The Point Of View

The Most Important Part

2007-01-17T10:40:00.000+05:00

Contributed by: Ovais Khan on 9th July 2003 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

My mother used to ask me what is the most important part of the body. Through the years I would take a guess at what I thought was the correct answer.

When I was younger, I thought sound was very important to us as humans, so I said, "My ears, Mommy." She said, 'No. Many people are deaf. But you keep thinking about it and I will ask you again soon.'

Several years passed before she asked me again. Since making my first attempt, I had contemplated the correct answer. So this time I told her, 'Mommy, sight is very important to everybody, so it must be our eyes.'

She looked at me and told me, 'You are learning fast, but the answer is not correct because there are many people who are blind.'

Then last year, my Grandpa died. Everybody was hurt. Everybody was crying. Even my father cried. My Mom looked at me when it was our turn to say our final good-bye to Grandpa. She asked me, 'Do you know the most important body part yet, my dear?'

I was shocked when she asked me this now. I always thought this was a game between her and me. She saw the confusion on my face and told me. 'This question is very important. It shows that you have really lived your life.

For every body part you gave me in the past, I have told you was wrong and I have given you an example why. But today is the day you need to learn this important lesson.

She looked down at me as only a mother can. I saw her eyes well up with tears. She said, 'My dear, the most important body part is your shoulder'

I asked, 'Is it because it holds up your head?' She replied, 'No, it is because it can hold the head of a friend or loved one when they cry.

Everybody, need a shoulder to cry on sometime in life, my dear. I only hope that you have enough love and friends that you will have a shoulder to cry on when you need it.'

Then and there I knew the most important body part is not a selfish one. It is sympathetic to the pain of others.

The raindrops on my window....

2007-01-03T11:40:00.000+05:00

Contributed by: Umar Pirzada on 30th July 2003 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

I sit by the pane of glass gazing out side at the trees and winds, the birds fly and the ice cream truck sings its jingle and as I keep looking, the sky opens up and starts pouring the rain which is supposed to relieve the pain but the drops on my pane stay outside and I ...oh why have to stay inside....? See the world outside from this side of the pane, oh the pain why cant I release the pain ...?

I wanted to be a pilot, a pilot I say....flying through the skies like a bird away from everything away from the pain....sigh away from this pane...but why God why cant I fly why not.....I lay over here seeing the world in those raindrops hoping I could take walks outside hoping I could have talks outside, feed the birds, smell the roses why God ? Why cant I....? Why not...? The world so blurry through the pane....the world so blurry....

The doctors say I am gonna die soon sigh I got cancer oh why oh why....? but hows that fair .....? Why doesnt anyone care....I wanna go out, play in the mud....if only oh if only i could....oh look at that girl her hair so long all soaking wet with the rain in a song.....sigh I wish I had hair and that long, I wish I could go out....sigh oh sigh why God? why....?

Oh a pc...the internet they say you see a world through this screen....hey could this be the thing to fulfill my dream...I am going online I wanna talk to you.....my name is sheeba, you wanna tell me yours too...I am gonna die so we cant be friends for long but you never know my presence might exist for long....everyone is non-interested nobody wants to talk oh why oh why....?

Here comes someone oh he's so sweet he listens me out and ends my weep.....oh in one day he made me go out and actually told me how the world is out there.....he takes me in a plane in which I fly high .....he lets me have ice cream and I slurp and I slurp oh boy this is so much fun...I wanna do it everyday....oh God oh God lemme have some fun before I die... so I kneel down to pray.....

Oh here he is again he's the best thing that has happened to me for awhile....just cos he's willing to talk and listen to my cry.....he makes me feel content...sigh he makes me go on.....hes trying so hard... poor soul I know I dont have long....he wants me to be strong to fight the deadly disease....seems only when I stand up and walk that he will be at ease.....such pure love for me I cant really handle....fine I ll get up and take a walk taking in hand a candle....there I go its dark at night but I got my light....I go ....sneaking out the door I go and find my way out on the floor.....sigh there's the door to happiness I wanna explore....oh God give me strength.....to take that one step more.....

Opens...door....

Oh wow oh wow oh wow oh wow....the rain, the wind so beautiful it is....oh my God you let me see the truth....now I wonder what it really is....I walked and walked outside the door all soaking in the rain.....oh God thank God relieve me of this pain....oh I feel dizzy I am going down I am going down.....sigh....my last wish....has been granted...bless that soul who made me think I can actually go out that ...barrier of the door....

As I leave this rain and leave my pain....I have no regrets from this world....and I pray for that man who did his best to do what NO ONE CAN......may he be happy forever and ever and may he find love...an infinite of its kind....he gave me love not like a stranger....not thinking wrong or right....

sigh...

Rain Fall

2006-12-22T09:33:00.000+05:00

Contributed by: Sadaf Shaikh on 4th Aug 2003 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

This poem I dedicated to the neem tree in front of my house which made me write it.

Rain Fall

Pouring rain. Rings of water spread over reality's surface.
A Neem tree protrudes like a bright globe of stubborn light.--
Green bloom static in a hearth of evolving summer downpour.

The sky flows like crude paper pulp. A documentary evidence
of the humidity collected in the Neem flowers' petals.--
Like a static surge the rain streaks an indistinct image of life.

The throb of rain upon hard surface surmounts the house shapes.
Their windows beckon all light like black holes of a lost reality.--
Everything reduced and disassembled inside this soaked sphere.

Dreams

2006-12-21T10:08:00.000+05:00

Contributed by: Mishal Saeed on 25th Aug 2003 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

"I have a dream"...a thought provoking statement...like...the subject clicked the most....I just got thinking and it reminded me of a discussion I had with my friends in my early college life..:)

A friend used to ask this...what actually a dream is? or what exactly it is...?, I mean when one says I have a dream..or it will be a dream come true...what does it mean really?

Anything which we desire? or like...anything which is a fantasy n far away from reality? or ...
the ambition of life....? We had a funky discussion I remember...

At that period of time it seems...dreams are all thatwe have....and truthfully....even today I am with the same opinion..:)

Going with the flow....coping up with the theories like survival of the fittest etc...,all materialism, bad expereinces, ... managing the rat race in life....sometimes I wonder ,what actually were the dreams that I had back then?....

We have to be logical about life also but it often creates a monotony...doesn't it?

So we should dream once in a while also...those dreams which we used to dream...and want to dream about but due to any logical reason or for the reason of being too practical we often ignored them...

And again a Dream is a phenonmenon of how one defines it...so people...lets talk of our dreams....

When I say "Take care of your dreams..." where does this line lead you?

Lets share the dreams...How exactly do u take them....to what extent do u believe in them...

Majid Amjad, the famous urdu poet wrote poetry and one of his work is my inspiration...entitled

Hum Khuwab Faroshon Say Koyee Khuwab Khareedey!
(translation: Somebody should buy Dreams from us Dream-Sellers)

Added on to by: Umar Pirzada on 26th Aug 2003 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

Khwab wohi pooray karat hain jo unhen dekhat hain....hheheh... (LAGAAN if anyone remembers) meaning Dreams are achieved only by those who see/have them in the first place...no dream means no dream achievement...

Anyway....my dreams have always been a huge part of my life..because...i m a dreamer yes....but the true me the one I want to be is the one who works towards making them reality and with time I feel I am getting to be someone who thinks reality more, who tries to make his dreams close to real or am becoming someone who dreams more real hehehe.....

Dreams always let you move on to a bit away from real life...and its very important to dream... just because it makes you realize the uniqueness of life and monotony stays away....even when there is monotony, its just our perspective of not beinga ble to realize how every moment is different from the.....previous....The Creator is Great....

Worst Fear

2006-12-15T11:10:00.000+05:00

Contributed by: Umar Pirzada on 31st Aug 2003 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

The only way to get stronger than anyone is being stronger than yourself....If one has the strength to beat himself....one is more powerful and stronger than anyone else....in this world....

But how do we accomplish such a feat? The answer..."Face your Fears"....its not easy as those 3 words.....but that is it...The toughest job is identifying and in fact accepting that this is a fear than actually facing it and then eventually beating it....if one can recognize the fear then he has to....treat it like one and respect it....cos anything which can harm you needs attention and respect.....

What is that we fear most? God? Death? hmmm....lets talk about worldly things....

NUCLEAR WAR ?....hmmm lets leave it there...lets talk abt inner stuff ....

Your dad? Your family? Why would anyone fear that....? Hey no direct hits....just pointers....hints...

What is the HUMAN's WORST FEAR? I ll only give my own point of view maybe other people have different ones....

I think FAILURE is the worst fear anyone has....the fear of failure....is what kills me....makes me tremble...gives me sleepless nights....discourages me....makes me HATE everyone.....when I try to face it I cant....I hide...behind walls...behind other people...behind myself.....I cant face it.....it eats you from inside...the fear ofFAILURE.....

How do we overcome this....? The solution is FLYING heheh....yeah....FLYING off from this world...in thoughts.....in emotions...just take yourself away from this world....remove materialism....from yourself...away from this worldly goals....thats the solution....in fact thats the solution of most fears.....But thats a cowardly way? Right?

How about? Taking it on, believing in yourself...and still if it doesnt work just know you gave it your best shot and FAILURE is what is better...After all Allah only means everything for the better....its fate...lets live with it...

There are ways to overcome your worst fears and each one might have different ones according to their nature....but one needs to find the solution...and needs to think about them....cos no one this world can claim that he has no FEAR...

Further added to by Mishal Saeed on 1st Sept 2003 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

Agreed to the statement that the only way to get stronger than anyone is being stronger than yourself....or to resist your own feelings....desires?

Whats that you fear most??? Failure? Meaning losing? Everyone has their point of view ...and for me failure in the "most dear" stuff....My dad used to say something... things dont always go like you want it...failure is a bitter feeling....but it becomes a fear only when one makes it....it is part of the game...and if we consider that then its quite logical...

If we dont lose then nobody would win? If somebody doesnt lose how will we ever win? Failure is also Allah's wish, when its in your fate then why fear? We know everything happens by Allah's will....

Failures have a lot of benefits....they make you learn how to live how to face the musicand again I can say so much more....and everyone's point of view is acceptable:)

Every one takes like and defines it by its own expereinces....so to me the worst fear? Well there are lots...loneliness...(when there is no one who can listen to u, who can mourn with u..who can laugh with u...who can justify u...who can explain for u...no shoulder...no background.....all alone)

Silence...(when there is no voice u can hear...no cheers...bus the quiet...so much similar to losing your soul...) Misunderstandings...(which leads to a bad reputation...when relatives dont matter....when a small thing can ruin every thing in life...all losing of tryst...no effort to justify u....listen to you...no chance granted !)

Life has its deprived moments and failures.... some sadness....and all of these cannot be placed in one category....deprivation is a blessing...You have not experienced something so no sadness related to that can come to you...Failure is another blessing...it helps you keep on trying...Sadness is a major thing...and it can be placed in the list of fear....can be...not surely..:)

Anything could be a fear...but again it shouldnt be...Umar is right when he says face your fear....:)

Further added to by Mahjabeen Umar on 1st Sept 2003 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

My worst fear... hmmm...

Worst fear to me is the loss of loved ones... be it death, a misunderstanding or mere rifts I fear it all...Umar suggests one should face fears...thats the solution.... but I look into my grandmother's eyes, I study her wrinkled face and am just tempted to hug her hard... She's leaving for my aunt's house in another country and it would be months and months before she comes back... and im scared... what if, God forbidding, I dont get to see her again... she is old, fragile and sick, is even forgetting things now... what if...

And the thought makes me hug her all the more tighter... and she goes on and on with all her prayers... now how would one face this fear???

I get scared of anger... I get scared of misunderstandings, I hate it when people fight.. all of these I feel create differences and spoils relationships... You end up losing your loved ones this way...now how would one face this one...???

Further added to by Mishal Saeed on 1st Sept 2003 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

Well anger, misunderstandings and like set your mind that things could be more wrong then this...if we are talking about 'Fear', then can it be so logical that one sets its mind and starts thinking that this didnt happen, and that could happen also?

Fear is a feeling to me...one feels like 'thinking' when scared? Its involuntary...it comes with instinct....anger, silence...misunderstandings, death and all these are all symbols...fears, ultimate objective is the same.......even if nothing like that happens....the fear remains...like when any thing wrong happens...it brings its solution always with it, but at that particular time...when everything is going wrong....fear arrests...its only natural...fear is not dependent on logic...

But when it comes to how to face fear....the question itself becomes logical...when a person becomes capable enough thats when he starts asking how to face this fear...that in itself is a proof that one is somewhat out of it....and thats when the thinking procedure starts...

Once you make up your mind to face fear...there are a thousand ways.....preparing to face fear is actually facing fear...thats the main thing...and thats when things start rolling...prayers...that things remain fine...we can only have hope....that things will get fine...

A new belief, a new desire which helps making things better...reach out to Allah to overcome the fear....to face fear....to me..."fear" is one phenomenon...and "to face fear" is another phenomenon...when some one is in "fear", it should be justified...without logic...and when one faces fear...then there are heaps of logical explanations that could come up...

Further added to by Sadaf Shaikh on 1st Sept 2003 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

An interesting topic we have here on our hands. Before I go on to what I feel is my worst fear
I'd like to point out some incongruity in what UTP wrote about Failure beng his biggest and worst fear and his idea of overcoming it (i quote):

"the only solution is FLYING heheh....yeah....FLYING off from this
world...in thoughts.....in emotions...jusut take urself away from
this world....remove materialism....from urself...away from this
worldly goals....thats the solution....in fact thats the solution of most fears..... "

Objection: How and infact why should we "take ourselves away " from this world ?

When GOD created MAN and sent him down to inhabit this earth, Man was told that he could partake of all the bounties and blessings that he could find in the earth and the sky EXCEPT for those things only that have been explicitly forbidden by GOD's decree. Similarly, homosapeins were intended to be live at a much higher level of existence than all other beings on Earth (Ashraf-ul-Makhluqaat remember?), so naturally they were made in such a way that we have material needs and in order to fulfill those needs we have to create or obtain material goods.

So how can a man separate himself from worldly goals when he is lives in this very world??

The fact that those goals should be just and noble , no doubt but not not have any worldly goals whatsoever while we're living in this world is impossible when we take into account human nature. And who is to blame? If any one must be blamed at all? Not man surely since we're merely instruments of GOD's will and can't think or do anything without his consent.

Finally,even if by dint of some miracle we manage to separate ourselves from all our worldly goals an desires, even then we'll still have FEAR. Fear of the "Life hereafter" and Fear of what judgement will be passed upon our conduct while we were in this world. So even the most religious and Godly amongst us should not feel so SMUG about being guaranteed an entry to heaven , because we don't know what will eventually happen to us.

So there we are, "Fear of the Unknown". That is one fear that remains when we have mastered all fears.

Further added to by Umar Pirzada on 1st Sept 2003 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

Righteousness....

Free your mind from worldly goals...I didn't say its easy....but that's the solution of being strong in this world....yes we set goals.....but lets not get into chasing them so crazily...that....we get lost and that's when these worldly fears actually affect us.....

People come and people go....we have come....we would go also...if we start fearing that people would leave us....and if we mourn on the people who do....yes it is sad but...it doesn't stop us....it shouldn't.....people move on also.....whether leaving is due to death or any other reason....yes we are dependent on one another but we aren't dependent to a level that we can't function without the other.....

Its just about setting a mind tone of not expecting people to be around forever....that makes you be happy when they do remain around forever.....that is a bonus in a way....

Scared of ghussa....scared of misunderstandings....THATS PART OF LIFE.....set your mind....to be free from such fears....and start thinking WORST CASE.....like it cant be worse than this right....and you go on...theres always something to look on to....its only if we close our minds that there isn't anything to look forward to...

Further added to by Raza Ali on 5th Sept 2003 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

After the discussion about dreams the 'worst fear' topic should mean 'nightmare'. Generally we are afraid of things that affect our lives but what about those of which we can not control. May be we are not supposed to control everything and if we are not supposed to control everything, why should we supposed to be afraid of those things?

Fear is natural. I fear that time is limited and I might lose this time before I do what have to do. Can I change that? I don't know. Can you avoid failure? Failure is a very real fear and in almost all of us. People are not objective in their judgments, or may be they are too judgmental. If somebody fails in something people might label them as losers and sometimes even forgetting what they have done right. Those who loose often under the influence of this discouraging environment, loose confidence in what they are good at and become what people perceive of them or may be stereotype them. We loose and we fail all the time, but we become failures when our sense of confidence and our strengths come from outside and not from inside ourselves. Is your perception of yourself dependent on the opinion of others? Failure is nothing in itself. It is the expectation and the disappointments that follow which break the heart. Is disappointment or despair allowed? Can anybody keep on trying if they are disappointed because they could not measure up to their own or somebody else's expectation? And if somebody is not going to try again can they ever hope to succeed?

Even the fear of Allah is no fear. He never said that we should be afraid of Him that he is terrible and He holds the power to throw us into hell. If we are only to be thrown in hell, why create us in the first place? Allah asks people to remember that He is watching and He is listening and He knows what is in our heart. What we do in front of people or what we do in the darkness of night. We have to take responsibility for what we do. 'Flying off' sounds like 'run away' but I know you don't mean that. May be we can 'rise above' and see that our life is not dependent on and driven by what is material even if it seems 'necessary'.

Further added to by Sadaf Shaikh on 8th Sept 2003 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

Raza has discussed 3 kinds of fears,

1. Fear of limited time or not having enough time to do all we have planned to do
2. Fear of Allah
3. Fear of failure

but what exactly is fear ?

I believe that fear is an emotion which is experienced by us in anticipation of some specific pain or danger and what are our usual response to fear ?

There can be only two logical responses 1) take control of your fears 2) Let your fears take control of you.

As Raza said that generally we are afraid of things that affect us but are beyond our control.
That is just one kind of fear; fear of the uncontrollable factors. Another kind of fear a lot of people face is fear of the unknown or inexplicable. What man doesn't know or doesn't understand he fears.Then there is also fear of retribution, such as that many religious figures have tried to invoke in the ordinary people concerning the wrath of GOD and the throwing in hell of all that displeased HIM. Another fear is that of losing something we cherish; it need not be a material or even tangible thing. Fear or displeasure and even fear of being afraid.

Yes, I have come across people who used to suffer from stage fright and knew that they would get cold feet when asked to make a speech or recite a poem. so what they did was started being afraid of their fear of performing in front of an audience.

So there you have a very unique kind of fear, "Fear of Fear".

I would however agree with Raza that the people who free themselves from outside influences as far as forming an opinion about themselves is concerned are more likely to be able to overcome their fears whether actual or imagined.

Can there be morality without religion?

2006-12-12T11:44:00.000+05:00

Contributed by: Sadaf Shaikh on 23rd Sept 2003 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

Often people consider religion and morality to be synonymous. That is, if a person is religious
(a follower of any civilized religion not only islam) then he will have morals. That in a way implies that those people who are Atheist for e.g have no morals?

By the same token, since a religion like islam places so much importance on morals and ethics, that should ideally mean that muslims should be the most moral and etchical people.

But if we look around us and observe OBJECTIVELY, we see that that is often not the case. I have personally come across some non-muslims and even some atheists who valued morality and ethics as a way of life more than the so-called upholders of morality.

Another thing that I would like to ask, which bothers me is the role religion plays in developing a moral sense in an individual. Because when I see people committing the most heinous acts in the name of upholding their religion or faith, I wonder what kind of morality are we talking about when the entity that is supposed to be the breeding ground of all morality breeds zealots capable of committing such acts??

Should we shun and disregard the moral efforts and works of people who don't believe in any religion, just because we happen to disagree??

Replied to by Umar Pirzada on 23rd Sept 2003 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

I think Yes religion does give some moral aspects to ones nature. Its only because I think personally being unbiased to other religions...every religion does give a way of life...no religion tells someone to lie or cheat on his wife as being ok.....quite a lot of sins do stand recognized as common between most religions.

In fact staying clear of the Islamic thought and talking about...early man for example, why would have religion come or some rules be there....as man grew he learned more I guess realized we should have some sort of rules and "Might is right" rules should be ended etc etc....just a thought....

But the question arises saying that are Atheists immoral....I really don't know abt that.....I mean do atheist lie and say that's ok ?....No expert on atheism but Atheists dont believe in God and believe that everything has a logical explanation....

Insecurity - What is it...

2006-12-06T10:01:00.000+05:00

Contributed by: Umar Pirzada on 16th Oct 2003 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

Ever wondered why people are insecure...? What is insecurity anyways....?

My opinion is that insecurity is the feeling of being vulnerable and being easily being affected. This effect could be...emotional, physical,monetary etc etc. Being insecure is one of the most natural things for a normal human being. It happens when you put your trust in someone which is the most common case...it makes you vulnerable to that person....Putting your trust in someone means you tell him a secret which you wouldnt tell anyone else. You let him in your....monetary details....etc....that is when you are an open book for that person.

When do you trust someone? Its when you know absolutely sure....that this person can be trusted and then....You would bring him/her more closer than the normal people around you...What if that person shatters your trust by betraying you...trust me its the simplest thing for someone to do...we humans are...made this way....the teeny weeniest of things can make you be completely different person....and cause hurt to people and also shattering people's trust.....and sometimes not even realizing that it is as easy as that...some times shooting a bullet through that person's head would be acceptable for the person rather than....shattering his trust....and when that trust is broken you make the person feel insecure and thats what insecurity is all about...

Some ppl are insecure about their wealth...some people about their kids....there are different types of insecurities.....but the best way from saving yourself from this insecurity is.....firstly keep to yourself most of the time....that is the easiest way ....but that would work only for a little while and later on you will come with situations where....being human beings and social animals trust has to be found and conveyed too....

So realistically speaking we are MADE insecure by Allah...This aspect of insecurity must have been created by Allah in us to make the TEST of LIFE more interesting and more TESTY so to say...What a CREATOR...!!!

Knowing The Ways of God

2006-12-01T11:03:00.000+05:00

Contributed by: Shamsuddin Rattani on 11th Nov 2003 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

Sometimes, what’s important to us isn’t that important to God; and what’s important to God isn’t that important to us.

For example, what may be important for us is to receive God’s blessings. That might not be as important to God as we may think. What may be important to God is that we learn His ways. That might not be as important to us as God would want it to be.

Today, we’d like to look at the importance of learning God’s ways.

- What are God’s ways?
- Why is it so important to learn God’s ways?

God’s ways are related to God’s will, but they’re a little different. God’s will is what He wants to accomplish. God’s ways are how He accomplishes it.

It’s not enough for us to just know what God wants—His will; we also need to know how God does it—His ways.

We are going to look at just one aspect of God’s ways, but it’s the most important aspect for us to know: how God deals with us. This aspect of God’s ways are the disciplines He uses to change our hearts. Only God knows the thoughts and intentions of our hearts, and only He knows how to change our hearts.

God’s disciplines, His ways, are naturally mysterious to us—ROM 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments [disciplines] and unfathomable His ways!. That’s why we sometimes struggle in His dealings with us, because we don’t fully understand. We need to recognize that our obedience is only according to our understanding, but God’s discipline is according to His understandin.

Even though we don’t always understand what He is doing, we need to trust in Him that His ways with us are always right—DEU 32:4 The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He. We don’t have to fully understand God in order to trust in Him. In fact if we only trust in Him when we understand Him, we’re only revealing our stubborn self-sufficiency—PRO 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. The greatest proof of our faith in God is to trust in Him in the midst of trials that we don’t understand. He knows us better than we do, and He knows what He is doing in our lives.

As we learn to trust in God and His dealings with us, we begin to learn His ways with us, how He disciplines us. Understanding comes after obedience and submission, not before. We want to understand before we obey and submit, but God’s order is: “Obey, then you’ll understand.” Example of Job—Satan said, “Does Job fear God for nothing?” [“Look at all the blessings You’ve given him! Remove those blessings, and he’ll curse You!”]

It makes life easier for us—PRO 13:15 Good understanding [of God’s way] produces favor, but the way of the treacherous is hard. If we don’t understand God’s ways with us, His discipline; then it becomes hard and grievous to us. God’s ways can become unbearable if we don’t understand them (Joseph). Notice that verse doesn’t say “blessings”, it says “favor”—blessings are an expression of God’s goodness, favor means that He is pleased with us

Learning God’s ways enables us to make life easier for others, also---—PSA 66:16 Come {and} hear, all who fear God, And I will tell of what He has done for my soul. It doesn’t say, ”And I will tell of all the blessings He has given me.” It says, “And I will tell of what He has done for my soul” [how He has changed it for the better.] If we are learning God’s ways with us, then we can help others learn God’s ways with them. We can encourage them in the midst of their trials and testings.

Moses was able to lead Israel through the desert because He had already spent 40 years there. He knew the way through the desert by personal experience. God wants us to be able to lead others in the way of the desert.

We said in the beginning that while blessings may seem very important to us, that may not be so important to God

What is important to God is that we learn His ways. In the desert, Israel had received many blessings, but in general, they never learned God’s ways—PSA 95:8-11. Moses, on the other hand, had learned God’s ways—PSA 103:7 He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel.

Anybody can receive God’s blessings: that is no indication that we’re right with God. God’s blessings are not a statement about us, they’re a statement about Him. Blessings don’t prove we’re good, they prove God is good.

One true indication that we’re right with God is that we’re learning His ways: how He disciplines us. We’re able to respond to His discipline in a better way, not a bitter way. We’re also able to help others respond to God’s discipline positively

How do you respond to God’s discipline? That’s the true measure of seeing if you’re right with God, and responding well brings His favor.

A Life of Beauty or Duty

2006-11-30T14:39:00.000+05:00

Contributed by: Mishal Saeed on 5th Dec 2003 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

Yesterday in the lecture hall, I happened to read an interesting quotation written on a desk..

I slept and dreamt that life is beauty
I woke and found that life is duty..

So who agrees? Any comments?

Replied to by Sajjad Ali Parmar on 6th Dec 2003 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

Mishal, I think you both dreamt and found the right things. Life is beauty because we have free will, and life is a duty to me because I should be thankful to Allah every moment of my life, and everything that I do should be align to what is expected of me. I mean this is the best thing about life I think. I have free will and I have a few restrictions and that also for my good. By compromising on a few things not only do I make Allah Happy, but I remain satisfied and happy as well.

Replied to by Raza Ali on 8th Dec 2003 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

Life is both beauty as well as duty. It is a balancing act, like walking the tight rope. Allah doesnt show Himself except in His creation, can you really know Allah anyway except by appreciating the beauty and perfection of His creation? Or can you just appreciate the beauty of the creation without fulfilling the duties imposed by The Creator?

Without appreciation for the beauty, the act of fulfilling the duty will become robotic and uninspiring. Without the balance of duty, appreciation of beauty will lead to over-indulgence. Beauty alone clouds the view and duty alone kills the spirit. According to The Quran we share our spirit with The Creator, if He is just, how can we be otherwise?

Further replied to by Mishal Saeed on 8th Dec 2003 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

I also agree with the statement, life is beauty and duty both at the same time...the actual magic actually lies in the fact that how one manages...

Secondly...when we say that life is beauty...or dream of a beautiful life..its not just like a fascinating one with few restrictions...or with few ups and downs....beauty lies in the eyes of the viewer and every one views life with its own point of view...so this again comes to everyone's own definition of the beauty phenomenon....life led with own will and few hardships...more or less restrictions... ups and downs...might be beauty but same kind of life is not led by everyone...

There is no need to mention I guess that what kind of a beautiful life 99 percent of people say in our own country ....in our own religion, are leading...so dreaming of a beautiful life is not that simple....all that glitters is not gold...the concept of beauty in life which we possess...might not be an exact concept...a comfortable life in all aspects like mentally, physically, religiously, socially and economically, comes under the definition of life lead with beauty these days...but a poor ratio of life led with such kind of a beauty is observed....

This comes to the conclusion that:

The people not having proper opportunities or TAUFEEQ of such kinda strategy of life, are leading their lives without any beauty??? Or the exact beauty of life lies in some other thing...like coming up with a real aim...a real objective...with belief..with faith..no matter how corrupt the system is, the desire for honesty and achievement of that...no matter how much an administration is involved in fraud, good will to repair the losses...the desire for "Jihad" (Holy War) ...self-control...only remembering Allah in losses, hard times and always maintaining relations with Allah's people...A big heart, no matter how small your house is..., or what is your status quo?...like what????

What is actually dreaming a beautiful life??? Life is beauty, this is understood and agreed but what kind of a beauty?

What is actually beauty to us?
13 members..13 concepts of beauty of life..14 crores of people...14 crore concepts...and so on!!!

Likewise is that life is duty....wat are the duties? We all know its a life of duty...but what is duty again? Sleeping, eating, studying, worldly achievements, marriage, kids...securing their future and going back....?

Or is it good for evil...and all written before in beauty context...is that duty???

Raza is right beauty of life and duty of life are interelated...if one is misbalanced other too..and misbalance starts even with the false image of B of beauty....and D of duty!!!

I know..the question asked was not this, but answer given is incomplete without the details of what exactly the beauty and duty of life to us is...? and to what extent are we coming up to that!!!

The Path of the Dhamma - Buddha

2006-11-29T14:30:00.000+05:00

Contributed by: Sadaf Shaikh on 2nd Jan 2004 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

I was reading about the life and teachings of Buddha and I thought I'd share some of his most profound sayings meant to guide his followers in their everyday life. "The path of the Dhamma" or Dhammapada in short, consists of 423 verses in Pali uttered by the Buddha on some 305 occasions for the benefit of a wide range of human beings. These sayings were selected and compiled into one book as being worthy of special note on account of their beauty and relevance for moulding the lives of future generations of Buddhists. These are some of the verses concerning the topic "Human Mind".

Cittavagga - The Mind(verses 33-43)
The fickle, unsteady mind, so hard to guard, so hard to control, the wiseman straightens, as the fletcher straightens the arrow.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Like a fish that is drawn from its watery abode and thrown upon land, even so does this mind flutter. Hence should the realm of the passions beshunned.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The mind is hard to check. It is swift and wanders at will. To control it is good. A controlled mind is conducive to happiness.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The mind is very hard to perceive, extremely subtle and wanders at will. Let the wise person guard it; a guarded mind is conducive to happiness.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Faring far, wandering alone, bodiless, lying in a cave, is the mind. Those who subdue it are freed from the bond of Mara.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He whose mind is not steadfast, he who knows not true doctrine, he whose confidence wavers - the wisdom of such a one will never be perfect.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
He whose mind is not soaked (by lust), he who is not affected (by haunt), he who has transcended both good and evil - for such a vigilant one there is no fear.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Realising that this body is (as fragile) as a jar, establishing this mind(as firm) as a (fortified) city, he should attack Mara with the weapon ofwisdom. He should guard his conquest and be without attachment.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Before long, alas! This body will lie upon the ground, cast aside, devoid of consciousness, even as a useless charred log.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Whatever (harm) a foe may do to a foe, or a hater to a hater, an ill-directed mind can do one far greater (harm).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What neither mother, nor father, nor any other relative can do, a well-directed mind does and thereby elevates one.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.

A Man is known by the Company he Keeps

2006-11-28T09:42:00.000+05:00

Contributed by: Umar Pirzada on 30th Jan 2004 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

A thought crossed my mind...about how non forgiving the nature of a human is....Rememver the proverb "A man is known by the company he keeps" , "birds of a feather flock/fly together"....

Look at the following scenario which I think everybody would be familiar with....Some guy has a real bad reputation, people know he has been bad/crooked, has hurt people and overall he is someone who's company u can surely do without....who would be easily be a bad influence on anyone....

After a little while that bad guy grows up and realizes his mistakes and regrets on them and wants to be a different person....He gets in touch with a completely opposite natured person to him who is nice and respected in society and very much loved by people. The kind of person who everyone wants to be friends with ....usually such nice people are very forgiving and after listening to a sob story and how the bad guy has transformed....the nice guy would say ok so you have changed and I dont mind giving our friendship a shot. He would want to help him make that transition....but....

What about us, the bystanders, the world? When we see them as the best of friends what would we think....Would we think that the good person has finally given into the demon and has become a bad person cos after all 'thats the company' he has these days....or would we say that the bad person has turned over a new leaf...

A new person who knows the nice guy would think that the bad guy is a good person also. However if someone doesnt know the good guy (and knows the bad guy) he would assume that since he is around the bad guy's company....he must be similiar in nature too.

Can we change that natural attitude we have?....I mean if God can give a second chance to us every time we show the least of regret....Cant we even be a little more caring and try and let go of hard feelings?....I think we can if we try.....and that would definitely make this world a better place to live in with more good people than bad.....

What usually happens is that ths transition period for a bad person fails cos we, the people dont accept him as that different person....which is trying so hard to be...We r so cruel...

Further added by Tanya Ansari on 30th Jan 2004
http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

Thats soo true..i totally agree with Umar....i would like to add something too.....this negative attitude of ours towards a person who wants to "turn over a new leaf" so to say.....can actually make him go back to the way he was, that is being bad...by not giving him a chance to be a better person...we r actually proving him right...he'd be like...I was better off being mean and bad cuz that way i was treating them right...giving them what they deserve......

I mean who gave us the power to judge other people....u know......Islam teaches us tolerance and kindness.....and it also teaches us the fact that if someone does wrong to you, you forgive him and let Allah deal with that person's cruelty....Allah will judge us on our good/bad behavior and who are we to decide what that meanie deserves....Only Allah knows better as to what his punishment is...and like Umar mentioned if tht person later on regrets it....might be possible tht Allah forgives him.....so who r we to keep a grudge against him.....and most importantly......this is what umar and I were discussing the other day that it is very important to forgive ppl....and to ask for forgiveness from somebody who we have wronged.....cuz Allah has given precedence to "Haqooq-ul-Ibad" (The rights of people).....and since I am no angel......if somebody wrongs me I should forgive him/her.....maybe I'd be facing the same situation some day......which is really possible......

Further added by Mishal Saeed on 30th Jan 2004
http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

Well…its a real tragedy…and like mostly such kind of attitude is observed towards the person who wants to turn over…a new leaf...

and Umar is right when he says that we dont give chances…thats the thing, Chances, allowances and justifications… It might be repetition of the concept but that is the actual thing…

And I would just like to add that once realizing the general trend towards the affected person, why to regret n curse over the system again and again? We might not be able to change the system but why become a part of it? We can play our role well…as we play our roles in other aspects of our lives..

We wont be asked for the trend we went along but for our own individual deeds...Whatever one has to give that is the only thing that he can give to others...When one is friendly and kind towards people, its what he/she has…similarly when one treats them cruelly, its again the stuff he/she possesses....

So like definitely we get disheartened ,when we come across cruel attitudes towards ourselves or others, when we see injustice, chances not given but we can light a candle of hope and try to initiate a genuine attitude by giving chances and allowances…

I cant ask anyone to give me a chance or to forgive any other person until I make sure tht I do that myself too…People are cruel but once I decide that I wont be doing the thing that I curse…I can find some comfort! I can be the first step on the ladder...consequently we all...can...

Further added by Amber Ahmad on 30th Jan 2004 http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

Yes, it is a tragedy and we should all give it thought...that are we not the ones who do this also? .... We often follow the trends of avoiding such people as the society tells us to do, if somebody is bad we play a vital role in making him worse, instead the negligence on the part of the so called good people make him go deeper and deeper in the domain of bad...I think what Islam teaches us is the best way to lead lives, we should not only try ourselves to be good but also preach others to stop doing bad and try to be good, and that is only possible if we practice being good and letting a fair hand to all,

It is very easy to criticize someone else...we sit on one bad deed of someone else for so long, and keep rubbing it in to him, and dont move on to find the good things that that person might have. I believe every person has goodness inside him....

LOVE PEOPLE AND USE THINGS - NOT LOVE THINGS AND USE PEOPLE

2006-11-27T12:20:00.000+05:00

Contributed by: Shamsuddin Rattani on 30th Jan 2004 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

This is a good story and is true, please read it all the way through until the end! (After the story, there are some very interesting facts!):

I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3) and have recently completed my college degree. The last class I had to take was Sociology.

The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish every human being had been graced with. Her last project of the term was called "Smile." The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions. I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say hello anyway, so, I thought this would be a piece of cake, literally.

Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son, and I went out to McDonald's one crisp March morning. It was just our way of sharing special playtime with our son. We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did.

I did not move an inch... an overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved. As I turned around I smelled a horrible "dirty body" smell, and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men. As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was "smiling".

His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God's Light as he searched for acceptance. He said, "Good day" as he counted the few coins he had been clutching.

The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. I realized the second man was mentally challenged and the blue-eyed gentleman was his salvation.

I held my tears as I stood there with them. The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted. He said, "Coffee is all Miss" because that was all they could afford. (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something. He just wanted to be warm).

Then I really felt it - the compulsion was so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes. That is when I noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set on me, judging my every action. I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray.

I then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman's cold hand. He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Thank you."

I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, "I did not do this for you. God is here working through me to give you hope.

"I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son. When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said, "That is why God gave you to me, Honey, to give me hope." We held hands for a moment and at that time, we knew that only because of the Grace that we had been given were we able to give. We are not church goers, but we are believers. That day showed me the pure Light of God's sweet love. I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story in hand. I turned in "my project" and the instructor read it. Then she looked up at me and said, "Can I share this?" I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class.

She began to read and that is when I knew that we as human beings and being part of God share this need to heal people and to be healed. In my own way I had touched the people at McDonald's, my husband, son, instructor, and every soul that shared the classroom on the last night I spent as a college student.

I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn: UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE.

Much love and compassion is sent to each and every person who may read this and learn how to LOVE PEOPLE AND USE THINGS - NOT LOVE THINGS AND USE PEOPLE.

Looking for Life on Other Worlds

2006-11-24T10:25:00.000+05:00

Contributed by: Amber Ahmad on 7th Feb 2004 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

I got to read an article regarding "Looking For Life on Other Worlds" and I just had this idea that what would be the effect on our lives if we find out some life on other planets, quoting the writer "Despite the outlandish claims of unidentified flying objects (UFOs), humans have yet to detect even a single microscopic organism of extra-terrestrial origin.

Thus, one of the most sacred questions of human race remains unanswered: Are we alone in theuniverse? "So are we alone ? (As humans) Are we not enough for each other? Yes the scientists have detected surface features on Mars associated with recent flow of water, and the possibility of a liquid water ocean underneath the icy surface of Jupiter`s moon, has given some hopes in the efforts to search for life on other worlds.

But the actual question we have to ask is that what is life? Would life everywhere be based on the same chemistry as life here on Earth? How common are the ingredients that make up life on Earth? Well very hard questions, but I just wondered that what would any of us feel to if for example any alien say from MARS would appear in front of us and try to communicate, what would the language be? What would the reaction be? Screams, or smiles and welcome hands (well if they would have hands) interesting to think na? ......May be they are more educated, civilized and maybe they have more technology? Seems like any english fiction movie na? But do we really believe in this, scientifically yes we can believe that life exists on other planets too but does our religion give any idea or belief in these extra terestrial life forms?

Do we really believe in the thoery of EINSTEIN that "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.” Think about it, waisay bhee History testifies to the fact that free thinkers are the key people who help developing a society technologically and scientifically and ofcourse "Free Thought is Key to Progress"

6 thinking hats

2006-11-23T10:59:00.000+05:00

Contributed by: Raza Ali on 27th Feb 2004 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

6 thinking hats
by Dr J. Kaya Prpic for the Department of Civil Engineering at Monash University.

"Put on your thinking hats"

To be an effective problem based learner you need to develop your thinking skills. The notion of six thinking hats comes from Edward De Bono (For a more detailed discussion about the six thinking hats, read Six Thinking Hats by Edward De Bono, 1985).

There are six metaphorical hats and each defines a certain type of thinking. You can put on or take off one of these hats to indicate the type of thinking you are using. This putting on and taking off is essential, because it allows you to switch from one type of thinking to another. When done in your group, everybody should wear the same hat at the same time.

The white hat

Think of white paper, which is neutral and carries information.

The white hat covers facts, figures, data and information. Too often facts and figures are embedded in an argument or belief. Wearing your white hat allows to present information in a neutral and objective way.

Questions you might ask while wearing your white hat include:

What information do we have here?
What information is missing?
What information would we like to have?
How are we going to get the information?

When all your group members put on their white hats, they focus directly on the information. For the moment everyone looks to see what information is available, what is needed, and how it might be obtained. Proposals, opinions , beliefs and arguments are put aside.

The red hat

Think of red and fire and warm.

The red hat covers intuition, feelings, hunches and emotions. Usually, feelings and intuition can only be introduced into a discussion if they are supported by logic. Often, the feeling is genuine but the logic is spurious. Wearing the red hat allows you to put forward your feelings and intuitions without the need for justification, explanation or apology.

Putting on my red hat, you express what you feel about the project.

My gut-feeling is that this will not work.
I don't like the way this is being done.
This proposal is terrible.
My intuition tells me that prices will fall soon.

The red hat allows feelings, as such, to come into the discussion without pretending to be anything else. It is always valuable to get feelings out into the open.

The black hat

Think of a stern judge wearing black robes. The black hat is the hat of "caution" and "judgement".

Wearing the black hat allows you to consider your proposals critically and logically. The black hat is used to reflect on why a suggestion does not fit the facts, the available experience, or the system in use.

Wearing your black hat you might consider the following:

Costs. (This proposal would be too expensive.)
Regulations. (I don't think that the regulations would allow ? )
Design. (This design might look nice, but it is not practical.)
Materials. (This material would mean high maintenance.)
Safety issues. (What about handrails?)

Mistakes can be disastrous. So the black hat is very valuable. It is the most used hat and possibly the most useful hat. However, it is very easy to overuse the black hat. Caution, used too early in the problem solving process, can easily kill creative ideas with early negativity.

The yellow hat

Think of sunshine.

The yellow hat is for optimism and the logical positive view of things. Wearing the yellow hat allows you to look for benefits, feasibility and how something can be done.

Questions you might ask while wearing the yellow hat include:

What are the benefits of this option?
Why is this proposal preferable?
What are the positive assets of this design?
How can we make this work?

Yellow hat thinking is a deliberate search for the positive. Benefits are not always immediately obvious and you might have to search for them. Every creative idea deserves some yellow hat attention.

The green hat

Think of vegetation and rich growth.

The green hat is specifically concerned with new ideas and new ways of looking at things. This is the hat for:

Creative thinking
Additional alternatives
Putting forward possibilities and hypotheses
Interesting proposals
New approaches
Provocations and changes

The green hat makes time and space available to focus on creative thinking. Even if no creative ideas are forthcoming, the green hat asks for the creative effort. Often green hat thinking is difficult because it goes against our habits of recognition, judgement and criticism.

Questions you might ask while wearing your green hat include:

Are there any other ideas here?
Are there any additional alternatives?
Could we do this in a different way?
Could there be another explanation?

The blue hat

Think of the sky and an overview.

The blue hat is the overview or process control. It is for organizing and controlling the thinking process so that it becomes more productive. The blue hat is for thinking about thinking. In technical terms, the blue hat is concerned with meta-cognition.

Wearing your blue hat, you might:

Look not at the subject itself but at the 'thinking' about the subject.
Think about the thinking being used during a group meeting
Set the agenda for thinking
Suggest the next step in the thinking, " I suggest we try some green hat thinking to get some new ideas"
Ask for a summary, conclusion, or decision, "Could we have a summary of your views?"

Lessons of Life - Aziz Premji

2006-11-22T11:46:00.000+05:00

Contributed by: Shamsuddin Rattani on 31st May 2004 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

Address by Azim Premji, Chairman, Wipro Corporation, in the "Shaping Young Minds Program" (SYMP) organized by the All India Management Association (AIMA) in collaboration with the Bombay Management Association (BMA) on February 9, 2004 at NCPA in Mumbai on "My Lessons in Life"

Lessons of Life:

I am very happy to be here with you. It is always wonderful to be with young people. The funny thing about life is that you realize the value of something only when it begins to leave you. As my hair turned from black, to salt and pepper and finally salt without the pepper, I have begun to realize the importance of youth.

At the same time, I have begun to truly appreciate some of the lessons I have learnt along the way. I hope you will find them useful when you plan your own career and life.

The first thing I have learnt is that we must always begin with our strengths. From the earliest years of our schooling, everyone focuses on what is wrong with us.

There is an imaginary story of a rabbit. The rabbit was enrolled in a rabbit school. Like all rabbits, it could hop very well but could not swim. At the end of the year, the rabbit got high marks in hopping but failed in swimming. The parents were concerned. They said, "Forget about hopping. You are any way good at it. Concentrate on swimming." They sent the rabbit for tuitions in swimming. And guess what happened? The rabbit forgot how to hop! As for swimming, have you ever seen a rabbit swim? While it is important for us to know what we are not good at, we must also cherish what is good in us. That is because it is only our strengths that can give us the energy to correct our weaknesses.

The second lesson I have learnt is that a rupee earned is of far more value than five found.

My friend was sharing me the story of his eight year-old niece. She would always complain about the breakfast. The cook tried everything possible, but the child remained unhappy. Finally, my friend took the child to a supermarket and brought one of those ready-to-cook packets. The child had to cut the packet and pour water in the dish. After that, it took two minutes in the microwave to be ready. The child found the food to be absolutely delicious? The difference was that she has cooked it! In my own life, I have found that nothing gives as much satisfaction as earning our rewards. In fact, what is gifted or inherited follows the old rule of come easy, go easy. I guess we only know the value of what we have if we have struggled to earn it.

The third lesson I have learnt is no one bats a hundred every time.

Life has many challenges. You win some and lose some. You must enjoy winning. But do not let it go to the head. The moment it does, you are already on your way to failure. And if you do encounter failure along the way, treat it as an equally natural phenomenon. Don't beat yourself for it or any one else for that matter! Accept it, look at your own share in the problem, learn from it and move on. The important thing is, when you lose, do not lose the lesson.

The fourth lesson I have learnt is the importance of humility.

Sometimes, when you get so much in life, you really start wondering whether you deserve all of it. This brings me to the value of gratitude. We have so much to be grateful for. Our parents, our teachers and our seniors have done so much for us that we can never repay them. Many people focus on the shortcomings, because obviously no one can be perfect. But it is important to first acknowledge what we have received. Nothing in life is permanent but when a relationship ends, rather than becoming bitter, we must learn to savour the memory of the good things while they lasted.

The fifth lesson I learnt is that we must always strive for excellence.

One way of achieving excellence is by looking at those better than ourselves. Keep learning what they do differently. Emulate it. But excellence cannot be imposed from the outside. We must also feel the need from within. It must become an obsession. It must involve not only our mind but also our heart and soul. Excellence is not an act but a habit. I remember the inspiring lines of a poem, which says that your reach must always exceed your grasp. That is heaven on earth. Ultimately, your only competition is yourself.

The sixth lesson I have learnt is never give up in the face of adversity.

It comes on you suddenly without warning. One can either succumb to self-pity, wring your hands in despair or decide to deal with the situation with courage and dignity. Always keep in mind that it is only the test of fire that makes fine steel. A friend of mine shared this incident with me. His eight-year old daughter was struggling away at a jigsaw puzzle. She kept at it for hours but could not succeed. Finally, it went beyond her bedtime. My friend told her, "Look, why don't you just give up? I don't think you will complete it tonight. Look at it another day." The daughter looked with a strange look in her eyes, "But, dad, why should I give up? All the pieces are there! I have just got to put them together!" If we persevere long enough, we can put any problem into its perspective.

The seventh lesson I have learnt is that while you must be open to change, do not compromise on your values.

Mahatma Gandhiji often said that you must open the windows of your mind, but you must not be swept off your feet by the breeze. You must define what your core values are and what you stand for. And these values are not so difficult to define. Values like honesty, integrity, consideration and humility have survived for generations. Values are not in the words used to describe them as much as in the simple acts. At the end of the day, it is values that define a person more than the achievements. Because it is the means of achievement that decide how long the achievements will sustain. Do not be tempted by short cuts. The short cut can make you lose your way and end up becoming the longest way to the destination.

And the final lesson I learnt is that we must have faith in our own ideas even if everyone tells us that we are wrong. There was once a newspaper vendor who had a rude customer. Every morning, the Customer would walk by, refuse to return the greeting, grab the paper off the shelf and throw the money at the vendor. The vendor would pick up the money, smile politely and say, "Thank you, Sir." One day, the vendor's assistant asked him, "Why are you always so polite with him when he is so rude to you? Why don't you throw the newspaper at him when he comes back tomorrow?" The vendor smiled and replied, "He can't help being rude and I can't help being polite. Why should I let his rude behavior dictate my politeness?

In my youth, I thought of myself as a rebel and was many times, a rebel without a cause. Today, I realize that my rebellion was another kind of conformity. We defied our elders to fall in line with our peers! Ultimately, we must learn to respond instead of reacting. When we respond, we evaluate with a calm mind and do whatever is most appropriate. We are in control of our actions. When we react, we are still doing what the other person wants us to do. I wish you all the best in your life and career. I hope you achieve success in whatever way you define it and what gives you the maximum happiness in life. Remember, those who win are those who believe they can.

Azim Premji
March 22, 2004

The First Lady in My Life

2006-11-21T11:38:00.000+05:00

Contributed by: Mahjabeen Umar on 21st May 2004 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

After 21 years of marriage, I discovered a new way of keeping alive the spark of love. A little while ago I had started to go out with another woman. It was really my wife's idea.

"I know that you love her," she said one day, taking me by surprise. "But I love YOU," I protested.

"I know, but you also love her."

The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my mother, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally. That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.

"What's wrong, are you well?" she asked. My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.

"I thought that it would be pleasant to pass some time with you," I responded. "Just the two of us." She thought about it for a moment then said "I would like that very much."

That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary. She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel's.

"I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were impressed," she said, as she got into the car. "They can't wait to hear about our meeting". We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady.

After we sat down, I had to read the menu to her. Her eyes could only read large print. Half way through the entree, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me.

A nostalgic smile was on her lips. "It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small," she said." Then it's time for you to relax and let me return the favor," I responded.

During the dinner we had an agreeable conversation, nothing extraordinary - but catching up on recent events of each others lives. We talked so much that we missed the movie.

As we arrived at her house later, she said "I'll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you". I agreed.

"How was your dinner date?" asked my wife when I got home. "Very nice. Much more so than I could have imagined," I answered.

A few days later my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn't have a chance to do anything for her.

Some time later I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place mother and I had dined.

An attached note said: "I paid this bill in advance. I was almost sure that I couldn't be there but, nevertheless, I paid for two plates - one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant to me. I love you."

At that moment I understood the importance of saying, in time: "I LOVE YOU" and giving our loved ones the time that they deserve.

Nothing in life is more important than God and your family and friends.

Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off 'til "some other time".

Someone once said "I've learned that, regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.

I think this is true with your in-laws, grandchildren, sisters, brothers and your friends. Anyone that means something to you-you should spend time with them and let them know how much they mean to you as often as you can.

A beautiful sentiment...

2006-11-20T12:02:00.000+05:00

Contributed by: Amber Ahmad on 10th June 2004 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

It was a busy morning, approximately 8:30 am,when an elderly gentleman, in his 80's, presented to have sutures (stitches) removed from his thumb. He stated that he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am. I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound.

On exam it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound. While taking care of his wound, we began to engage in conversation. I asked him if he had a doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry.

The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I then inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer Disease. As we talked, and I finished dressing his wound,I asked if she would be worried if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now. I was surprised, and asked him. "And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?" He smiled as he patted my hand and said, "She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is."

I had to hold back tears as he left. I had goose bumps on my arm and thought, "That is the kind of love I want in my life."

Quote for the DAY

"You have not lived; until you have done something for someone, who can never repay you."

Are we happier than our fore fathers?

2006-11-17T11:20:00.000+05:00

Contributed by: Amber Ahmad on 31st July 2004 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

Well the question that made me write, just came while some of our old family members like my mom's uncles n aunts were discussing that "humaray zamany main yeah hota tha, woh hota tha, beemaree nahee thee, hum sabh chotee chotee baat par khush hojatay thay etc etc..."

While they were talking about it, I was thinking, are we happier today? Say it the other way, are we happier than our fore fathers? Today we have lots of luxuries n easiness in life, fridge khola thanda pani hay, TV for entertainment, music, gas n electricity most of the time, we follow the trends in fashion as much as we can, spend a lot of amount of money on junk food, have a car to drive to any place we like, but still after all that are we happier.

What I feel no we are not, today we have lots of other issues to settle, other life problems which make us uneasy at the time we sleep, we dont have peaceful sleeps any more these luxuries are helpful no doubt but they are also tking away the small happiness from us, today we have the best doctors to serve us but at the same rate the number of illness n diseases is increasing, so the ratio remains the same.

Any ways think abt it "ARE WE HAPPIER THAN OUR FOREFATHERS?

Food for Thought

2006-11-16T14:11:00.000+05:00

Contributed by: Sadia Munir on 13th June 2006 at http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/thepointofview

I came across an interesting passage while reading Resurrection by LeoTolstoy and thought of sharing it with all of you.

"There is hardly a superstition more common or more generally accepted than that which attributes definite traits of character to every individual, which affirms that a man is kind, wicked, wise, foolish, energetic, and so on. This is all wrong. We may say of a man that he is more frequently kind than cruel, oftener wise than foolish, or more energetic than apathetic, and vice versa. But it could never be true to say of one man that he is kind and wise, and of another that he is wicked and foolish. Yet this is our method of classifying mankind, and a very false method it is. Men are like rivers. The water is alike in all of them; but each river is narrow in some places and wide in others; now swift and now sluggish, sometimes clear and sometimes turbid; cold in winter and warm in summer. The same may be said of men. Each man bears within himself the germs of every human quality, displaying each in turn. We often say of a man he's not like himself, and yet we know him to be the same individual."

Official Launch of The POV Blog

2006-11-14T17:02:00.000+05:00

Well finally we have managed to touch the blog world as well. This is an introductory blog.

The Point Of View or POV is a group of young thinkers and was built in 2002. This group consisted of people who think and like to express about various things in life. Along with being good observers we also learnt the art of listening during our 'email' conversations.

There were discussions, meetups held very often at different places. A constructive activity which should be little part of everyone's life if not more. Then as we grew up, priorities changed, time consumed on top priorities and POV led a quieter track. Jobs, higher studies took away the little few minutes we spent discussing on topics with different people on the group.

Frankly, we havent really been that active for quite some while and this just might be a slow start as well. I am trying to get all the group members to find some time and participate on the blog so that others could also know what we are talking about. Maybe this blog may become popular with newer additions as well but I am very choosy with who becomes a POVian and frankly it does have a bit of a bias as well.

At this moment in time, I have just logged our presense for now. I may start copying some of our previous discussions to get this blog started a bit. Lets see how this develops.