Mind Garbage

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.