Blame it on the Gun!

Blame it on the Gun!

A headline just caught my attention: “Medical examiner: All victims in Conn. school rampage shot multiple times by rifle”. Yes, the rifle got up and shot all victims dead. Yes, the rifle fired itself many times. Yes, the rifle, the gun, the machine gun, the shotgun. Whatever.

Look carefully beyond the surface and the subliminal messaging of these politically languaged headlines for the real reasons, as unapparent as they may be, behind this and the previous onslaught of school, college, and movie theatre shootings.  Think about why a whole generation that seems to have gone mad is being ignored. The weapon of choice, the gun, is the item of blame. Why not consider  that something must have seriously traumatized this recent school murderer , for him to go back 8 years later and commit such a heinous crime? Why isn't this happening in nations just nearby as Canada, where guns are just as prevalent? 

The gun didn’t say "pick me up and shoot" and neither was this done for a thrill, because he knew he couldn’t run from it. There are underlying issues in all of these shootings. They need to be figured out, not skimmed on the surface and brushed  under the rug. Media frenzy at the time of the incident, then subsequently ignoring the issue until the next shooting happens, isn’t exactly solving the problem.

At the end of the day, the masses feel comfortable with looking for a simple solution to a complex problem, like a gun, which can be whisked away from existence with a piece of legal legislation. It gives a sense of control. It's much harder to figure out a cure or solution for mental illness or darkness that could lurk underneath the smile of people you see every day. Once we realize the chaos of the human psyche, we'll quickly come to realize we have very little mastery over the world, which is a very discomforting thought to most people

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety. - Benjamin Franklin

Jeddah Rain Clouds 23/11/2012

Give & Take

I’m here for you, my love, whose heart and mind are so good,

You are never absent from my verse,

Like the ones who never understood;

Like those who think they own this earth,

Like those who think they’re better than the crowd,

Who rant on their own pride and worth.

I’d fight for you, my dear, who doesn’t speak aloud,

to give  you hope and maybe courage too,

to help you out from behind that shroud;

Because you gave my heart the strength to stay true;

When I was so frightened, hiding from the light,

Though both our stories merit getting through.

This Afternoon (Hajj 2012)

A personal impression of arriving at Al-Haram in Makkah this afternoon, nearing the end of Hajj 2012.

See What is happening, on this hot desert day,

There are a million voices murmuring around- what do they say?

They are excited & overwhelmed, chattering of what to see & do,

But they speak a foreign tongue - what do they ask of me and you?

The heat and dust don't bother them, for it's a time of spiritual bloom,

Even through the polluted air and lack of walking room.

They faithfully continue on, mindful of their duty and doing,

And reward they hope soon, will come with God's blessing.

They are to be as if born again, hence such devotees,

The journey for certain has been a tiresome one, but a dream they've come to see.

And millions of voices chorus in tune,

As they made their way this afternoon.

July

There you are and here I am
With the end of another July closing in
Where it all began, this car
on a sun-flooded afternoon
time tells blessed efforts
and racing away laughing.


And we don't say anything
Because the world doesn't need to know.


And because words
Simple accessories to emotion
Just aren't necessary
Sometimes mistook yet obvious.



We share the sky
From similar vantage points
Live lives that ruffles other's feathers
But share one thought
As hours melt
Confidence into submission.


We know that knowing is more than enough.

Why?

Morning sleep and nights disturbed,
Cities a humming buzz, really perturbed,
A peaceful and tranquil month is just an illusion,
They make it all hectic, scuffle and confusion.

With honest intent and patient surrender
Not feeling anger, but why,  I wonder
Why not be kind, why not stop and ponder
Why don't they see what the month has to offer.

Maybe they have their own reason,
For turning it into a bustling "holiday" season,
For not seeing the big picture fully,
Why at all be so fickle and folly?

 

Ramadan

We cannot measure

Its height or breadth -

We cannot measure

Its mass or depth.

It can only be seized,

By patience and sacrifice

And when captured -

It’s a mercy immense

For our lives.

That’s the month

We journey right now.

One

One with scars, knows one with scars

One with pain, feels one with pain

It made no sense, 

Going after the fickle and vain.

One who aspires, knows one who aspires

One who is sacrificial, sees the sacrificial

It was of no benefit,

Being with the selfish and superficial.

One with strength, knows one with strength

One who cares, needs one who cares

It isn't for a loving heart,

To be faced with tears and nightmares.

No Angel

I may not be an angel
Perfect beings are so few
And even though i'm not
I still belong to you.

I'm not looking for an angel
To spill my heart & soul to
And even though you're not
I still confide in you.

For every little fault you might have
You'll see I've got three or four
The tiny little flaws you may have
Just make me love you more.

I may not be an angel
And neither may you
But every day that's passing
Loving each other is all we do. 

This World...

We watch our world,

At times we laugh hard and long.

Sometimes, we sit there just smiling

 or humming a little song.

Some people go walking.

Some jog and some run.
Some people play games

And a few have some fun.

Some have it all good.

Some not at all.

Some live on highs,

But most have to fall.

Some giggle and laugh.

Some shout and cry.

The bad ones live long 

And the good ones all die.

We look over this place

And we let out a sigh.

We are only human.

Or at least we try.

For in this world,

Our ideals don't exist.

A world full of corrupt men

With an evil twist.

Some mishap there.

A tragedy right here.

Some crumble to pieces.

Some never shed a tear.

We envy none at all,

 Everyone only wants more.

We want none of that,

We're just watching it's flow.

We just watch this world

We watch it deteriorate, yet grow.

These Naive Guys ...

I watch them all,

And giggle softly. 

I stand around,

And don't care if they notice me. 

They sometimes glance around,

So clueless, not ones that "know". 

Now every day,

The perplexity grows. 

The girls are all leaches,

They seek to deplete & decieve. 

The guys don't realize 'til too late,

Eventually they believe. 

Oh, they've seen all the signs,

But their hearts ignore what they see.

And try to blow off the truth,

So their world seems happy. 

We've become the ones who know,

Who watch from afar, their misery.

While nobody around,

Truly sees what's proceeding, but we.

We shake our heads,

They really can do better. 

Maybe then their misery and games

Will become just a blur. 

It will all turn,

Into a just memory. 

A learning, practical memory

That you didn't want to, but had to see.

Hypocrisy

Confused, bewildered, don't be surprised
They agree when told, they pretend to agree
Don't try to disagree, you'll be despised
They live in a realm where minds aren't free

They pretend to follow rules, pretend to be just
Eyes wide shut , as blind minds are closed
Must we trust those, logic says not to trust
Imagine its right, play along i suppose

To the beat of a different drum, some move
Trying to live life as its meant to be
To them the blind minds, try to prove
They preach animosity, their minds don't see

It's not a black and white world, it won't ever be
The sooner they accept reality, their minds will be free

My World

I fell into his world

Of tranquility

He showed me a place

Of stability

And abode where dreams are

Of reality

Where happiness is the only

Decree

Where tiny geometries float

Free

We walk together in

Majesty

Intent of children who giggle

With glee

Through everything he stands

With me

de Yoga

They Exhaled,
Elegance,
They inhaled,
Beauty,
They gasped,
Eminence,
Then went up the cheer,
Without knowing,
The effort,
Without realizing,
The repetitions,
Unaware,
Humble beginnings of naught,
Oblivious,
Flailing form in broken rhythm,
Subtlety,
Exhaustion of the mind,
Feeling,
The body's pain,
Mastery,
Desiring all of it,
Without knowing,
They have attained,
Elegance.

Best That Ever Was

I set eyes on you,
And there was change, we knew.
Eyes shining starry bright,
In both our darkness, we saw light.
Hearts, passionate as the ocean,
We keep loving in devotion.
And then we couldn't be apart,
Two souls, joined at heart.

In love, nothing seems too high,
Kisses, and without wings we fly.
They've not seen such love,
They've not yet risen above.

If winds blow, we won't fall down,
Let them talk all over this town.
And think whatever they think,
Our ship of love won't sink.


And now my heart rejoices as it does,
For the best love that ever was.

            

Knowledge is Power

Knowledge, an acquirement sublime,
An everlasting experience, one day at a time.
Knowledge is power…Though we
Should not use it, arbitrarily.
From the time of our birth,
We are blessed with the right,
To decipher and reason, to give our minds flight.
To thirst for more, to expand our potential,
Knowledge is something truly beneficial.
Seeking solutions the mind can impart,
Nurtures the thirst for knowledge, to start
The modus of learning, the dawning of growth,
An inner quest and a personal oath.
To evolve into the very best one can be,
Indeed that is the road we ought to see.
It's all up to us...that fervent desire to learn,
An imprint within our hearts, it should burn.
And daily, the rewards upon us will shower,
Always keeping in mind that,
Knowledge Is Power.

"A guy that has more knowledge has the advantage" ~ Georges St. Pierre (MMA Champion)

Selfishness Affects Success

** Written with contribution from the brilliant mind of Joey Aman**

"Graham Hess (Mel Gibson in the movie 'Signs'): People break down into two groups. When they experience something lucky, group number one sees it as more than luck, more than coincidence. They see it as a sign, evidence, that there is someone up there, watching out for them. Group number two sees it as just pure luck. Just a happy turn of chance."

Nowadays, however, we have a third group that think along the lines of " I must have done something right…" accrediting all good things that come by to themselves only, and whenever anything they don't like what happens, they blame it on others. 

This selfishness is somewhat of limited thinking and behavior, and not really of benefit to oneself or others. Feeling the need to always think of oneself, to praise oneself, to accredit oneself, goes against the human nature of both males and females, males in that they are generally the "pack leader" caring for others in one way, and females in that they are the nurturers, also always caring.

In the wise words of Joey Aman, " A lot of people have lost their sense of leadership, and become desensitized to other human beings. They only feel to the extent of making themselves survive, rejecting the responsibility of one's own instincts to be a provider or nurturer, and become just a consumer instead. This leaves a lot of people feeling depressed or empty and searching, filling these gaps with materialistic things that are bought with  money. Their lives are about fast cars, expensive vacations, and showing off success, or even non-success, they just want to show off !! It's come to a time where some people see family and responsibility as a burden that limits their chances of getting to the superficial (there is a more realistic) idea of success. They have become selfish, and have forgotten about humanity, society, communities and working for the betterment of them as a whole. "

Mind you, success is what we are all aspiring to, but we have to ask ourselves, what kind of success do we want, the realistic or the superficial ? The kind where we are only known for what possessions we display, or do we want the kind of success that won't be able to be seen until we've passed away, much like a great artist, but instead of great works of art, it's one's legacy thats left behind in the form of amazing children, lives one has touched and improved, the impact one has had on the world, things that will have a butterfly effect that will echo through the ages, etc ? 

"Driving an expensive car while you lived doesn't give you much worth once you're dead." ~ Joey Aman

"Someone truly successful doesn't die when their heart stops beating, they live forever through the impacts they have made". ~ Joey Aman

Never Bored

As I sit here on a 3/4 moon evening munching on bell peppers and lemon slices (I'm making a burger but getting a vitamin fix first), can't help but contemplate all the "I'm bored", "It's boring" statuses posted & tweeted everyday.

It puzzles me, because i've never never said it or felt it. Sure there may be boring movies, boring people, etc, but I still haven't been bored.

It's been inferred that boredom results from nothing other than one's own mind. There is nothing boring, but there are bored minds, minds that refuse to venture much.

It may be that, and expecting others or things to make one "unbored", rather than building & creating from within oneself. 

This relates to the personal growth factor, in which we should always be developing ourselves and learning things, ideas and skills. 

The consequence of not understanding this is that one will forever be trying to avoid boredom by finding new situations and new, exciting experiences, rather than building oneself into an unbored, unboring person. 

Its the simple principle us simple humans tend to forget:

                                                   

                                                        The goal is to be, not to acquire. 

Fate, Destiny

 *Dedicated to Joey*

And now we're here, brought together by forces beyond us.

Day after day, we tell secrets before untold.

These events, they've let our future unfold.

We've opened these time capsules

This that we've found, a life to be filled

Happiness & bliss fill our world.

We now know what they are.

Driving down the late, quiet streets alone, us two.

Those stars shine for you

Our circumstances brought our fate

To a point that we'll never let go.

Glistening eyes from all the tears

Washing away anything smeared

Smeared lipstick, fallen fears

Beating hearts, caresses and gestures

Staring at the sea, building dreams.

Now you can see through me,

Into my mind and heart it seems.

Never alone a single day,

In life together we're drifting away.