The Seven Selves, Khalil Gibran

In the stillest hour of the night, as I lay half asleep, my seven selves sat together and thus conversed in whisper:
First Self: Here, in this madman, I have dwelt all these years, with naught to do but renew his pain by day and recreate his sorrow by night. I can bear my fate no longer, and now I rebel.

Second Self: Yours is a better lot than mine, brother, for it is given to me to be this madman’s joyous self. I laugh his laughter and sing his happy hours, and with thrice winged feet I dance his brighter thoughts. It is I that would rebel against my weary existence.

Third Self: And what of me, the love-ridden self, the flaming brand of wild passion and fantastic desires? It is I the love-sick self who would rebel against this madman.

Fourth Self: I, amongst you all, am the most miserable, for naught was given me but odious hatred and destructive loathing. It is I, the tempest-like self, the one born in the black caves of Hell, who would protest against serving this madman.

Fifth Self: Nay, it is I, the thinking self, the fanciful self, the self of hunger and thirst, the one doomed to wander without rest in search of unknown things and things not yet created; it is I, not you, who would rebel.

Sixth Self: And I, the working self, the pitiful labourer, who, with patient hands, and longing eyes, fashion the days into images and give the formless elements new and eternal forms-it is I, the solitary one, who would rebel against this restless madman.

Seventh Self: How strange that you all would rebel against this man, because each and every one of you has a preordained fate to fulfil. Ah! could I but be like one of you, a self with a determined lot! But I have none, I am the do-nothing self, the one who sits in the dumb, empty nowhere and nowhen, while you are busy re-creating life.

Is it you or I, neighbours, who should rebel?
When the seventh self thus spake the other six selves looked with pity upon him but said nothing more; and as the night grew deeper one after the other went to sleep enfolded with a new and happy submission.
But the seventh self remained watching and gazing at nothingness, which is behind all things.

A Fallacy

Yesterday I was reading the Qur’an and its commentary. I came across a sentence and contemplated its meaning a lot. The sentence was about the difference between human beings and other beings and the reason behind our superiority over them. We are the chosen ones because we have emotions. Yes! You read it correctly.

Emotions which enable us to comprehend actions and reactions. Emotions are a bundle of love, hatred, envy, empathy, anger, fear, serenity, etc. It is about the ability to be in your shoes. Without emotions, I would never be able to understand your angst . However, these emotions are the source of cruelties and crimes in the name of protection and love. How many times did we go astray because we misunderstood our emotions? How many times did we convey the wrong message of love to our beloved ones? How many times did we transgress in the name of sparing our own life?

Emotions what make human beings stand up for each other because we savoured life’s bitterness before. We are living in adjacent condos, without feelings, we would never overcome the walls in order to make friends, have spouses, witness our children, etc. How cruel this life would be with robots only obey commands without any feelings. Your heart is the real scale not your brain. I was mistaken when I thought the opposite many years ago.

The more space my heart gets, the more aware I become refraining from overseeing and judging others. Yes! I am higly ranked in the ecosystem because of that organ and its intelligence to differentiate. I have all the vibes, and the ability to choose what suits my ranking, and what relegates my humanity. The compass is in my hand, and I choose which direction to walk in. I am so grateful for having such journey. May Allah forgive me when I flounder but surely I will be back again.

Have a nice day and a peaceful life my friends and hola after months of not posting anything!