During my first Ramadan, I found myself in serious introspect and contemplation, fasting which
imparted control and discipline, as well as gaining knowledge through
reading, YouTube, discussion and salah. I feel changed. I've had a
tune-up so to speak.
I’ve lost the taste for what I'll term “mind
garbage”. We usually go about our lives in an unconscious way. We
eat unhealthy food and even when we are not that hungry, we listen to
music which reminds us of our past and go down a sad memory lane, we
put off important things like exercise, advancing our careers,
keeping in touch with our families and we don’t even know why. Watch hours of sports or random channel
surf on a beautiful sunny day.
What
if today were the last day of your life? Would you be content to
spend it consuming McDonald’s for the soul?
I
came across a very uncomplicated yet complete to do list. It said simply this:
Sharpen
the mind
Harden
the body
Soften
the heart
And
be of service to others
Sharpen
the mind. A thought becomes an intention, an intention becomes an
action, actions repeated become your character. So it's important to
sharpen your mind to choose things that will improve your character
instead of defame it.
Harden
the body. Of course exercise to literally harden the body but also
train the body to control itself from urges that could lead to
problems or complicated circumstances.
Soften
the heart. I thought this was a really odd phrase when I first heard
it. What do you mean soften the heart? I searched for a bit and found
pictures of children barely clothed huddled together in what looked
like a storm drain crying. I wondered where their parents were and
what terrible thing had put them in that storm drain. I also found
pictures of the most beautiful natural landscapes and pictures of the
universe. Maybe you have been fortunate enough to stand on a
shoreline of an ocean and look out into its vastness. That feeling
you get is softening your heart.
Be
of service to others. Could be a simple thing like holding open a
door or asking if an elderly person would like some assistance,
giving a panting dog some water, volunteering your time, fund raising
for a cause that means a lot to you. Maybe even taking the time to
call a friend just to ask how they're doing and listen.
It's
so ridiculously simple. It will make you ridiculously happy.
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