Monday Musings for the Mind

Do you know what it means to be meticulous? Taking into consideration every itsy bitsy detail, every time you do something worthwhile, regardless of what people think? It’s an underappreciated trait these days. Why? Because some people just find it annoying. Do you? Is it because of your refusal to adhere to other people’s high standards when it comes to quality?

About a month ago, there was a new mak cik cleaner who started coming around every morning to tidy up the office. As I was sitting at my desk checking my e-mails, I heard a soft voice : “Dik, tepi sikit nak lap meja.” I was caught by surprise. God bless this mak cik, I thought to myself. Never before have I encountered a cleaner who actually made the effort to tell me to go away, so she could do her job properly. I made the mistake of sitting back down right after she finished wiping, because she proceeded to shoo me away (again!) with the vacuum cleaner 5 minutes later.

That same week as I was exiting the toilet, I saw her standing outside near the door. She asked me "Ada orang dekat dalam ke dik?"  When I answered to the affirmative, she just stood there patiently while waiting for the person to come out, before she could proceed with her cleaning.

 I marveled at the dedication of this mak cik. Her line of work probably isn’t as ‘glamorous’ as ours and she earns much less, but her commitment can put most of us to shame.

What about us? Yes we greet our customers when they approach us. But do we smile and make them feel welcome? Or answer everything with a single word so we can sit back down and relax? Yes we answer enquiries on the phone. But is there a genuine tone of wanting to assist the caller? Or do we just put on our ‘I’m too busy for this crap’ voice so we can get back to Facebook?

If we had more people like this particular mak cik, the world would be a better place and any organisation would be flourishing with employees like her in it. So start being meticulous. It'll become second nature once you get the hang of it.

Meticulous planning will enable everything a man does to appear spontaneous.

Mark Caine

Monday Musings For The Mind

The tyrants of Israel are growing increasingly arrogant as their systematic extermination of the Palestinian people continue, with blatant disregard for international law. With their determination to fight fire with fire and as innocent blood is being shed, we have seen some rather emotional reactions by our people.

I recently stumbled upon a Facebook page which condemns these attacks in a quite 'creative' manner, but the comments that followed by the majority of Malay Muslims is shocking to say the least. The rather obscene mixture of Arabic prayers mixed with curse words (which any father would be horrified to hear their children utter) were thrown about with such aggression, that at times it appeared to be a competition of who could sound 'harsher.'

We should all be upset about the acts of these barbaric Zionists, but when we let emotions take over it really brings no benefit to anyone. In our determination to vent our frustrations sometimes we go overboard, and more often than not we'll regret the horrible things we said. If you could delve into the minds of any non-Muslim who comes across such people spewing with hatred, I'm sure it only served to instill doubt towards the image of Islam as a beautiful religion of peace.

So let's not waste our time to join the bandwagon. Don't strain your fingers typing useless insults which do more harm than good. Let's put our hands together and pray for our brothers and sisters in Palestine. May Allah grant them victory against their oppressors. May Allah have Mercy on their people and give them the strength to persevere and rebuild their lives. May Allah unite all Palestinians and help them achieve everlasting peace.

"When Israelis in the occupied territories now claim that they have to defend themselves, they are defending themselves in the sense that any military occupier has to defend itself against the population they are crushing... You can't defend yourself when you're militarily occupying someone else's land. That's not defense. Call it what you like, it's not defense."

Noam Chomsky

Monday Musings for the Mind

Everyone utilises some sort of technology in their daily lives, the moment they uncover that blanket and crawl out of bed. We use the alarm to help us wake up. We turn on the water heater to have a nice bath. The toaster helps us with the toast, the car or LRT transports us to our workplace and so forth. That’s all perfectly acceptable and part of a routine which most people go through.

But what shouldn’t be acceptable is how a new ‘breed’ of tech is threatening to dehumanise us. Yes, I’m talking about the influx of mobile technology which seem to be invading our existence, regardless of whether we’re young or old. It’s a common sight nowadays, as observed through these two scenarios:

How many times have we sat down for lunch with our friends and noticed a rather odd phenomenon taking place at the table nearby. There's a group of people either having or waiting for their meals, but they're all silent. Why? Because everyone is busy looking at their smartphones, and totally ignoring the people seated with them. Just as you're about to say something, you realise two of your friends are doing the exact same thing. Wait just a sec, so what's the intention of you having lunch together?

We all have that few select friends on Facebook who insist on sharing every single detail of their lives, so everyone can keep up to date with whatever it is they're doing. There are certain subjects which are used to entice discussion and opinion which is fine, for example the latest dish you sampled, that movie you just watched or a book you read. But posts which narrate the latest argument you had with your spouse, openly criticise a colleague complete with their name, picture, and IC number, as well as pictures which reveal intimate details about your married life should be off-limits. Whatever happened to the sanctity of our private life?

At some point or another we may have been guilty of this. So when you're having lunch with your friends later, minimise the time you spend on your phone. Talk with your buddies in front of you. Have a conversation and get everyone involved. Burdened by a personal problem? Keep it personal. Confide in your trusted family members or friends who you trust and love. Speak to them. They have your best interests in mind and will advise you accordingly. Don't mistake online 'comments' for actual concern, as some people simply have more free time than others, it doesn't necessarily mean they care.

Let' slowly erase this habit of being over-reliant on technology, and be more dependent on the human touch of our families and close friends. Because it's their shoulders you're going to cry on when things go wrong, not your PC or smartphone.

It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity

Albert Einstein

Monday Musings For The Mind

'A sacrifice is something you give up, usually for the sake of a better cause,' reads one of the definitions given by a free online dictionary. During secondary school some of us studied Kemahiran Hidup or 'life skills' so to speak, and one of the topics that came up was 'Kos Lepas.' This is loosely defined as something you lose when another option is chosen.

Put a magnifying glass on our lives for a moment. Let's see what are the things we sacrifice on a daily basis and the impact it potentially has, whether we're aware of it or not.

You used to love exercise. Every day you either go jogging around the park nearby your house, or play a game of badminton with your colleagues in the evening. Lately there's been a new series airing on cable TV which you're in love with. You now finish your work as quickly and efficiently as possible, so you can rush home to the television. Be careful, you're potentially sacrificing your health for entertainment.

Once upon a time you only clocked out late from the office, when there was an urgent task to attend to. Usually when you got home, there was always time to embrace your wife and kids before having a simple dinner together. Nowadays you're determined to keep working for as long and late as possible, because you're obsessed with clinching that promotion. You won't stop until you get it. Beware, you might be sacrificing your family's happiness for a higher work position.

During your college / university days, being 'economical' with your spending was the norm. Saving was a widespread habit and your expenses were meticulously planned, to ensure you could concentrate on studies without the threat of starvation. But since entering the workforce, you've somehow awakened the 'shopping spirit' within you. Your wallet / handbag itches whenever you lay your eyes upon that latest gadget, clothing accessory or automobile. Watch yourself. You may be sacrificing long term financial stability, for temporary material gain.

As the call for Subuh prayer was gently spreading through your neighbourhood, normally your eyelids responded automatically by uncovering your eyes and within one minute you were off to the bathroom to take your wudhu'. These days (and especially during the weekends) the bed has become your best friend and you're starting to grow accustomed to this new routine of non-stop snooze. Warning. You're essentially sacrificing your relationship with God, all for the sake of uninterrupted sleep.

So what have you been sacrificing all this while? Have the choices you made been worth it? Do all of them culminate in you achieving what you want in this life and the next? If the answer is yes, then good for you. However if your answer is to the contrary then it's time to reconsider your priorities. It's never too late to change as long as we're still breathing. But don't wait too long as we never know when the better alternatives have been completely sacrificed, beyond recourse.

      

Great achievement is usually born of great sacrifice, and is never the result of selfishness.

Napoleon Hill