Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Assalamualaikum wrh. wbt.
A browse through my blogroll (especially
here and here) would be proof enough to the age-old adage:
“Semi-great minds think alike."Okay. So maybe that particular quote isn't as age-old as it is corrupted.
But just to make it up to you, let me throw you another quote nugget:
"Everybody's changing, and I don't feel the same." - Keane-Which, as I have just realized, is a confession, disguised as something Aussies would call a bout of
'whinging'. I used to think the dude singing the song was complaining about how everyone around him has changed, but the final clincher is when he admits that
he's changed as well.That's the topic that all three of us girls have obviously mulled over, despite all three being in really different places and environments.
Change.Scary word, isn't it?
But as I have realized,
it's only as threatening as you imagine it to be.
I used to despise change.
I used to glare at it from a distance, and moan whenever it came along, and did my best to avoid it.Now I just accept it with a willing heart. Learning about how the world really works
(via al-Quran and as-Sunnah) has helped relieved me off the burden of worrying over the teeny-tiny details of my rather insignificant life.
There are greater things to come.
So roll along, and recycle your iman (although come to think of it, that's another post in the works).
Maybe the reason I am not terrified of change anymore, is because
I have changed a lot myself. Just take a quick look around my older posts, and you'll see the graph go up and down. Heh.
I used to laugh at myself when I saw the reactions on people's faces, when they saw the 'new and improved' me. They can't complain, because
the way I am now is not a bad thing (that's the one thing they seem to agree on). But now I sort of understand the reason why people are so averse to change:
Because it forces them to change, themselves.When someone close to you suddenly is born anew, it definitely takes some getting used to. You have to learn to
understand this person beside you, just when you think you've got the person down to a tee. You have to learn to accept this person's new preferences.
You've got to learn to change your mind.Maybe that's the thing we fear the most about change - changing the way we view life. Splattering the world with grey is not something we're all keen on doing. Admit it, we enjoy having all the answers.
Having a retort for everything and everyone is fun.Don't you just hate being contradicted?It was easy enough for me to change, because it came from within me, and
without anyone's influence. Not directly, anyway. Nobody really wanted me to change. Except for maybe my parents. But they never force, which is probably what made it a better transition.
It's a bit harder for me to watch other people change, and have to reset the way I think about them. Especially since over here in Melbourne,
people seem to be changing every other day.
Here are a few of the more anonymous examples I can share in public:
- A male friend has started to lower his gaze to the ground. It used to be me who had to try and keep the 'batas pergaulan' in check, just a few months ago. Looks like he's beating me to it. :) He was so averse to the whole idea of change, he was the last person I expected to start. Now I cannot help but be amused at the whole idea, and know that Allah will always have His way with things. And the way God proves me wrong can be so comel sometimes.
- The way I see the half-Chinese classmate I mentioned previously (who shall from now on be called NL) has changed somewhat. I used to think that he was an intelligent snob. Now I can see that he's merely shy, a little awkward, and teramat skema. And yes. He's scared of failing chem as well. Now I feel a little relieved, because now that makes most of us. Haha.
- People who I thought have changed have, in fact, remained the same. It is the people around them who make them seem to defy the rule. It's comforting, in a way. But it also forces you to not make conclusions at first glance. Dang.
- Some people I never would have imagined listening to nasyid (me included), have started singing them out loud. Perceptions have changed, the emotions aren't the same. It's telling, in a way. A very nice way.
Moral of the story:
Change will happen. Accept the qada' and qadar from God and deal with it the best you can. Embracing them with open hands may do the trick.
InsyaAllah.
Wassalamualaikum.
this has been a rant by Syazwina Saw at 4:55 pm
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