The spoiled brat and You.

There is a school. In that school there is a class. And in that class are just two students. You and a spoiled little kid.

Your teacher has given you the responsibility for that spoiled kid.

The kid is extremely genius, but is spoiled. He has a severe case of hyperactivity. His short concentration span causes him to get bored and distracted easily. His impatience makes him look for something to work on constantly. He just needs something or the other all the time. He is extremely uncomfortable sitting on his own and will do anything to escape sitting idle. He is impulsive. At the same time, since he gets bored easily, if forced to do something, he ends up detesting it. He is rebel. Like a typical stubborn, spoiled little kid.

You, on the other hand, are mature and wise. You understand things. You perceive things from an angle and a view point which the little kid is blind to.

From school's day 1, you have been made responsible for the little kid. Whatever he does will be attributed to you. His success, his failure is judged by how you mentor him.

On the first day, you force him to study. He ends up throwing a tantrum. He runs away in the playground to play at the time when he suppose to study. He ends up failing the test because you could not make him sit and study.

On the second day, you try a different strategy. You bring him chocolates and cakes, you lure him into studying to get those chocolates and cakes. He does study, hogs down those chocolates and cakes and gets a good grade in his test. However, he then starts manipulating you to get him cakes and chocolates for everything that you want him to do. He starts blackmailing you.

On the third day, you don't give up. You decide to try another strategy. You bring him colors, pens, paints and try sustaining his attention through interactive sessions. It works for sometime, but then, he starts again. He starts getting distracted. Fed up and frustrated, you scold him. You beat him. You force him. You punish him in emotional and physical sense. It doesn't matter.
After having a good fight, you end up making him cry. He sit there in the corner, crying and drawing his heart out. He writes and draws. He paints and writes. You stand there in the corner, feeling guilty and noticing him subtly. Slowly, you walk to him, he runs away from you. Nevertheless, you pick up his papers and smile. You realize, despite his issues, what a brilliant kid he is. He draws and paints and writes like no other. You realize his work is work of a genius.

His failure to perform well is attributed to your failure of mentoring him well. Involuntarily and subconsciously, you delve into self doubt. You start doubting your skills of managing a kid. You start doubting your talents of observing and counselling a little kid. You start doubting your leadership skills.

Self doubt eats up your self confidence. It makes you lethargic. It drains you. You stop trying to mentor the kid. You zone out and start staying silent.

One day before the final exams, you sit there; while as usual, the kid is throwing tantrums. You just sit, with your arms folded, your eyes heavy, you just sit there staring deeply into his eyes. After a while, he stops. He stops crying. He stops throwing a tantrum. He stops. It seems something has hit him. He tries to get your attention; he provokes you to react. You don't. You just sit and observe. Sitting there, while he is trying his innovative tricks to gauge your attention, you break into a smile. You just sit and smile back at him. He cries, you smile. He complains and whines, you smile. He shouts, you smile. He feels hurt, you smile.

And then, Magic happens. He starts doing his work. He starts impressing you. He starts working the way you wanted him to. He stops complaining and starts focusing on his genius side. His natural genius makes him naturally perform well. He wins the world. He says he is in love with you. He does not know how to express, but surely, he says, it is because of you.

Your smile and failure to react starved his ego to death. You let him feel his pain to realize that his pain is nothing but a senseless voice in his own mind. You let his illusion die its natural death by not reacting and not feeding to it. By not falling prey to his attention seeking skills,

The spoiled little kid is your brain.
The You is Your Soul.

For Magic happens when your Soul understands your brain and works together to create marvels unimaginable.

Ehsaas

Ehsaas is a strange word. According to an old uncle who I met one year ago, this word has absolutely no equivalent in English. It is not just a "feeling". it is perhaps, a small space in our minds, in our hearts, waiting to be activated.

We all are born with a natural state of Ehsaas. It is often silenced gradually and loses visibility under the worldly heaviness. The state of Ehsaas thus needs to be reactivated in almost all of us. Its function is two-fold. It exists to distribute and disburse the excess of love, compassion from our lives to others. It also exists to make us realize who we are and our responsibility towards other beings on this very planet.

Ehsaas, once activated, answers questions of why you & I have been created lucky. Why we have been blessed with whatever we have been blessed with. It also has a magical power of shunning away our petty sufferings. It shuts up the brain's useless complains in a way like no other worldly power can.

But, for our Ehsaas to be activated within us, we often need to encounter experiences which we'd rather chose to deny/ignore. There are times when we hear people utter expressions that we wish we hadn't heard. For a split second, we wish to zone out, only to realize that perhaps its too late, we have already heard it.

A young widow (whose husband was killed few months back) was sitting with a 4 year old child in her lap commenting on another target killing, ''Its good that they targeted/killed father/mother/son all together. After all, how alive is the mother/son left behind from such killings anyway. They are lucky, they went with him.''

Death is a traumatic natural suffering. Bound to cause pain. What makes it worse is lack of support system. Imagine the orphan kids left behind. The traumatic experience. The consequences. Psychological and emotional. Its spill over unto their families, their careers, their life. Their perception of Time, Existence, Justice seems to be based on brutal ugly reality. A reality you & I can never comprehend, no matter how many times we utter the cliché phrase "Oh we understand your pain". No, we don't. Because we can't.

We can only use their experience to activate our Ehsaas within. You and I are lucky. With excess of everything as an amanat. An amanat perhaps by God to help them re-equate Life. To help them Heal, in the process, helping ourselves heal our own mundane/petty sufferings.

Ehsaas - its function is two-fold. It exists to distribute our excess of goodness, it exists to make us overlook our mundane/petty sufferings in the wake of Bigger Purpose of our Existence. Ehsaas, a word which truly has no equivalent in English perhaps.

Beggar and the Merchant

Once upon a time, there was a King with a vast kingdom. The King possessed the Magical powers of ruling, guiding and leading his people without meeting them physically. All they had to do was, just make a wish and it was granted. In return, He just wanted them to follow the rules of His Kingdom, ensuring peace to prevail. He told them to Worship Him and nobody else.

In the same Kingdom, every evening, there used to be a sitting . A grand sitting in the Bazaar. Discussing prayers, ways of worshipping, practices and Life issues in general. The discussion was generally headed by a poor beggar. Sufi within himself, the legend says, he was the richest and the closest of King.

One evening, one of the most regular visitors decided to ask a question. The inquirer was a famous, rich merchant with successful, stable life. He was also famous for his religious practices. He went up to the beggar and asked, "The King has given me everything I could ever imagine. How. then, do I know if I really love Him the most and Worship Him the way He wants me to? So that, I remain in His good books forever?"

The sun was now shining its warm light. The beggar smiled. He looked around. He always carried a small bag with his total life belongings. He took out a small thin object covered with black cloth from his bag. He held it in his palm facing the setting sun and asked the merchant what could he see in his palm. The merchant, confused, said he could see the piece of black dirty cloth.

The beggar smiled. He then asked the merchant to see him at noon the next day. The news spread, driven by curiosity; the next day at noon, the whole town gathered along with the merchant at the bazaar. The beggar was sitting and playing with his instruments. He looked up and smiled upon seeing the merchant.

The merchant was growing impatient now. Agitated, he asked the beggar what he wanted him to see. He also reminded how his question hadn't been answered yet. The beggar, patiently, took out the object covered with black cloth again from his bag. He placed it on his palm again and faced towards the Shining Sun. He then asked, what could the merchant see. in the palm Frustrated and annoyed, the merchant said, I can see what I saw yesterday. Nothing but a plain dark dirty black piece of cloth. The beggar then, removed the black cloth from the object. Blinded with Light, the merchant instantly covered his eyes. The object was a mirror reflecting the Sharp Light from the Shining Sun.

He asked the merchant again, "What can you see now in his palm?". The merchant replied, "The Shining Sun".

Everybody stood confused. Scratching his head, the merchant said, "But I don't get it. How does this tell me If I am worshipping and pleasing the King, the way he wants me to?

The beggar smiled again. He said, "Look at the mirror and test for yourself. If your actions, your thoughts - regardless of their relevance to the King Himself, are reflecting His Attributes; then know it for sure, you are Worshipping Him just the Way He wants. For the King will reflect His Grandeur through you.

But if your existence is not reflecting His Grandeur, then check for the black cloak of ego on you. Feel the cloak that you mistakenly worship instead of the King. For it will never let you worship the King. For its darkness will block you from reflecting and pleasing The
One.

Na main Musa naa Firaun

There are three kinds of people in this world. 

1. The one who is absolutely ignorant. With no knowledge, he lives an ignorant life. Given his lack of knowledge about the repercussions, he often ends up committing mistakes endlessly. 

2. The second is the other extreme. He is absolutely knowledgeable. Given his knowledge about  the challenges & repercussions, he does not commit a mistake. At all. 

3. The third is us. Lying somewhere in between. We started off perhaps from the very ignorant. 

The question is, how then, did we or still are evolving from the very state of ignorance/darkness towards enlightened knowledgeable humans? We swing between avoiding mistakes to committing them like a pendulum. From one right action to another wrong action. Often, in a fixed/known space of time, it is one step forward followed by another step backwards. We sin, we repent, we repeat. 

How then, are we moving towards a knowledgeable state of mind. The other extreme where there is no mistake. From never being  Pharaoh to always being Musa. Perhaps, every mistake we make, leads us to a set of learning about ourself. It in turn, creates an opportunity to apply our learning in the realm of a similar situation. One step backwards gives us a chance to take two step forwards - a giant leap of self correction - Only if we decide to apply our learning. Only if we decide to apply our knowledge. 

Knowledge alone is nothing but a theory on paper. An unsaid theorem hidden somewhere in the complicated web of 100 billion neurons and trillion synapses in our brain. It only acquires a physical existence when it is applied. When it is expressed against the pressures of time/space and humanly expectations. When given a chance to perform its act on the stage of the world, it is only then the knowledge takes shape of action. Enlightened with the knowledge of repercussions,  It turns into an action, pushing us forward. Letting us take a step. This time, only the right step though. 

Knowledge is a reservoir, It is a Constitution  A  law book of Nature. Of Universe. And of Rights and Wrongs. Each moment, The world offers us an opportunity to get a set of rights and wrongs, apply them rightly to turn Knowledge into application. Each access to the Reservoir helps us make right decisions. Decisions that may be wrong according to societal norms or humanly expectations. But decisions, never the less, aligned with the Supreme Constitution of the Universe. It helps us move from being ignorant and unaware of repercussions to being more sound and knowledgeable.

If the above axis of constant learning and evolution towards perfection is kept on the canvas of Time (since the day we were born) - we'd see how we truly are moving towards being more enlightened. More sound with the knowledge of repercussions  It seems extremely debatable in the view of on going global set of affairs, however, despite that, there still seems to be some sort of Global Awakening. People today are more aware. People today, are fighting more and more with themselves. People today, are going and exploring the Universe's constitution more eagerly. 

The fact that you and I are aware of the darkness around is in itself a reflection of our collective movement towards lesser of a Pharaoh.  

It is only a matter of how less ignorant are we on our deathbed than we were when we opened our eyes. Each day puts a deal in front of us. An offer. An access to the Grand Law book of the Universe. Through which, we can pause. Get equipped with the repercussions of doing anything. And then, take a step towards being lesser of our past and more of our Future. And die as better Humans. 

Along the way, we would have contributed toward the Collective Human Evolution towards Perfection. 

Of Cave and shadows.

Background: In one of the short work-breaks, we ended up discussing education today. Everybody started discussing - rather criticizing (some defending) the current system of education (internationally and locally). 

You know we have gotten the whole concept of "Education" wrong when you are in the middle of a discussion - criticizing the current educational system of Pakistan, and there is a very disgruntled student who is actively criticizing his university's Economics Professor - citing how the professor made the class undertake a project on Philosophy, and that too in Persian/English.

The very inability of the student to dig in and study the relationship before criticizing; coupled with the very confidence of presenting the example as a criticism against the current educational system says at length of how he, too, perhaps, has become the very victim of the same system. Blind and rigid to studying the subject beyond the realms of set paradigms.

By now, the same system has so beautifully and so silently captivated his thinking so well that even he does not know.

The biggest evidence of this system's failure is, that it makes you think that you know too well. It gives you the luxurious freedom of living an illusion where you think you are criticizing the system when you are, in actuality, speaking in favor of it.

For some odd reason, the above made me recall one of my favourite teacher's class of Philosophy, Logic & Ethics. The class where she narrated Plato's Allegory of the Cave. The compulsory credit course taught at a Business School, with apparently little to do with business. But perhaps, a lot to do with Life.

“How could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to move their heads?” - 
― Plato, The Allegory of the Cave

Once upon a time.

Once upon a time, there was a village where dawn and sunsets happened at a time distance of 2 years. So if the sun set on 31st December 1900, it would only rise again after 2 years in 1902. 

In the same village, right when sun had set fresh after two years, in the midst of the whole village celebrating the arrival of Light, a young mother gave birth to a little boy. The boy was welcomed in the arms of happiness and joy. He was celebrated as a sign of Positivity and Peace for the village. As days passed, he turned into a smart, young chirpy kid. He was always happy. Super excited and high on Life. He took life as it came.

However, there was just one thing that he was an absolute slave of. He was mesmerized and in complete awe of Sun's power. People thought perhaps, it is because he had opened his eyes when the Sun was shining bright and fresh. 

Soon, his habit of happiness coupled with his addiction for Sun started irritating other children around. People started making fun of him. He tried making stairs to reach out to the Sun. He made little mud steps and whispered whatever words he knew, somehow, imagining that Sun would take him up. But the Sun, just stood, boldly shining. 

His mother, perturbed by his growing fanaticism for the Sun and fast approaching Sunset years, decided to talk to him. She sat with him, told him that the Sun would set soon and he won't be able to see it again for another 2years. This broke him. The news came as a shattering thunder. He was disheartened. Too shocked to even move. His denial turned into numbness and finally into craziness. He ran frantically towards the Sun. And just stood. For the first time ever, he mustered all courage to glare directly at the Sun. His love and respect for Sun turned into an Obsession with no bounds. Knowing no ways of rightly expressing his Obsession, he just continued glaring for as long as he could. Directly. Letting the harsh rays of bright light blind him. It pained. It was brutal. It hurt his eyes. It was terrible. He fought. Though, with a disappeared smile, his lips did not taste the shape of a frown. 

Finally, the sun began its departure. Slowly and gradually, pulling its light from the horizons, darkening the lush green valleys, letting the shadows play their one last dance before walking back into their Master. 

It was dark. Pitch dark. Cold waves began mercilessly taking rounds of the village, as if they had been waiting for years to establish their power in the village.

The boy, tired of glaring at the Sun, wrapped in the pain of brutal departure, helpless at the change, opened his eyes. He had gone blind he realized. However, when he opened his eyes, he couldn't see darkness. No matter how hard he tried. No matter how much others described it to him. All he saw was Light. All he saw was His Love. He blinked, surprised. He rubbed his eyes. Told others. Nobody believed him. People called him crazy. No matter how hard he tried explaining. 

He believed. He believed in the Sun. No matter how absent it seemed from others' lives. He started telling others ways through darkness, because he could see somehow. People called him names. He continued. His Love for the Sun and His help had made him lonely inside. He continued. Even if taking help from him, people still hesitated spending time with him. 

Once he had showed everybody how to see the Light in the dark, and once everybody seemed to be believing that somewhere Light of the Sun might exist in this dark village, He brought them all together to sit and wait for the Sun's rise one year earlier than it was actually due to Rise. 

Nobody believed him, but just to prove him wrong, they did come and sit with him. He believed. He believed in the Sun. Which seemed to be slowly rising. 

And then, to everyone's surprise, It Appeared. The First Glimpse of its Bright Ray spreading Unexplainable Joys of Wonder, Surprise and Smiles. Everyone was shunned. They didn't know how to react. 

And that's when they realized. The Sun never went anywhere. The darkness was an illusion. It existed because they Let the Sun disappear. Because they never glared up to its Light. But the Boy just stood. Smiling and Warmly Welcoming the Rays again to the villagers. Telling tales to the Sun, of which, the Sun already knew. 

For the boy, It wasn't easy. It took pain and blinding effort of brutal patience to continue glaring up to the Sun and proving the Love for It. It took His Trust in the Rising Sun. It took Courage to See, Experience and Hold the Light. It took courage and muting his own pain to stand unmoved against skeptics to change, to darkness, to suffering, to Love. 

It took courage to Believe. He believed in God, even though, He was Silent.