Sadness is a feeling
But it is not the end
Grief is a feeling
But it is not the end
Memories are in the past
And there they shall remain
But sometimes
They come to visit the present
But only for a moment
Because this isn’t the end
This is the beginning
And not the end
Be better today than you were yesterday
If you can’t be better than you were yesterday, then that’s ok
Because tomorrow you get a new chance to be better than you were today
“You take great pictures”
“You should do this professionally!”
“Why don’t you sell your pictures?”
These compliments scare me. The idea that my pictures are worth anything is still a very alien concept to me. And it’s not even just for photography. It’s with anything that I feel I am good at or have been told I am. As soon as that validation comes, I cower away. I take on the anxiety that comes from pressure.
I know that everyone who has ever said this to me, are saying it because they truly believe in me and thier hopes are genuine. But it still scares me. It scares me to put my skills forward and either get judged or have the fear of failure hold true.
However, whenever I have found myself able and ambitious, I have never failed. Even if I didn’t get the expected results I still learnt valuable lessons that helped me fight my fear of ambition the next time it comes knocking.
So yes we may fear our own success, but the one thing that fear hates the most, is ambition.
This is not a religious post. Although the timing of it during the holy month of Ramadan is purely coincidental.
However when we do talk about Ramadan, one thought that comes to mind is how it is being practiced during these unprecedented times. Especially the way it has affected all of us. The pandemic has not discriminated against status, race, nationality or religion. For those to the left, they are already lambasting at the consequences of such a scenario and it’s possibilities.
I digress. The matter of this post is to talk about faith and fate. When I speak of faith, I do not mean religion in any specifity but just the general idea of having a belief in something – a higher purpose. Some of our faith is unwavering and we tend not to deviate. It can come from religion, spirituality and even ones education. When we demonstrate faith, we are demonstrating a belief in an intangible direction. And in this way, faith is a great and powerful tool which in these uncertain times has brought about much needed positivity.
However we then look at fate. The question of fate being inevitable is becoming harder to refute. Why? Because of the increasing use of faith to help change our own fate or the fate of others. For most this comes in the form of prayer and the belief that the faith in prayer will allow their fate to be one they want. Interestingly enough, whatever fate has assigned to us, those with faith will always see a way to work it into their own favour. Even if it is the complete opposite or the most negative result, they will see it as way of faith working.
In our current environment of Covid-19, faith is playing a much more significant role. With no end in sight and numbers of those infected increasing everyday, all we can do is have faith. A demonstration of faith can be receiving a piece of positive news about how in some ways life is getting back to normal. Or how there are those who are trying to make the most out of these extraordinary times.
But what does faith mean when we are thinking about our current state of events? Does faith become stronger as the news of the spread become dire? Does our inevitable fate stand a chance? The second part is hard to say as we can’t predict the future but the first part I think can be true as we pray and hope harder for better things to come. I know there are some of us who will even argue that our faith will determine our fate. Maybe. I mean who are we to question what is meant for us tomorrow? And in a way, that is kind of fabulous. The unpredictability of fate but the hope of faith combined can sometimes give us a very positive outlook on something that can seem quite negative.
So have faith in knowing that fate is what we make of it.
It’s strange, but I can’t remember a time in my life when we have all been in the same boat. Facing the same challenges and uncertainties. Knowing that we are in the brace of the unknown in a more spectacular fashion then has ever been imagined.
It’s not a particularly positive thought but the reality is that if you realise just how equal we currently stand, isn’t that a potentially marvellous thing? That this journey has an ending that will have an impact on every single one of us? And such a shared journey also means a shared strength. The idea that right now empathy is so much stronger than sympathy.
When we reach out, or someone reaches out to us, we need and we should as much as we can, dispense more empathy than sympathy. Why? Because empathy demonstrates that we are not alone. We are here, we are together and we can be stronger then we thought possible.
Yes some (or perhaps most) days are hard. Getting out of bed is hard. Doing things for yourself is hard. However, finding validation in knowing that you are not alone, can be the source of an unsurprising strength.
So when we are told and reached out to, the time is no longer about feeling sympathy for someone but it is acknowledging not only to yourself but to them as well, that we are not alone. And when all this ends, I hope that we continue being the strength for each other. Because although we may be at home fighting our own demons, being at home means that those demons that are keeping us at home are being kept at bay.