A Prophecy. February 1807

William Wordsworth

HIGH deeds, O Germans, are to come from you!
Thus in your books the record shall be found,
'A watchword was pronounced, a potent sound--
ARMINIUS!--all the people quaked like dew
Stirred by the breeze; they rose, a Nation, true,
True to herself--the mighty Germany,
She of the Danube and the Northern Sea,
She rose, and off at once the yoke she threw.
All power was given her in the dreadful trance;
Those new-born Kings she withered like a flame.' 
--Woe to them all! but heaviest woe and shame
To that Bavarian who could first advance
His banner in accursed league with France,
First open traitor to the German name!

The poet praises Germany for being brave and united. He refers to it as ''she''. German people are always source of great achievements '' HIGH deeds, O Germans, are to come from you!''. Their books are a proof of this greatness. They stood firmly together around their hero '' ARMINIUS'', who librated them from the Roman Empire. They were ready to fight under his command, and that's why they are like drops of dew that are waiting for a breeze to move them from their chains, meaning they are waiting for any call to the battle.

Those brave people made a nation, a true one ''the mighty Germany''. If you are not aware of what Germany is or where it is located, then you should know this simple geographical information; she ''it'' is that country which lays on the Danube River and Northern Sea.

She faced all dangers bravely and immediately threw all slavery ''yoke'' away. All rivals and enemies surrendered fearfully. Or you could say that she is given all the powers that entitle her to win any war. She certainly did use that power against some traitors '' Those new-born Kings''. She grilled them like a flame when it grills the meat. They were all bad kings of different sovereign. By a treaty signed in Paris (July 12th, 1806) they declared themselves perpetually cut from Germany, and united together as the Confederate States of the Rhine, of which the Emperor of the French was declared Protector. Nevertheless, she remained strong.

But the worst of them all is the Bavarian king '' but heaviest woe and shame to that Bavarian'', Frederick Augustus, who had been secretly on the side of France for some time, to whom he gave additional territories. He was and will be the first and the most obvious traitor in the German history.

"Young vs Old"

      Is it always true, from old people's point of view, that teenagers are reckless  and need constant observation? Are elderly people correct when they put endless blame on those young men? On the other hand, are teenagers always innocent? Are they being misunderstood by those around them? And more importantly; does the "young vs old" conflict exist in every society?

Well, if you're a parent I could hear a deep sigh! If you're a teenager I could see your index finger on the mouse looking for the "close" button! But hold on young man I might be on you side!

The relationship between old and young generations seems to always have been a matter of complaint and dissatisfaction from both sides in all societies. Why is it that? Is it because old people have a wide experience and can see what can't be seen by young people; and therefore they don’t want them to start from the scratch?! Or is it that young people are energetic and prefer to get things done their own ways?!

It wouldn't be a contradiction if we say: both are right! It means that we need for the old people to understand the fact that their experience is highly respected, but at the same time we should give a space and let teenagers try new ways. They might come up with new ideas. History tells us that great ideas have, most of the time, come out from young minds. Posing constrains all the time on teenagers and putting them under pressure will only produce a generation of hypocrites; who do what they don’t believe in, or criminals; who rebel against all the values of the society.  

Parents and educators are advised to read books or take courses on how to deal with this age. This age has certain psychological and mental changes that should be taken into consideration. For example, teenagers love privacy very much; a notion that doesn't have a room in old people's mind-- armed with the Victorian famous saying "children should be seen, not be heard!"-- Young people like to have a margin of independence. They want to experience the manhood themselves, but it's a different manhood from that of the elders! They don’t reject the values and norms but they look at them differently. Is that a right attitude?! Well, it might not be so, and that's a complete different matter of discussion.   

Anyhow, moderation and keeping balance is the bottom line. Elders should give ears to teenagers, and teenagers, in return, should adopt diplomacy when it comes to dealing with the elders. In other words, mutual understanding and willingness of compromise should be a motto for this relationship to be healthy and transparent. Unless they implement these rules, there wouldn't be any development, and deterioration will gradually sneak into that relation and turn it into a hell.

Read To Lead

  

Reading is a human activity that God bestowed humankind with. It's reading that makes us different from other creatures. Had not there been reading, there would have not been reason and explanation, and therefore no distinction between humans and animals.

Through reading we can convey messages, express our feelings, and impart knowledge and experience to other generations. It's reading that we were first ordained as Muslims to conduct: "Read in the name of your Lord.." 1/96. We clearly understand through this divine order how important reading is in our life as Muslims. It's a matter of everlasting learning process that never stops at any stage or for any given circumstances. It's more than a hobby because hobby is only done during leisure time, but reading is done, or say should be done, all the time.

Nevertheless, reading is a job that requires certain skills. Surprised? Yes, it's a job, in the full sense of the term. If you want to get the utmost out of any book you need to deal with reading with this mentality, otherwise the outcome of your reading would be of no weight. Adler in his book "How to read a book" talks elaborately on this point.

Since reading is an activity you may wonder: is it just that easy; e.g. you pick up a book and start reading? Well, you might have noticed in the previous paragraph that reading is a "job" that needs some skills. Thus, reading is three types: literal; reading the abstract words on the lines, inferential; reading between the lines, and evaluative; reading beyond the lines.  

The first type doesn't require that wit to be able to understand what's meant. The meaning is found directly in the text. You can put a finger on the answer as it answers questions "who?", "what?", "when?" and "where?"

The second type, as it could be inferred from its name, is more complicated. Your role here is more than just reading, rather, you interpret what is in the text. You look for what the passage represents or suggests. Therefore, the answer can not be found directly in the text. You have got to do some work between the lines.

The third type is deeper than the last two. You, as a reader, move beyond the text to connect to the universal context; either on the personal level or the global one. Through this reading you answer questions like: why does it matter to me? Does it have something to do with my family or my fellow human beings? Etc.

With that said, we need to push ourselves to read more and more, and to raise our children by this principle. Reading is the food of mind, and you wouldn’t deprive yourself and your loved ones from this food, would you?!

   

O God, You have given me this new little gift, thank You so much, my words stand mute to express my gratitude. 

I humbly ask You to preserve her, her parents, grandparents and all relatives and to make her a seed of change for the betterment of Islam and Muslims, and to make her a comfort of the eye for me and for her mother.

Do It Anyway..!

People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.
LOVE THEM ANYWAY.


If you do good, people accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
DO GOOD ANYWAY.


If you are successful, you win false and true enemies.
SUCCEED ANYWAY.


The good you do will be forgotten tomorrow.
DO GOOD ANYWAY.


Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
BE HONEST AND FRANK ANYWAY.


What you spent years building may be destroyed overnight.
BUILD ANYWAY.


People really need help but may attack you if you help them.
HELP PEOPLE ANYWAY.


Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU'VE GOT ANYWAY.

how do you respond..?!

    Once upon a time, a daughter complained to her father that her life

was miserable and that she didn't know how she was going to make it.

She was tired of fighting and struggling all the time. It seemed just as

one problem was solved, another one soon followed.

Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with

water and placed each on a high fire. Once the three pots began to

boil, he placed potatoes in one pot, eggs in the second pot, and

ground coffee beans in the third pot. He then let them sit and boil,

without saying a word to his daughter.

The daughter moaned and impatiently waited, wondering what he

was doing. After twenty minutes, he turned off the burners. He took

the potatoes out of the pot and placed them in a bowl. He pulled the

eggs out and placed them in a bowl. He then ladled the coffee out and

placed it in a cup.

Turning to her, he asked, "Daughter, what do you see?"

"Potatoes, eggs, and coffee," she hastily replied.

"Look closer”, he said, "and touched the potatoes”. She did and noted

that they were soft.

He then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the

shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. Its rich aroma brought a smile

to her face.

"Father, what does this mean?" she asked.

He then explained that the potatoes, the eggs, and coffee beans had

each faced the same adversity, the boiling water. However, each one

reacted differently.

The potato went in strong, hard and unrelenting, but in boiling water

it became soft and weak. The egg was fragile with the thin outer shell

protecting its liquid interior until it was put in the boiling water. Then

the inside of the egg became hard.

However, the ground coffee beans were unique. After they were

exposed to the boiling water, they changed the water and created

something new.

"Which are you?" he asked his daughter. "When adversity knocks on

your door, how do you respond? Are you a potato, an egg, or a coffee

bean?"

In life, things happen around us and things happen to us, but the only

thing that truly matters is what happens within us.

Let it go..!

  Is it true that we suffer from violence even with our family members or our close friends? How vulnerable are we to the verbal attacks or assaults we get from some people who pretend they say that just for our own good?!

Well, the answer is quite clear “yes it’s true”. The violence doesn’t necessarily need to be from outsiders; rather it could come even from those who you trust, those who have always been considered to be your harbor in the time of trials and tribulations.

It’s just the way of life. If you did not get it yet then you’d better wake up and live the truth. Stop your blind trust you put it everyone..! However, this doesn’t mean that you abandon all your friends just because they were abusive at some point in the past..! If you tend to do so then get prepared to live alone the rest of your life..!

It’s not about people being harsh or abusive, as this is the nature of human beings unless they work on bettering that, it is all about how you react... Are you short-tempered? Do you get angry so fast? Do you think deeply about everything you hear?!

We should realize one essential thing about those guys who don’t monitor their mouths; you're not the only victim of their smut, it’s very likely that they put down many people on daily biases. Hence, the best tactic with such creatures is to ignore what they say. Once their words get in from one ear, immediately let them go out from the other one.

Make sure not to reconsider or rethink of what they said… don’t let their words play in you head… don’t double your agony… yes, it wasn’t your fault to hear that, but it becomes so if you give them a room in your mind.

By the way, such people are not always bad, you may find good ones but they need a sincere advice. If you think you could be of any assistance then hurry and pick them up.. and don’t forget, even at this time you may get something undesirable form them, but it doesn’t  matter if you’re to get nice results… otherwise save your face..