Being aware

In this world of form we are constantly buffeted by the attractions of materialism -- things. This is the outside world that we are immersed in during this short sojourn in this world. We have to pass on some day and that is as sure as the sunrise tomorrow. But as we live our life of form from day to day we tend to forget that we have a spiritual entity also embedded within ourselves. Life is always a balance between these two aspects of our being. 

Now about awareness! We all know that to live meaningfully requires that sense of awareness. However the awareness that we are mostly concerned with is that of the world of form - the outside world. We seek to know and be informed about what is happening on the other side of the world, in far off galaxies of the universe, or down in the depths of our oceans, and of the terrestrial effects of global warming that will wreak havoc on this earth if we don't watch out in our avaricious actions, and so on. All this is fine for daily living and for us to project ourselves as informed individuals. They say information is power and that is what we do to gain control of our Dhuniya.  But what we forget often is that the true power of our being comes from an awareness of knowing our inner selves. Of this unfortunately, most of us are unaware. This is the other end of the continuum where we must see ourselves as spiritual beings rather than human beings. We are better spiritual beings when we are better aware of our strengths and weaknesses on the inside - the insecurities we harbor in the depth of our subconscious and their origins, what fears make us retract into ourselves and make us antisocial, what jealousies and anger rise to the surface when our ego cannot have its way. All this relates to understanding ourselves. But this understanding can only happen when we can find the time to reflect in silence because the busy mind that is concerned with the world of form can never grasp the supernatural - that universal mind or super-awareness that we call God. We can only touch that warmth of His love when we seek to spend time in silence, away from the busy traffic of our mind. That is perhaps the wisdom behind prayer - for us Muslims - to reflect five times a day in silence and in proximity - shoulder to shoulder -- with those of our same sensibilities, imbibing the totality of the positive aura generated by all these spirits that are similar to ours within this physical yet spiritual space of the mosque. Those moments make us feel as one - for this is the spirit stirring to be felt by the otherwise insensitive minds that quickly revert to the Dhuniya as soon as we are out and about in our homes and workplaces. 

So can we actively begin to become more aware on the inside? That way we become a more tolerant society? For when we begin to notice and confront the imps and monsters inside of us we will attempt to subdue them and in the process discover that all of humanity is truly one – and the awareness that hurting another person is tantamount to hurting oneself.