imagination

Isn't the imagination a fickle thing?

when one wants to churn out ideas they don't come, and when one's not concentrating on having good ideas they flow, and there's no reservoir to catch them, so they drift into that endless sea of lost opportunities..

is it a testament to one's abilities; that they oscillate over time, that they depend on other things in one's life, or that there are certain actions one can perform which increase one's imaginative powers - that one can overcome the burdens of reality and produce pearls of wisdom, or perhaps filter them into a palpable, and digestible form? perhaps that sentence was too long..

does each and every person's imagination differ, and the extent to which one's imagination flows is directly related to the free-reign you give it?, or does it depend on one's 'intelligence'? perhaps both are the same thing?

there are academics everywhere who could perhaps explain this away simply, but for amateur imagineers like your author, we attempt to probe these concepts in our own fashion, not caring too much for conformity or the perceived norm (in this topic, as in most aspects of life).

and it is this quality which leads us to uncompromisingly seek truth, where-ever it may be, and to aim to overcome our urges to pre-judge a possible truth by all the flavours surrounding it. if everyone was prepared to do the same perhaps the world would become a much nicer place to be in.

not that our world is bad, rather there are many aspects of our world which have had bad effects on humanity's imagination; influences which serve to dull the minds, and trap the mass perception under a veil of acceptance - acceptance that what is is the norm, and anything other than that is a mistake, that to think outside the box is a sign that one has stepped beyond the bounds of what is commonly perceived (and agreed) to be sanity.

where does that leave us - treading the fine line between genius and insanity? rather the lines only exist if one 'imagines' that they do, therefore any limitations are only what you've placed upon yourself (perhaps with more than a little goading-on from those who seem to have that edge in influencing mass opinion).

what is the purpose of our discussion? well, on the surface, and topically it focuses on each and every one of humanity's need to utilise their power of imagination - not to live in a dream-world, because that is the realm of fools, and it is only another side to the coin of mass-control (think about all that TV you are encouraged to watch, and the products you are expected to buy - the stupider the better), but here we are talking about awareness - to open one's mind by using the power to see what is beyond the apparent, to the real over-arching truth , by using the God-given power of imagination.

Allah has created us differently than the animal, because the animal doesn't have the power to contemplate what is beyond the senses, the unseen. it can be argued that many humans have given up that right (perhaps through compulsion, but we cannot say), and so leave themselves in a state worse than the animal, because at least the animal by its very existence is fulfilling it's purpose.

So what is the crux of our little piece of advice? the over-arching truth that we speak of... - it becomes apparent when your turn your mind to the real purpose of life - that the certainty of death is one truth that there is no escape from, that there is undoubtedly an eternity waiting after death, and that you will meet your Lord.

then life becomes a time and place for contemplating your Lord and preparing for the meeting with Him, to be in the best state of awareness that you can be in before death comes, so that there will be a glimmer of a chance that you will rest in His favour. you owe this to yourself, and more importantly, you owe it to your Lord, who has blessed you with so many things, not least that amazing power of imagination.

so use it my friends. we are all in the same boat.

as has been said, 'come on people now, smile, i'm your brother, everybody get together - try to love one another right now...'

whispered (a second sonnet)

Evil thoughts they come - your resolve to break,

Disguised lies and half-truths come from nowhere,

At night when you're half 'tween sleep and awake -

To lead down roads of darkness and despair.

Diseased words and manifested regret,

Remembered - consciously solidified.

Old promises that have never been kept -

Too weak to fulfill, too frightened to die.

Water wont wash away those twisted fears,

They remain inside like frozen, dead weight.

Unmeltable, no release of warm tears,

Mere loneliness for you to contemplate.

Turn, repenting to the One Friend above -

He is the Source of peace and endless love.

travelling

gone are the times, one would suppose, when the pen can run free. as constraint pulls in from everywhere and the thoughts that could be seen, never heard, to be unpalateable are so hard to put into words. this makes reading so much more difficult, and the writer's imprisoned in a self-imposed h-block.

as in those ozzy soaps, the walls are mere paper, and atoms, weak to the mind that perceives beyond all that, seem to tower above in structures too great to overcome. however, all minds are susceptible to that kind of restraint. our world is designed to confuse us in this way, so as to test us in our ability to realise.

the path to realisation is long, and frought with so many obstacles that all travellers need a guide. we see so many who dont even know they're on a path to begin with - those who perceive their existence as a mere frolic through the garden of desires and pleasure, without direction or limit to what it is permissible or no, and it's so tempting just to join that throng, but the mind just wont allow it.

it's a blessed feeling to be in the state of intermediate understanding which places one between knowing and un-knowing, past the border of ignorance - a barrier perilous to cross back over once one has broken through..

..to know Allah has specifically mentioned one's name,

..to know that He has a special purpose for you

..to take the time to ponder, and to try to find what that special something is, and to turn away from the unreality of those created things, and rely completely on Him, who cares, and knows, and is over every-thing, powerful.

oh the beauty of being a servant to the Almighty. the only true happiness comes from this state. and this happiness is not easy to contemplate, or describe, because one cannot describe something to one who hasnt experienced anything similar. words do not qualify, just meaning beyond feeling perhaps.

so a writer, when putting the words down has no hope of touching the hearts with anything like the taste of what knowing the Knower is like, has to only hope that hearts with their innate yearning start to turn back towards that Truth and essence of all existence, to take their place among the travellers on the returning path.

ask

Whatever happened to that energy?

That Father Ted 'I could convert gays' -esque energy.

Was it naive, and has realism set in - or is it just creeping apathy?

The world is full of 'ethical hunger' (so says some English cardinal on BBC), and at the same time has numerous aggressive atheists/secularists peddling their wares. They're convinced that 'religion' was created by humankind as a means of societal control, and cling to some faux-rationalism of probabilities - moving from God probably exists, to God probably doesnt exist, to God doesnt exist.

What an illogical statement!

If God didnt exist then there wouldnt be a subject for that predicate.. i.e. if He didnt exist then no-one would be spending time trying to prove He didnt, because there wouldnt be a He in the first place. Ill-logic.

Yes, it is a sickness - possibly (and now academically termed) 'affluenza', where the world's stuck in a middle-age 'big fish eats the little ones' worldview which demands ruthless individualism and all for material gains. Spirituality is seen as 'tales of the ancients', and only suitable in the realm of mad poets and metaphysicists, but that in itself is nothing new - merely an old tale stretching back as far as what it's opposed to...

So it's time for someone like this author, who has the alternative, and the only balanced view, to give that view out to the fellow humans, in hope that someone else will understand too...

Closer

Eye, hot; dropped tear
Lip quivers and jaw tight
Tear, drop; round and clear
Heart shivers and blurred sight.

Draw near; love's embrace
Existence reassured
Eye's yearn; heart's race
Loneliness is cured.

Eye's tear; inner fear
Through matter spirit soars
Fear, Loved; warm and dear
What you've always waited for.

Cry, real; clear and true
Heart opened to pure love
True, feel; me and You
Im low and You're above.

Life, lived; fear and hope
Death is everlasting youth
Hope, freed; hold the rope
Submit your essence to the Truth.

earthmovers

if it never stopped, would it go on forever? we boldly ramble on like our time's eternally guaranteed, but perhaps not in the right frame of mind...

a dream after hearing about those thousands in the philippines, showed earth moving in and around, and covering from above, and gradual suffocation. and how is a grave? not lightly named - a 'grave' matter. we all return to the bosom, and the dark embrace of our 'mother earth' one day.

our minds like to deny, and our spirits soar, and reach rock bottom, but never,ever does this make the end more real in many of our escapades. ann escape from thinking about the one thing there's no escape from. how impossibly optimistic?

well, that womb of earth awaits, and then eternity begins. of course after renaissance in a life where this little time on earth will seem only as a day...

what's the purpose of this? you may ask, and i may know. there's a sense of holding onto what you know, in fear of unacceptance. how to reconcile? any prmise that 'one day' it is unveiled is a risk that it is perilous to take, because if the time came and the chance to know had not been given, then it would be unjust, huh?

well, there's another facet, that Allah (God) knows all, controls all, and all returns to Him. we owe our existence itself to Him, so how can we rest easy, and ignore our duties, in return for that. not only that, but this; our Lord is so magnificent, and tremendous and all-overpowering that, He is deserving of all worship.

now worship may be a heavy word for the masses, like a toll-bridge on a well-trodden road. you are obliged to pay, even if you dont want to.

so all roads lead to a grave destination, and soil all around, but ni that enclosure opens up all eternity.

get close to Allah in this life,and after the interrment stage, thats where we'll be.

now i just need to heed my own advice.

all in a moment

In the rain swim the blurred, unknown, wandering souls

Faces blank, each to their own care

The sun beats down, another place - different names

Here, a snow-storm howls around a skinned tent

Or there, a lady washes clothes in a filthy stream

In a desert land a man cries over

the body parts of his broken daughter.

Atop his ivory tower a playboy snorts a line

What does he care in his delusion?

A fisherman pulls in the last catch of the day

A soldier neutralises his enemy

A monk worships his golden god

A fireman rescues a choking old man

And all things are known,
and under control.

swept away

Another wrinkle, another year older,
Another line in the sand.
When are you gonna cross
to the other side?
When are you gonna be a man?

There's a grey hair, there's time flying by
There's someone left behind.
Wont you take heed from this
and change while you still can?
Are you seeing the signs?

It's clear, it's reality,
It's something you cant deny.
Why dont you pay off your dues
and clean the slate?
Do you know when you're gonna die?

Tommorrow will come, tomorrow is death,
Tomorrows you'll never have again.
What have you prepared
for endless eternity?
Permanent pleasure or everlastiing pain?

Success is a choice, success is life,
Success is the only way to choose.
Do you coose to be blinded
to the choice available to you?
Would you rather win or lose?

So come on, so admit the truth,
So many chances have passed away.
Dont you feel the need
to submit yourself to the Lord?
What more could I say?