Of trees and branches...

I opened up the book for the heck of it. This verse caught my attention:

Our Father who art in heaven;
Hallowed be Thy Name;
Thy Kingdom come;
Thy will be done;
on earth as in heaven;
give us this day our daily bread;
forgive us of our tresspasses as we forgive those whom tresspass against us;
do not bring us to the test but deliver us from evil;
for the Kingdom,Power and Glory are Your's;
now and forever.

It was the Lord's prayer. I was 16. I had just come back from work (I worked 2 jobs while schooling then). And the book was the bible.

I probably felt something, but it was not overwhelming. I began to read more. I discovered the Beatitudes, Ecclesiates and other beautiful writings in the bible. I read it almost everynight by the small little lamp in the kitchen beside the toilet in that little one roomed flat. Times were hard, money was very tight, but things seemed to be moving along... each day at a time.

I was a school boy, trying to make some money to pay my fees and expenses, not for extra pocket money. I worked in Ponderosa because they paid among the highest those days. At the same time, I worked in Delifrance because the hours were flexible (if the staff schedule in Ponderosa was full, I could go over to Delifrance). Food was good... real good. I never had a problem beefing or fattening up. Losing weight seemed to be the problem...

I have a cousin who has 6 kids. He works as a driver. He gets to drive the van back home. I met him one day. I was parking my camry when he noticed me and called out to me. He was in his mid-forties. I noticed that when he opened the side door of his van... 8 people just piled out. A driver earns really well these days I joked. He says it's tough, but he makes do. "Don't worry, be happy" were the words that really struck me. As I am sitting down a few minutes earlier, it struck me again. Islam is about submission. FULL SUBMISSION. There is none such a thing as a half submission. The religion requires you a full submission. Granted. That I understand. But I do not totally accept.

Call me stupid, but what is this thing about destiny? My religious teacher is in deep financial trouble, yet he tells me he is awaiting for a miracle to happen. What is wrong with this picture? Waiting for something to happen is not wrong. Not at all. Many people do that. But they do also but Toto or 4D. They wait for Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday & Sunday. You may submit, but do you expect your family to suffer while you submit? I cannot understand this no matter how open a mind I try to keep.

Of course, I have never believe in destiny. My dad taught me one thing, if at all it has any value: you create your own destiny. My dad was a handicapp. And he was looked down many parts of his life. But true to his words, he created his reality. And I honour him for that. I follow that principle too, closely in fact. Fate? No either. Fate is for people who are too afraid to take what they really want. I want nothing but the best. Too high a mark? I'd rather aim high and miss, at least I may hit a lower target, then aim low and run the risk of missing and hitting nothing. That's a fact.

I admire many of these people. Not because of their virility. But because of their undying trust in the faith. Some may call it being lazy. But let's ease up on them. It's total submission. Either you have it or you don't. I don't. But I'll try to work on it. Ya right...

jahwsl
1102
08 Oct 06'