It Must Be Friday Morning 20 August 2021 -Revised.

 

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It Must Be Friday Morning
20 August 2021

And I woke up this morning… it’s Friday.

Living in a sick society is toxic to the soul, and a challenge to the spirit.
Today — more than ever — all of humanity drifts in a sea of toxicity, both natural and manmade.
The state of our species is so deplorable that even the reigns of Attila the Hun or Adolf Hitler begin to look like walks in the park by comparison.

Yes, millions died during the wars of the ages. But those wars — for all their horror — were identifiable, their motives clear:
Greed. Hatred. Ignorance.
The three ancient illnesses embedded in the human condition.

But today, it feels like we are sick for reasons beyond comprehension.
We are mentally, physically, and spiritually unwell — and not always with good reason, other than perhaps… being sick of it all.
We live in a pressure cooker with no release valve.
The illusion of control is crumbling, and we march on toward an inevitable endgame —
a self-fulfilled prophecy of extinction,
an Armageddon by apathy.

It must be Friday morning.

Through the years, I’ve come to realize that the Fridays of my life have not always been “holy” as they’re meant to be for a Muslim.
Maybe because I seldom pray like all the God-fearing among us.
Friday prayers included.
It is said that if one misses three consecutive Jumaat prayers, one is no longer considered a Muslim.

If that’s the case, I was disqualified long ago.

But does that mean I don’t fear God? That I don’t fear death?
No — I’m terrified.
Terrified enough to try not to think at all.
To embrace non-thinking — no thoughts, no projections.
But the more I try, the more my mind brings back God and death — like two cards it keeps playing when all else fails.

So what’s my resolve?

To know who I truly am before I try to know my Maker.
Yes, I believe in God — absolutely, undeniably.
Call Him by any name. I do not doubt He exists in my heart, in my breath, in the invisible silence between thoughts.
I am His — and He commands every breath I take, every move I make (as Sting sang).

But I do not fear God with blind terror.
Not like a mindless worm meant to squirm through life in submission,
awaiting “evolution” or judgment.
No.
I reason, I question, and I live with the understanding that I’ve been given more than I deserve —
and therefore, yes, I tremble.

Is it my ego talking? Maybe.

Still, I’d be a greater fool not to seek understanding —
of who I am,
of where I stand in the great turning of this universe,
and of the Lord who placed me in it.

I am afraid — not because I’m ungrateful,
but because I’ve been so deeply blessed.
And that love, not fear, is what draws me toward God…
and even toward death (save for the uncomfortable process of getting there).

“When we look deeply into impermanence, we see that things change because causes and conditions change...
The teaching of impermanence helps us appreciate fully what is there, without attachment or forgetfulness.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh

Yes, Brother Thầy…
When we live mindfully, we’ll have no regrets.
We’ll smile — not because life was perfect,
but because we did our best to truly live it.

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