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Lifelong learning

It is 1215am and I have decided to write. I have no topic but I want to write. Everyday is a blessing. Take care of yourself. Take care of your mind, body and spirit. Educate yourself. I am talking to myself also. Ideally the education system could do more to educate us on everyday topics. Common sense topics. Life education topics. But that is not happening so we have to self educate. There is much information and resources out there. Why educate ourselves? To live better lives and make the world a better place to live. I like the term lifelong learning. Learning does not have to be boring. Learning can be fun and engaging. Find the type of learning that suits your mind. Seek out opportunities to learn new things. Learn, unlearn and relearn. My friend calls it practical everyday knowledge and self-directed education. Fancy smancy terminology. I think one of the major failures of our education system is that it does not cater to the needs of all students. If you are good at beating boo...

God's plan

It is 152am and I have decided to write. I have a topic this morning or at least something I could start with. What is God's plan for me? How will I know? Maybe I do not get to know. Life is a test. My faith and trust in God will be tested. My friend tells me that maybe the plan is less about a specific job and an itinerary but a journey of becoming. Becoming a good human being. Becoming a good muslim. Becoming someone that God is happy with. It does not matter if I am a walker, a writer, a youtuber, a blogger, a web developer, a photographer, a volunteer, an advocate, whatever, as long as I am a good person following the path of God. God wants us to succeed. God wants us to win. God is helping us to succeed and win. Others may not want this for us but God does and who is more powerful than God. They plan but God is the best of planners. I like the phrase "character is destiny" which is commonly attributed to Heraclitus. It means that the kind of person you become shapes ...

Love and joy

It is 230pm and I have decided to write. I have no topic but I want to write. I am thinking about God. I am thinking about life. I am grateful for God and life. I need a writing prompt. My friend Chatty gave me a pretty verbose prompt. Sit quietly for a moment and imagine that God asks you only one question: "What have you noticed?" Don't answer with theology. Answer with your life. What have you noticed about joy? About fear? About the way people love? About silence? About time? About your own heart? Where have you sensed God—not in miracles, but in ordinary moments? Where have you struggled to find Him? What has life been teaching you that you were too busy to hear before? Write honestly. Don't try to reach a conclusion. Let the page become a conversation rather than an argument. I immediately noticed the light streaming through the window that allows me to see the world. My first thought was how much we take things for granted. It is easy to feel lacking. To feel s...

Drums of freedom

It is 401am and I have decided to write. This Saturday, Trinidad and Tobago observes African Emancipation Day. It is a day to celebrate the journey to freedom and to honor those who sacrificed so much so that we could enjoy the freedoms we have today. Yet the journey is not over. As we celebrate how far we have come, let us also ask God to open our minds and hearts to the struggles that continue. Freedom is never something we should take for granted. Every day, we witness powerful interests around the world attempting to stifle freedom in pursuit of their own agendas and self-aggrandizement. Too often, they seek to divide in order to conquer. May we resist division with wisdom, courage, and compassion. May unity triumph over hatred, truth over deception, and love over fear. As we remember the past, may we also commit ourselves to protecting the freedoms of the present and building a more just future for generations to come. Happy African Emancipation Day. May God continue to guide us o...

Positive vibration

It was 422pm and I decided to write. There was a peace in my heart that could only come from God. But what should I write about? "God, give me a sign. God, give me direction. Place a topic on my heart. Open my eyes and my ears to Your leading." The next morning, I woke up with a positive vibration. My heart felt light, and my mind was clear. It got me thinking. Sometimes, we simply need to clear our minds of negativity. We need to stop feeding fear, doubt, and discouragement, and instead make room for hope, faith, and positive possibilities. We need to reset our minds, renew our spirits, and re-energize our hearts. Then, we can return stronger to face whatever challenges lie ahead. If something is within our control, let us do our best to improve it. If it is beyond our control, let it go and let God. Life will always have difficulties, but we have a choice in how we respond to them. We can choose to see opportunities where others see obstacles. We can find lessons in our set...

Trust in prayer and trust in God

It is 111am and I have decided to write. We are 200 days from Ramadan. Ramadan is my favorite time of the year. I was looking at writing prompts and this one piqued my interest. Imagine you are in a world where prayers are answered immediately—how does it change the way people live? The first thing that comes to my mind is pure chaos. People will pray for all sorts of things. Makes me appreciate the wisdom of what happens now according to Islamic understanding. God delays for the best time according to His infinite wisdom. God may also replace what we asked for with something better. Sometimes not getting what we asked for is keeping us away from calamities. Sometimes the answers to our prayers are kept for the hereafter. Sometimes our prayers gets answered in unexpected ways and we do not recognise it. Prayer is not only about the answer as prayer also brings us closer to God.* In a world of instantaneous answers, human shortsightedness, fleeting emotions, and conflicting desires woul...

Waiting in line

It is 250pm and I have decided to write. I came across a writing prompt today that piqued my interest: What would you be willing to wait in a really long line for? My first question is, how long are we talking? One hour? One day? One year? A lifetime? The prompt seems paradoxical to me. The longer I am willing to wait, the more important the thing at the end of the line must be. But if it is truly that important, how could I live without it for so long? If I am willing to wait a lifetime, then perhaps I never really needed it at all. Then there are the practical questions. What am I allowed to do while I wait? How do I pass the time? Eventually I will need to use the bathroom, take a shower, brush my teeth, eat, sleep, and continue living. I cannot simply press pause on life because I am standing in a line. Maybe that is what bothers me most. Standing in a line feels like surrendering a part of my freedom. My path is fixed. My pace is determined by everyone in front of me. I can neithe...