My random thoughts

This is a collection of my random thoughts, usually a few lines at most, as they come to me. It will be updated with the most recent thought at the beginning.

* In today's world, the sinner no longer goes up to the altar to make repentance. Instead, the minister descends from the platform to apologize to the sinner.

* No matter how much acceptance you get from others, the most important thing is self-acceptance. 

* Before you can make peace with others it is essential to make peace with yourself. 

* There is no suffering in the present moment. 

*The heart becomes blind long before the eyes do.

*Reflect on the meaning of this statement: "No matter how many times you wipe off the kitchen counter, at the end of the day it is still dirty." 

* Repression is never the road to happiness. 

* The only thing that disgusts me more than the hypocrisy of others is my own hypocrisy. 

* Before you learn to write properly, first learn to read. 

* The best company you will ever keep is the company of good books. Make them your constant companion. 

* Feed an infant and it grows into an adult. Feed an adult and it reverts back to an infant. 

* So-called anti-racism advocates can also be as racist as people who are openly racist. Don't be fooled by labels or what people profess. Pay also attention to what they do. 

* People are situations are not always as they appear. For the most part, we only know and understand the surface of things. 

* There will be numerous times in your life when you will be judged unfairly and it will really hurt. But remember, you do that to other people as well. 

* You don't consume the news, the news consumes you. 

* I have found that no matter how good I prepare some dish my mother used to make, it is never as good as hers. 

* Apathy will numb your mind, destroy your soul, and though you may technically still be alive, apathy will lead to a death-like state on the inside. 

* I do not read simply to acquire more knowledge, I read as a reminder of my own ignorance. 

* You will have expectations of people yet they will fail to live up to those expectations. You can rage on and on about it or simply lower your expectations. Peace of mind is far better than going through life filled with anger and disappointment. 

* When you lose sleep over the way things might have been you are losing sleep over something that does not exist. 

* Anything that is of great value takes a long time and hard work to both attain and hold on to. That is what makes it so valuable. 

* If everything went our way life would be boring. If everything did not go our way life would be unbearable. 

* Patience is only attained through practice over time. And it is a trial-and-error process. 

* The experience of a copious reader being surrounded by people who don't read is one of alienation.  

* Control your anger or it will control you. The same holds true for every other human emotion and desire. 

* Although worry is a natural reaction when facing uncertainty or distress, it does not contribute one bit to your relief but rather intensifies your suffering. 

* Does shaking your fist at the wind stop it from blowing? 

* The way most journalists write about science is akin to flights of fancy.  They read things into findings that simply are not there. 

* Science is a mechanism for pursuing truth. Any attempt to impose your personal biases on science will lead you far afield from the truth. 

* You don't have to be excellent or even good at something for you to enjoy it. 

* Before you can do something you have to learn how to do it. There is a how-to in everything, which implies a method or a system. Trying to learn something haphazardly, devoid of any method, will only lead to an outcome that is inadequate at best and totally useless at worst.  

* Generally speaking, the simple explanation is either wrong, lacking in some way or distorted. We may crave simple explanations, but what we should strive for is truth, which is not always straightforward. 

* Your life is the ultimate textbook, so read it from cover to cover.

* Knowledge is its own reward. Understanding is the crown jewel. And wisdom is the highest pinnacle that one should aspire to. 

* Just because a person got something wrong does not mean they are stupid or lack intelligence. Even the most brilliant of people often get things wrong. Knowledge is acquired through trial and error. The unintelligent person is the one who gives up trying altogether.  

* "Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge," said Charles Darwin. Which means the less you know the more you think you know. Real knowledge rests on the premise that you don't know that much at all. 

* The prejudices you have were taught, learned and acquired; you are not born with them. To divest yourself of these prejudices, you have to unlearn them and this will take a lifetime of effort. And just when you think you have overcome those prejudices they creep back up on you. 

* Knowledge is a weapon against ignorance. Understanding is a weapon against extremism. And wisdom is a weapon against acting foolishly. 

* I have observed that the most knowledgeable are generally silent, while the most ignorant never shut up. 

* The practice of thinking negatively about others is not a noble habit and deadens the heart. 

* Continually criticizing people will harden your heart and fill you with meanness towards others. 

* If I were presented with the opportunity to go back and do it all over again I would say no. 

* Everyday opportunities to do good are presented before you. And everyday opportunities to do evil are also presented before you. Choose wisely.  

* No matter how strong you think you are, there is at least one weakness that you have to live with and struggle against. You may be strong in some areas where others are weak. And you may be weak in some areas where others are strong. This knowledge will cause you to have more compassion toward others.  

* Living with anger is unhealthy. Seeking to live without anger is unrealistic. 

* Engaging in online debates is a waste of time. 

* Every course of action you take and every word you utter has consequences -- either good or bad -- so weigh your actions carefully and think before you speak. Don't allow yourself to be overcome by your emotions. A moment of silence is better than a lifetime of regret. 

* The way things are now is not the way they have always been. If you wish to properly understand the present it is necessary to study the past. 

* For those who have lost a child, it is like being stabbed in the heart with a dagger while continuing to live on with the pain. 

* If you choose to speak out, expect opposition. If you choose to fight, expect resistance. And if you choose to defend life, expect death to come knocking at your door. 

* Even in your most difficult times there will be moments of light. These moments are very precious. 

* If you have too many expectations of your friends or place people on a high pedestal and idealize them, you will be sorely disappointed. 

* When you hurt someone you will not always be in a position to make amends. But try to avoid hurting people in the future as much as is humanly possible. But also know that sometimes you will hurt people without realizing you have done so. You know this to be true because others have hurt you without their knowledge. 

* In your life you may find that you are a disappointment to others and that you have failed to live up to their expectations. This will be especially so for those people who really matter to you. They may even try to make you feel guilty and bad about yourself to the point you begin to internalize what they say about you. The reality is, however, that you will never be able to please everyone and you will have to accept that. 

* No matter what show you put on for the rest of the world, God knows the real you inside and out and nothing obscures His knowledge. When you try to deceive others you are only deceiving yourself. 

* Sometimes the answer is clear about what course of action to take and at other times it's not so clear. One cannot always know the outcome of the decisions they make. 

* Sometimes the pursuit of pleasure is a means to dull the pain. 

* My real problems began as soon I reached puberty. 

* To entertain the thought of there being no Day of Judgement is depressing. But to believe there is a Day of Judgement is frightening. 

* Other than the prophets, there will be no perfect people who will enter paradise. 

* Our bodies always remain in the present moment, but our minds continually wander off to someplace else. 

* No matter how solid and well-researched you consider your position to be, there will always be someone who will disagree with you. You just have to accept that and not take it personally.  

* Try to do at least one good deed for someone today even if it is simply holding the door open for them. 

* As I get older the allure of this world continues to diminish within me. It just seems so superficial and shallow and not worth all the fuss. Yes, life is very precious, but the continual quest of wanting more is exhausting and leaves an empty feeling within.

* Being in constant pain for 20 years has taught me a lot of life lessons. Would I wish to relive it? Absolutely not!

* Learn to see yourself as you are and not what you wish to be. Self-acceptance is instrumental in achieving inner peace. Seeking to be someone that you are not will only lead to disappointment and heartache.

* The closest thing to paradise is a refreshing shower on a hot day.

* Life and death are equally mysterious.

* There will be times in your life when you will be placed in situations and rendered incapable of escaping despite your best efforts. You will just have to remain patient and avoid complaining. 

* Just because someone looks well does not mean they are well. 

* Joy and sadness are twins that were never separated at birth.

* The people closest to us possess the ability to hurt us the most, but we forgive them because we love them.

* Humble yourself or God will do it for you. 

* Just because you have more than others does not mean you are better than they are.

* Nothing will happen to you unless God decrees it to happen. God only want was it best for you. You don't know more than God regarding what is best for you. In fact, you may dislike a thing that is actually good for you in the long run. 

* When you are unjust to others you are also being unjust to yourself for it will poison your soul.

* Possessing more knowledge does not necessarily translate into possessing more wisdom. The acquisition of knowledge is relatively easy compared with the having ability to know what to do with it or interpret it properly.

* The quest for fame is fraught with many dangers and it would be better for you to avoid it. Your life will become a performance to attract the attention of others, but this comes at the expense of the loss of personal authenticity. In this state, your inward intention will become poisoned by the thought of what others think of you and this will cause you great suffering and anguish, especially when you don't garner the attention you think you deserve. Don't allow appearances to take precedence over being. 

* Pain is your teacher, but you don't see it that way. Pain is also a reminder of your mortality and limitations. Having this knowledge will lead to a more balanced view of yourself. And for the believer, pain can cause the sufferer to call out to God in desperation and submission which, from a spiritual vantage point, is a good place to be in. We don't ask for pain, of course, but pain is an inevitable part of the human experience and thus a balanced way of seeing it must be embraced in order to endure it.  

* The less you have, the more you have. The wealthiest person on earth may live a life of poverty. 

* The things you most want are not necessarily good for you. And most certainly, that which is haram (forbidden) is never good for you no matter how alluring it may be.