Why is this so, I begin to wonder. It would obviously sound mathematically incorrect to save x amount of time by doing y, yet still have less net time left, than when previously conducting the same task.

Upon giving the subject thought, and exploring the concept analytically, I will pose some reasons that may explain this bizarre trend. One possible explanation is that our desire to speed things up preoccupies our mind with this constant noise shouting ‘You’re losing time. Do something’, and so our instant solution to this problem is to keep stressing on speeding it up, while in the process, compounded with stress and panic, the act takes longer than it would have without any added stress or panic.

Another reason could be that we try and pack more activity into our lives, which is essentially a positive thing, as we’re increasing our productivity! However, are we filling in time because the activity actually needs to be done, or are we filling in the ‘vacuum’ because free-time appears daunting to our overly preoccupied mind, which attains comfort when it’s obliterated with noise.

Although there is no specific reason as to why this trend is becoming increasingly prevalent, these two reasons are potential reasons for some individuals. It is worth reflecting on ones individual lifestyle, and how the desire to keep our mind preoccupied begins to govern us, and if it is true for any of us, perhaps we should give our mind a breather and let it find comfort in being and full consciousness.

Perhaps try conducting an act without worrying or stressing too much over the connotations, while at the same time being fully productive. It may substantially increase efficiency in a subliminal way – one thing’s for certain; it’s definitely worth a try.

This article does not aim to say that working hard, and living a preoccupied lifestyle is necessarily a bad thing, but merely states that there is a distinction between preoccupying the mind with constructive activity compared with noise. A lifestyle which incorporates the first, and limits the latter may actually prove to be a more efficient one…

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More often than not, individuals have this innate desire to be recognised. Sometimes it is part of the reason to perform an action, and other times it is the sole reason for action.

Individuals cling onto the idea of a long life. Science continues to develop new life-saving techniques to ensure the lengthening of lives, and to ensure happier lives. From a theistic perspective, life is a great gift, and it should be taken care of, and used correctly in all circumstances. Furthermore, theology poses the idea of being mortal, and an afterlife.

It is often found that the reason for this desire to save lives doesn’t reside within the concept of theology, however within the idea that people are attached to this life and fear the unknown. It’s this fear that makes people want to live on.

Taking a different stance on this idea, people don’t only try avoid the physical passing, which is inevitable, but also avoid the extermination of their ‘selves’ through promoting legacies and theories which they can associate to themselves. For instance, people believe it is great to die a hero, because it would enable the hero’s recognition to be promoted. But how does this recognition affect an individual if they’re not alive to receive the well-deserved credit? Do we feel our recognition or praise is sufficient to keep us alive? Does the idea of us on the earth, after our passing ensure our immortality? Is it the mortality of our physical life that worries us, or just the concept of our existence eradicating?

Throughout history, it is evident that the people who are remembered through centuries are the ones who either promoted good, by inventing things or posing reasonable ideas, or in a negative light, tyrants are condemned for their tyranny. We use historical concepts as our guide through life. However, once again, does this enable continuous immortality?

From a theistic perspective, it becomes clearer, because a reward is promised in the afterlife for the good performed. Hence, your actions are essentially immortal, because they benefit you in the afterlife.

This notion of living a long life in order to live a good life, and promote good values forms the basis of many religious schools of thought. It also forms the basis for moral guidelines and the concept of good in society, especially for individuals who associate to a religion. Sometimes living by good values promotes good values in the future, as people learn from legacies and role models.

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We question this subject frequently,
To dig out the facts from a statement,
To dig out the essential reality.
A contentious subject, often it is.
Sometimes it’s hidden below the surface of everything.
Sometimes it’s blatant. Apparent.
Dig for the truth.
Dig for its essence.
But how do you know the ‘truth’, is actually the truth?
Can it be known?
Or will it always be a quest?

Wars are fought.
Lives are lost.
The ego grows to fight this idea of truth,
For everyone believes themselves to be right,
And aware of what is true.

Will we ever know for certain what is true?
Our inner conscience inclines to a belief,
And manages to ground this idea as true.
Any refutation made against this supposed truth,
Will be silenced,
Immediately.

Sometimes we derive truth from our cultural beliefs
and assume this to be the truth,
Because it has been accepted for generations.
Other times, we feel truth can be deduced from morality and values.
But what is truth? Can we ever be certain of truth, or is just an accepted belief?

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My heart pounds, on hearing a whisper amidst the river Ourika, as the frogs and birds are united in praise of You.

They wake up in the early hours of the morning, singing; a singing so melodious, it resonates within my being. There is greatness and beauty all circulating this very kingdom. In unity. In harmony.

Oh One who created from nothingness, and created excellence, my state before You is that of a negligent sinner, who is appalled by his audacity before Your infiniteness.

As I sit beside the lake Takerkoust, and wander at its vastness, I am certain You know it exists, and how, over the hundreds of years it took to form, You were the power overshadowing its expansion.

I crave You for Your nearness, I stumble before Your power, I weep for Your forgiveness.

My craving has become one that is common for the desperate, the poor and eager. Grant me my longing, for I sought no one but You, for You.

An emptiness has found me, a distancing has dismayed me, a silent wanderer I am, in search for something powerful, for something infinite.

Material won’t satiate me, power won’t quench me. My seeking is distinct.

Grant my seeking, for perhaps Your mercy will give me, irrespective of my unworthiness.

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Having delivered and attended workshops in different cities, I have worked with great minds who are progressive, and others who disregard their potential. Everyone I’ve worked with harboured a great mind. Indiscriminately, we all harbour a great mind. Some reach a point whereby they begin to explore its capabilities, while others are limited either by resources or various other constraints.

In an ideal society, we would all have equal resources and hence equal chances to grow. However, with the existential inequalities, it is essential to help cater for these distinct inequalities and slowly work towards a more balanced world.

Yes, it is easier said than done. But you’ve got to start somewhere. Sometimes the fact that it is difficult to alleviate issues works as a stumbling block; we’ve got to look past it, and try work on small ground issues and slowly tackle larger ones.

Reflecting on the quote above, I have found it to be very accurate on many levels. Attaining knowledge in all respects increases wisdom. As you become wiser, your command and abilities become more distinct. Sometimes you begin to explore new talents, and focus on new potentials that you hadn’t witnessed before. Knowledge doesn’t have to be specific to secular; all knowledge can be useful knowledge.

In society, secular knowledge is regarded as a dominating asset. It often determines employment, entrepreneurial skills and various other roles.

For this reason, I personally feel education to be a pivotal means for an individual to succeed. However, a good education system requires resources to enable steady upward growth. While resources are available online and in libraries in the UK, some developing countries across the globe lack resources. This often constrains their growth and chances of improvement.

As a newly formed charity, Mount Elimu aims to address this issue in developing countries. If we’ve got resources to nurture our talent, so should everyone else. Our long term aims are to promote resource allocation in East Africa (to start off with), by delivering workshops on global poverty, whereby we hope to educate people on a local level, in order to educate people on a global level.

With manageable strategies to start off with, we hope to grow and help empower as many individuals as possible.

While this is our story, we believe we should help improve their story.

(Please get in contact with me if you’d like to help in any way.)

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Having heard this phrase on numerous occasions, it applies each time, in a different, yet powerful way.

As I was walking down a busy University street, I became observant to the different languages people spoke, as well as the different tones that complemented each language and dialect. It was phenomenal to see the impact each individual had. There was difference, yet each had a distinct expression which was personal and gave them an aspect of individualism.

Taking a different stance on my observation, and the impact of speech and language; speaking and ones way of speech says a great amount about ones character. When you speak with a foul tongue, you give off an entirely different impression to a calm and controlled speech.

In a sense, your speech works as an ambassador of your character. Through reflection, I learned it was important to control ones speech. I learned the importance of having valuable things to say, and not worthless remarks which might just fill up silence.

A common reason why people choose to speak, and let out unnecessary remarks is to fill in for silence, because silence appears to be the death of ‘entertainment’. Without conversation, some feel that there’s a significant element absent.

But what is wrong with silence, I think to myself. Isn’t silence a spectacular chance to just reflect, and just be conscious of oneself. Sometimes, without moments of enjoyed silence, we get overly absorbed in the thought process which conversation requires, rendering ourselves unable to reflect on our pursuits and lifestyles.

I have found that implementing moments of silence each day to be a useful means of remaining calm, and being in full control of myself. Plus, my mind isn’t constantly preoccupied with a timetable, and instead it enjoys being. Without silence, I feel, we might even risk limiting our successes; we find it hard to spare any time analysing our achievements, and how we could improve what we’re undertaking.

Try sparing a moment each day, just for silence, if you don’t already, and realise the beauty of this surreal moment. Observe it, and enjoy it.

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What is a life, where all you seek is material?

Funny, it is. There are the individuals who deal with it well, while others find themselves a new, more daunting job; taking care of what they’ve earned.

During my travels to less developed nations, I was clearly exposed to both extremes. The opulent, who surprisingly happened to be less content, and on the other extreme, the less well off, who were happy with their position. They had a deeper purpose to life, and enjoyed the fruits of what they’d earned, instead of constantly seeking more.

Material wealth can be an important instrument, while on the other hand if governed incorrectly leads to an inevitable destruction. When our life goal becomes solely focussed on it, we become enslaved by it. While its initial purpose was to enable a comfortable lifestyle, we slowly falter away from it, and live for it.

Sometimes the driving force behind our pursuit is society, and the dogma that we’ve got to keep up with the Joneses’. Our life becomes a mere competition. We forget our real God/higher being, and become subordinates of this material goal.

While it is essential to keep with our times, and remain within the bracket of modern, we need to realise what we believe to be our ‘real’ purpose, and continuously strive towards it, instead of being distracted by anything lesser.

As we try and find security and a healthy well-being in wealth, let it remain our instrument towards the essential goal, and not the actual goal.

I remain unclear when stating the word ‘goal’, as ones goal in life is subjective. Once determined, it’s important we don’t cave to the more trivial, less worthy ones.

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The shore awakens, after its midday siesta.

Life has been resumed.

A flow has been resurrected.

Their reign has been assumed.

Once their routine emergence elapses,

They retire to their customary home.

The vast ocean, as it encompasses masses of its beautiful property.

The shore has bidden farewell to its unexpected guest,

Claiming residue in exchange.

Till next time…

A re-emergence follows once silence has been re-ensued.
The cycle repeats. Life continues.

The creatures which venture below the vast surface,

Are accustomed to exertions of energy,

Which they attempt to resist.

Yet, reluctantly, the weak get dragged.

Together, as though one.

The guests are harboured for their allotted period,

Before their exit.

Order and beauty,

Both characteristics of the great ocean,

As they harness energy,

And display lessons of excellence and hospitality.

The sun rises and falls, witnessing this act of generosity.

Observe the silence,

Observe the beauty,

Dig within yourself,

To find how your being has qualities that match the ocean…

A silent breeze startles the onlooker, as they become accustomed to this dream-like reality.

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I have spent the past month in North Africa and Arabia, where the predominant language is Arabic, and in one of the countries; French and Arabic. My first stumbling block was the language barrier; my inability to speak either of the languages with ease meant I was vulnerable and victim to being ‘ripped off’/charged extortionate prices on everything.

From the buzzing streets of Marrakech to the historic bends of Alexandria, if you’re recognised as anything but local, you get ripped off. The trend I noticed over the weeks, especially in the ancient taxis of North Africa, was that your initial agreed price was subject to change by the end of the journey, merely because you have no option but to pay, once you’re tied into it. If anything, I was amused by this trend. By the end of the first week, part of me would enjoy the haggling, and making sure I was firm with them.

After being driven around by supposed Hollywood actors’ publicists, I learned one key lesson. Know who to trust, and when to trust them. In a land foreign to your own, you’ve got to be extra vigilant, to ensure you’re not being taken for a ride. Although it’s hard to gauge how genuine someone is, it’s an important skill to work on when you’re away from home.

The creativity of the Berber’s (Native Moroccan’s) have imprinted itself within me, as something extraordinary. To see something of value made from waste materials, in order for trade to take place, requires determination and confidence. For instance, they would make sculptures of people using bicycle chains and other pieces of scrap metal. Some live a life of struggle, yet their determination enables continuity and subsistence. I was struck by contentment. As we travelled past the Berber’s town, we approached the sensational sight; the Atlas Mountains. There was more to it than just a mountain; our destination was a waterfall, at the mountain peak. With a midway break for the best orange juice I’ve ever had, we approached the waterfall and sat beside it in contemplation, only to realise it’s magnanimity.

Over the few weeks, this sight was second to one of the greatest, the greatest mosque in the world. On entrance, I was struck by awe at the Ka’aba (the cube) in the centre of this great Mosque, in the midst of Saudi Arabia, where millions of pilgrims would circumambulate every year. There was an energy which pulled me towards it. It was surreal. I felt magnetized, as though I had lost control of my bodily limbs, and as though my circumambulation was an effortless task, moving amidst the crowd, with the crowd. In unison. Around this closed circuit, where my act of circumambulation would represent my being with respect to the universe.

My identity had been negated. I was dressed in white, amongst thousands dressed in exactly the same. People cried and wailed in different languages, in different tones, expressing themselves fully. I wasn’t anyone. I was just my innate being, in my initial form. Nobody, yet somebody.

Over my few weeks, I started off with the rich culture in Marrakech, and even more so in Casablanca, before I travelled to Cairo, where the culture had similarities to Morocco, yet presented itself as something entirely different. I then moved onto Saudi Arabia, particularly Makkah, where I lost my identity and culture, and became one with everyone. My roots meant nothing. My degree, my efforts, my activities meant nothing. I had negated what I commonly refer to as ‘me’, and became the actual ‘me’. I then travelled away from Makkah, to Madinah, another holy city, where the religion of Islam first originated. I was walking on the lands of previous leaders, who were some of the greatest of people, and felt blessed.

I then travelled back to Egypt, Alexandria to be precise, where I was struck once again by culture. I regained my own culture, and found that culture meant something completely new now. Everything became more noticeable, more distinct. Finally, before making my way to the final destination of my summer,  Tanzania, I spent another few days in Cairo, where I visited the great pyramids and local papyrus factories.

When you’re away from your comfort zone, you live a life where basic needs are met first. For instance, my first night in Alexandria was slightly different; I hadn’t booked my hotel prior to arrival, so instead, had to quickly search for a decent hotel with decent standards. I imagined it to be a simple task, but turned out to be the most difficult, especially considering the time of night. If there’s anything I learned from that, it’d be, never go to an unfamiliar town without booking a hotel.

From the places I visited, to the cultures I witnessed, each and every instance has been an additional highlight to my time away.

I await each day, anxiously, as the summer continues to unfold.

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The idea of considering one-self a victim brings expectation of self-pity with it. We feel as though our vulnerabilities are being exploited. Sometimes we feel we are victims on the basis of our race, other times religion, and sometimes merely by our physical nature.

When you’re supposedly victimised, you become insecure, and your life becomes one of instability, because your pursuit is not progress, but attaining basic security.

As the media continuously focuses on how religious divides are causing conflict around the world, people of religious beliefs become marginalised, and through that ‘victimised’ and unfortunately, more often than not, inactive. We feel our victimisation has rendered us incapable, and that we’re subordinates in society, where our word is neglected and hence prefer not to express our beliefs.

The key to social and religious cohesion is often the contrary; it is dialogue and discussion of our beliefs which can strengthen the positive bond that society endeavours to promote.

An example that struck me recently, while working with the Three Faiths Forum, on an interfaith project, was how a band came together, with individuals of the 3 major Abrahamic faiths, to promote the idea of unity amongst faiths, and how our similarities are essentially stronger than our differences. Our basic beliefs lie primarily in being ‘good natured’ and promoting ‘good values’. We can work together, quite simply, to promote these values. It amazed me to see how well coordinated the band was, and how they merged their talents to form something extraordinary.

If you really feel like you are being victimised within society, bring your concerns to the surface. If you ignore it, the world will not know it, and your issues will be buried away, and considered insignificant. Bring your concerns forward through dialogue, poetry, articles or any other peaceful form of expression, and realise the power of your word…

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