Ramblings Thoughts from a simple Tellurian...
'We come in peace...'
Here's assuming one would encounter an experience from some sort of extra terrestial being - Hollywood however has sucessfully branded a sweet image of man greeting its foreign visitor with such cordial charm. Obviously, 80s sci-fi bare little social resemblance to our 21st Century realities, even if it attempts to imagine life in our age - (sadly hover crafts and metallic shell suits dont quite cut today's a la mode) - So how true is this? Can man be naturally hospitable, warm and receptive when faced with the 'other'? Ok, I wont try and saliently manovear this analogy from aliens to our current 'problem' of refugees and asylum seekers. Thats too easy, the old narrative playing off binarys is too reductive for now, rather, share my thoughts on the spiritual if possible.
The first account of man's relationship with his brethren (Cain and Abel) holds classical examples of rivalry, pride, greed, arrogance and all the grand ingredients of capital vices that would make a great read. Romulus and Remus founded in Roman mythology too shared similiar themes, man's sense of power and greed overpowered its affiity to the higher order of love or duty to kinsfolk is the clincher.
So, its no wonder that love and ones duty to their neighbour periodically echo's throughout the Torah, Gospels, the Qu'ran and many of the other sacred texts that strew this earth. So this is then a reminder of man's disposition or as it is called in Arabic al 'nafs (the inner desires) that must undergo a process where in which its true nature can flower while the desire for carnal pleasures is dispelled.
Allah the All-Mighty in Chapter At-Taubah (Seek Forgiveness) commands the believers to '...take zakat (charity) from their property in order to purify and sanctify them' . To love your Lord by following His command to give, so that you and those around you may benefit from this sacred formula. While this relationship is achieved, this was not possible without a man whose legacy and virtue truly manifest on this earth. His embodiment of kindness, love, mercy, loyalty and all other wonderful superlatives I could write pages for, gives man that true practical knowledge of action. Our beloved Messenger, the Seal of the Prophets Mohammed (may peace and abundant blessings be upon him and his family).
Fastforward, 2012 - the world as we know it is increasingly hostile, in the span of a decade post-9/11, we have seen more wars in the world than ever before. The age of Terrorism has sparked a global twitch, where even countries ravaged by famine, poverty have managed to resort to religious fanatism the rich meanwhile rich and are also not shielded from this wave of benighted hate and have too developed their own 'ism'.
I always have believed that for a mathmetician, history is one predictable pattern. As much as our population may grow and we have advanced rapidly on a technological scale, no matter how much man decorates himself and how tall he can erect a building, we are deluding ourselves from the realities of this life. One gross example, but very small to the vignette of examples that exist, one Dubai multi-millionaire spent over £10m on etching his name on the arrad desert plains of the UAE so that it could be seen via satellite from the sky.
Have we reverted to our past, only to make the same mistakes?
I often despair about the cruelties of man and the unremitting circle we are facing. We can only begin by promising that we as an individual must try to live by the Prophetic example, if we are ever to live by anything. But we must strive for individual perfection and lead by example. Our neighbour or the 'other' are essential to achieving true love for our Lord, so serve them as you are serving Him. They are our kin no matter what way you look at it. 'You will not attain to virtue unless you spend of that which you love.' [111:92]
Worship God, assosicate nothing with Him, behave with excellence towards parents, near kindred, orphans, the indigent, the neighbour who is of kin and the neighbour who is not [4:36]
