Faith

Going through this post in a friend's blog, I was reminded of a story I once heard someone tell me concerning faith in a way. I can't retell it verbatim, so if anyone has a more exact version, or if I got the story wrong, do let me know. Here is the story as I can recall:

An opponent of Islam approached an Imam who was a teacher of Islam and said to him "Who is this God that you worship? You cannot see him, nor hear him, or feel him nor smell him".

"Tell me how is it that you can believe in a thing that you cannot prove to exist? Answer me that!" he asked the Imam cockily, thinking he had asked a question that would be unanswered by the religious man.

The Imam looked calmly at the non-believer, lifted his hand and promptly smacked the other man across the face.

The non-believer's eyes widened in surprise. While he was still reeling from shock, the Imam asked him "Does it hurt?" to which the heathen replied indignantly "Of course it hurts!". Without skipping a beat, the Imam continued "But how can I believe that you have pain? I cannot see your pain, nor hear your pain, not taste it, nor feel it."

And with this, the non-believer was enlightened.

windmill hill graffiti

windmill hill graffiti, originally uploaded by pshab.

This is exactly what I mean. So free we are. How unconstrained by human made rules. Silly rules like working from 9 - 5? Perish the thought! We work willingly, at any time we please, it just so happens that we tend to work from 9 - 5, for some reason.

Throngs of drones, identical in their pressed shirts and ties, decide to have lunch at 1.00 pm, because naturally that's the time when humans feels hungry. "I'm an individual" you hear one of them voice. You turn your head to identify this "free soul" who has decided to break away from convention, only to find your gaze lost in a sea of GQ and designer hairstyles. Each exactly the same as the other, gelled spike for gelled spike.

Gelled spikes that hide dreams of big cars and houses, moneys and titles and fame and power. Because that's what everyone dreams of. That is the definition of success. And who doesn't want success?

"go to work, send your kids to school
follow fashion, act normal
walk on the pavements, watch T.V.
save for your old age, obey the law
Repeat after me: I am free"

Let the World Read

From jomread.com:

"You know how you sometimes think “I’d like to pick up a good book and sit in and read this Sunday”, but never seem to because you didn’t have time to look for one, or because shelling out RM80 for a book you might end up reading only once seems too wasteful?

Remember one of your friends who not only loves reading books, but loves spreading the knowledge too? The one who will go out of the way just to lend you a great book? All you have to do is just meet up with that particular friend and bring home something to read. Easy, isn’t it?

We are not here to replace you generous friend. But we sure would like to be one of yours. That’s why we would love to lend you one book at a time for you to read, once you’ve finished it, we’ll send you another one."

Head on over to jomread.com if you love reading!

Genius.

My mom writes me notes a lot; words of wisdom and other such pearls.

This fella's post reminded me of a quote she had slipped me once,

"Nothing in the world will take away persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than an unsuccessful man with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are" omnipotent."

Calvin Coolidge


I thought I'd share it.