The dogs bark...

"Dogs bark, but the caravan moves on."

C.S. Lewis: We Have No "Right to Happiness"

A great article by C.S. Lewis:

"It is part of the nature of a strong erotic passion—as distinct from a transient fit of appetite—that it makes more towering promises than any other emotion. No doubt all our desires make promises, but not so impressively. To be in love involves the almost irresistible conviction that one will go on being in love until one dies, and that possession of the beloved will confer, not merely frequent ecstasies, but settled, fruitful, deep-rooted, lifelong happiness. Hence all seem to be at stake. If we miss this chance we shall have lived in vain. At the very thought of such a doom we sink into fathomless depths of self-pity.

Unfortunately these promises are found often to be quite untrue. Every experienced adult knows this to be so as regards all erotic passions (except the one he himself is feeling at the moment). We discount the world-without-end pretensions of our friends' amours easily enough. We know that such things sometimes last—and sometimes don't. And when they do last, this is not because they promised at the outset to do so. When two people achieve lasting happiness, this is not solely because they are great lovers but because they are also—I must put it crudely—good people; controlled, loyal, fairminded, mutually adaptable people."

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Abdul Hakim Murad on Muslim Youth in the West

We were listening to a recent interview of Shaykh Abdul Hakim Murad on the the BBC. He said something about muslim youth in the west which really struck a cord with us:

Abdul Hakim Murad: "The Problem that one faces with a lot of young people is that they say 'Why should we integrate into a society that obviously hates us so much? They don’t respect anything that is distinctive about Islam, so why should we (integrate)?'  Thats a good argument."

The BBC Presenter: "So whats the answer?"

Abdul Hakim Murad: " The answer is never mind what they think about you, trust in God. Islam is a religion which wants it's members to succeed, to be positive neighbors, to be part of the national endeavor.   And whether or not people like you at the workplace, whether or not they bully you in the police or the armed forces, you just have to trust in God and your faith in God. If it's real faith in God, (it) should enable you to deal with any obstacles that might come your way."

Knowledge and understanding

"Perhaps we know more about the world then we used to and insofar as knowledge is prerequisite to understanding, that is all to the good. But knowledge is not as much a prerequisite to understanding as is commonly supposed. We do not have to know everything about something in order to understand it; too many facts are often as much of an obstacle to understanding as too few.  There is a sense in which we moderns are inundated with facts to the detriment of understanding." 

Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren in "How to Read a Book"

Balance

We were at a seminar on Balance recently. Before the seminar began, the moderator asked us to stand on one foot. First on our right foot and then on our left foot. 

After we finished, we were asked what we needed to keep our balance while standing on one foot. Most answers form people related to two things: 1) Focus and 2) Support.

i.e. One needs to focus on what one is doing to keep balance. If one loses focus of what one is doing then one may fall out of balance.  This shows the importance of intention and a goal in every day actions and tasks.  This may require self knowledge and reflection.

One may need the support of a table or a peer to keep standing on one foot. Same is true in real life. We need to kepp the company of people who help us in our balance and who provide us support. We should not be around people who move away just when we need thier support. Plus we need to be the support to others when they need us. It is important to keep good company.