Friday, August 17, 2012

Life Ultimate




"'Eternal life' is the promise of most religions, what is 'eternal life' like in Islam?" [0:00]

"In the Islamic paradise, do we lose our personality and 'merge' into some cosmic consciousness [as] some religions teach?"[5:31]

"From an Islamic point of view, how ultimately real and significant in Islamic philosophy is paradise?" [8:45]

Monday, August 6, 2012

On Time

Tonight I will link to two short texts which relate to "time." Together, they are a word of warning addressing how we choose to understand our relationship with time. If there's one thing to learn from your religion, philosophy, or however you muse about over life, I really think this is close to "the big one" – the truest way to live is in the now.
... And you run and you run
To catch up with the sun
But it's sinking

Racing around
To come up behind you again

The sun is the same
In a relative way
But you're older

Shorter of breath
And one day closer to death

Every year is getting shorter
Never seem to find the time

Plans that either come to naught
Or half a page of scribbled lines

Hanging on in quiet desperation
Is the English way

The time is gone
The song is over
Thought I'd something more to say ...

–From Pink Floyd, "Time," Dark Side of the Moon



We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we're frustrated that the kids aren't old enough and we'll be more content when they are. After that, we're frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We'll certainly be happy when they're out of that stage. 
We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire. 
The truth is, there's no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when?
Your life will always be filled with challenges. It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. 
One of my favorite quotes comes from Alfred D. Souza. He said, "For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, or a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life." 
This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have and treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time with...and remember that time waits for no one.
So, stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until you're off welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you've had a drink, until you've sobered up, until you die, until you're born again to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy. 
Happiness is a journey, not a destination.
–Crystal Boyd, 1997,
in Midnight Muse, 2000






Sunday, January 22, 2012

In the Beginning Was Consciousness (Lecture by Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr)

Delivered at the Harvard Divinity School last year. Dr. Nasr discusses the epistemological changes that have occurred in recent centuries beginning in Europe, the Scientific Revolution, and the descent of true science to Scientism and the corresponding symptoms of the empty and utterly hopeless understanding of reality so frequent in the time and place in which we live. He shares his belief that, in light of some signs of change in recent decades, we are finally on the cusp of our long trajectory into intellectual darkness and back. A global future of polished hearts and awakened souls may not so distantly await.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJbASTsjxE8