Condemnation.

To the numerous amounts of people on social media asking where the Muslims are when it comes to condemning the Charlie Hebdo massacre,

Of course I am disgusted and horrified by the atrocity in Paris. And yes, I condemn the horrific actions of those people. But not because of the fact that I'm a Muslim, but because I think we should all condemn this kind of violence. 

Regardless of faith.

Condemning because of my religion, would be to admit that these individuals acted in the name of my religion.

My Islam that teaches me to pray 5 times a day.

My Islam that teaches me to respect my parents.

My Islam that teaches me to give a percentage of my wealth to charity every year.

My Islam that teaches me peace, love, and compassion. 

#Notinmyname

Syria to Sydney.. Peshawar to Paris.

For days I've been reading around what's happened in Paris, trying to wrap my head around what's gone on, and trying to think of how to respond. 

Unfortunately, this seems to be becoming a common occurrence. From seeing and hearing about the terrible news in Syria, Pakistan, Australia and now Paris, the words 'Muslim extremists' seem to have been heard so often, that they've become almost arbitrary. 

Now in terms of Charlie Hebdo in particular, I want to start by saying I am ALL for freedom of expression. When you start limiting what can and can't be said, you're going down a very slippery slope! 

However, when some people in France are stopped from wearing what they want to (i.e. the hijab and/or the veil) then does freedom of expression no longer matter? Is it exclusive to certain groups? If so, how is that fair? 

Secondly, once again, the media coverage between these sorts of events is unbelievably disproportionate. It seems that they don't even attempt to be discreet or covert in their attitude that some lives (western lives in particular), are more valuable than others.

Penultimately, what baffles me each time these sorts of events occur, is why hardly anyone seems to be interested in uncovering why these keep re-occurring. 

I don't claim to have the answers, but if we pulled together and stopped creating situations in which terrorism thrives, maybe these events would become few and far between as opposed to increasingly frequent.

Finally, to those spreading hatred. And I mean on both sides, those who are approving of the Charlie Hedbo attack, and those who got the 'Kill all Muslims' Hashtag trending, you are part of the problem. When in fact we should be striving towards a solution.

14 things I know as of 2014

1. Almost everything tastes better with Nutella (Excuse the unintentional rhyme)
2. All relationships require effort from both sides
3. There are certain things that we have no control over
4. Happiness is an emotion that fluctuates. Not a permanent state of being
5. Being alone and being lonely are two completely different things
6. Change isn't necessarily a bad thing
7. Success and achievement take time, hard work, and dedication
8. Plans are subject to change, nothing is set in stone
9. Chocolate has the ability to fix almost everything
10. Faith can keep you going even when you're at breaking point
11. Where you are born determines the quality of your life
12. Although I love reading fiction, I can't write it to save my life
13. You can control/change who you associate and surround yourself with
14. Optimism shouldn't be mistaken for naivety 

:) x

"Time and tide wait for no man." - Geoffrey Chaucer

The fact that we are fast approaching the end of the year, as well as the fact that it's been over 4 months since I last posted on this blog (I'm really terrible at this), ties in well with today's topic.

Time.

Yes that funny old thing. On occasion it drags as though the situation you're in may never actually pass. While on others, it flies by, leaving you wishing you could go back and relive those moments all over again. 

A single day, 24 hours on its own, often seems insignificant due to the monotonous routine we fall into, waking up, eating, working, watching TV, sleeping, and then doing it all over again the next day, and the next. But when those days add up, and turn into weeks, and then months, it's actually quite scary to look back and see how much time has really passed.

Before you know it, another year seems to have gone by in the blink of an eye, and while sometimes major events may have occurred, other times, it can feel like nothing has changed at all.

What do you spend the most time doing?

:) x

'The Other Half'

We all have that one friend. He/she has jumped from long term relationship to long term relationship, their promise to stay single after the most recent break up, never quite being fulfilled.

Most of us also know of a person who refuses to even pop to the shops alone, insisting, or at times, dragging, a friend to go with them. 

And while many love their own company, often opting for a night in alone over going out with friends, there still exists a preoccupation of sorts, with being alone.

Whether it's the constant stream of love stories we're taught to believe in through books and films from such a young and impressionable age, or just society at large frowning on those who choose to be alone.

I mean, we even refer to partners as 'the other half'. Implying that we aren't quite complete until we meet prince/princess charming. 

As with anything, moderation is key. Being at two extremes will no doubt drive you potty. But while it is of upmost important to not spend all your time cooped up in your room alone, I think it's equally important to be comfortable being alone. And the latter, in my opinion, isn't emphasised or encouraged anywhere near as frequently, as the former.

To be happy with yourself first and foremost is the trick. Not to think that happiness is an external entity. Because while that person may make you smile when they are in your midst, when they leave, (don't mistake the inevitable for pessimism) your happiness will walk out of the door with them.

And to end my ramblings, I shall leave you with this wonderfully ironic quote by the author of (yes I'm about to break the rules,) Fight Club. 

'People used what they called a telephone because they hated being close together and they were scared of being alone.' - Chuck Palahniuk.

:) x

Praying for Peace.

As a colleague scrolled through Facebook earlier today, and let out a gasp, I instinctively asked if everything was okay.

I did not however, prepare myself for the response.

The gasp was a knee-jerk reaction to a post that had caught my colleague's eye. A post that described the anguish and turmoil of a friend whose entire family had just been tragically killed.

After reading countless articles, blog posts, tweets, and comments under YouTube videos, I told myself there was nothing left to say.

Surely, everything worth saying had already been said/and continues to be said about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

My input seemed and still does seem, small and somewhat insignificant.

However, everyday for the past nineteen days, I have helplessly watched the numbers rise. The number of fatalities as I write this, is thought to be 45 Israelis, and 1049 Palestinians.That's not to mention the thousands injured. 

Now, we've all read the numbers over and over again, and in instances like this, people become just that. Numbers. Mere statistics. But just take a second to actually digest that information.

These people; innocent civilians, women and children, are NOT mere numbers.

They are precious lives being wiped out. 

One by one.

To put this into some sort of perspective, it's like the entire population of the Vatican City being wiped out in a number of days.

Now every single person, including you and me; has a story. From the 1049 Palestinian lives lost, some were just starting out and didn't even get to finish the first chapter. For others, including the family mentioned earlier, their story was prematurely and cruelly ended for them.

It occurred to me today as I sat lost for words. Not knowing how to respond to hearing something first hand and personal. Something that felt so different to the detached and disinterested reporter reading out numbers on the news. And that realisation was this; as a nation, we have become desensitised. 

We feel nothing when we see images of dead children, let alone when we hear mere statistics.

The sanctity of life no longer seems to exist. Particularly when these lives (and deaths) appear to be so far away.

At this point, land, religion, ethnicity and all other divisions are irrelevant. Basic human compassion, morality, and ethics is what we need to strive for. 

So as a reminder to myself first and foremost, sign every petition that you can get your hands on, donate more frequently than ever, and lastly, say as many heartfelt, sincere prayers as humanely possible.

And for once, let's unite for the sake of humanity, and pray for peace.

"Men have become the tools of their tools." - Henry David Thoreau

As I type up this blog post on my laptop that I probably couldn't live without, my iPhone bleeps with a text message. I immediately peer over at my phone to see who it is. 

Text messaging, iMessage, Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Pintrest, Snapchat, Youtube, Netflix.

The vast majority of us will use at least one or more of the above on a day to day basis. Instinctively unlocking our phones and opening one of these apps from the minute our eyes open in the morning, through to the end of our day, when we struggle to stay awake to scroll through the endless pictures, tweets, or videos.

Now don't get me wrong, I love technology and everything it allows us to do. But like everything, there are certain limits. And sometimes, just sometimes, I do think we have surpassed these limits by a long mile.

I wonder how many of us have let the food in front of us go cold, while we take endless photos of our meal, trying to get the perfect one? How many of us have ended up getting late to meet a friend because we wanted to take the perfect selfie before we left the house? Now I know I'm exaggerating and using light hearted examples, but on a more serious note, how many kids do you reckon, have wasted entire summers sat in front of a computer, not going outside, or physically interacting or communicating with anyone.

I'm not attempting to be preachy because I'm the first one to admit that I spend way too much time on my laptop/computer/phone or whatever else it may be. 

But all I'm trying to say is, how many things have you got on your to do list, wish list, or bucket list? Whether it's something big like a skydive, or travelling the world, or something smaller, like wanting to read or write more often. And how many times have you told yourself that you just don't have the time?

Now compare this with the amount of time you spend looking at Kim Kardashian's most recent selfie, or people's holiday snaps on Instagram wishing that was you? Do you still not have the time to do all those things you've been wanting to do forever?

I think living in the society that we do, we have to learn to love and embrace technology. We have no choice since it is all around us. But we have to learn how to prioritise, and objectively look at whether the 'technology vs. everything else' balance in our lives is healthy.

So take the plunge. Switch off that phone, close your laptop, and do something.

P.S. When you do switch your phones and computers back on (the irony!), take a look at the video below and this blog post that explain what I'm trying to say in a much more succinct and coherent way!

:) x