Lets imagine a world without search engines. No Google, no yahoo and no msn whatsoever. Okay, i wont be that harsh. I'm sure one would look at me as if i'm suggesting that there shouldn't be any holidays by saying that.
Talking about holidays, this particular post is actually long overdue. I'll try and mix up a few topics because I know my mind is always in a mish-mash. Eid al-adha. I confess, my family doesn't actually live up to the event as much as eid al-fitr, but still a celebration is still a celebration. But the particular question now is, what happens when the event gets marred by other factors? I do reckon that being brought up in such a faith, the ibadah korban is of particular significance. It acts as a remembrance to how Prophet Ibrahim was willing to adhere to Allah's commands- in sacrificing his beloved son, Prophet Ismail. On that particular lesson in history, Allah sparred Prophet Ismail's life by replacing him with a lamb instead.
In commemorating what had happened, able Muslims would in turn sacrifice certain animals. Now here comes the problem. According to Quran, most of the meat that come from the sacrificed animal is to be given to the poor, which acts as another significance of the day- to include the needy in the celebration. But what I saw this year was exactly shocking. My family had a portion in the sacrificed buffalo, which i reckon was mostly shared with my aunts and uncles. Instead of expecting the meat pile to rise up, the exact opposite happened. It was slowly gone- not that it was given away or anything it was stolen! Surprisingly it also happened to my dad's family and what happened there was far worse. It is common for the sacrifice animal to be handled by friends and known relatives but what happens when some unknown stranger comes by, takes out a container, takes the meat and just drives off? If you were to think that the person is needy, you don't really expect him to be impolite, let alone own and drive a car. Yes, the meat is to be shared, but it doesn't necessarily mean that one can simply proclaim its theirs and just run off with it.
Now, you might seem to think that I'm some crazy guy that can only think of eating fresh meat (well thats if you do think what my intentions in writing is all about, if its not im sorry! :P). Well the main question now is of mentality. What actually causes people to act in such way? I don't reckon that these individuals are suffering from any sort of mental illnesses- they can drive and they do know that meat in consumable. Were they really in need? Are they far worse off than those that beg along roads? Well, they might be. But assuming how well they executed their meat-stealing-feat, one would surely have doubts.
I've been reading a book which talks about the subconscious mind lately. It suggests how one's dreams can be achieved by imagining and believing. Personally, I do find such steps encouraging, they act as a moral booster, a prayer and a drive. However, I guess not everyone would be gifted with such a talent to dream big and further believe in them. Life teaches lessons step by step.
No everyone may not agree on me with this, but I have a feeling that the family an individual is brought up in always shapes their personality. How they think of their views and their goals. It wouldn't be hard for a son of a successful businessman to absorb his father's feelings and emotions and learn skills and pick up passion from them. The spirit that the dad brings would be instilled in the child over time and that brings character to the child. Shared and nurtured- it starts off from childhood. To those who have seen The Aviator, a scene portrays a young Howard Hughes, telling his mum that he'd want to "build the world's best planes and direct great movies". The belief started at a young age and as he progressed through his life, it worked out for him- the dreams and what he wanted came true. He had imagined it and boy did he succeed in reaching them! I don't deny the fact that there are other factors that bring about change to a person's behavior, but it does seem undeniable of how the family plays a big role. I know of people who with interesting family backgrounds which have led them to what they are now. It acts as a trickling effect. What the parent has is passed on to the child.
Maybe in a way, thats why at times I view education as important. It molds people into becoming better individuals. Education doesn't necessarily mean learning science, geography and history. It helps but in my view, nothing more does better than through a bit of mentality alteration and the realignment of thoughts. With such a metamorphosis- we'd have a better eid al-adha and a better world :)
stars. circles. petals
Talking about holidays, this particular post is actually long overdue. I'll try and mix up a few topics because I know my mind is always in a mish-mash. Eid al-adha. I confess, my family doesn't actually live up to the event as much as eid al-fitr, but still a celebration is still a celebration. But the particular question now is, what happens when the event gets marred by other factors? I do reckon that being brought up in such a faith, the ibadah korban is of particular significance. It acts as a remembrance to how Prophet Ibrahim was willing to adhere to Allah's commands- in sacrificing his beloved son, Prophet Ismail. On that particular lesson in history, Allah sparred Prophet Ismail's life by replacing him with a lamb instead.
In commemorating what had happened, able Muslims would in turn sacrifice certain animals. Now here comes the problem. According to Quran, most of the meat that come from the sacrificed animal is to be given to the poor, which acts as another significance of the day- to include the needy in the celebration. But what I saw this year was exactly shocking. My family had a portion in the sacrificed buffalo, which i reckon was mostly shared with my aunts and uncles. Instead of expecting the meat pile to rise up, the exact opposite happened. It was slowly gone- not that it was given away or anything it was stolen! Surprisingly it also happened to my dad's family and what happened there was far worse. It is common for the sacrifice animal to be handled by friends and known relatives but what happens when some unknown stranger comes by, takes out a container, takes the meat and just drives off? If you were to think that the person is needy, you don't really expect him to be impolite, let alone own and drive a car. Yes, the meat is to be shared, but it doesn't necessarily mean that one can simply proclaim its theirs and just run off with it.
Now, you might seem to think that I'm some crazy guy that can only think of eating fresh meat (well thats if you do think what my intentions in writing is all about, if its not im sorry! :P). Well the main question now is of mentality. What actually causes people to act in such way? I don't reckon that these individuals are suffering from any sort of mental illnesses- they can drive and they do know that meat in consumable. Were they really in need? Are they far worse off than those that beg along roads? Well, they might be. But assuming how well they executed their meat-stealing-feat, one would surely have doubts.
I've been reading a book which talks about the subconscious mind lately. It suggests how one's dreams can be achieved by imagining and believing. Personally, I do find such steps encouraging, they act as a moral booster, a prayer and a drive. However, I guess not everyone would be gifted with such a talent to dream big and further believe in them. Life teaches lessons step by step.
No everyone may not agree on me with this, but I have a feeling that the family an individual is brought up in always shapes their personality. How they think of their views and their goals. It wouldn't be hard for a son of a successful businessman to absorb his father's feelings and emotions and learn skills and pick up passion from them. The spirit that the dad brings would be instilled in the child over time and that brings character to the child. Shared and nurtured- it starts off from childhood. To those who have seen The Aviator, a scene portrays a young Howard Hughes, telling his mum that he'd want to "build the world's best planes and direct great movies". The belief started at a young age and as he progressed through his life, it worked out for him- the dreams and what he wanted came true. He had imagined it and boy did he succeed in reaching them! I don't deny the fact that there are other factors that bring about change to a person's behavior, but it does seem undeniable of how the family plays a big role. I know of people who with interesting family backgrounds which have led them to what they are now. It acts as a trickling effect. What the parent has is passed on to the child.
Maybe in a way, thats why at times I view education as important. It molds people into becoming better individuals. Education doesn't necessarily mean learning science, geography and history. It helps but in my view, nothing more does better than through a bit of mentality alteration and the realignment of thoughts. With such a metamorphosis- we'd have a better eid al-adha and a better world :)
stars. circles. petals
