Thursday, December 30, 2010

2010 vs 2011


I like the way I am and I am deeply enjoying my life the way it is. Still, I do have dreams and secret wishes, I want ... To have different or more things in my life, to become more ...What I like about future is that it is a blank page and you can write whatever you want. The future is vast, limitless and full of possibilities. That is why; I haven't written my 2011 resolutions yet (I will do tomorrow). I need all the possible time to write it and I won't give away a single dayJ

2010 was a very beautiful and happy year in my life. Millions of things happened for the first time. Some of them used to seem wishes maybe impossible to the point that if someone had told me five years ago that those things could happen I wouldn't believe him I would instead call him crazy and unrealistic. But here I am I had them I enjoyed them; sometimes I did not know exactly how to behave toward them or even what to do with them but the most important thing that I had them. But the word that can describe my 2010 is Balance. During 2010 I have found my balance which is the true essence of life.

Personal Growth:

2010 was a very interesting year when it comes to my personal growth. My personality has changed remarkably. I used to be very shy, timid and I wouldn't never ever argue with someone or express how wrong or bad they make me feel. I used to believe that such behavior is wrong and it hurts; it will hurt people around me. But in reality I was the one who is suffering. When I started to open up and communicate how I feel I was able to avoid at least 90% of that suffer simply because I interpreted facts according to my own view. The absence of communication caused me to think and create a situation where I was hurt while the other person meant nothing. All of it was happening in my head.

2010 is the year when I finally found my balance. I used to prioritize things in a very rigid way. I used to be rough and severe with myself if I don't do something right or lose my time. In 2010 I figured out there is nothing called wasted time that the time spent doing nothing or the time spent committing mistakes was as valuable as the time spent doing the right things as what I call effective time.

Blogging

Blogging for me is a lot of fun. Writing is a wonderful state of being. I write so I exist, no need to refer to Decartes simply because I bypassed the state of doubting since a long timeJ I started my first blog in 2007. My first blog was inaccessible when it became full. I love that blog but I have to admit that I love my current blog much more. On May 2010, I created a blog that really reflects the real me, a space where I can say and share everything about me without thinking twice.

People

2010 was a very challenging year when it comes to my relationships. It is true that I have met a lot of people. Many amazing people have come across my path and many of them were very helpful and a source of joy. However, many of them have tried to intervene in my life and decide instead of me what it is important or what choices I should take. Appreciation, I guess, is the best attitude toward such behaviors, keeping in mind that people are seeing only their own choices on me.

2011

2011 is already a very special year for me. Though a lot of activities are already decided since 2010, it is still a blank page where I will create a very beautiful happy life.

Still, I will keep in mind:

*Life is not about effectiveness or productivity, it is about balance.

*Time is not about doing more or less, it is about enjoying what you do.

*People are not independent; they are reflections of who I am.

*Happiness cannot take place yesterday or tomorrow, happiness won't take place when everything becomes perfect, happiness in now or never.

*Abundance is not far or impossible but abundance is not always the answer.

*Loving yourself is the most beautiful thing on earth and it is the only way to your inner and outer world.

Whatever my resolutions in 2011 could be, the most important thing is that I will keep joy, love, happiness, balance and fun my life's key words.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

‘I am’ no ‘we are’ …a concept of plurality!


I was born June 19, so my horoscope is GEMINI. Double personality, moody and changes are famous comments to hear when I say 'Gemini'. I usually respond “no millions of personalities not only two”. Obviously, we don't have a unique version of who we are, we have instead a lot of versions.

I have me who wake up in the morning so hopeful and smiling but can pay one million dollar just for another minute of sleeping. And there is me with my friends expressing my view points and my craziness in levels. With some I feel so free to the point that I dare to be the real me (a hard thing to do especially being Arwa:). Around some I am very diplomatic, with others I am cautious and my sixth sense is putting red flags whenever I see or talk to that person.

There is a version of me in the classroom very polite and a VERY GOOD LISTENER :). There is a version of me while I am taking a walk in the morning: free, smiling, looking to the sky most of the time, noticing the smallest details, colors and gestures. There is a version of me playing around like kids well I walk like kids, smile like kids and think like kids :) That is the kid version of who I am. There is a version of me when I see books, when I will win 546789 billion dollar:), when I dream and when I decide to act realistic which happens for seconds no more.

Well, it is impossible to stick or to choose one of these versions and say this is me. Because this is how it is. We say I am ... but in reality we have to say we are... Every single human being is a lot of people fighting inside, debating, sometimes killing each other but most of the time seeking love, peace and co-existence. I am plural, all humanity and that is the funniest part about life!

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Terrorism: The ultimate justification of any policy

An article published by l'Expert on August 2010, written by me sure:)

Terrorism remains one of the most controversial terms of nowadays. Obviously, the Bush administration best diplomatic theory has been a very manipulative excuse to any act. His successor Barrack Obama has claimed preferring to avoid using the term “Long War On Terror”. Yet, he still believes that the biggest threat to US security is the possibility of terrorist's ownership of nuclear weapon.

One of the recent uses of this concept took place during Israeli attacks against the Freedom Flotilla -which tried to end the Gaza Blockade. The commandos who were sent by Israeli government were ‘self-defenders- against some 'terrorists' who used knives and weapons against Israeli soldiers. A world full of terrorists could be a justification of any act. It is simply a self-defence against terrorists in Gaza, Lebanon and everywhere.

Nevertheless, terrorism is not a modern phenomenon or a new concept. First attacks and acts described as terrorist have existed for a millenia. Being such an old phenomenon, it has not helped to clarify or to define the concept. Till now ,the International community has been unable to formulate a universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition of terrorism. Therefore, how could countries like U.S or Israel use this controversial concept to describe acts they do not accept? If it is not possible till now to formulate a legal definition of what terrorism is, is it possible to judge individuals or groups on terrorism?

Honestly speaking, there is no existence of a common terrorism but so many possible types and forms of what could terrorism look like. However, it is not about defining it or punishing its doers, it is, obviously, about getting advantage as much as possible from this ambiguity. Knowledge is power and when you know your enemy, you could find a way to deal with him, that is why mystery is not easy to manage. Same for this concept, as much as it is unclear and not defined, it is possible to emloy it in different cases in order to realize various and even contradictory goals.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

إسرائيل وشعار الاستيطان أولا

" دون خطوة سريعة ومؤثرة لوقف التدهور الجاري في الموقف على الأرض فإن حل إقامة دولتين ... سيكون صعب التحقق." هذا ما تضمنته رسالة وجهها خافيير سولانا المنسق الأسبق للسياسة الخارجية في الاتحاد الأوروبي و26 مسؤولا أوروبيا سابقا إلى منسقة السياسة الخارجية في الاتحاد الأوروبي كاثرين أشتون من أجل التعبير عن رفضهم للسياسة الاستيطانية التي تنتهجها إسرائيل. لكن إسرائيل طبعا انتقدت هذا الموقف فهي تعتبرأن الاستيطان لا يشكل أية عقبة أمام التوصل إلى حل. فالاستيطان حاليا هو الورقة الرابحة الاسرائيلية الأولى التي تمكنت من خلالها إسرائيل من وقف المفاوضات. وهي الورقة التي ستمكنها من القضاء على حل الدولتين.



Wednesday, December 15, 2010

So Easy To Quit

It is very easy to lose faith in someone, to close the door, to forget, to move on. It is easy to get angry, to get mad to let go. It is very easy to quit, to try to convince yourself that it wouldn’t work; they were not worth it. You start to justify your choice so you can move on.

Maybe after some time you come back there and you discover that it was not the right choice that it would be better if you gave them another chance, if you just stayed for moments, if you just knew how much they are important to you.

It may take moments or years but some day, somehow you will regret. You will wish that your decisions were different. Maybe you gave up on them but you have learnt. Next time you won’t let fear, disappointment, anger, mistakes decide instead of you. Next time maybe you will automatically give them another chance. Next time you will maybe love them and that is enough.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Hopeless ... Hopeful



People only see what they are prepared to seehttp://thinkexist.com/i/sq/as4.gif Ralph Waldo Emerson

Impulsions, motivations, events, people and circumstances are very neutral. They can be positive or negative, source of happiness or source of misery. No need to illustrate that what matters is your attitude. An individual with a vision can anticipate and imagine how things can turn to be. An individual without a vision will limit himself and his potential to what this moment has to offer.

With an unchangeable past (except mentally) and an unknown future, logically we have only the present moment. Now is our only possibility to be. And being is a state of mind and a road leading to happiness. Now we can love, we can live, we can choose and decide. I cannot decide yesterday I already decided and I cannot decide tomorrow because I will eventually decide. Still, the power of the present moment is lived to the max when we have a strong feeling of appreciation and gratitude. Without appreciation, presence will be destructed and we will start to focus on how things were terrific or how they will be terrific (keeping in mind that when the pseudo terrific moment had existed, we didn’t feel terrific; same for the future pseudo terrific moment when it will come we will not feel that way). Consciousness is the cause. At the present moment we are conscious we cannot be conscious yesterday or tomorrow.

The present can be imperfect can trigger us to feel helpless and hopeless. It is important and we don't have all what we desire want or love. We still want more we still need more. Then the present moment starts to seem miserable imperfect and incomplete. It is simply an incomplete present which leads to unhappy present no satisfaction no conviction and no gratitude.

A present moment can only be lived with gratitude and also with a conviction that it is perfect; it is what you exactly need. Now everything is perfect: dissatisfaction misery, lack, are making the image perfect along with satisfaction, happiness and the sense of accomplishment. A moment is made up of negative and positive; good and bad; good and evil. It won't be perfect if it misses a composing. We need to be late, lost; uncertain, sad, evil as much as we need to be punctual, certain happy, good and found again.

It is very beautiful to live the moment but there are other moments to come. If you don't plan chances are that no one will plan for you. An imperfect present when it is lived should be accepted and treated as perfect. When we plan, we have to consider opportunities and be hopeful because things can change, improve, grow, evolve backwards or forwards. A bad language level can become excellent, inexperienced employee can become experienced.

At a present moment, misery stems from dissatisfaction with a current situation; stems from non- acceptance and especially a lack of a vision. A present moment must be accepted: a present situation must be improved or accepted. Hopeful means you live the moment happily and grow continually. Hopeless means you are miserable already and you will attract more misery. Hopeful has a vision hopeless is blinded by illusions. Circumstances, events, people are not good or bad negative or positive; they are perceived so.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

My daily happiness commitment: Inspirational reading ‘The Tao Te Ching’

When you stop to compete, no one can compete with you. Anyone who read my “Me” section will know what I am talking about. Yeah right lao tzu again. Did anyone one hear me before repeating everything happens for a reason? I was upset last week extremely upset. When I feel bad I whether eat chocolate, watch TV or in 70% of case read and I usually read something positive. I read articles and quotes before about or referred to Lao Tzu but I have never read The Tao Te Ching. So when I felt that way; I said go and learn some wisdom J and I read the book. It was easy and fun to read it.

I will share lessons that I have really enjoyed learning from The Tao Te Ching:

Always without desire we must be found,
If its deep mystery we would sound;
But if desire always within us be,
Its outer fringe is all that we shall see.

Duality is a subject that triggers my attention since first year journalism; I firstly payed attention to it during history class. How much we need love as much as we need hatred, work as much as we need rest. Anything on earth is nothing without its contrast. It is only full when it made up of tow of the yin and yang the male and female.

Lao Tzu says to explain such a magic mystery at least for me this way:

So it is that existence and non-existence give birth the one to
(the idea of) the other; that difficulty and ease produce the one (the
idea of) the other; that length and shortness fashion out the one the
figure of the other; that (the ideas of) height and lowness arise from
the contrast of the one with the other; that the musical notes and
tones become harmonious through the relation of one with another; and
that being before and behind give the idea of one following another.

Next time you realize how miserable you are, think again; next time you realize how mistaken you are, think again. Misery and mistakes are parts from a bigger image. This is what they call bigger picture or seeing outside the box. Perception is always missing something. And as we perceive one thing at a time, we will only focus on one thing at a time. We focus on the mistakes and forget millions of right or good things we have done. We focus on misery and we forget millions of things we are blessed to have. “Is he still breathing? Yes he is. So there still is a way.” That is what the dragon told Mirelon when he was worried about Arthur. Are you still breathing? If you answer yes (which is obviously what will happenJ as you are still alive reading this note ) believe there is a way you may not about to see it now under those circumstances but existence and non existence give birth the one to the other.

And as we do things, we have to satisfy our intention to help. Living for oneself only could be fun but our hearts need to hug someone need to share need to feel alive. That is why when we give unconditionally the world gives us more. It is only when we are not waiting for anything in return we have everything we want.

Therefore the sage puts his own person last, and yet it is found in
the foremost place; he treats his person as if it were foreign to him,
and yet that person is preserved. Is it not because he has no
personal and private ends, that therefore such ends are realised?

You must never underestimate yourself or what you can do. There is no such thing as weak or incapable. There is nothing that you cannot do if you strongly want to do. If you are too lazy to do something don’t say I cannot or I am not able to, say I don’t have enough welling to do it, I don’t want to do it. Because when you start doing it, you will become amazed of what you can do and how possible can describe all your secret wishes and wild dreams.

Empty your cup; when it is full. Sometimes asking for more is exactly striving for less. When your cup is full anything more you add will be wasted. When you work harder and harder that is great but we have to recognize the moment when we have to stop and watch. Life is too fast and nothing deserves to consume all your time.

It is better to leave a vessel unfilled, than to attempt to
carry it when it is full. If you keep feeling a point that has been
sharpened, the point cannot long preserve its sharpness.


I have extremity enjoyed reading The Tao Te Ching and I am thinking to read it again. J