Change can be an immeasurably bleak phenomenon for
some. Its phantom haunts even the greatest
as their feats feel wholly inadequate in the face of the kinds of global oppression's that exist.
How do you even ‘defeat’ shadows?
I was once told that some selfless acts will benefit
mankind in veiled ways that only appear to the most perceptive eye.
That, the softly sung lullabies of a mother to her
child relaying the stories of Prophets (May Peace and Blessing be upon them
All) can have a seismic affect on the world.
I believe they do and I refuse to believe we can
create a “perfect world.” Not to say I
am a cynic but rather, perfection is beyond our means.
To put it bluntly, our limited senses cannot imagine
perfection in all its holistic manifestations.
We can only see, hear, feel, touch and taste. It’s both a blessing and a reminder. A blessing to know the limitlessness of what
can be achieved and a palpable reminder that time cannot be stopped.
We can invent drones and nuclear energy but time
cannot be stopped.
Utopias are dangerous because it is not so much that
the Earth needs to be adorned but rather ourselves. Adorning isn’t an outward act but an inward
act of struggle.
Locked down by the mortgages, loans, jobs, cities,
routines and hustles it’s close to impossible to elevate to any deeper understanding.
So learning becomes a privilege of the super-rich
but when that wealth is subsidized by hedonism it’s impossible to elevate to
any deeper understanding.
Deeper understanding isn’t universally taught so it
must be sought. You won’t stumble upon
it on the internet but through encounters with guides.
Righteous guides are not necessarily the ones held
up in glorious and bright lights. Often
they are the ones few look to and are learned in ways we seem to think are
unconventional.
Unconventional means of learning are not by products
of institutions but instead are taught in honourable lineages which hold secret
truths. Secret truths are unlocked
through purifying oneself.
Purifying oneself is no mean feat. It is a lifelong struggle.
It requires year upon year of polishing the soul. True
combatants and wearied jihadi’s know that
the smallest acts can have the most catastrophic of consequences.
So we keep polishing, we keep tidying up the endless
possibilities of flaws we have. We draw
them out to destroy them and keep fighting until the end.
Some leave this world before they even get a whiff
of the secret truth.
But this is no tragedy. This is instead, martyrdom.
Egotism is not taught in classrooms but is built up,
brick by brick until its wall stands firm to sustained pressure. The subject builds walls around himself to
new heights until anything beyond these walls is blinded to him.
Lessons are learnt through each worldly victory, no
matter how minute. You either receive each
victory as divine ordinance, a sign that your impact on this world is
ordained by something higher, more powerful than you can ever imagine and
requires of you a deep sense of responsibility wherein each action requires
careful consideration.
Or you can take it as a sign from a dark place
within, that it is you who grafted to achieve and you who deserves acclaim. That your place should be affirmed in the
pantheon of other great men and women and you should stand on top, proud and
righteous, basking in the celebration of yourself.
The latter has built the walls. The former seeks to constantly destroy
them. Don’t be fooled because every person
is susceptible. Man is weak and when we
think we are least vulnerable, we are often most vulnerable.
Sight is afforded to those who are engaged in debilitating
the ego because all we can do is weaken it.
To say otherwise would be arrogant.
These are just words, and while they might be a
comforting reminder, they are just that, comforting.
Comfort is absurd in an unequal world just like words
become absurd when they become meaningless slogans.
To quote Paulo Friere, “when a word is deprived of
its dimension of action, reflection automatically suffers as well; and the
world is turned into idle chatter. On
the other hand, if action is emphasised exclusively to the detriment of
reflection, the word is converted into activism. The latter – action for action’s
sake – negates the true praxis and makes dialogue impossible. Human existence cannot be silent, nor can it
be nourished by false words, but only by true words with which men and women
transform the world; to speak a true word is to transform the world.”
