Even after a global pandemic brought our world to a screeching halt, most of us still managed to stay “busy,” which I have since discovered is nothing but a euphemism for being distracted. In his hugely popular self-help book, Deep Work, best selling author and professor Cal Newport argues that the culture of constant interruptions has destroyed our ability to focus on cognitively demanding tasks. Every moment of potential tranquility in our lives is spoiled by glancing at our... Read more
Soon after Donald Trump was elected, CNN released a powerful new ‘Facts First’ ad Campaign series featuring an onscreen image of an apple with a voiceover narrating the following words: This is an apple. Some people might try to tell you that it’s a banana. They might scream, ‘Banana, banana, banana’ over and over again. They might put banana in all caps. You might even start to believe it’s a banana, but it’s not. This is an apple. The attempt... Read more
Have you ever been to a quack doctor who sells you a snake oil with the disclaimer that your symptoms will actually become worse before they get better, and then looks you in the eye and insists that this is a good sign? And if that’s not enough, he advises you to apply more balm or to consume more poison until it either kills you or you wake up and realize that this doctor is merely trying to profit at... Read more
This year I joined the cult of self-care until I realized that real self-care is not self-indulgence but self-discipline. Sure contemplation and relaxation can be soul food for an impoverished psyche, but when downtime becomes a form of escapism it can have a counterproductive effect. Age should not be the only measure of our time on this earth. Maybe we have to stop taking ourselves so seriously so we can actually get things done. It’s time to stop allowing the big... Read more
The first rule of love is; Marriage is no real excuse for not loving. Rule number two; He who is not jealous cannot love. And lastly; When made public, love rarely endures. Translation: Love your spouse, be jealous, don’t tell anyone. Those were the “love rules” according to 12th century author of The Art of Courtly Love, Andreas Capellanus. In the 12th century, people were far more secretive about romantic love and for good reason. Love of the flesh was... Read more
State sponsored mosques are designed to serve a singular purpose; to provide a space for congregational religious services and prayers. In Muslim majority countries, mosques do not operate independently of political authority. The utility of the mosque is then limited, if not profoundly curtailed, within this context. But in the United States, the mosque is not just a place to pray but also doubles as a community center. American mosques are the nerve center of the Muslim community with... Read more
Anyone who comes from the resource-dense third world intuitively understands that the problem of poverty is not material but political. It has never been about a lack of resources, but about the individual freedom to develop technology to convert resources to material wealth. You may not see anyone starting revolutions with slogans that read “We Want Capitalism!” or “We want the state to stay out!” And yet the Arab Spring was triggered by the cries of a man who was... Read more
Some of the world’s greatest religious and spiritual leaders have endured a crisis of faith at some point in their lives. It is not uncommon for religious people to go through periods of doubt and experience an emptiness so profound that nothing they do can induce the emotions of reverence and awe that they once enjoyed effortlessly. This state of ambivalence and confusion can last as long as a few years to a few decades. And it often expands into... Read more
Soon after Donald Trump was elected, CNN released a powerful new ‘Facts First’ ad Campaign series featuring an onscreen image of an apple with a voiceover narrating the following words: This is an apple. Some people might try to tell you that it’s a banana. They might scream, ‘Banana, banana, banana’ over and over again. They might put banana in all caps. You might even start to believe it’s a banana, but it’s not. This is an apple. The attempt... Read more
“The Mending Wall,” a poem published during World War I by American poet Robert Frost, narrates the story of a farmer who contacts his neighbor to help him rebuild the stone wall between their two farms. When the farmer questions the purpose of the wall, the neighbor replies, “good fences make good neighbors.” This celebrated proverb along with its corresponding cultural symbol of a white picket fence has evolved to encapsulate what we now famously refer to as the American... Read more
The Muslim Monad
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