How Significant We Are

The following is a quote from Carl Sagan (1934-1996):

Consider again that dot.
That's here, that's home, that's us.
On it, everyone you love, everyone you know,
everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was
live out their lives.
The aggregate of our joy and suffering,
Thousands of confident religious, ideologies and economic doctrines.
Every hunter and forager, every hero and coward,
Every creator and destroyer of civilisation,
Every king and peasant, every young couple in love,
Every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer,
Every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician,
Every "superstar", every "supreme leader", every saint and sinner in the history of our species,
Lived there on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
There Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena.
Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that,
in glory and triumph,
They could become the momentary "masters" of a fraction of a dot.
Think of all the cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel
on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner.
How frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another,
how fervent their hatreds.
Our posturings, our imagined self-importance,
The delusion that we have some privileged position in this universe,
are challenged by this point of pale light.

Our planet is a lonely speck in the enveloping cosmic dark.
In our obscurity, in all this vastness,
There is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
The Earth is the only world known so far to harbour life.
There is nowhere else, at least in the near future,
to which our species could migrate.
Visit, yes.
Settle, not yet.
Like it or not, the Earth is where we make our stand.

It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience.
There is perhaps no better demonstrations of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world.
To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another.
And to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot,
The only home we've ever known.

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I came across this quote on Zen Pencils, a cool comic blog that adapts inspirational quotes into comics. Part of the description of this particular quote goes as follows:

"The Pale Blue Dot is a photograph of Earth taken by the Voyager 1 spacecraft at a distance of 3.7 billion miles away. The spacecraft had completed its primary mission and was passing Saturn, hurtling through space at 40,000 mph. Carl Sagan requested that the spacecraft turn around and take a photo of Earth, not for any scientific purpose, but as a sobering reminder of our planet’s insignificance. The resulting image inspired Sagan to write this now famous and breathtaking passage."



When I read the quote through the comic, I was like, "Yeah man, we're REALLY small. This guy speaks the truth."

But then I googled the picture.

The Pale Blue Dot.

And I cried.

Take a minute and try looking around you right now. Look. Please?

Now look back at the pale blue dot.

We look around and think that this Earth is so big, that our houses are so big, that our cars are so big, that our selves are so big.

But that's a lie.

We're nothing but a fraction of a dot. And that's from just a few billions of miles away. How big is this space we're floating in? How big is all of creation? How big then is The Creator?

Yet we think that we're so important. That we're all that. That we're so significant.

Just think, in the sight of God, how significant are we? How significant can we be?

We're nothing. And yet we live our lives as if we're high and mighty. As if the world owes something to us.

Everyone from Adam a.s. all those years ago to Muhammad s.a.w. to you and me right here and now has only ever lived on this speck of dust that seems to be merely existing amongst the darkness. 

We have to realise that we are not big. Thus there is no rational to claiming that we are better than anyone. We're specks, just like everyone else in the world. How good we are is not for us to say. It is the sole responsibility of Allah SWT to say where we go after we leave the pale blue dot.

Allah SWT has sent us models in the form of the Prophets s.a.w. for us to make examples of how to carry ourselves on the pale blue dot. So be kind. Smile. Don't get angry. Show affection. Bring peace everywhere and to everyone you meet. Seek and speak the truth. Love.

And every time you feel an ego-trip coming, you could always come back to the pale blue dot and get a reality check.

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Among other things, Carl Sagan was an astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist and author. He was also known to be an agnostic. 

May peace be upon all of you!

Cheers!

Kenduri Thoughts

"There's a house across the river," Alas I Cannot Swim by Laura Marling.

So it’s the end of the year and in Malaysia, that means kenduri season.

And while I’ve been eating away, I’ve also been observing and am called to make some comments regarding what I’ve been consistently seeing throughout the kenduri-season. So check it.

1. Salam

It’s common practice in Malaysia (alongside most parts of the world) for people to shake hands upon meeting each other, either for the first time or for any other time for that matter. The unique thing about Malaysians, especially among the Muslim community, is that the younger participant of the hand-shake would usually be obliged to kiss the hand of the older one (if not kiss, then bow their heads). It is a sign of respect towards the elderly, and something I find charming.

Of late, I’ve been seeing more and more young people refusing to even bow their heads when shaking hands with people who are clearly older than them. To me this is a big loss to the Malay-Muslim culture, and if left untreated will take away one of the flavours of the Malaysian experience.

Some people might go on and say “but what’s the big deal?” and my answer would be the same question. 

What’s the big deal? What’s so hard about bowing your head towards your elders, showing them respect for their years? What do you lose when you bow? Dignity? Value? In my humble opinion, you actually increase in respectability when you show respect towards others, especially towards your elders. 

There’s a Malay saying that goes “ular menyusur akar tidak akan hilang bisanya,” which roughly translates to “a snake that slides below a root does not lose its venom”. The point here is that even if you are of very high value, it does not hurt you in any way if you respect others, even those regarded “below” you (if you believe in such rankings).

Main point, young people, guys and girls, show respect to earn respect. Tunduk pi la bila salam orang tua. Bukan susah sangat pun.

2. Waste management

If there’s one thing that ticks me off, it’s littering. Generally, people seem to think that there’s nothing wrong to throw their paper napkins, candy-wrappers or cigarette butt into a nearby gutter or on the floor, even when rubbish bins/plastics have been established and are plentiful. 

Admittedly, the problem is not only limited to kenduris, but you can see the extent to which cleanliness is of insignificance during these gatherings.

The problem lies in the thinking of the people that assume that their “little bit of rubbish” is not a significant enough amount to hurt anyone. 

“Hang toksah dok buat teghok ngat aih. Plastit ceklet hack ja pon.”

That’s during the early stages. When it finally gets bad enough to actually show, there’s another way of thinking, which goes “it’s already dirty, like this little thing is going to make it any worse. Alang-alang dah penuh sampah tu, kita guna ajalah macam tempat buang sampah.”

If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. Throw your junk where they’re supposed to be thrown. There’s bound to be designated areas. If by the impossible chance there aren’t any or if all of them are full, point this out to the host of the kenduri. It is their responsibility to ensure there are places for guests to throw their rubbish. And I’m sure they’d appreciate the heads up.

3. Monetary gifts

It is normal for people to bring gifts for the newly-weds. It is almost expected of the guests that are close to the family of the newly-weds. However, sometimes people forget to get gifts. And in these cases, it is common for people to palm some money to the host (usually one of the parents of one of the newly-weds) when shaking their hand.

And I’ve seen hosts rejecting these monetary gifts. They refuse to accept the cash, some even return the money by going to the extent of shoving the cash back into the giver’s pocket.

I disagree with this act of returning money.

You might want to seem more “sincere” in throwing the kenduri by not accepting the money. But let’s be honest. If I were the giver of the money, and the money was meant to make up for my bad memory, then I would be insulted if you gave the money back to me, just as I would be insulted if I brought a gift-wrapped microwave oven (or anything, really) as a gift and you refused to accept it on the grounds of wanting to seem “sincere”.

So hosts, receive the gift, in any shape it may come. If you want to go through the routine of rejecting a gift to seem polite, then do it only once. If the giver insists on giving the gift, then accept it with a big smile and thank you. And hug. If you want to.

So that concludes my kenduri-thoughts for now. May all the newly-weds be blessed and get lots of children. Muahaha, typical wish is typical.

May peace be upon all of you.

Cheers!

Hastened Farewell

"Forgive me.. I cannot stay," What He Wrote by Laura Marling.

So this is it. My last post from Marsfield, New South Wales, Australia.

This has been the place of new experiences and new faces. The ups and downs have made me who I am today, for better or for worse. 

So many things done, yet so much yet to do. Too soon, I feel. But just enough.

This will always have a special place in my heart. 

Alhamdulillah, life goes on.

Here's for a better future.

Cheers!

May peace be upon you.

Post-University Musings of a non-Muse-fan

"I saw that day, I lost my mind," El Mañana by Gorillaz.

So last Friday was the last of class for us in the B. Ed. TESOL course here in Macquarie University. 

Two years, four semesters, done. Wow. Alhamdulillah. Wow.

Going to, entering, and exiting the classes for the last time, time went slower this week, for some reason. At the end of each class I stayed an extra minute or two, just to take it all in for the last time.

Learnt so much on campus. Struggled a lot. Sometimes eager to learn. Sometimes just plain sleepy. But always struggling. 

With myself more than anything else, really. My thoughts. My half-cooked and never-executed ideas. My consequential self-loathing. My tendency to lean back and let the world happen in front of me, choosing to just take it all in, and probably, just probably, learn something. My lies I tell myself.

I've definitely changed here. People rarely stay the same in the course of two years, if I may be so bold to claim. At least people who go to university. In another country.

I'd like to think my eyes have been opened more since the start of my stay here. I'd also like to think that I've become a much more tolerant person. Also, a person who appreciates the process of knowledge-seeking more. But who am I to be so audacious to claim such things?

Now, I can't get my mind off anything other than how things are going to be like when I return to Malaysia. The Maktab in particular. I've accustomed myself with this certain way of life that I'm very confident wouldn't fly very straight back at the Maktab. I'll so totally need that re-induction (more like rehabilitation, really) week.

But I've always thrived at the Maktab. I don't know what it was about the place, but I grew leaps and bounds as a person during my two and half years there. I know that my lecturers over there had a heavy hand in making that happen. Maybe that's it.

The same could not be said about the two years I've spent here. I have changed, definitely. But have I grown? I'd like to say yes, but I just can't say.

I'll be off to travel tomorrow. I still have an exam to take care of. I still have loads of stuff to pack. I still have one last video to make, here. Or maybe two. We'll see.

I regret not writing in this blog more often. Might have helped me. God knows I needed it. Oh well, what's done is done. 

May peace be upon you.

Cheers!

Shout Awards 2012 (Who to vote?)

"Guess he had nothing to say," Hope in the Air by Laura Marling.

So surprisingly, I've been nominated for the upcoming Shout Awards. Alhamdulillah. In this post I'm going to talk about who/what I'm going to vote for in the Awards and why. Why? Because I feel like it. Now check it!

Rockstar Award

List of nomnoms: Bunkface, Estranged, Faizal Tahir, Hujan, Love Me Butch, Monoloque.

Who I'm voting for: Hujan (no duh~)

Why: Because they revolutionized the Malaysian music scene when they first burst onto the scene. Because they're fantastic to see live. Because they have ventured into other markets as well. But most of all, because they make high quality music.

Break Out Award (Best New Act)

List of nomnoms: Diandra Arjunaidi, Go Gerila!, Kyoto Protocol, Massacre Conspiracy, Najwa, Oh! Chentaku.

Who I'm voting for: Go Gerila!

Why: Because of the bang they made when debuting as a band in Versus. Because of their originality and sense of adventure when it comes to music. Because they look poised to become a big influence in Malaysia's music scene in years to come.

Fresh TV Series Award

List of nomnoms: Betul Ke Bohong?, Friday I'm In Love, Projek Pop, Tentang Dhia, Versus - Konfrontasi Terakhir, Yuna - Bintang Di Langit.

What I'm voting for: Versus - Konfrontasi Terakhir.

Why: Because of the originality of the idea and the originality it subsequently produced. Because of the myriad of memorable acts it has staged. Because Hujan, Go Gerila! and Black & Parallax.

Wired Celebrity Award

List of nomnoms: AG Coco, Altimet, Celepets, Fatimah Abu Bakar, Sofia Jane, Yuna.

Who I'm voting for: AG Coco.

Why: Because he's the most down to earth rockstar you could hope to meet. Because of his exemplary passion and hard work. Because he doesn't forget his roots. Because he's active on all the social networking sites that matter.

Shout! Aloud Award

List of nomnoms: Faradyable, yours truly, JinnyboyTV, Matluthfi90, Popteevee, The Wknd.

Who I'm voting for because I won't vote for myself: Matluthfi90.

Why: Because his work can only be described as genius. Because he does almost everything in his videos himself. Because he talks about things that matter. Because he's hilarious. Because he deserves it the most.

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So to vote, you guys can click over here : http://www.shoutawards.com.my/2012/nom-listing.asp

You may vote ten times per day until the 22nd of November 2012.

May peace be upon you.

Cheers!

Moon Lamp

I look up at the moon tonight and notice it's as bright as any streetlamp. I wonder how many are looking up and noticing the same when the answer comes to me. Millions (if not billions) of people are looking at the same moon. How small we are. How small we are.

Tears

"Kalau kau rasa terkilan," Gurindam Hutan Batu by Monoloque.

So I (not so) recently watched this video:




But then again, so has everyone else. If you're one of those hermits who hasn't, it's about these two orphaned kids (a blind child and a mute child) who decide to go on a journey to visit the mute kid's mother on Eid. Touching, truly is. Kudos to BERNAS for making it.

I cried watching the video. Really cried. Like teresak-esak. 

But when I stopped crying, I thought to myself.

Why am I crying? Because I just watched a sad video.

Why was it sad? Because those children were underprivileged.

So?

Hmmm..

So it made me think of how ungrateful I was of all the little things in life such as the ability to see, the ability to speak, still having my parents. 

So what are you going to do about it? Be more thankful, of course.

How?

Hmmm..

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Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity. It will have [the consequence of] what [good] it has gained, and it will bear [the consequence of] what [evil] it has earned. "Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we have forgotten or erred. Our Lord, and lay not upon us a burden like that which You laid upon those before us. Our Lord, and burden us not with that which we have no ability to bear. And pardon us; and forgive us; and have mercy upon us. You are our protector, so give us victory over the disbelieving people." - Surah al-Baqarah [2:286]

Those kids are strong. They are able to cope with their fate. My fate is this. To live a life that's comfortable, more comfortable than some people will ever experience in their lives. 

What am I going to do with this comfort that has been granted to me? Am I going to just dwell in the fact that I am too weak to face a fate such as theirs? Put my head down and do nothing?

What do you think?

May peace be upon you.

Cheers!