If we want to move on

No human is above criticism. Criticism is the main way in which we improve. One of the reasons that countries like the United States have so many more achievements than the Arab world is because they allow for constructive criticism and because people want to constructively criticize.

One of the obstacles in the Arab world is that people have not learnt how to constructively criticize and most only want to destructively criticize because they are power hungry, selfish, jealous, and those in power don't want to be criticized and certainly not destructively because it exposes what they feel is their  incompetence where in fact it is not. 

 

It is opinions that make the world we live in today, as well as faith and ideas and every person is entitled to a say in how they feel will improve the way they live. Courage is to criticize and this, if tackled in the right manner, makes people generally feel positive about the future. It gives them hope which is what they need. Without hope, there is no strength.

Today we are facing trials and tribulations, disputing amongst ourselves, when we are all fighting for the same thing, we just don't realize it yet. We look upon ourselves as victims of a divide-and-conquer strategy, demoralized however if we look at the picture realistically, we only have ourselves to blame. Why? Because we allow others to run our affairs, we bend over backwards into submission thinking that its the only way to survive when in fact it is not. 

It seems we respect opinions of others who have a greater say in our affairs even when they have never set foot on our soil guiding us on how to run our affairs, how we should live and the policies we should adhere to when they don't even understand us, if at all. How many reading this think it is the correct way of running our affairs when we have the greatest role models that have walked the face of the earth as examples?

The Prophets of Allah (SWT) are the greatest men that ever lived. They are the real role models for humanity. Their hearts were the purest, their minds were the wisest, and their deeds were the most righteous. Where have we lost our way?

The Prophets used to confront the particular problem with society directly and upfront which people at the time, like today, don’t like. But they were persistent and they eventually despite the hardships they went through, succeeded. In this day and age, like people of the past, they seem to think that it is wrong for anyone in particular a “loyal” person to criticize government or any ally, for that matter, and that it is better to talk in ridiculous superlatives about leaders and historical figures.

Many today prefer to deal with hypothetical problems that are irrelevant and don't even exist yet fail to confront the issues at hand. Every corner of the world has certain problems, however everyone deals with their problems differently and we should respect others decisions and not interfere in their affairs.

We have been blessed with the greatest role models, yet we have failed to learn. Ignorance has solved nothing and arrogance leads to misunderstandings, and we like everyone else have the right to deal with issues our way and I can only blame us if we allow others to dictate.

We fail to hesitate when confronting and pointing out other society mistakes and problems, yet we have major issues when confronting our own.  The easiest thing is to tell people what they want to hear while neglecting what they don’t want to hear. How does that set the standards of society? Society becomes superficial, deceiving and in my opinion, dangerous, like a bubble about to burst at any moment. We need to get back in touch with reality and admit the problems we face today are in a way our own creation.

Human nature, people in general naturally don’t like someone telling them that they are wrong and prefer to be around people that make them feel comfortable however the question I feel the need to raise is where is the truth if any in that? And where is the loyalty to oneself or to the person or people in question in lying just to make them feel comfortable? How does that solve problems? How does that develop the nation? How does that affect people that are not in position and would appreciate a say.

I disagree with those who prefer to live in a façade, the only way to combat and fight for what you believe in is by being honest and truthful to your beliefs and opinions. The only way to combat the problem at hand is to face them and not avoid them. Avoidance has never solved anything, reality and confrontation has.

What an unfortunate time we live in. If we want to be true to Allah (SWT) and to ourselves and if we want people to change for the better we have to first talk about the wrongs in our society not others regardless of who we constructively criticize and to be truly loyal we must first be loyal to the truth. If we can't do that then we live with no loyalty in life at all... where is the loyalty in lying? Where is the loyalty in deceiving ourselves and others along the way?

We have a problem today where we say one thing yet do another. We all claim to believe in Allah (SWT) yet in order to truly mean it; we must follow the law of Allah (SWT). How many people do that today? Not many unfortunately, we have lost our roots, and even when some of us would like to, society does not allow it. There will always be people that have a problem when they say one thing yet do another and that’s when it allows others to question our beliefs and our faith and draws up borders and disputes between us.

What a world we live in, what an era and time where we have lost our way. We constantly claim in the name of our religion, yet if we want to be true to Allah (SWT), Islam and to ourselves and if we want people to change for the better we have to first talk about the wrongs in our society not others regardless of who we constructively criticize and to be truly loyal we must first be loyal to the truth. If we can't do that then we live with no loyalty in life at all... there has never been loyalty in lying.

 

If we want to move on, don't look at the beginning, don't look at the middle, look at what will happen if we change ourselves, in the end...