I was reading Insomniac's post, it struck the nail on the head
This is something I'd been considering writing about for a long time, I was going to reply to the post, but found that the comment was too long, so I'm moving it to this post.
My father always holds a sort of intellectual saloon at our place, to these gatherings are invited people who represent the cream of the intellectual society in Egypt, when I was 14 I was allowed to attend if I felt like it, my father thought it was a good idea to help my mental growth if I got acquainted with older people, he was trying to replace my friends with his.
Needless to say, it never worked in that way, but the conversations I attended were quite enlightening, I remember this one in particular, I was 15 at the time, so most of the details were overlooked, but I'm including the essence of it.
The 2 people involved were my father (Referred to as S) and a well known Egyptian writer who's well known for his atheist beliefs (Referred to as C).
S: So you believe stealing is wrong under all circumstances?
C: Absolutely
S: And if it can't be helped, if circumstances give you no other option?
C: No such thing, there's always a way around it.
S: And if you're poor, you have a sick wife and a hungry child?
C: I'll learn a trade and work
S: And if you fail to find work to provide for them?
C: Atleast we'll all die knowing that I did the right thing.
S: I sincerely pray to God that you never have to be put to that test.
Now, back to how this brief conversation affected me.
Like C, I believed there was always a way to preserve your integrity, yes, you pass through hardships, but whenever you overcome them in tact, your mettle shows for what it really is, this is a common concept for most faiths, the theory of tests as I prefer to refer to it, right?
Wrong!!
There is another more subtle way to look at it, God is very subtle in teaching us what we need to learn, failing to notice those subtle lessons, leads us to phase 2, phase 2 is much more violent, Life is violent, only by His grace are we safge within it, unscathed.
What would happen if life is let loose on us, believe me, none of us can handle it, it keeps on coming back at you, like a relentless enemy, whenever you fight it off, it comes back at you, you cannot hold life at bay.
However, this is not the end of it, this is the less subtle way of telling you something is wrong, something is missing, you need to review your stance towards your surroundings in general and your inner self in particular, the answer lies there, nothing will avail you unless you go back to putting those in order.
Usually what happens is we resort to the easier explanations, like the test, or being away from God, not praying, not doing our charity work, it's in fact usually something more subtle than that, something far simpler, but something much harder to alter, it's something to do with your inner conflicts, with what you've taken for granted.
Allow me to tell you a couple of stories.
The first one dates back to about 5 years ago, my first year of work, back to when I thought myself to be a righteous person who will not lie to protect himself, youth arrogance you may choose to call it.
I was faced with a work situation in which I had to lie to cover my own mistakes, now to me, this was unheard of, I never was a liar, I'm not about to start now, well, things started to get ugly, there was a genuine possibility that I may lose my job.
Guess what, I bailed out, I didn't lie, but I kept on going in circles till I could find an alternative job, then resigned and let my colleagues handle my mess, luckily they managed to wrap it up.
But the fact remains, when I was cornered, I didn't man up to my mistakes, I let someone else take the shit and I ran away.
Lesson learned, you're not as gorgeous as you prefer to think, you just haven't been pushed back far enough, your first test, you failed miserably.
I was about to lie to protect myself, and at the 11th hour, God offered me an alternative, a lifeline to cling onto, He led me to safety, but not till I learned the lesson was I offered this lifeline.
The other story is far more recent, it dates back about 1 year, also work related, looks like God tests us where we're strongest, another lesson to be learned, don't trust your strengths.
In my field of work, I used to pride myself at being the best, the one who was always head-hunted, after my first job, I was approached with offers, I didn't have to look for a job, jobs offered themselves to me, life couldn't get any better on the career front, I'm making very good money, am doing something I like, it's a matter of time till I reach the top.
Anyway, my boss at the time was an old friend of mine, he asked for the HR to hire me, offer me whatever it takes to get me to make the move.
I was welcomed with open arms, was given a lot of privileges, until the day came when me and my boss feel apart, we let our pride get in the way, both of us, we were equally guilty.
He decided to fire me, but was looking for a replacement, I got word of it through people I know in the HR department, so I decided to spite him by just finding another job and leaving him alone to handle the work till he could find a replacement.
Now lo and behold, I couldn't find a job, however good I proved to be, something always went wrong, I was rejected in all my applications for different reasons, I'm either over-qualified, over-budget, interviewed by someone I'd screwed long ago, my contact left the company on 2 occasions, I was even not up to standards in one application, on another occasion, they just decided they didn't need the vacancy, budget cutting at its worst.
Ok, here I am, stuck in a company with a boss that hates my gutts, wants to fire me, I'm not welcome in my office, my contract will expire in 6 months, and won't be renewed, crisis at its peak.
Worse still, all my contacts, all my skills, however a good person I am is of no avail, where have I gone wrong, how do I get out??
Despair was the theme for the next 5 months, I knew there was nothing I could do anymore, I'd tried everything I know.
Till one day I had a conversation with this guy (my boss), we were very open, 2 enemies coming to the table to offer terms, it went superficially well, but I knew that still inside, he wasn't satisfied, he wanted to break me, to humiliate me, however one word he told me that really pierced through, that's a direct quote.
"You know, I've known you for very long, you were always good at what you do, whatever path you took, roads would open up to you, your talent with numbers is undeniable, you're very straight forward, very honest, but, you one word comes to mind when I see you "Laho fi 7'alkehe 7ekam", you do not deserve the gift God has given you, you do not deserve your talents, God gave you everything and you throw it all in his face cause you're impatient for more, you want more cause you believe you deserve more, you've become so conceited that nothing satisfies you anymore, go out, seek more, you'll never get it, cause you got what you deserved."
Well, it was then that it struck me, I had taken the gifts God gave me for granted, I considered them mine, not something that can be taken away, or worse, something that I can't use unless I was granted permission to use it, unless Rabbena Ye2mor.
It was then that I made the choice that I'm to look no more, to let go of my pride, to accept humility as it comes, it is God's will that at this stage I should taste humility, I should learn to live with the fact that nothing I do will help me unless He grants it.
2 weeks later, my boss resigned, I was off the leash, he was replaced by someone who re-instated me in my position, gave me all my privileges back and treated me fairly.
1 month more, I was contacted by the company that had decided they didn't want anyone in that position anymore, they had changed their minds and were actively recruiting me, at very decent terms, life was again looking brighter.
Now, it's always been like that for me, life would close up, all paths would be blocked, until I learned what was wrong with me, when I knew what was wrong and accepted it as a short-coming in me, things would open up again.
This is what I've picked along the way, I may be wrong, maybe what applies to me doesn't apply to the next guy, let's discuss.
21 comments:
i really like this post...
i kept having comments in my head as i read, and now most of them disappeared!!
but i definitely agree that there are things one should work on within on their own to overcome their predicaments... things that are definitely much deeper than praying on time or "being good"... problem is that we take our own perceptions and accordingly our behaviors as well for granted and we barely stop to think whether we're really as good as we think we are, we no longer count our blessings and keep wanting our misfortunes to just disappear!
you hit one sore nerve my friend!!
the whole thing with my divorce was an eye opener to who i was before all that... yes, i had the same ethical codes and beliefs more or less; but now that i see it, i was quite the arrogant person; i knew my qualities or whatever, and took all the good things i had for granted... it made me fail to be grateful because i always wanted more from God and it made me angry why i never got any!!! i literally thought "why do bad things happen to me?? i'm a good person damn it!!".... and it took a one harsh convo with my dad where he confronted me with my arrogance...
until that day i would have never walked out of my marriage for the right reasons... it would have been blind pride and stubbornness for which i'm famous for anyway... and i would have been forced to go back like it almost happened!!!
i believe the only way i got over that turmoil is when i accepted the humility that had to catch up with me... i let it all in God's hands and held on to whatever good i believed it... i accepted the mess i was in... i forgave myself for being the prick i was and realized that i only chose the wrong guy because i wasn't as perfect as i thought i was and being who i was, and being who he is, that was boun to happen and that all i had to do is pay those dues so that i can start moving on....
it didn't come all at once, but the peace i felt everytime i managed to let go made me think i was on the right track....
you're right about how we're tested in our points of strength! i always thought i was a good person and one day i found that i no longer was just because i wasn't grateful enough... i was too proud of who i was!! makes me understand why pride is such a sin!!
sorry for the long comment, but my blog couldn't stand one more of those posts!
you'll hate me for cramping your comment space...
the conversation you mentioned... stealing, or any other similar kind of action should not be easily justified... if we stretch moral boundaries, they will eventually be too loose to work!
i would like to agree with C, but i realize that it's impossible for the best of men to maintain their integrity when cornered really hard, not to mention when loved ones like family are included... if a man, no matter how virtuous doesn't figure out what it is he needs to fix, he's bound to make a mistake, which could even be followed by a series of mistakes... that doesn't make them horrible, and there should be lot s of things to be taken into consideration; nonetheless, it would never make the mistakes right just because one was "forced" to do them!!
i would tell u this is my last comment, but i know i might remember one more thing to say!!!
that's what you get for writing such an interesting post :)
I believe you're absolutely right, Pride is the one sin we all commit unknowingly.
Maybe cause it's the most easy to misunderstand, we just slip into it, whether it's pride in our own goodness, in our own achievements or even in our relationship towards God.
Sometimes, you do what was needed to be done and you're proud of it, you see you've done something good for a change, I believe that is the highway to slip into Pride.
Let me tell you another detail about that period in my life.
I was always the sort of person who doesn't mind paying beggars, as long as I didn't feel they were faking it, it felt good to give someone in need, unknowingly I was becoming conceited with my own goodness, my own generosity if you'd like to call it that.
There was this one day when I was leaving work at 5 P.M. as is my wont, I found a woman with a child sitting in front of work, I was very angry at that moment, I had just had one of my sky high explosions, I was publicly humiliated by someone I considered inferior to me, I could only see sparks.
This woman looked at me and told me "rabbena ma yezellak le 7ad ya ebny."
Being too angry to notice, I didn't even look at her, I just continued on my walk.
I crossed the street, bought 2 packs of smoke, then walked back to my car.
On my way to the car, I saw an old woman, suitably dressed, the sort of woman who can't afford new clothes, but has this proud bearing about her, she was using a cane to help her walk.
Suddenly, this woman stopped, turned around, looked at me and said "rabbena ma yezellak le 7ad ya ebny".
Again, I walked away, about 10 seconds later it struck me, 2 strangers telling me the same words exactly, both asking for help, and I'm just walking away.
In my shirt pocket I had 85 pounds, it was near the end of the month, it was all I had left on me.
I turned around, pulled out a bank note, it was 50 pounds, I looked at it and thought "Too much".
I put it back in, pulled another, 5 pounds came out, I thought "Too little".
I pulled out the 10, then I thought, the 50 came out first, it's her's not mine, so I pulled the 50 back out.
I called to her, she didn't hear me, she walked into a building, I followed her in, found an apartment door closing, I couldn't catch up with her.
I hurried home, walked in on my father, and told him about it, I was afraid that this was the last chance God would give me, and that I had wasted it.
My dad told me this "You have always given the poor, not for love of God, but to satisfy your own pride, you didn't give those you thought to be pretenders, cause you took their pretense to be an insult to your intelligence, well, the day has come when you need to give them, now they're the ones who're doing you a favour by accepting your help, my advice to you is give freely, never turn anyone down, know that when you give freely of what you have, you're not giving them of what's your's, you're giving them what God has sent them through you, you were given this money to give to them, if you can't give it to them, you won't get it. Do this and hopefully, it's not too late".
He also told me something else, that I will keep to myself for now.
Anyway, next day, I was leaving the office and I found the woman with the child again, she didn't bother to tell me anything this time, I just walked over and gave her something.
For one month, everyday I'd find this woman at the office door as I'm leaving work, everyday I'd give her something.
Till one day, she looked at me and said "mesh kolle youm ya ebny, kefaya keda".
She never showed up again in that place.
But, again, I had learned my lesson, there came days when I had very little on me to keep me going, I'd go home and find someone leaving me an envelope with a note, I owed you this 3 months ago, thought I'd return it.
By realizing that what I had was not mine, but was to be passed along, someone else would remember their debts to me (debts I'd forgotten about), and I'd get something to provide for my own living.
Unknowingly, my pride in giving things away, was no longer there, it has turned into a sort of duty, pass it on, someone will pass it on to you, just keep the cycle flowing, don't block it and don't take pride in it.
This I believe applies to other aspects in life, not just money, whatever we have, be it wealth, health, happiness, goodness, is not really ours, it's a sort of consignment, something to pass along, use wisely and never ever to take for granted.
There you go, an even longer reply :)
About the stealing part, could it not be possible that you'd been cornered so badly for the sole reason that you need to break a code of ethics (One that you're proud of), just so you realize that you're not so invulnerable after all, but that it is only by His grace that you were never that cornered before?
i enjoy long comments more when they're not mine, so yay...
yes, it is very possible that breaking one's ethical code could teach them one good lesson about humility that couldn't be taught otherwise... but it's not always just about the person who has to let go of his/her pride; sometimes there are more people in the process who would suffer from such violation of ethical codes... and ever worse, when people start using that notion to justify their constant immoral practice... whatever the reason behind it; i believe wrong remains wrong, we should learn to do our best before we surrender to doing it because we just don't know who else we might hurt in the process... the golden rule...
i realize you can just tell me that sometimes other people are meant to get harmed in the way because it's in what God swt planned for them, and it kinda hurts my head because, yes, there is a bigger plan that i shouldn't interfere with or insist on understanding its every detail... but again, if one stretches that thought, one will no longer do his/her best to be a better person, pride or no pride...
you're so right about how it's scarily easy to slip into pride by getting onto our high horses and preaching virtue into people, makes me ashamed of myself when i expect people to live up to my standards that way!!
I perfectly understand what you're aiming at.
However, I'm also a person who believes in crime and punishment, it's this guy's punishment to have to break his own code of ethics, probably the by-standers have to pay for something else as well.
I'm not saying it's right to break your own code, I'm saying that it's the ultimate punishment, it's when you're so high up that the only punishment is to be dragged down.
Let this live on your conscience for a very long time, it doesn't justify it, on the contrary, you have reached the bottom of the abyss, you were definitely wrong, so wrong, that it was life's decree that you should sacrifice something, break something so that you will fall even lower, cause only when you're at your crest do you come to realize the size of the mess.
It's a punishment, not a justification, should you move forward from there and try to make ammends both internally and to the ones you wronged on the way, then good for you, otherwise you'll fall even lower.
It's like the final slap on the face, after that you're gone.
that is the best i could ever read.
i believe that Allah wants us to think to understand the essence behind everything that happens to us. He wants us to use our mind.
i am sure He loves u to let u learn the lessons.
That is exactly what I was trying to say Brownie, with one minor alteration.
Think, but not with your head, think with your heart, look back and learn, live and regret, cause only then will you be able to realize where you've gone wrong.
Lao Tzu once said a very short line that really wraps this up.
"Act without acting."
slop what you wrote is quite interesting in a way it had the same effect on me as insomniac, comments & ideas kept popping in my head while reading...
You hit hard 2 sore nerves; the pride & the idea of god direct interference in our life’s courses,
the pride, have few questions about it..
where are the boundaries between self respect & trusting your abilities & falling in the sin of pride??!
When you don’t take injustice from anyone does it mean being so proud?!
when you believe that you are not getting what you deserve can it be a sign of greed?!
Aren’t people who fake modesty - by saying words they don't realy beleive in - the most hypocrites kind of human being?
I totally agree that it’s not acceptable that someone is showing off or even speaking of his qualities or think he is better than anyone else around him, what I mean is that being aware of these qualities & demanding a just treatment, doesn’t mean to be egoist or conceited.
As for the second point after another thought I find out it would be hard for me to express my point of view briefly & in proper way without being misunderstand (not that I care that much about my image as no one really know me, but just don’t want to say something while I feel I don’t control all my tools) I might write a post about it one day when i’ve the necessary energy to capture all my thoughts
thanks insomniac for referring me to this nice blog…
Hello Knowledge Seeker,
Primarily allow me to welcome you to my little spot.
You asked many intriguing questions down there, ones that I must say, I don't have the answer to, I have views if you'd like to call them, but not answers.
The first one in particular is a very difficult one to answer.
Self-respect is derived from your trust in your creator that he will provide for your life.
This knowledge - if firmly rooted - will then show us that when we require certain people to have our best interests in mind, it’s not really them we’re seeking, it’s Him, he may choose to use others as his tool, but we are to know this, our gratefulness is to go to him through his tools, not just to his tools for managing our needs.
However, by refusing the assistance offered by these ones God sent you, you are again taking things into your own hand, you choose to use your abilities and replace him in running your affairs.
I'm not sure the above was clear enough, it’s a very distant approach to the subject, but it’s the only approach I could put words to.
When you don't take injustice from someone it is not pride, unless you feel that you did not deserve to be put in a situation where injustice would be dealt towards you, rest assured that somewhere along the way you earned this injustice, it was fair that you be treated unjustly.
The feeling that you deserve better is a very complex one, it comprises both pride and greed, not just one without the other, this feeling is in direct conflict with accepting God's judgement, it's as if you believe you can do a better job running life than he's doing.
Can one fake modesty, in some aspects yes, in some aspects, no.
Can one be sure he's modest, no, cause in his realization of his modesty, he's become proud of it, it's a vicious circle, you're modest, you're proud, what are we, nobody knows.
A hypocrite will believe his own lies over time, that’s when the real problem arises, you may choose to fake an image for personal benefit, you’re a liar, a fake and a hypocrite, but when you believe your own lie, now you’re in real trouble, cause in believing the lie, you have lost touch with yourself, no more understanding of your true identity, no more trying to fight off your ego.
Again, these are my views on the subject, no more, no less.
I may even be guilty of pride for trying to answer these questions, I may unknowingly have slipped yet again when I wrote this post, I can't know for sure, but I can remain aware of the possibility and try to fight it off.
Once again, it's a pleasure making your acquaintance.
I, too, have been introduced to your blog through dear Inso. I'm glad she did :)
yesterday i was too overwhelmed by both posts, yours and Insomniac's and the ideas you two shared.
The walk down your memory lane resembled a big part of how i thought and behaved accordingly ( some time ago) and although that tends to ache a bit it was so...i don't know how to put it...it was a relief in a way.
I use your father's last phrase all the time when someone talks assertivly about rules, right and wrong as i believe humans don't know how it is unless they taste it...we, humans, can't realize certain meanings, perspectives and capabilities unless we are in them to the neck...other than that we arrogantly pass judgments. but, that's OK really, this how things are.
I actually read my own thoughts about giving and the giving chain (my dad called it that) Allah gives me so I can give folan and folan would give folan tany.....and the chain goes on. and he Allah yer7amo has taught me to never be a reason to stop the chain from running fluently. I freak out when I'm in a horrible mood and reject a request. i make it up in any shape or form.
I couldn't find it in me to comment nor post about my own contemplations after reading the two posts i referred to but what u wrote in your last comment about the "vicious circle" intrigued me.
It is draining to be aware of that all the time and try to jiggle many aspects of YOU to maintain a "right".
I practiced that for years because i believed it was slippery to believe in myself and act accordingly while maintaining modesty as one of 3ebadallah. the key was to maintain 7al al3obodeya at all times.
I was extreme about it that with time and as years went by i really lost any confidence in my abilities. being put - at that particular time - through hard life changing circumstances i was forced to pick myself up and trust my abilities and talents again...and i did -Allah helped me and gave me chances- i realized then...it may not be about feeling proud and trusting ones abilities that is tricky...it is always about having 7al al3obodeya in the heart even when i make a mistake or feel proud...it is an unseen, untold connection that makes me feel under allah's mighty power at all time...that i can actually see how he gives me the talents and the chances to use those talents...it's something in the heart. only then (recently btw) i felt that it is not as hard, as draining or as vicious as i let myself experience for years...it's only about an awareness in the heart. and that is the only thing that really differs someone "good" from someone...challenged to be good.
on a last note,Values and virtues are basic ideals and concepts offered to all people as a gracious way of life. some people fight to gain these because they fought hardship all their lives...and some people practice them out of the luxury of not being tested yet.
No one, NO ONE can pass all tests at all time. but some people was never tested (mercy from Allah). and some people have been tested, experienced the failing only to become more profound and more authenticated with human cores...those, know how it is and they may choose to gain the virtue and they deserve it.
I have written too much.
have a good day :)
The Caller,
I have re-read your comment twice, before replying, you put a lot of yourself in this one, I can understand how taxing it is, for which I am grateful.
You have highlighted for me something that I was unaware of, or maybe I refused to be aware of, that of the draining quality of this vicious circle of maintaining balance.
I must admit that yes, it is very taxing, maybe cause it's a recent outlook on life on my part, maybe with time it becomes a nature.
There was a book called "The Wisdom of Insecurity", I have it in my father's library, I've never read it, I always considered it too demanding a topic to actually read, perhaps it's time I read it after all.
Perhaps there will be an answer on how to maintain vigilant guard on my affinity to forget what I owe, to forget that it is His vigilant guard that has gotten me this far.
Maybe it will become a second nature after all.
P.S.
You didn't speak too much, thank you.
Slop,
I agree with you that believing one's own lies is one of the worst things; quite messy and almost impossible to fix... that's what i had in mind, a person who believes his own lies will always victimize himself and justify whatever wrong he does... it's sickening, and as those who have to suffer from his/her mistakes might deserve it or be meant to deal with it, it will never make his behavior right... i know i said it earlier, but i just can't get over that... 3ashan keda they say it's 7ekmet rabbena; it's beyond us to get it i guess :)
i don't think one should accept any injustice towards them; it's not in our nature to... even if it's like you said because we didn't think we deserved it in the first place... we barely ever judge ourselves that way until we sit down and try to figure things out fairly, but our first instinct is to reject injustice... and if you add to that how horrible it feels to feel you've been wronged; there's a reason why "da3wet el mazloom mostagaba"...
the way i see it... if i think i deserve more, then i must work for more... i may not get what i think i deserve, but now i am sure i will eventually get one way or another something in return of my heard work, so i better keep my eyes open or else i miss it because i was waiting for something different!! i guess "faith" is the name of the game!
and i love what The Caller said "Values and virtues are basic ideals and concepts offered to all people as a gracious way of life. some people fight to gain these because they fought hardship all their lives...and some people practice them out of the luxury of not being tested yet.".... yes, it's such a blessing to live up to ones standards and never have them put to the test, to have the illusion of being good and to actually live up to it... i wish those who had been blessed that way could be tolerant towards those who have been tested and fell, whether they got back on their feet or kept falling!
Slop, i think you should ban me from here; i talk too much :$
Thanks for your warm welcome…
But Slop, answering my questions is really tempting to make me ask more questions, sorry but that’s what you get by giving such mind’s stimulate replies..
Without turning things into a religious discussion, but doesn’t the idea that God is sending us messages all the time might be somehow a way to feel important & a part of being too proud? as we think that we are the center of universe & everything is happening for us happens for a big important reason not a simple obvious one…I am not denying the idea of God interference but what I’m questioning is the scale…. I mean does a bad thing always happen to bad people or as an alert call to good people? Where can we draw the line between the results of our choices & the pure coincidences & the Godly messages??
I believe that God is fair & love us all in the same way, God create us with all of our strengths & weaknesses & set the universal rules & teach us the way to behave through religions, out of his mercy God give us few hints to guide us when we leave the right track but if the hints transfer to be clear instructions sent all the time it might contradict with the idea of free will & equity between human being,
Simple example 2 thieves X & Y are going to commit a crime, in their way they had a car accident, X is hurt & Y was intact:
a) X is a bad guy & Y is a better person, they both got what they deserve.
b) X is good so God protect him from committing the crime & guide him by this accident, Y is bad God protect him from getting hurt so he might continue to commit the crime.
c) the accident happens coz the driver was sleeping.
what I would like to differentiate here is God’s absolute power & knowledge & God’s will to interfer on our daily life.
I hope my idea is clear & by the way I don’t know exactly where is my stand in answering these questions I keep going from side to side & can’t make up my mind, & last I apologize to anyone who can find my questions offending to his/her religious feelings coz this the last thing I would like to do…
Insomniac,
I may have failed to make my point clear about being treated unjustly, so let me try and clear it up a bit.
What I meant was that one should not accept injustice from others, he should reply firmly and passionately, if within his abilities, but deep inside, one must know that it was fair to be treated unjustly in the first place, not on account of the parties concerned, but maybe for a totally different reason.
I hope this clears it
Knowledge Seeker,
Concerning the signs, I don't think it has anything to do with one's own conceit, as long as he realizes that these things did not take place to teach him a lesson.
They were bound to happen anyway, he was just pushed in a spot where he could witness.
I'll tell you a small incident that happened last August.
We have a friend of ours, a very successful person, highly educated, very well mannered, someone most people would look up to.
This friend of ours is - however - an example of how self-conscious you can be of your looks, he's always spot clean, wears the most expensive suits, drives a brand new car.
Everyday in the morning, he'd spend around 30 minutes, tying his tie, brushing his suit and polishing his shoes, another 30 minutes standing beside his car, making sure it is spotless, smells nice and is very shiny.
He has a habit of traveling to the North Coast every weekend, driving his beloved car.
Anyway, one day he came back to work directly from his vacation, his car had suddenly failed to maintain temperature and he was trapped in the Wadi El Natroun road till 6 AM, when they got a winch to tract him.
Ok, these things happen.
Next week, beside the rest house, his front left tire exploded on the road, he was driving very fast, he managed to steer himself to safety.
He came back to tell us the story of the flat tire, how happy he is with the great suspension system of his new car, how the ABS saved his life.
I thought, where's God in all of this, had it not been by his grace, you wouldn't be here to tell the story.
You've been warned twice not to trust in your money's ability to buy you safety, and still you boast the suspension system in your expensive car, interesting indeed.
The guy is still safe and sound, nothing happened to him after these 2 incidents.
Now to my own conclusions:
1. This guy has been tested, twice.
2. He was not tested to teach me a lesson, I just happened to overhear that conversation so I could learn something from it.
3. It is not just your deeds or stances that determine your fate, sometimes your responsibilities determine or postpone them for a while, could it not be possible that this guy was saved cause he has a 3 year old kid who needs her father around???
Again, these are my views on this incident, I could be over-assuming or trying to rationalize something that defies logic.
Slop, thanks for taking time to reply, but frankly speaking I still can't make my mind to find the balanced formula between logical & spiritual versions of explaining life incident… I guess the best formula is to be in the middle, case by case, you don’t reject the spiritual concept but in the main time it can’t be the only valid one all the time, but having said that means for some religious that you are excluding God from a part of your life which is not acceptable, but in the other way if you abandon the logical reasons that’s mean we don’t have a lot of choices in our lives which contradict with the idea of justice…
I’ll stop here coz I feel like going in circles ….
Sorry for wasting a lot of your time by all my bla bla bla, but it’s just that I’ve been thinking a lot about this topic
Thank you for your time in responding here.
It's one of those debates where there is no right answer, everyone formulates his/her own formula I guess.
Pleasure making your acquaintance
Wooooooooooo this post and the comments remind me so much of what we used to watch as kids, remember "Elbaralman elsa3'eer البرلمان الصغير LOL
Damn it Paul, you just can't hold that tongue of your's.
Just don't forget that I have my agent in your company, should I send her over? :P
I think this post really applies on my current situation and I think that the lesson you needed to learn is the same one i am learning right now I am also good at what I do but I got fired. God wanted to show me that no matter who good we are we only get by with his acceptance and orders if you may call it. We are all covered with his grace not cause we are good or intelligent but cause he want the best for us even when he gives us hard times he is trying to make us learn something and make our lives better on the long run..
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