Showing posts with label 5th issue. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 5th issue. Show all posts

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Life, learning and evolving



Author: Laura Kerol Fernandez
Country: Spain

God, I don’t even know where to begin from.
I think no matter what you have to go through, life is a gift. We have to be thankful we’re here, being a part of this world. We always take everything for granted, and that’s not good. There were moments of my life when I’ve asked myself if I really am a part of this existence, this reality. Sometimes I start thinking how wonderful life is, and about the two faces of the world.
We could say that the world is divided in two parts: the one that’s beautiful, good, intense, the one that makes you feel alive and make you love life (surrounded by nature, living creatures, the blue sky, the beach, the mountains, etc…).
But then there’s the unfair, tragic, violent, unbalanced, mad part. The best of everything is that we are a part of these two sides, more of the second side. If people wanted it enough, there wouldn’t be violence, war, murder, poverty. But we want all of this, we have chosen it.
Better said, we’re not part of that second side, it is a part of us. Now I think we all have, within us, the same nature, we’re all created the same way. But as time goes on, we grow up and create ourselves in a world that was not planned at all, and that is changing us completely: if things go on this way, every next generation will become more violent, alone, with lower ideals, desires and dreams, without personality.
That’s why every time I see things clearer, like we’re going the wrong direction. But how to stop it? People of this century only want to make money and invent more and more material things. From a human point of view, people evolve, the human race evolve. Evolve in the sense of creating new things that make our lives more comfortable and make what we have less boring. What would happen if we enjoyed what the world is offering us without having the necessity of creating more and more? Maybe everything would be better, but then we can't say that “men” have evolved. We would ask ourselves: what have “ men “ evolved in? I guess creating things to cover the main necessities, we have reached that limit and we haven’t learned how to say “no, I’m taking what I have because I’m happy with it. I don’t need anything else.” I guess we’ve started a circle that won't let us even speculate the end of all of this.
We’re destroying nature and the environment. That’s already a bad sign, isn’t it? A sign that something is not going like it’s supposed to. That we have to fix some things. But how? People don’t know how to stop anymore. We’ve reached a point where it is almost impossible to go back. And most people don’t realize a thing about it. There’s some who do. At the same time, I’m even impressed that there are so many good people who care about the world with so many good purposes and concerns about our heath and humanity.
How will we do it to rebuild all that the human race has destroyed?
No, life wouldn’t be boring if we’d be satisfied with what we have. Everybody would be the way they want to be, and we’d have different ideals for life. We would help each other and people would be more focused on their lives and be happy instead of worrying so much that they're the only people who are trying to save the world. We would be the same, but without violence, destruction and modernity that makes people forget the values of their lives. Values that we're all born with, but are forgotten on the way as a consequence of the place that we live in.

Secularism... Solution or revolution?


Author: Abdul Rahman Ahmad
Country: Egypt

It would seem weird amongst all the political issues in which we are stuck in nowadays, both globally and locally, if someone bombed an issue called "Secularism"!
For me I don't like to call it that way, I like calling it: "Self-independence", and by "Self" I mean everything related to everybody's character, personal guarantees, Religion and nationality...
Before going further with this issue, I am a Muslim and I am proud to be one!
I am just thinking of what is the reason behind me being a Muslim!
The answer is simply because my parents are Muslims but why are my parents so? Because my grand father was so, and so on to the level that I find all humans running in a circle called "Following and followers"!
We did not choose to be ourselves; the fact keeps going through my mind!

There are restricted areas and issues that we should not speak of and why?? Not to be called "weird" or to be rejected by others.
What I am saying is: I did not choose to be Muslim just like He did not choose to be Christian although we both think that our religion is the best, and our messenger is the greatest of all! Weird, isn't it?
To me it is not opening one's mind to differences.
Neither Muslims go to churches to know truly about Coptic nor do Christians go to mosques to know about Islam and Jews do not go to either place to know about either one of both religions!
We just see each other's religion by our eyes and our perspectives, not by the other's eyes!
What I have to say that we, as youth, have to raise our voices, we do not have to be followers!

I wanted to call this "followers......No more" but I thought the title was into the point!
This is a concept I already have; I do not believe at all that our religion should be stamped on our IDs unless we have a total knowledge and awareness of this religion and only when we choose this religion as our way with complete content and pride!!
Every one of us has to have this concept: "Follower.... No more" not only in religion but in our school, home, etc... We have to choose our way in everything even if it involved restricted areas!!