Lesson Learnt from a Bicycle Rider on a Highway

source: istockphoto.com

So the other day, I was watching the cars passing by on the main street under our house – a strange pastime of mine – and I saw a guy riding a bicycle on the highway. Cars kept on appearing from view and disappearing as they rounded the corner, and the guy was cycling at a very leisurely pace. I wondered how he felt moving at a snail’s pace in the dust  comparison with cars passing by at 100 kph at least.

But then again, can you compare the legpower of an average male with the horsepower of an engine? This guy made me see that sometimes in life, we really need to stop comparing ourselves to the people around us. Some may be prettier, smarter, have better jobs, or more friends, and we might be inclined to do preposterous things in an attempt to compete with them. But we need to remember that each one of us has a unique set of talents and qualities that makes us who we are.

Some might claim that comparing ourselves with others can be quite motivating, and it could be true to some extent, but at some point or another, frustration begins to set in, because wherever you are in life, someone will always be in a better position, and for every ounce of motivation we might get, we risk the chance of getting a pound of frustration, helplessness and worse of all, ingratitude and envy.

So sometimes it’s best for someone to make an inventory of their strengths and weaknesses, work hard to compete with himself, and be better than they were yesterday.

Hadeeth of the Day

عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : ”انظروا إلى من هو أسفل منكم. ولا تنظروا إلى من هو فوقكم؛ فهو أجدر أن لا تَزْدروا نعمة الله عليكم” متفق عليه.

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “Look at those who are lower than you and do not look at those who are higher than you. That is more likely to prevent you underestimating the blessing of Allah on you.” [Agreed upon]

Hadeeth translation source: http://www.sunnipath.com/library/Hadith/H0004P0055.aspx

Floating Or Sinking?!

When I shared “Stuck In The Rut?!” over a year ago, it’s funny how many of my friends thought that the note was inspired by what’s happening in their lives at the moment, because it seems many of us are on the same boat, and symbolically speaking, I guess it’s sinking. I think the main reason why we are on the same boat is actually because at our stage of our lives, we’re a bit too restless. We haven’t been anchored yet by the default set of responsibilities to worry about. And since we haven’t been anchored, we’re still floating, and thus, are susceptible to sinking. Makes sense, right?

But the catch is that there’s a ray of hope there…we’re still floating even if at times we feel like we’re sinking, we haven’t reached the ocean bed yet. And how do I know that? Because we’re still thinking about how to improve ourselves, our lives and the lives of those around us. Actually, it’s such a blessing alhamdullilah that we are still thinking in the first place. Because some people have given up on that too.

Trust me, one of the worse feelings in the world is the feeling of “getting stuck”. I know people who are stuck in their various stages of life, and it sucks. Getting stuck means no progress. It means having this desire-to move ahead-burst against your chest and yet feeling like you’re being held back because you’re trying to push a wall. Ever tried to push a wall? You can go try it once you’re done reading. What about running on a treadmill in hopes of reaching a place which is a mile away? Yes, you’re getting tired, yes, you’re burning calories and losing weight. But are you going anywhere in the literal sense, or are you still in the same place? That’s what getting stuck means.

And yet to  some people – the ones who have sunk for so long that they no longer know what being afloat feels like- getting stuck has become a deadend that adds nothing but misery in their lives. And they accept it, and fail to think about it anymore, because that’s just life. Some people are stuck in miserable marriages, and others are stuck in miserable jobs.

And the reasons? Children, money, the status quo, appearances…whatever you want. And it’s not like I support people who break up a “miserable” marriage just because it’s “miserable”, but I do not support those who don’t do anything to change their misery, and sit instead, and accept their sunken state because …oh well…just because. Does it matter why?

They’re too tired to think about it anyway.

Yes, I know we need to live in the “Now” timeframe, and discipline ourselves not to get carried away with our thoughts. But we shouldn’t also be one of those people who live on auto-pilot, and stop thinking altogether, filling our heads instead with ‘thoughts’ about the next paycheck, the next entertaining event to watch, the next football match….And I guess the test that our thoughts must pass is how much of it is turned into useful action that can help us help humanity in general and the Muslim Ummah in specific.

That’s today’s food for thought, or shall I say…suhoor for thought?


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Stuck In The Rut?!

Do you find yourself occasionally lost in thought, worrying about your future or dwelling about your past, until you find it difficult to eat, sleep, or focus on anything you’re doing because things are not happening as quickly as you may want them to? Or maybe you get anxious about moving on, and the more you think about it, the more indecisive you become, so you end up like a land cruiser with its wheels stuck in the sand, where the harder you try to get it out, the deeper it sinks.

The best solution to get out of such times on uncertainty is to live in the “Now” timeframe, stop talking, discussing, and actually do something. Because a decision is not really made until the first step has been taken. Our problem is, we are always waiting for situations to be perfect so we can go ahead and do something. But the reality check, situations will never be perfect right from the start, and if something is meant to be, everything will fall into place while we’re at it. It reminds me of a quote about how life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.

Also, let’s be real, nothing down the road is guaranteed. If we reflect on our pasts, and look at where we are right now; did we imagine that our life would turn out to be exactly as it had turned out to be? Even if we have accomplished our goals, probabilities are high that the exact details of what we’ve accomplished are different than what we had set in mind.

Besides that, there’s also the tortuous paths that lead to where we are; the short-cuts, the sharp corners, the wrong signs and the random incidents that seemed to make no sense while they were happening but made sense only afterwards when we sat to connect the dots. Because subhaan Allah, connecting those dots in our lives can be quite an interesting exercise, because it makes you believe in your heart that there’s no such thing as luck or coincidence…but that it’s all fate.

Yes, imagining ahead is good in the sense it helps you see where you want to go, and plan ahead. Also thinking about the past helps you see where you’ve been, and reinforces the lessons that you’ve learnt. But the problem lies when dwelling too much on something leads to the indecisiveness of the person at the crossroads who doesn’t know where to go so ends up not doing anything, and just sitting cross legged on the floor and waiting for something to appear without doing anything else…in hopes of…in case…if only…blah blah blah.

And then time; it just passes us by, and what would we have to show for it in the end? A depression or hole in the sand where we’ve sat and sunk into maybe?
There’s a quote by Will Rogers that goes; “Even if you’re on the right track you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”

And remember that no matter how much we plan…lan yu9eebana illa ma kataba Allah lana

So I guess this is today’s reminder to myself before anybody else…

May Allah guide us all to the right path.

If you like this note, please feel free to share with your friends.


Thanks to Maha Shouman for sharin the youtube link…