Sundays of the Evening
Technically, Sundays should be the best days for writing, as I am not at school, nor do I have any other obligations. (No judgment. Haha!) But I find myself slipping into a non-writing fugue. Lack of discipline, some might say, and I would agree with them quite promptly.
Discipline. I read somewhere, that being motivated and having great self-discipline is a far better indicator of future success than any natural talent or feature. Being born with excellent features or with a great learning capability is one thing, but utilising them is quite another. Self control is a feature distinctly lacking from the lives of the irresponsible, as is some measure of self-discipline.
The challenge then, is to find a way to break through the barrier of lethargy or chaotic living, and to createa routine, or a set of values, perhaps not even necessarily a regiment, but just some principles by which we discipline ourselves by. To live healthily, to read more, to smoke less, to watch less tv. Whatever the case may be, some people struggle (or fail to struggle) with discipline for many years of their life. In particular, the drug addled, media saturated Generation Y is often criticized as lacking responsibility, lacking a set desire in their lives. This group is also the group who are usually the most willing to live by their own principles, rather than those of their parents. Granted, Generation Y may have gotten its principles from an amalgamation of decadent excess, celebrity lifestyles and an ultra-hedonic lifestyle, but perhaps, even then, they are still living by their own principles.
How does one go through life without discovering oneself? I remember watching old movies, and genuinely being annoyed when children are portrayed as being foolish for trying to “find themselves”. As any avid writer knows (barring any philosophical implications), people DO need to go on a journey, whether it’s physical or otherwise, to discover their nature. It is not a foolish endeavour, at least I do not believe it to be so. When we are familiar with who we are and what we want, the things which are normally “self-control” items, like addictions and other indulgences, become foolish activities or perhaps, pointless pursuits in light of the kind of person we want to be in the future.
That however, comes back to your own philosophy on life. We invariably return to whether you are a determinist, a nihilist, a fatist, or … whatever. Your own values will shape how you see your own future, and while I like to live by a few select principles of self-improvement or quasi-utilitarianism, not everyone shares my values. I’m not one to promote moral absolutism, so whatever your beliefs may be, there’s no (or little) judgement here. The Fight Club motto comes to mind - "self improvement is masturbation, self destruction is the key".
I learned from an Islamic scholar, and correct me if I’m mistaken, that Islam takes a similar view of non-absolutism with regard to Conviction. The idea is, if you’ve never heard of the Word/Truth, as they call the Quran and the tenets of Islam, then you may still be granted entry into Allah’s kingdom, provided you’ve believed in your own conviction with integrity. Certainly not a stance shared by many other Judaic religions, from my understanding. Even if you’re heard the word, but you rejected it out of a strong conviction for your own beliefs, it is possible to enter heaven .So long as it was not rejected out of arrogance, or your conviction is not a warped mutated version of humanities’ virtues (there is an absolute right and wrong in Islam), you may still be alright.
Then again, what if your conviction is in apathy (pretty sure that right there is an oxymoron.) or atheism. I’m sure there are rules against that sort of thing. Well, an omniscient being would know how to sort that mess out.
For now, good night, and may your religions not be too paradoxical and your beliefs be unwavering.
Discipline. I read somewhere, that being motivated and having great self-discipline is a far better indicator of future success than any natural talent or feature. Being born with excellent features or with a great learning capability is one thing, but utilising them is quite another. Self control is a feature distinctly lacking from the lives of the irresponsible, as is some measure of self-discipline.
The challenge then, is to find a way to break through the barrier of lethargy or chaotic living, and to createa routine, or a set of values, perhaps not even necessarily a regiment, but just some principles by which we discipline ourselves by. To live healthily, to read more, to smoke less, to watch less tv. Whatever the case may be, some people struggle (or fail to struggle) with discipline for many years of their life. In particular, the drug addled, media saturated Generation Y is often criticized as lacking responsibility, lacking a set desire in their lives. This group is also the group who are usually the most willing to live by their own principles, rather than those of their parents. Granted, Generation Y may have gotten its principles from an amalgamation of decadent excess, celebrity lifestyles and an ultra-hedonic lifestyle, but perhaps, even then, they are still living by their own principles.
How does one go through life without discovering oneself? I remember watching old movies, and genuinely being annoyed when children are portrayed as being foolish for trying to “find themselves”. As any avid writer knows (barring any philosophical implications), people DO need to go on a journey, whether it’s physical or otherwise, to discover their nature. It is not a foolish endeavour, at least I do not believe it to be so. When we are familiar with who we are and what we want, the things which are normally “self-control” items, like addictions and other indulgences, become foolish activities or perhaps, pointless pursuits in light of the kind of person we want to be in the future.
That however, comes back to your own philosophy on life. We invariably return to whether you are a determinist, a nihilist, a fatist, or … whatever. Your own values will shape how you see your own future, and while I like to live by a few select principles of self-improvement or quasi-utilitarianism, not everyone shares my values. I’m not one to promote moral absolutism, so whatever your beliefs may be, there’s no (or little) judgement here. The Fight Club motto comes to mind - "self improvement is masturbation, self destruction is the key".
I learned from an Islamic scholar, and correct me if I’m mistaken, that Islam takes a similar view of non-absolutism with regard to Conviction. The idea is, if you’ve never heard of the Word/Truth, as they call the Quran and the tenets of Islam, then you may still be granted entry into Allah’s kingdom, provided you’ve believed in your own conviction with integrity. Certainly not a stance shared by many other Judaic religions, from my understanding. Even if you’re heard the word, but you rejected it out of a strong conviction for your own beliefs, it is possible to enter heaven .So long as it was not rejected out of arrogance, or your conviction is not a warped mutated version of humanities’ virtues (there is an absolute right and wrong in Islam), you may still be alright.
Then again, what if your conviction is in apathy (pretty sure that right there is an oxymoron.) or atheism. I’m sure there are rules against that sort of thing. Well, an omniscient being would know how to sort that mess out.
For now, good night, and may your religions not be too paradoxical and your beliefs be unwavering.