zach, sort of,
because he's asked me a few times why i am the way i am
to him that means "nice".
I have class in half an hour, so this probably isn't going to be the prettiest note, but it will serve its purpose anyhow - hopefully.
now that i've thought about zach's question, i realize i really don't know how to condense 18 years of experience and memories and lessons and tribulations and relationships and whatever else makes a person the way they are into a note that i need to write in half an hour.
but
there are three things that stand out in my mind as the driving forces behind my actions and nonactions.
honestly, they are things that pop into my mind a lot, keeping me on my toes and helping me be the person that i can die happy being. kind of like, heroes. anyways, the people involved pretty much are my heroes.
i guess i'm not trying to explain myself as much as i'm really just trying to share these three quotes/instances/stories that were clearly somewhat profound enough to affect the way that i live and think and act.
a lot of times people hear a story or read something in the paper or find a quote, and are influenced by it at that moment, ...but then it kind of fades away as time goes on.
these three thingss (i dont know what to call them lol) also came to me sort of passively, but strangely enough whenever i'm in certain situations they just pop into my head. i guess they have subconsciously (now consciously?) affected me pretty much... a lot.
so maybe someone else will be just as affected. ok i'm going to share now.
1. the number one thing that just salfkjsalfj yeah i can't even explain, affects me quite positively haha, is this story that my mom told me when I was pretty young.
let's see if i can find it on a website...
oh yes i did.
The Old Woman and the Prophet
(salAllahu alayhi wsalam)
More than 1400 years ago in Arabia the people were living very much in fear. They feared their neighbours. They feared other tribes. They even feared their idols. For this was the time before Islam.
The Arabs were worshipping idols. In their ignorance they would bury their newly born daughters alive. As Islam began to spread among Arabs such cruel practices stopped. For Islam taught love and peace. It taught kindness and respect.
Prophet Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wsalam) himself was a very kind and loving person. He treated every one, young and old, with kindness and respect.
Because Prophet Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wsalam) was spreading the word of God, because he was changing, for better, the lives of many Arabs and because some Arabs felt that by the teachings of Muhammad their old idols were losing power, they disliked Muhammad and planned to kill him. Every time they tried to kill him, they failed. This angered the enemies of Islam even more. So they began to harass him in every way they knew.
One old woman made a habit of throwing rubbish on Prophet Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wsalam) whenever he passed from her house! Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wsalam) had to pass that house daily on the way to the mosque.
Even when the old woman threw rubbish on him, he would pass silently without showing any anger or annoyance. This was a regular, daily event.
One day when the Prophet was passing by, the woman was not there to throw the rubbish. He stopped, and asked the neighbour about her well-being, and wondered why she wasn't dropping any rubbish on him.
The neighbour informed the Prophet that the woman was sick in bed. The Prophet politely asked permission to visit the woman. When he entered the house, the woman thought that he had come there to take his revenge when she was unable to defend herself because of sickness.
But the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wsalam) assured her that he had come to her, not to take any revenge, but to see her and to look after her needs, as it was the command of Allah that if any one is sick, a Muslim should visit him and should help him if his help is needed.
The old woman was greatly moved by this kindness and love of the Prophet. By the example of greatness of Muhammad, she understood that he was truly the Prophet of God ...
yeah.
2. The number two thing that might explain why i am or do or dont the things i do or whateverrr
is a line from a song... who can guess what song it is!?
"...Let God deal with the things they do, 'cos hate in your heart will consume you too."
Okay I'm just gonna tell you what song it is (randomly... i really love the pseudoword "gonna" btw)
actually i'll post it at the bottom just in case you wanted to figure it out yourself first - i know i like doing that sometimes =p
3. And the number three thing that has grown considerable importance in my life-o is this quote by Anais Nin:
"We don't see things as they are; We see things, as we are."
amazing. haha no seriously i think it is.
this last thing kind of ties everything else together
"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind"
-Mahatma Gandhi
to be honest, i have ten minutes left. haha jk. no i really do have ten minutes but that wasn't what i was going to be honest about..
to be honest, it's really weird/surprisingly difficult for me to share these things. i realize this is coming from a very raw/almost secret place inside of me. I dunno. Feels like i'm opening some door into SAMIAH. how often do we talk about why we are the way we are?
i could talk a lot more about the instances and such when these things really started all crazy affecting me, but i'll save you that haha. i just put these things out on the table and maybe you can take something from them too. or not whatever it's your call. ok sorry for the most poorly written note ever haha. thanks guys.
since i'm on the topic of sharing quotes
these don't affect me as immensely, and they havent affected the way i live or anything, but they kind of point out important things to me, so i'm gonna share them and then rush off to LS.
It's smallness is not petty; on the contrary, it is profound.
-Jan Morris
...this is all we need. A couple of smokes, a cup of coffee, and a little bit of conversation. You and me and five bucks.
-Troy to Lainey; "Reality Bites"
and the song from #2:
"Just the Two of Us" - Will Smith (yes the fresh prince) =)
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