize that this, right here, right now, is the best reflection of God for you. The one
that makes your heart tingle, the one that puts those butterflies in your stomach, and the one
that keeps you awake at night.
And maybe, that’s what love is. Love makes us so happy, love energizes us, love drives us to go
to the ends of the earth because…
Love… is seeing God.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Life and Death
A man recently committed suicide... Before doing so, he published a webpage detailing why.
I saw a copy of the webpage (the original was taken down soon after being posted) here http://www.zeroshare.info/
On his webpage, Martin Manley talked about the struggles people face as we age, he decided that he did not want to face those struggles, he wanted to take things into his own hands, he wanted to choose the time and place of his death, so he did.
The term suicide is associated with a great deal of stigma and there have been various reasons offered for this. This gentleman was actually very eloquent. His perspectives on life and death are worth reading. He discusses the fact that he did not commit suicide for any traditional reason, but rather, the end-goal seemed to be control (my words, not his), control of his destiny, control of what he will be remembered for. I'm sure many of us have thought of an "age-limit" where we at this point in time we would presumably be happy to die. For those who have thought of this, it may be that we would ideally live to be 70, for some it would be a lower, or higher number, regardless, very few people with whom I've had this discussion state that they would like to live as long as physically possible, because they don't wish to suffer. They don't want to be a burden on others, they don't want to live, simply for the sake of living.
The arguments Martin Manley makes are very logically sound. Why would anyone want to "push through" their latter years when these years are filled with the greatest challenges?
But then, we look at human nature... It is in our nature to survive. We NEED to survive. People "fight for their lives" regularly... Why? We fight through pain, through suffering, through deprivation and hardship to live. What makes us want to live so badly that we can and do push through terrible circumstances?
I think that if one looks simply at Martin Manley's arguments from the perspective he offers, they seem very sound, but one needs to look at them from a spiritual perspective as well...
At times, even when a person seems to be suffering, we cannot understand their spiritual experiences... in fact, they may not understand their spiritual experiences either. Even a person who is in a vegetative state has some unknowns... We don't know whether that individual can have any experiences, and so, we are unable to judge.
If we look at a human life as a conglomeration of the physical and the spiritual, we may find that the individual undergoes numerous transformations. However, even the negative transformations that accompany injury, age, disease, etc... may still be necessary for a spiritual journey. I know this may not bring relief to a person who is truly suffering, but sometimes that is a necessary aspect of life. Cutting one's own life short is a decision that assumes that there is nothing left to live for, when in reality, there is a spiritual journey still left. If someone looks in the right places, they'll always find something to live for. That is why we struggle to stay alive. Yes, we are instinctively driven to survive at all costs, but we don't choose en masse to die because we all have something to live for, whether we recognize it or not and whether it is physical or spiritual. Life is not simply an obstacle to salvation, nor is death the relief of suffering. Life is a pathway, and death is the gate. The destination depends on where the gate is and where the path has taken you.
I saw a copy of the webpage (the original was taken down soon after being posted) here http://www.zeroshare.info/
On his webpage, Martin Manley talked about the struggles people face as we age, he decided that he did not want to face those struggles, he wanted to take things into his own hands, he wanted to choose the time and place of his death, so he did.
The term suicide is associated with a great deal of stigma and there have been various reasons offered for this. This gentleman was actually very eloquent. His perspectives on life and death are worth reading. He discusses the fact that he did not commit suicide for any traditional reason, but rather, the end-goal seemed to be control (my words, not his), control of his destiny, control of what he will be remembered for. I'm sure many of us have thought of an "age-limit" where we at this point in time we would presumably be happy to die. For those who have thought of this, it may be that we would ideally live to be 70, for some it would be a lower, or higher number, regardless, very few people with whom I've had this discussion state that they would like to live as long as physically possible, because they don't wish to suffer. They don't want to be a burden on others, they don't want to live, simply for the sake of living.
The arguments Martin Manley makes are very logically sound. Why would anyone want to "push through" their latter years when these years are filled with the greatest challenges?
But then, we look at human nature... It is in our nature to survive. We NEED to survive. People "fight for their lives" regularly... Why? We fight through pain, through suffering, through deprivation and hardship to live. What makes us want to live so badly that we can and do push through terrible circumstances?
I think that if one looks simply at Martin Manley's arguments from the perspective he offers, they seem very sound, but one needs to look at them from a spiritual perspective as well...
At times, even when a person seems to be suffering, we cannot understand their spiritual experiences... in fact, they may not understand their spiritual experiences either. Even a person who is in a vegetative state has some unknowns... We don't know whether that individual can have any experiences, and so, we are unable to judge.
If we look at a human life as a conglomeration of the physical and the spiritual, we may find that the individual undergoes numerous transformations. However, even the negative transformations that accompany injury, age, disease, etc... may still be necessary for a spiritual journey. I know this may not bring relief to a person who is truly suffering, but sometimes that is a necessary aspect of life. Cutting one's own life short is a decision that assumes that there is nothing left to live for, when in reality, there is a spiritual journey still left. If someone looks in the right places, they'll always find something to live for. That is why we struggle to stay alive. Yes, we are instinctively driven to survive at all costs, but we don't choose en masse to die because we all have something to live for, whether we recognize it or not and whether it is physical or spiritual. Life is not simply an obstacle to salvation, nor is death the relief of suffering. Life is a pathway, and death is the gate. The destination depends on where the gate is and where the path has taken you.
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