Niat

Developing on from in-vacuo's and AVP's comments on the previous post.

They drew my attention to niat ie intention.

In Islam, the most basic teaching teaches you that everything starts with niat. Niat that everything you do and everything that you are is because of God. I'm not so good at following that part simply because. But I do agree with the practice of niat. I generally believe that I should live life doing good or at the very least to not harm others. Those are, I guess, my general intentions in life. But what if I push it further?

It made me recollect back on my primary-school-agama-classes-days plus all those extracurricular-tuition-imposed-agama-classes where I had to memorise many many doa (prayer) outlining my niat for all things imaginable. It was crazy. There is a doa for when you wake up, before you shower, when you put on clothes, before you eat, before you step out of the house, when you study, at housewarmings and many many more. I resented it! Memory is not exactly the best gift I possess and what more in a foreign language and in meanings that I hardly cherish. Example 1: Doa when you wake up translates to something along the line of 'Thank you God for reawakening me back from my temporary slumber. And to You shall I return.' Geezz, talk about gibberish for a primary school kid right?

But after a degree or so, and a slight tweaking to suit me, it could easily translate to 'I am grateful to be alive today. I may not be tmrw' translation: Carpe Diem my friends ;p

But in all seriousness, I guess what I've discovered and am trying to highlight is that you should continuously be aware of and determine your intentions, in whatever way relevant to you, before setting out on doing something. Intention before action! Imagine what it could mean if I woke up every morning being grateful to be alive and wanting to live the day to the fullest. There will be no Monday-blues or any days blue. I wont get bogged down by the calamities of life and learn to appreciate and be grateful for each day as it comes. I will get things, well the important thing anyway, done much quicker too.

And that is just with practicing 1 intention in the morning. Imagine if I expand further. Leaving the house and embracing the traffic in the morning with the determination to learn more, to achieve more; being grateful for the wonderful food that I intend to enjoy before I eat; a simple housewarming doa with the intention of building a home and not just a house (think of it as wedding vows but for the family); Theres 10,001 niat for 10,001 actions!

You'd think its crazy that so much focus goes into intention and that it'll shave time off action right? Not necessarily so. I think its just a way of re-wiring oneself, to living life and every moment of it with well intentions and to living life purposefully. It will take time to adjust but it is a technique that can be mastered. Haha how would I know. I'll let you know someday soon hopefully. I'm gonna think of 1 simple intention to master first ;) Baby steps :)


^8 Cee

Superiority

In one form or another, most of us, if not all, are striving or are at the very least subject to projections of superiority.

Types of superiority ranges from religion (thinking that one religion is better than the other), to wealth (associating oneself to a similar elite class), to education (studying hard to prove oneself smarter and capable than others or as a platform to bring oneself further than others) to etiquette (behavior and well manners are closely linked to upbringing) and a whole lot more.

Striving to superiority is, in one's eyes and society's eyes, a determination to be better and to achieve more. This is all good and stuff but at the same time, striving to be better divides people as it inidrectly/directly belittles them. Whether you realise it or not, by telling yourself that you want to be better, you are saying that you are, and many people who are at your similar stage 0, not good enough. And once you've progressed to stage 1, you think that you are better off now than before and others who are at stage 0, are lacking behind.

As you progress more and more in life, the gap may keep on increasing up to a stage where everyone who is not with you becomes part of 'them' and it becomes a separation between 'us' and 'them'. Of course one way of narrowing it is to help others progress. But it is fatal to assume that others view/desire progress the way you do.

I guess my question is, how do you progress without a projection of superiority?How do you not divide it into an Us vs Them thing? And if need be, how do you reduce superiority but at the same time remain relevant?

Respect for all is an answer. Respect will make life a lot more peaceful but it is not the answer to bring us closer. Or am I missing the point? Is division natural and inevitable after all?

^8 Cee

Agora

The stupidity of men is a bad joke.

To kill in the name of religion is disrespectful.

To follow blindly in the name or religion is insulting.

It happened then, and we tell ourselves,

Those men knew no better and that history shan’t repeat.

But it is happening now and the clown is us.

We're so caught up with 'life' that we do not realise,

that we are no different from those men of the past.

Funny isn’t it,

We pride mankind with advancement and evolution,

But really, what evolution is there, if the mind does not evolve?

And to question it simply,

Do you think it possible for our mind to ever evolve?

Or is our state of being fated to remain stagnant throughout human history?

Why can’t we dream of a better future, a better present,

when it is as simple as understanding the need to respect another?

(Quite angry)

But movie was good.

^8 Cee

Turkiye: Day 6

KONYA
They use coal to keep warm. A very polluted city.

But we were there because it was town of Rumi, the most famous Sufi poet, mystic and theologian.

Sufism is the mystical side to Islam. It is in which Muslims seek to find divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God. Sufis seclude themselves for months and meditate to ends to open up a different way of thinking and reach a different level of devotion and Love for God. Self-discipline and concentration on God leads to the belief that by quelling the self and through loving ardour for God it was possible to maintain a union with the divine in which the human self melted away (ie: state of non-existence). Rumi believed passionately in the use of dance, poetry and music as a path for reaching God. The whirling dervishes, a mystical journey, became a ritual in Sufism because of him.

He not only appealed to the Eastern world but also the Western as he was the "most popular poet in America" in 2007 (800 yrs after his death). Yay! I got hold of his book :) His poetry is an observation of nature around him and Love only for God. My cousin debated that if you were to follow Rumi's teaching then there is no room to love another. True, perhaps. But I want to be in love with another! There must be a way and to which what I discovered gave me goosebumps and a sudden jolt of humility. I reasoned that Rumi believed that God is within everyone and every being. And this justifies one to love another :)

But to follow it in the strictest sense, to love everything and everyone around you and to see God in everything and will to them as you will to God brings you to humility as everything around you is far more divine and strips you of your ego self.

I know I shall be filled with love of life if this is what I breathe but (i) I do not exclusively belief in a higher order/power and (ii) even if I do...even if I do have a leap of faith, this is too much for me to comprehend, too big of a change of how I see life and imaginably too crazy of a life...how do I even start by seeing God in us.

CAPPADOCIA
1. Reached Cappadocia in the evening. Some parts were used in the Star Wars movie! DUH coz its so out of this world!

2. At night, we went out to Yasar Baba to be entertained by some folk dance and traditions and ceremonies

Fire dance outside. So full of energy.Belly dancing. My cousin got pulled up to dance with her and lets just say he was more than eager to go *grins*

^8 Cee

December, month of festivities

It has finally dawned upon me that:

1) End of year is finally here,

2) I am taking days off work for the first time,

and what seriously occurred to me two minutes ago was that I am very excited....

3) 6 days countdown before I am in this land right here.Please click image. You have to see it enlarged!

Cee gets to travel again!

Love
^8 Cee

In health and sickness

When I was a kid, I used to watch my parents sleep. I used to watch their chest go up and down. I remember how I used to wait for it to move and how slow time passes by. I did all this because someone once told me that people die in their sleep.

But I dont do that anymore.

Do I not have time anymore. Am I too busy with life to worry of death. Or do I simply take things forgranted.

It took sickness to make me remember...To remind me that my parents are humans and that they can be weak. Its frightening and unnerving to see them weak but I guess its life reminding us of the important things we take forgranted. And for that, perhaps sickness is just as important as health.

^8 Cee

Better World

A friend of mine believes that not only does the world around us shape us, but that we too shape the world. So if you've ever dreamed and envisioned for a better world, why not start to shape it into a better world!

You can make a difference. You dont have to be rich or it doesnt have to take up most of your time. Start small, make it sustainable!

My friend is starting with a conscious kind-act-a-day. Follow it at his blog here!
Its a simple concept. He starts it with himself - do a kind act a day to another. And lets say another 2 friends joins him on this idea, then you've got 3 people contributing a kind act each. And if these 2 new friends get another 2 new friends each, then you've got 7 people contributing a kind act each everyday...and it goes on and on and on....and hopefully it becomes a movement. Globally, you've got a whole new generation of people consciously choosing to do a kind act each day. Imagine that!

I stress on the word conscious because I believe that a better world should start with a change in mentality. By consciously choosing to do a kind act a day, you consciously realise the need for change and the importance of kindness and human relation. So why not start now?

Do a-kind-act-a-day and change the world to a better place. TRY IT! And at the very least support him, support the guy that is willing to change if you're not. Support him by reading his blog and encouraging and spreading the news (hehe like me!). But best of all, support him by joining in with his idea... Start a blog to keep a kindness diary for yourself and for others - you're not only helping yourself, but you're helping the entire world.

You start small and you dream big!
A small act of kindness collectively CAN change the world.


Credits to my 13 y.o. brother who co-wrote this post
P.s.: a short conversation btwn my bro and I
Me: You wanna say your age or not?
Him: Yea.
Me: How old?
Him: 13......single"
Me: -_-" (Ignoring him)
Him: Write single.
Me: -_-" -_-" -_-"
----and just when you think its over----
Him: Put exclamation mark. Single!


^8 Cee

2 months of hols

Yaaaaayyyyyy.
School holiday is here.

Ho Ho Ho. I'm no school kid.
I'm just someone who appreciates the less jammed up road in the morning.

Hello Beauty Sleep ;)

^8 Cee

Freaky Coincidence

True story.

My granduncle passed away at the age of 67 at about 1.30pm due to heart attack. May his soul rest in peace.
The very next day, at 1.30 pm, the driver that drove my granduncle's body to the graveyard, who is coincidentally 67 years old, also passed away because of heart attack.

Freaky Coincidence? YEP.


Life oh life...


^8

A death has happened

The burial took place at night.
Everything went smoothly. It felt so peaceful and it was rather *beautiful* having a gathering of people around the graveyard under a clear nightsky to bid farewell and celebrate another person's life.

But imagine, 67 years of living and all it takes is hours to return back to soil...and only moments of celebrating the end. But hey, maybe I'm missing the point. Maybe life is a lifelong celebration and/or 'the end' is not necessarily the end after all ;)

Whatever it is, lets remember to live and remember that all things material eventually disappears (and perhaps all things non material for that matter).


Lastly,
Don't fear death just because you fear the unknown


^8 Cee