Guest Post: Depth in the Desert<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"My friend Hoda Maalouf is amazing. Her life has included struggles and challenges, and she is filled with passion ad enthusiasm. She has worked her way\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/strategicmonk\/2013\/08\/10\/guest-post-depth-in-the-desert\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Guest Post: Depth in the Desert\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"My friend Hoda Maalouf is amazing. Her life has included struggles and challenges, and she is filled with passion ad enthusiasm. 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{"id":6498,"date":"2013-08-10T03:27:15","date_gmt":"2013-08-10T10:27:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.strategicmonk.com\/?p=6498"},"modified":"2013-08-10T03:27:15","modified_gmt":"2013-08-10T10:27:15","slug":"guest-post-depth-in-the-desert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/strategicmonk\/2013\/08\/10\/guest-post-depth-in-the-desert\/","title":{"rendered":"Guest Post: Depth in the Desert"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

$\"Screen$ <\/a><\/p>\n

Living a life that could have drained many people, Hoda is a strong, curious, thoughtful woman. She explores the deep truths of leadership and contemplative life.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Hoda, who was born and raised in Beirut, and I decided to trade<\/a> posts about the deep places in the desert.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Thank you, Hoda.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Have you ever had a \u201cd\u00e9j\u00e0 vu\u201d feeling or the strange impression while seeing a place for the first time that you have been there before?<\/p>\n

It happened to me a couple of times, but the strongest such feeling I ever had happened many years back when I was watching a documentary about the life of Saint Catherine of Alexandria. I don\u2019t know why, but seeing this old, 8th century monastery in the Sinai desert was like revisiting places of my past; it triggered a \u201cd\u00e9j\u00e0 vu\u201d impression that kept me puzzled for days because I have never been to Egypt, nor visited Mount Sinai.<\/p>\n

Where did these strong connections to Saint Catherine come from? Can they be traced to my sincere admiration for Saint Catherine due to her intelligence and rebellious character? It is said that, when she was 18 years old, she challenged the Roman emperor who sought to dispute her Christian ideas. Then the emperor tried to make her his mistress, and when she refused he had her beheaded. A popular story after her death holds that St. Catherine\u2019s body was carried by the angels to Mount Sinai and that the monastery there was built in honor of this event.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause if there\u2019s one thing that drives the Devil up a tree, it\u2019s hearing of a woman who\u2019s smarter than he is.\u201d \u2014 Sor Juana In\u00e9s de la Cruz<\/b><\/p>\n

What are the roots of my d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu feeling? Was it the oldest monastery in the world that mattered to me or was it because it was remotely hidden in the desert?<\/p>\n

The desert never ceases to fascinate me with its repetitive scenes of sand, taking me into a contemplative state and allowing me to let go of images and pictures of the present.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes the desert beautiful,\u201d said the little prince, \u201cis that somewhere it hides a well\u2026\u201d\u00a0 \u2014 Antoine de Saint-Exup\u00e9ry (The Little Prince)<\/b><\/p>\n

What made that song so special to me? Perhaps it is because of the nameless horse, reminding me of my desire to go on my own way, against the stream, refusing prejudices and letting me escape my reality. Thus I can get away from all the chaos and pressures of urban life to a peaceful and quiet place where I can experience a time of clarity, listen to my thoughts and find my true identity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are the people?\u201d resumed the little prince at last. \u201cIt\u2019s a little lonely in the desert\u2026\u201d \u201cIt is lonely when you\u2019re among people, too,\u201d said the snake.\u201d\u00a0\u2014\u00a0<\/b>Antoine de Saint-Exup\u00e9ry<\/b><\/a>\u00a0(<\/b>The Little Prince<\/b><\/a>)<\/b><\/p>\n

What made that song so familiar <\/i>to me? Is it because I eventually have to come back to my everyday reality and face my problems? Here I am a rebellious soul, dreaming of escaping my reality on a journey through the desert, but forced by my equally strong mind to come back and fight my demons and fears.<\/p>\n

What made that desert song so powerful to me is that my illusionary journey through the desert is a one of self-discovery and clarity that made me realize, and from an early age, that running away from my troubles does not lead to any kind of resolution, since they will come back and become worse over time. I realize it\u2019s better to face any difficulty and fight it as it occurs.<\/p>\n

\u201cInner silence promotes clarity of mind; it makes us value the inner world; it trains us to go inside to the source of peace and inspiration when we are faced with problems and challenges.\u201d<\/b>\u00a0 \u2014<\/b>Deepak Chopra<\/b><\/p>\n

Hoda Maaloof \u00a0chairs the computer science department at Notre Dame University-Louaize in Lebanon. You can connect with\u00a0Hoda on her blog\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>www.maahoda.blogspot.com<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0or on Twitter\u00a0@MaaHoda<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[Image by Hoda Maaloof<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"