— Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu - Chapter 49 —
The sage has no mind of his own.
He is aware of the need of others.
I am good to people who are good.
I am also good to people who are not good.
Because Virtue is goodness.
I have faith in people who are faithful.
I also have faith in people who are not faithful.
Because Virtue is faithfulness.
The sage is shy and humble - to the world he seems confusing.
Men look to him and listen.
He behaves like a little child.
21. #LifeIntoExistence : Curiosity With Words and Wise Discretion
January 11th, 2024
10 : 48 PM
I once heard that music exists
Because of the pause between beats
And I discovered that words have meaning
Due to the silence between sentences …
Hold that thought …
— Silent Crew —
At our school, we have a
Short class called, “Crew”, where every morning
We gather and converse in small groups …
Every teacher uses this time differently
For my class, it’s a therapy session
And I am also interested in
Integrating a deeper lesson …
Every two weeks, we have
What I call, “Silent Crew”
Where the students are encouraged
To spend the one entire period
In complete silence …
— No laptops, no phones, no talking —
Silence.
This initially causes pushback
But eventually the students
Learn to appreciate it
To have a moment where they
Are not stimulated
Either willingly through technology
Or the violence that this city
Offers in abundance …
— All Eyes On Me : Showing Up —
I remember listening to an interview
That Conor McGregor had
Before he was a global phenom …
In the interview
He talks about “showing up”
And I didn’t yet fully understand
What he had meant …
But now I see it.
Showing up is to be fully present
In whichever condition
One may find oneself
And to offer the very best
Of your gifts that are available …
I know that I am a gifted communicator.
I intend to pass that gift to my students …
It requires that I always open
Myself to both sides of an issue
And make sure that I represent
Someone who can be calm in the storm
And offer my perspective with compassion …
Hold that thought …
— To You Your Religion —
This is therefore to say that the transformation of human consciousness through meditation is frustrated so long as we think of it as something that I by myself can bring about, by some sort of wangle, by some sort of gimmick. Because, you see, it leads to endless games of spiritual one-up-man-ship. And of guru competition. Of my guru being more effective than your guru. My yogas are faster than your yoga. I am more aware of myself than you are. I am humbler than you are. I am sorrier for my sins than you are. I love you more than you love me. There’s this interminable goings on where people fight and wonder whether they are a bit more evolved than somebody else and so on.
- Alan Watts
— Referenced Verses From The Holy Quran —
Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “O People of the Book! You have nothing to stand on unless you observe the Torah, the Gospel, and what has been revealed to you from your Lord.” And your Lord’s revelation to you ˹O Prophet˺ will only cause many of them to increase in wickedness and disbelief. So do not grieve for the people who disbelieve.
— Quran 5 : 68
Indeed, the believers, Jews, Christians, and Sabians1—whoever ˹truly˺ believes in Allah and the Last Day and does good will have their reward with their Lord. And there will be no fear for them, nor will they grieve.2
— Quran 2 : 62
Say, [O believers], "We have believed in Allāh and what has been revealed to us and what has been revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Descendants [al-Asbāṭ]1 and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him."
— Quran 2 : 136
Indeed, you ˹O Prophet˺ are not responsible whatsoever for those who have divided their faith and split into sects. Their judgment rests only with Allah. And He will inform them of what they used to do. (159)
Whoever comes with a good deed will be rewarded tenfold. But whoever comes with a bad deed will be punished for only one. None will be wronged. (160)
Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Surely my Lord has guided me to the Straight Path, a perfect way, the faith of Abraham, the upright, who was not one of the polytheists.” (161)
Say, “Surely my prayer, my sacrifice, my life, and my death are all for Allah—Lord of all worlds. (162)
He has no partner. So I am commanded, and so I am the first to submit.” (163)
Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “Should I seek a lord other than Allah while He is the Lord of everything?” No one will reap except what they sow. No soul burdened with sin will bear the burden of another. Then to your Lord is your return, and He will inform you of your differences. (164)
— Quran 6 : 159 - 164
Before I share this compassionate conversation
Allow me to share a few perspectives …
This is a very close Muslim brother
Who is deeply inspirational in helping me
On this spiritual Islamic journey …
There are far more spaces
Where we agree than disagree
And I often go to him for advice
When I am confused …
There are no heroes nor villains in this conversation.
Only two different perspectives …
Lastly, dear reader
You know me well enough
To know that I would only engage
In a nuanced conversation with someone
On a sensitive issue if I had an
Immense amount of love and respect for them …
So, our discussion was in good faith.
He responded to this picture that I shared in my Whatsapp story …
Below is our compassionate conversation :
It is always an honor
To have my horizons widened
By another great mind
This discussion is not yet over …
I expect a brilliant counter from him tomorrow …
— Moral of the Story —
I have been mediating conflicts
Since I was a child
So, I know how to listen carefully
And offer my perspective respectfully …
And I also know when to leave gracefully
When the discussion is not held compassionately …
I’ll leave you with two short videos
That helped me in engaging with others
— Especially when we disagree —
Both are from Pema Chodron’s book
”Don’t Bite The Hook” …
— People Want Us To Agree With Them —
This teaches us how to settle
In another’s perspective compassionately …
— Wearing Shoes —
This video teaches us
To take responsibility
For our own peace …
Dear reader …
I wish you peace.
Alhamdulillah.
— K.S. Fort
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The goal this year is to document as many memories as possible.
This is the series to the next book, “#LifeIntoExistence : Tabula Rasa”. This book will be available towards the end of October.
For those interested in books written in the past, feel free to read the Google Documents at this link.
Lastly, for those who want to support my journey financially (please remember, I do have a fur baby), purchase the Kindle books at this link.
Enjoy the journey and live with intention …