My January 1st

Last night, I attended one of the most thoughtful talks. "Islam : A Holistic Way of Life". Given by Ust Hasrizal. Instead of just seeing his pictures and reading his writings virtually on the web and also in books and magazines, I got the chance to see and hear him in real life. I could say that he's very down to earth.

I like the way he gave full attention when one of our officers gave his opening speech. You see, not many honoured guest do that to another honoured guest. It's just pleasing to see. You might say it's just a simple thing. But due to the lack of it nowadays, I appreciate it more than just a simple thing.

Ok. I think I'm not going to detail out every single thing that he said during the probably more-than-2-hours talk. But I'll try to share as much as possible.

What I can say is that he was definitely full of naturally self-made quotes! That's the best part. There was so much to quote from him. 

Another good part was the way he was being sarcastic of certain things. Well, he was being sarcastic for a reason. And I like this kind of people. The interesting thing about life is that some people will finally understand a certain idea after he or she is struck by a sarcastic statement. At first, it must have hurt your feelings, but if you put aside the negative thoughts, you will certainly find something good behind it. And this will certainly work if you are ready to put aside your ego.

1 ) He quoted something from John C. Maxwell's book entitled Thinking for A Change. "The way you think or perceive something will determine whether you are going to be successful or not". And one of the best way of thinking is the Big Picture Thinking. 

From what I understand from this is that we should think of something as a whole. Not as bits and pieces. Because thinking in bits and pieces will only lead you halfway through the journey. Therefore, know your destination, and know the big picture of your life. And this also includes the importance of having goals. Do not think that your life only involves a certain portion. There's a lot more to that actually. 

2) Muslims need to undergo a paradigm shift on the way they perceive their own religion which is Islam. Because to some Muslims, they perceive Islam as only a religion full of rules and obstacles meant to burden them. 

3) The understanding of something must be upgraded as you grow older because difficulties, exposures that you will face in the future will be different. And this includes our understanding on our own religion.

4) Another statement that Ust Hasrizal quoted from John C. Maxwell was another way of thinking is the "Reflective Thinking". Reflect when you observe something. Don't just observe them solely with your logical thinking, but, observe them with your heart. 

5) Regarding the issue on Muslims who perceive their own religion as only full of rules that burden them, he explained that a normal person will not argue with rules. He gave an analogy of a traffic light. A traffic light was made to differentiate between a civilized and an uncivilized person. It's weird if someone argues with the traffic light by saying that he can do anything he wants even though the traffic light turns red! Even though he is crazy to argue with that thing, but the truth is, he can do anything he wants. It's his choice by the way. But do remember, while he can do all he wants, we all know how the end looks like right? So, in conclusion, rules are made not to burden you but they actually GUIDE you. This analogy part was actually full of interesting (and sometimes funny) explanations. But Ustaz said, it was all meant to make us understand. It is useful to could give out an analogy using real-life examples, people can relate to them better. 

Later, this explanation comes with words that are definitely true, I quoted from him, "When you were born, you NEED other people to help you. When you die, you also NEED other people to help in burying you. So, why when during your lifetime, you arrogantly says, "I don't need anyone!"."

So, being selfish is not really a smart thing to do when someone gave you advice... or when Islam is here to provide rules meant to guide you in living life.  

 To be continued insyaAllah.