Stop Comparing, Stop Complaining, Start Thanking

It was Sunday that day and I got ready a little bit early than the usual because I have a short meeting with regards task allocation for the submission of our tutorial.

I’m studying in Kedah so, the classes and working days start from Sunday till Thursday. As the exact time of my class begin at 11:30 am, I decided to sit at the café and fill up this empty stomach of mine because I got more or less an hour till lecture.

I actually love to take a step back and observe my surroundings thus, I sat alone at the corner observing peoples’ behavior.

On my right hand side, there were a group of foreign lecturers talking over coffee.

It has become to my acknowledgement that foreigners regardless whether they are students or lecturers, they will tend to speak nothing but ‘ilm (knowledge) between themselves.

I remembered listening to a talk given by my University Vice Chancellor where he said, “In Harvard, the culture of the students were to help make up each other’s short comings in studies also, the essence of the conversations were nothing but knowledge. They will pass on lecture notes when one of their friends was absent from the class. The ambience is just so motivating and helpful in building self-confidence because rejections were not made the medium of conversation rather they listened well before giving any opinions upon it.”

This is indeed what Islam wants to instill within us. The act of helping our brothers and sisters, speak about nothing but good things, and be silent when it is not necessary to talk.

It reminded me to one of Muhammad Abduh’s quote which connotes, “I went to the West and saw Islam, but no Muslims; I got back to the East and saw Muslims, but not Islam.”

I think I would like to leave this quote as the ending of the first part of my story.

Well, the second part of my story is actually a continuance from the first one whereby after a few minutes of focusing on the foreign lecturers group, my eyes were taken by this one particular man.

No, don’t assume just yet that I’m going to write about a love story.

This man was sitting alone and he had rice that morning. What caught my eyes was that the struggle he has to go through just so the food can go into his mouth.

The physical disability that he had certainly touched my heart in that moment. I imagined myself being in that state; the disability state that he is in.

How am I going to react? How am I supposed to go through my everyday life knowing that my disability would accompany me every step of the way? Would I be patient and accept? Or Will I rebel and be angry?

I intended to buy him a packet of tissue and leave a note saying, “Have a good day!” But I was held aback by the norm.

It felt as though what I’m about to do is abnormal and that it would be weird if I were to be kind out of nowhere. Pertaining to those thoughts, the man soon finished washing his hands and walked out of the café.

Often we failed to see our surroundings and the people in it because we are too focused on our own problems that are really petty sometimes.

We have too many complaints about everything for instance, worrying too much about our body weights (I comprehend this especially to the ladies out there), fussing over what people would think about our appearances, thinking on how unlucky we are not having the perfect body shape, a genius brain, and et cetera when there are thousands, millions or even more struggling to get through life every single day.

At least we are in peace living in our own country while there are many refugees whom are being separated from their families and their nights accompanied by the sound of bombing.

No, the norm isn’t bad. It has just becoming a sort of self-obsession as we kept on feeling that we’re the only ones with problems and in misery when in fact, there are so much more in this life to be thanked for.

We should be grateful for what is in our possessions and not what should be in our possessions. Happiness comes when we feel content with everything that has been given.

Maybe we should start thinking less about ourselves and more about the society. Who knows with that little effort can actually make the world a better place.

InshaAllah.

Stop Comparing, Stop Complaining, Start Thanking.