Happy 2007, and Happy Birthday to me

I count the years by what I have accomplished, and I have done a lot, may be not as much as I wanted, but I’m contented with what I have. New Years Eve is my birthday, and my wish is to make a major change in my life. I have already started in this direction, and I know I can do it.
May 2007 be filled with love to all :*

One World, Many Cultures

I’m listing to “One World, Many Cultures” CD I got at the New Age store. The earth is one place with many cultures, how beautiful is diversity, how beautiful is the culture mix, how original to be different and yet to share one aspect; humanity.

The wave of religiosity, or more accurately fundamentalism, is obvious around the globe; whether it is Christianity, Judaism or Islamic. Is this good? Or is it back to crusades era? Or is it the sign of the third world war of total destruction.

If the three monolithic religions believe in one God, worship one God, then why is the conflict? Why should Moslem God be the righteous God not the Christian’s or the Jew’s or vise versa? Why should Christians be deprived of having churches in Saudi Arabia? Or why should Jews be forbidden to reside on Islamic lands? Aren’t they all the descendants of Abraham?

Tolerance between these three religions is a wishful thinking, the essence of their dogmas forbid it. And although Christianity had come a long way, and had modified the original preaching to accommodate to the changes in the new era, Islam still suffers from this intolerance, and the evidences are clear among Moslem nations.

Quran can’t decide how to treat Ahl Elkitab, and I find this very annoying since it contains a big irony. For example: in one verse of surrah 5:72-73, it says: “they do blaspheme who say: Allah is one of three in a trinity: for there is no God except one God. If they desist not from their word (of blasphemy), verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them”. Another example in surrah 5:116: “and behold! Allah will say: O Jesus the son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, worship me and my mother, as Gods in derogation of Allah”.

Is there any Christian who does not believe in trinity? Or is there any Christian who does not believe in One God who takes different forms? I do not know of anyone. So apparently whoever taught Mohammad Christianity gave him the wrong information.

Or may be the God of Mohammad is different than that of Jesus’; The God of Jesus is closer to humanity since he takes the form of the father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. But He does not believe in Mohammad’s God that came after Him, nor accepts the Jews whom did not accept Jesus. But Mohammad’s God is distant; he is the sole master and his relationship to humans is that of the Master/Slave, and considers Ahl Elkitam blasphemers whom his slaves must fight, He is also angry at the Jews and can’t rest till He takes his revenge. Jews’ God is another story all together; He is prejudice, He has given his back to all humans and only sympathizes with his tripe that keep crying and shaking their heads for Him.

The year 2006 marks very important events for the three monolithic Gods since the three are having their celebrations at the same time; 3aid Elad7a, Christmas and Hanukkah. So will we have thunder and lightning from above when the three Gods fight head-to-head on who is not supposed to greet whom? The slaves have already started this fight for the Gods and I hope this won’t escalate to world destruction of humanity.

Not only that, but Moslems have even created a religion of their own; Islam forbids idolatry; yet they have made an idol out of their own prophet, and the Danish Caricature incident and what came after it is the sad proof. If the common God of the three religions decided that all should celebrate together in this year, who are they to defy Him? Unless they are assigning themselves Gods by taking His role; which is the new trend among Islamic nations today. And in this case what is the difference between monotheism and polytheism?

Isn’t time for us to think rationally and tolerate each other, whatever is the religion or the belief or even the non-belief, celebrate all our occasions together, and appreciate our differences?

Merry Christmas
Mobarak Alaikom Eid Eladha
Happy Hanukkah
Ohm Shanti ………. You can add more

And happy New Year to all, in spite of them all

And may 2007 be of more celebrations, and may our wars be just the tragedies of the ignorant past.

Christmas Eve Ramblings

Ok what to do on Christmas Eve when all banks are closed and, well I’m waiting for some transactions, and today is Sunday, tomorrow is Christmas day, and nothing is open and my business has to wait till Tuesday 😦

So we decided, me and the boys, just to get lost, no, not exactly, we decide to walk on the streets and discover new places. The streets were practically empty, and that’s understandable, since almost every one is having a Christmas occasion with family, but hey, there was this place which was open, it’s called New Age. Wow, New Age is my place, actually, this is the place I call the treasure, I’m fond of candles and spiritual books and CD’s as well as DVD’s.

And here is what I got after spending almost two hours in there with the boys outside waiting (poor guys); some CD’s (eight of them) that I’ve been hunting through the Net for a long time, as well as a book 🙂

Then we strolled a bit more in the cold weather and saw this Irish Bar, what a treat, a place to have a drink and to warm up ha?
They were kind enough to let the boys in; one of them is underage. They have this pool room where the boys found their delight. As for me; I sat in a corner on a high stool. In front of me a Marlow glass on a high table, and further on, a bunch of people, loud but not to my attention, since I had my iPod playing my Enigma and Buddha bar music. But a couple of lovebirds were kissing right in front of me. Being the Kuwaiti I am, I could not resist ogling, they were not young, most probably in their forties, not good looking like movie stars either, but they looked beautiful. Something I’m not used to seeing back home, do you blame me for being a curious cat?

The atmosphere was very Christmassy; but I was too sober to notice at first, so I crossed my legs on the high stool and started reading my new book (on my lap). What a nice feeling, nobody paid attention; imagine if I did this in Kuwait, LOL

The decoration was like that of the old taverns; wooden walls mixed with brown bricks and oak wood walls and ceiling. Halve of the ceiling was open to the sky for fresh air since this was the smoking area, but there were heaters hanging to the ceiling, and with those and the effect of the Marlow, and of course the warm smiles of the people around, I did not feel the cold. And it amazed me that my youngest was winning all the pool games played in the room next to me. When did he learn that? hmmm. Another guy sitting next to me, unaware of my presence , as he was watching the NFL on TV. Time passed, between my book and occasional chatting with the people inside the bar. Everyone seemed happy and careless; did they know about the ministry of Sho2on banning guys from working in women’s stores? Nah… why do I have to think about that now?
On our way back I was a bit tipsy, so I raced the guys back to the hotel, and guess what, I won 😀

No, we did not get back to the hotel yet, we discovered this Indian bakery that was still open and decided to get some fattining goodies for breakfast tomorrow. And to my astonishment I found my favorite Rasmalai and Taramasso with rum, hmmm the original Taramasso, ok, when it comes to Taramasso I’m a beast. So I couldn’t wait for breakfast; I had a few and I’m so full and fulfilled, good night guys till tomorrow.

An update
A dedication from Soud to me and from me to all of you :*

Tis the Season to be Jolly tala lala la

Happy Holidays Y’ll

The Awakening

Today I woke up a bit late for breakfast. So I decided to put on my heavy jacket and head to the nearby Starbucks while the boys were still asleep. I ordered a tall Americano and sat outside under the heavenly warm California sun reading my book. Every time I raised my head from the book, I caught a glimpse of a friendly gesture from a passerby greeting me. This may be a very simple act, which may not mean much to others, but to me it meant a lot. It reminded me to appreciate my existence.
I realized that since I came here, I never for one second posed to see how beautiful things are around me. I was too consumed in my duties to accommodate the boys and didn’t really notice the tall tree right outside the hotel I reside in, nor paid attention to how beautiful bare trees looked during this time of the year, as if by shamelessly stripping naked, they were defying the cold and declaring their freedom. Freedom of their past attachments, so that they would strengthen their connection to me. Those trees taught me to give up my own attachment so I can appreciate this connection to nature. Connection is freedom; and this sense of freedom that I feel here is indescribable. This freedom does not imply having excess in life pleasures, as many misinterpret, it’s rather a state of mind. It’s what I feel right now by being the sole controller of my life, of my thoughts and actions.
I started talking to the trees on my way back and to my astonishment they talked back. One of them told me the secret of “Rose and Chris” who must’ve spent sometime underneath it drawing a red heart, and I wondered what happened to them. Another one seemed too shy to strip from its leaves; it just colored them red-orange to attract my attention, and mirror the beauty and glow of my own face. The vine shaped leaves were easy with the wind, as I was easy with my thoughts.
The sense of divinity in my spirit was electrified by the movement of everything around me; I realized how nature was close to my being, that I confused it with my own being. The being that I have forgotten in the chaos of life, the burdens of responsibilities, the misgiving of the solitary confinement I forced on myself in my own country. Life seems so beautiful, why are we living only at its edge?
Good morning stranger, I may not know you, but I carry lots of love to your simple gesture and awakening smile. You may not be aware of your deed, but you reminded me of what I miss the most back home, you reminded me that I am alive.

Ay Education Ay Ba6eekh!

MP Alsarawi got my attention with his questioning Education minister, but reading through his questions I realized that none were concerning education, and all were technical issues concerning the ministry’s conduct with their budgets, as if this is the only problem that we are facing with Education ministry. As if we do not have almost the highest rate of failure among student in grade schools. Where are your questions about the ones who are responsible for lousy curriculums? Where are your questions concerning education subjects and their contents? Where are your questions concerning the qualifications of the teaching staff? Where are your questions about the research strategy of which most are done by outside offices and not by student’s personal efforts? Where are your questions about private courses, which are so shamelessly used by teachers to make an extra buck? Where are your questions concerning student public transportation to schools?
Oh, well, I guess MP Alsarawi is the wrong guy to expect such questions from, then whom should we turn to when our education system is deteriorating by the day?

I can see from the title that those questions are submitted on stages, so will he submit more serious questions concerning generations of the outcome of the educational system on a later stage? I doubt it.

Diversity

All my life I have loved poetry and was fascinated by the written word. But I never really thought in majoring in linguistics or literature because my mind was set from childhood, mostly by parents and environment, to science since it was (and is) considered the knowledge of the day through which one could have a better chance for a decent job. And poetry remained to be just a hobby.

I remember my first interest in science started by reading a biography of Marie Curie, a book that was gifted to me by my father, I also remember proudly telling my science teacher in grade school that I wanted to become the Arabic version of Madam Curie, and still can remember her raised eyebrows and bulging eyes when I told her that. Nevertheless; she was kind enough to encourage me with a boost by saying that she’s sure I will be one someday. Well; I never got to be Madam Curie, and at the same time I lost my chance to become a renowned poetess.

I graduated from high school when I was much younger than my peers and it was my father’s decision to send me to the States to study Engineering. At those times Engineering and Medicine were the hot subjects of the day, and whoever thought of studying any other subject was considered a waste of time, especially when one was able to get a degree in science. And from there, life just took me in a roller coaster before I realized that I became just one of many Engineers who did not really apply what I studied. And at the same time I lost my chance to better my skills in a subject I loved the most.

Time does not seem to have changed much where I live. My eldest son did well in science, his father wanted him to get in business, and the extended family members encouraged Engineering since both his parents are Engineers. But he told me that his passion is Music, he learned to play different instruments on his own since he was a little kid. And here I had to fight for him, knowing that one would only make a difference when one loves what he does. He has high hopes in becoming a music writer and I have high hopes in him, whether he succeeds in that field or doesn’t remain to be his own choice.

The above-mentioned personal introductory was important for the subject I’m getting into which is diversity. How many times we have killed talents and ambitions when we decided what others should do? How many Engineers do we have in the country who do not have actual work to do? And why no ones told me that Kuwait is a consumer country and there is no manufacturing when I decided to specialize in Computer Design?

It is true though, I got a decent job, I got to manage sections and departments. I got to earn high salary, but is that what it’s all about? Did I get the self-satisfaction I sought? And what did the society gain from just another headcount? And more importantly; what would have been my fate if I had taken a different course?

Diversity is important in every society; talents and special capabilities should be encouraged and nourished. Talents can be detected from a very young age; they could lead to creativity, a thing that we lack the most in our country. If everyone is to become an Engineer or a Physician then who would take care of Art and Culture? And more importantly, how could we prosper with no creativity?

Pictures

Skeptical? Why not?

Misguided had provided some very nice video clips of a seminar by the title “beyond belief”, where few scientists voiced their opinions about the correlation of science with religion. It took me quite some time to finish watching all the clips and that was not easy considering other errands I had while traveling. Nevertheless; I used every minute I could spare and I really enjoyed every bit of it. I also recommend it to the ones with open mindedness.

Misguided asked me a question in response to my comment of losing faith during Ramadan of the last year, he asked; what happened last Ramadan that changed my perception about God. I tried to answer his question, but found out that my answer took two pages, so I decided to have it in a post considering it’s importance, although this was a personal issue. Now to answer his question let’s look at the mathematical model Richard Dawkins presented in his book ”The God Delusion”:
He presented the correlation of blasphemy and religious faith as a mathematical straight line, where blind faith resides in “+infinity” and changes according to each individual towards “0” and then to “– infinity” where supposedly blasphemy resides, and in between you’d find skepticism, agnosticism and so on as you head towards “0” from the other side of the line.

Now I would add to that the effect of science as another dimension that correlates in parallel to both. And as misguided mentioned that not many scientists agreed on the inexistence of the intelligent design although they believe in scientific evidences that shaked the grounds of this fact. And therefore I could say with confidence that none of those scientists had their beliefs blindly resided in “+infinity”, and very few were in between “0” and “+infinity”, while also no one’s belief resided in “–infinity”, which is understandable since science is an evolutionary process and not certain facts, but most of them were somewhere between “0” and “–infinity”.

Now, if I talk about myself, I may say that I have always been in oscillation between “+infinity” and close to “0”; My interest in science and its advancements gave me the bases to form a skeptical outlook toward the intelligent design, yet, my emotional state and my long time relationship with the creator kept me in a state of total denial. My relationship with the scriptures also suffered a big blow every time I tried to make sense of it, yet, I always either blamed that on the misinterpretation or man-manipulation through time progression. But Ramadan was always a special occasion for me, not that I have been unfaithful all year long, but more of a solitary ritualistic occasion where I always found my grounds, you may say, in relationship with the creator.

Now having said that; last Ramadan I fell on my back and broke some ribs, the accident forced me to stay most of Ramadan lying on my back, and being alone most of the time thinking about all the things that I have accomplished in life and things that I wanted to accomplish and never had a chance to. I also started thinking about the purpose of my existence on earth and what I considered priority before my time ends. And although I have always known that humanity was my first priority, yet, I never really thought about it deep enough.

And looking through this lens led me to believe that this creator I relied so much on didn’t really care; so much madness and disasters were all around, of which most were due to man intervention, yet the creator never intervened to put a stop to them. I also realized that morality could be wavered according to one’s belief, especially at that time when people were diverse in their opinion about the war on Lebanon. I have to admit that those were the saddest moments of my life when I suddenly admitted to myself that my belief in the creator was nothing but smoke in the air, but I wanted to hold on to this belief for a personal interest, personal satisfaction through spiritual means, which was a selfish motive.

But was the existence of a creator mandatory to this self-satisfaction? Not really, I am a yoga person and I have sought this satisfaction through meditation, so why was I still in the state of denial? I always relied on rational thinking and logic, then why was I constantly contradicting myself? I was never the type by the way, whatever I believed I had always voiced out loud without fear, so why when it came to this issue in particular I became shaky? And what was the difference between me and the ones in +infinity?

In those moment I decided to be honest to myself before others no matter how hard that was, and believe me it was not easy. But now when I look back, I know that I feel more comfortable with myself knowing that I could contribute to humanity on solid grounds.

That does not mean that religion was all that bad, religion was part of our heritage, our history, our social evolutionary process, yet, it had it’s time and as science develops more each day, we have to evolve accordingly. Keeping the dogmas of the ancient would only take us back in time; it creates hatred when it segregates people into groups. And I came to the conclusion that no matter how much we try to tolerate each other, religion enforces these differences for it constantly keeps nourishing on it; Jews hate Moslems as a part of their belief, Moslems hate Jews for the same reasons, Christians hate both, and none respect Sikhs and Buddhists or any other religion.

Science taught us that we all share red blood, none of us has blue, yet religion enforces the differences, and the one who caused all this does not give a hoot. Nuclear weapons are increasing each day, and whoever resides in “+infinity” would not stop it; end of time where justice would prevail is part of each belief, spreading faith, be it by force, is also a part of each belief. Now where does humanity stand in all this? And if human destroyed earth one day, do we have the right to call ourselves the most intelligent beings on earth? Hardly so.