Realm of the Soul: January 2016

Saturday, January 30, 2016

Sunburst

20th Jan 2016
Wednesday

... the sun was bursting out from behind the cityscape heralding the conquering of the big blue by the glowing mass of white heat. The moon making a lone stand against the solar glory, refusing to go silently into the night.

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Want

Somethings never change. The constant state of desire in the human condition... for wanting more.. wanting better... wanting things it can not have...

Its a constant. That's the main impetus behind the economic cycle. The fact that no matter where one stands, one still looks ahead.. far far ahead.

The same train of thought applies to nearly all other aspects of the human life. Which really begs the question... why isn't it ever enough???!!!

Why do people want a new model of a car every year with their salivary glands going into over drive over the curve of the bumper or the shade of the leather seating? Why do we always want to try out something new... someone new... what's the driving force behind the constant need for renewal embedded within the human psyche.. ?

Isn't life difficult enough? We search and scrounge around for light years to find balance in the force. We stumble and fall and learn and grow. We instill in ourselves certain ideals and values that we strive to live life by... yet at some stage or another... we question everything!

We can even debate whether white is truly white, and what is black exactly. We can convince ourselves that a little flex here and a little bend there is not noticeable in the greater scheme of things and really if it doesn't hurt anyone, does it really count?! We can talk ourselves into endeavors of mortal danger or of mortal stupidity. But the crux of it is, the human mind is capable of anything!

It can be convinced about becoming unconvinced on ideals it had held for centuries within seconds of being shown a strong enough argument. It can be convinced to try heretofore forbidden things under the guise of "it doesn't really count if its just once". It can go bungee jumping! And that I can certify to! Been there, done that! (dusting imaginary dust off of my shoulder with a self admiring smirk on my face:) )

But.. ooof.. seriously!? Where does it end? And why doesn't it end?

Is there any point in time where we feel fully content and not frustrated with the world at large? Is there a future where we just simply lie back and not want more than what we have... where the attractions and temptations of the here and now stop appealing to our souls? Is nirvana achievable without *ahem*, *ahem* and rock'n'roll? :)

Cross roads.... only time will tell.

Princess of the GemWorld

Sunday, January 17, 2016

The Nuance of Love

Tumbler is an amazing place to dig deep into the layers of a thought. If you ever thought you were alone in thinking up a gem of philosophy in the way only you can think it up.... Think again!
Someone has not only thought it.. they've also posted it on tumblr and gotten a million likes and shares to top it off.

So.. and i use the word "so" with a bit of temerity as i just learnt from the Gulf News Friday magazine that a certain dictionary has banned said word for being overused. Anyway, so... owing to the passage of time whereby we all repeal our ingrained thoughts on life to account for experience, life in general and well sheer lack of conviction... i went around searching random life defining concepts and realized that there is definitely merit in letting your mind float away on tumblr induced inertia for a while... you come out clearer having gone through multitudinal points of view and end up refreshing your own as well...

I searched up love. Probably the most searched four letter word in internet history. I thought there would be poetry and quotes.... and there were... but there was more. There were people's thoughts... their feeling.. their ephemeral concepts of what love is.. what it means and how it differs from other emotions we sometimes confuse it with.

So... .. the master of expression Pablo Neruda had his own beautiful, soul shattering take on love :)

F Scott Fitzgerald must have been the champion of giving compliments going by the below :) :)

By the time you reach the below, the question has already been asked. But what is the true essence of Love and how do you know you love someone versus the more earthly emotion that humans are programmed genetically by nature to feel.

The crux of it is.. Love is selfless... self fulfilling... where the happiness is derived from another's joy.. and lust is the opposite... inward, selfish... only thinking of one's fulfillment...

One is a celestial emotion, imbued into the human heart through an act of God.. and the other is Nature striving to propagate itself... the survival instinct built into the human genome.

Its fairly obvious which one should take precedence for a human life to be lived in a fulfilling manner.

The quotes below both spoke to me... the first brought a smile to my life and the second just clarified something i felt i already believed.

This!

And This! Somehow, i know this is me and countless other people. But to be fair once you push me to the limit, i TOTALLY let go and never look back. its been a hard lesson learnt. and never shall be forgotten.

Princess of the GemWorld

Friday, January 15, 2016

Skyscape

Vast... Endless... Epic

Dawn

I take a pic a day now of the sunrise behind the burj.

Every day its a new painting by the big guy upstairs. And its beautiful no matter how u look at it.

Rainy days, cloudy days, sunny days... he's just got that special touch 😊 course it must help that his paintbrush is literally the finger of God 😊 can't beat God's own inherent talent for swirling the celestial paints into a masterpiece.

I share them daily with two of my own... its like a good morning message. 😊 its nice to feel appreciated even if i dont have anything to do with the actual creation of the masterpiece. But i stand witness to it on a daily basis. What's a thing of beauty if no one acknowledges it as such. See?! I have a purpose. I am a witness to the Almighty's artistic streak. 😊

This was today. I got up at the crack of dawn, put on my hoodie and beanie and stalked out of the house for a morning walk. The minute i walked out though, all i could think of was.... istecanat shay (chai) karak with ginger.. my throat was hurting slightly.. so i literally got around to the back street, got this shot of the dawn lit burj and then my feet simply crossed the road of their own accord and got me to my personal dhabba. 😊 it had been a while.

I bought my tea from the nice chap. Should get his name next time. Tipped. Went to the Big smoke bench (my usual morning tea haunt) and sipped away in sugar induced glee. The morning walk was long forgotten. Finished another blog and then decided that from today even if i dont write anything, i'll post the daily masterpiece. It deserves to be saved on the internet for posterity 😊 off to home now. Breakfast time.

A Bahai prayer i remember from our 1997 chicago trip:
Dear Lord, refresh and rejuvenate my spirit, purify my heart, illumine my powers. I lay all my affairs in thy hand. Thou art my guide and my refuge. I shall no longer be sorrowful and grieved. I shall be a happy and joyful being. I shall no longer dwell on the unpleasant things in life, nor shall i let troubles harrass me. Dear Lord, thou art more friend to me than I am to myself. I dedicate myself to thee...

Princess of the GemWorld