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...'

vision

seems like you're in a little paddling boat
trying to get to the middle of the ocean -
thinking you'll find something there.
but if you arrive all you'll find,
is that you're a million miles from any shore
with nowhere to land and no solid ground.

so it's better to stay on your island
of knowledge, slowly building it up
against the stormy seas -
til you have a continent,
then you can begin to build bridges
to reach the others,
instead of looking for cracks in ideas
without knowing the plan..

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...

turning back

open, close, your mind is on the blink, if you dont keep track of this or that thought or deed be assured someone is... so dont get lost in the forgetfulness of your own mis-actions, and dont allow yourself to be fooled into thinking everything is good, fine and dandy, nothing to worry about, nothing is serious or any of those easy ways of thinking.

cos its all about being. and being involves seriousness, this is advice to you and to myself. so lets keep our awarenesses switched on, especially now that the blessed month is about to end, and the biggest satans will be untied.

if we've done wrong in the past while it is purely us that is to blame. and who's responsible?

as someone who tries to drop the worldly pleasures perhaps Ive become more attuned to the intricacies of these feelings and deeds. and Ive been told before to tone down my thinking, but that is mere fallacy. we cannot depend solely on God's Mercy, and without the intention of living , and leaving, loving and dying purely for the sake of our Majestic Creator, then all is empty, and as sand in the wind.

so make our deeds for Him alone, no partners in divinity, and then ask for His help. this is the key to submission, to a heart contented and life fulfilled...

i assure you it makes sense after you think it through, so dont be afraid of that, but be afraid of what deserves to be feared, then we can hope for forgiveness and eternal security.