Tag: thoughts

Just writing

Would You Take The Risk?

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If you had a choice to play the big gamble in your life, to stand still before a fully loaded gun save one of its chambers, listen to the click of its trigger, and wait for the bullet that might be fired and hit you dead, or for the one that would never come out. You might end up lying dead on the ground, or you might go home with a million pounds. What would you do?

That was one of the oddest and simplest questions I never expected to be asked during my converstation exam in my final year at university. To be honest, I was pleased to have this one, and I felt so blessed.

Do you want to know why?

Simply because my answer slipped off my tongue without giving it a second thought.Things wouldn’t have been the same if any of my friends’ questions had been mine. It wasn’t because theirs were harder, but because, sometimes, you just can’t talk genuinely about everything.

‘No, I wouldn’t risk my life.’

‘But, it’s a million pounds. There’s a chance you could get it.’

‘Even if they paid me the money in advance to enjoy and spend my life before making the gamble, I wouldn’t take the risk. My life is priceless, and my God didn’t bless me with a divine soul to gamble with it.’

That was my answer, and that year I got the best mark of my converstation exams over the four years of my university studies.

Money will come anyway, whether a little or in abundance, but you live once, and this once can be millions lives, both imaginary and real. Would you risk all that for just a million pound that might worth nothing in the next hour?

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

P.S. I think nowadays the million pounds prize should be, at least, a trillion.

daily prompt

Artificiality

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If you could un-invent something, what would it be?


Man-made inventions are part of artificiality, right?

Look around you now, wherever you are, how many things can you spot that are man-made, unnatural, or artificial?

As I am sitting at home now, I can tell you that most of my surroundings are artificial, except for me, my family, my birds, the dates I’m nibbling on, and the front garden I keep glancing at out of the window on my left side.

Do we need artificial things? Of course we do, but I believe extra artificaility become too much – too much to buy, too much to wear, too much to eat, too much to show off, even too much to go, etc.

Imagine making a simple homemade cake. All you need is flour, butter, eggs, sugar, and baking powder. You can add some natural flavours and fruits. Done. But why, that’s not enough. Artificiality implies more ingredients: icing sugar, marshmallows, chocolates, strange colours, and exotic flavours. Now, isn’t that too much. That’s just a simple example of how extra artificiality can turn from what we need to what we greed.

That’s not all with artificiality. I mean it’s become more than things and settings. It extends to human feelings, communications, and behaviours. You make a cake to eat, maybe to celebrate something, or perhaps you just crave it. Happily, you devour it at once or in two days. Your family might have some too. You might feel a bit disappointed if an unexpected visitor decided to pay you a visit on that special day and have the last piece of your almost finished cake. Those are simple, natural feelings.

With extra artificiality, you dress like a celebrity, take ten photo shots, add animation, emojs, music, tags, and finally share your special cake creation with the entire world. Then, you bin it because you are on diet. All the fun is artificial, short-lived, and forgotten in a split second

If there is anything I wish to un-invent, it would be this extra artificiality.

Perhaps this post will be your and my first step!

With all the best wishes,

Nahla.

P.S. Artificiality is the first thought that crossed my mind when I read today’s prompt, and though I didn’t write it all straightaway, I wrote down the title before it disappeared. It’s a recommended writing skill, I really appreciate.

Books

A reader’s conflict

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Last week after finishing an interesting book, I decided I wouldn’t write a review about it. But since then, I kept thinking I had to write down my thoughts about it, otherwise my mind wouldn’t rest, wouldn’t stop replaying it in my head.

Can you guess why I had this conflict?

Actualy, this conflict was what inspired me to write my  “Villians” post, a few days ago. In that post, I was reflecting on my own conflict on how to feel about the book. I enjoyed it, but mainly because it was full of suspense and adventure, but I couldn’t sympathise with the characters. Perhaps that’s what the author wanted from the reader, to not sympathise with the characters.That’s what exactly I meant when I wondered whether you, as a reader, would enjoy the adventure for its own sake, or the story that touches your heart with a moral message.

If you want to know a bit more about the book, have a look at my review. Here’s the link:

/https://nh825.wordpress.com/2025/01/17/the-frenchmans-creek/

With hope and peace,

Nahla

Just writing

Villians

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Have you ever, even somtimes, sympathised with those villians who are dramatised in movies and fiction, as kind hearted people with noble deeds? Something like, they rob banks but they also give plenty to the poor. Worse still, especially when it’s a love story with handsome characters, you go ahead and analyse their cases from a psychological point of view, mainly to make them victims not criminals.

Your analysis would suggest that, perhaps, it was the hard circumstances, the upbringing, ignorance, injustice, and sometimes even boredom, that forced them to follow the devil. Of course, that suggestion doesn’t entirely destroy the goodness inside villians.

And, in conclusion, you would also suggest that villians need a chance, an open door, or a relocation to shed their devilish skin. Then, with a new brand of skin, they would be able to listen to their nagging conscience and pump some light into their dark heart. Things might work this way, but it might not becuase there might be other scenarios.

What if they don’t have a nagging conscience? What if they block the light instead of letting it penetrate their dark hearts? What if repentance wasn’t in their dictionary and power and egotism are their main, sole creed?  What if the devil himself was just an apprentense in their handicraft? And finally, what if they want to always play the villian, the highly qualified egonist?

Would you still sympathise with them, and cry at the end of the story because they were hanged, prisoned, and didn’t have a second chance?

Why don’t you, while reading the story, consider that God surely hasn’t assigned villians to rob the rich to feed the poor?

Have you ever thought that, with all excuses, all masks, and all pretences, vilians can’t erase their malicious achievements from their resume without adding a pure, repentent heart to it? Of course that does not mean that a villian would straightaway turn into an angel, but they, probably, would turn straightaway into a human with a living heart.

Would you, as a reader, prefer a story that makes you weep for joy after the lost soul finally starts seeking light? Or would you just enjoy a story for its adventure regardless of the route it takes, just the journey for its own sake?


With all the best wishes,

Nahla

Books, Just writing

Idolization

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Just look at how people follow a special player, or jump on stage to hug that famous singer, or run after a remarkable actor to take a selfie. And look at those who bow, kneel, and even kiss the ground that this leader or that walks on. This idolization has been the same throughout the ages, it’s obviously disgusting these days because of the social media madness.

Have you ever thought how those idols throughout the ages take but, never give? They don’t know you, won’t care about you. Whether in the form af a celebrity, a leader, or a political party, they want you, as a number, as a voice. They stand high and long, here and there, just like statues. Their strength and durability depend on the expertise of their craftsmenship. But, they never live becuase statues are soulless, vague, and empty. And, one day, they would be dumped, forgotten, and replaced by other statues.

I remember one day while watching a documentary about a famous Egyptian singer from the seventies, there were women throwing themselves out of the top windows of high buildings. Were they really happy following him into the grave? I wondered, thinking how those people will one day answer to God for commiting suicide. This is completely blind idolization, which I believe is so destructive, so humiliated, so pathetic.

On another occasion, when I first came to live in the UK, I met different people. My first friend and neighbour was following the Shia Mathhab. By the way, we didn’t introduce ourselves as Shia and Sunni. These differences just seemed to be obvious. Well, as my friend and I used to visit each other quite a lot, I noticed that there are certain things that she was celebrating and practising which I wasn’t. I asked her about that and she simply replied, ‘I swear I don’t  care about this Imama or that, I just do what my mother does.’ We burst out laughing. How simple and funny our life would be, if we don’t idolize our differences!

Children, of course, might idolize their parents, or students idolise their noble mentors but that’s out of pure love and ultimate reverence, because they deserve it. These people in our lives are the ones who really care and love us.They can not be replaced, can not purchased.

By the way I have just finished The Stationary Shop Of Tehran. It’s a good book, I enjoyed it, enjoyed more reading about Persian Culture and traditions which are a bit different from my Arabic ones. Herewith is my book review, hope you will like it.

The Stationary Shop of Tehran

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

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daily prompt

Perhaps I am

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What’s the first impression you want to give people?

The first impression is how we perceive others, isn’t it?. But that’s a bit confusing, as things differ not only from one another but also through communication and interaction.

At first sight, with just one quick look, we might like or dislike others. After informal or formal encouter, we might estimate others’ status, postion, level of education, etc. But all of that might turn out to be wrong. First impression might be deceiving. We can’t judge a book mainly by its cover, right? But, first impressions might turn out to be genuine. The book with a beautiful cover might turn out to be a priceless gem.

Therefore, I think it is not the first impression that really matters. It’s what you want to be that matters, not what you want other people to perceive in you. In other words, if you ask me what do you want to be? ‘Kind’, I would say. Perhaps I am, perhaps I am not, but that I want to be whether others can perceive or not.

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

Just writing

Who doesn’t?

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Do you need time?

Time is what we are. More precisely, it is  what our life is.

When we are young, we don’t care about it, don’t think about it. Precious or not, we enjoy it. It streches long and green before us. But the older we become, the more we think about it and live every second of it. We no longer measure it as we live its all colours.

Can anyone say I don’t need time? Can anyone live without time? I doubt it.

Working, studying, writing, reading, making a family, raising children, cooking, cleaning, exercising, etc, all need time. Even our emotions need time.

Love needs time. Yes, one can fall in love at the first sight, in a split second. But,  it’s time that proves whether this love is an infatuation, a passing fancy, or genuine. Hate also needs time though one can hate at the first sight. Our attempts to get rid of this feeling or that need time. It’s time that can explain why and how we have the feeling and whether we will ever overcome it.

Of course, I need time.

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

daily prompt

Past, Present, and Future

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What will your life be like in three years?

Everyone has plans for today, tomorrow, next month or year. Are we going to achieve them or not, I believe only God knows. But, of course we can’t give up making plans and having dreams.

I heard some people say that when you keep talking about your plans and dreams, you’ll achieve them. It does happen. Sometimes. An old friend had made her mind to become a doctor and marry a doctor. She managed to achieve both though with a lot of problems and what I can describe as “extra support.” Sometimes the plans and dreams that consumed us, are not always the best. Your life might turn out just as you dreamed and planned but this doesn’t imply that it would turn out to be happy and peaceful.

That’s why I thought it would be better to think about last year/s plans instead. That’s what we already achieved. Then we can ask ourselves this question: Are we living the life we have been planing and dreaming to live today?  We might say yes, no, or somehow. But then we know what we did, why we did it, and whether we’ll keep on  with the same life or not?

At least we learn from the past, try to make changes in the present, and let the future surprise us.

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

daily prompt

Time doesn’t go back

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Is there an age or year of your life you would re-live?

No, it does but only, in our imagination.

Just close your eyes and go back in time. There are your big family gatherings, school trips, and your last year at high school with all its hardwork and true friendship. And here’s your wedding day, your first baby in your arms, your second playing around, and your third holding your hand. And could one ever forget that first day in a foreign land, the first friend abroad, and the new life. Can you ask time to stop at one of these moments, days, or years? I might have made that wish years ago, but not anymore.

There are pleasant moments, days, and years in one’s life, and there are also horrible ones. That’s life. It goes up and down. It’s hard to pick one day, or age or year without living the whole experience of it. That’s how we grow and how we change. Haven’t all these years and days and moments made us who we are today? Haven’t they given us all these wonderful memories to relish and re-live in in our imagination?

Does this make any sense? I hope it does.

With all the best wishes,

Nahla

daily prompt

Thanks so much

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You have three magic genie wishes, what are you asking for?

But I neither need your magic nor wishes.

I will lock the small door of the rusty lantern and hand it to one of the new robots. I’ll give my orders to take that lantern with its occupant on one of the spaceships and deliver it straight to hell.

We’ve had enough of the genies in the world turning it upside down.  Your wishes will be granted. The servant kept its word. Honest is that genie. Truly honest. That’s what old stories tell. Oh, poor children, poor us, to believe and imagine life will be rosy if only we have that lantern once!

But haven’t we ever thought why that genie was imprisoned in the lantern in the first place? No, we just need our wishes to come true.

Aren’t we capable of making our wishes come true? Yes, but why not take the shortcut.

What if one wishes for revenge, for destruction, for their own powerful survival? Of course, that’s also included in the genie’s package. Haven’t we let the genie out? That was his job, his one main job. Why else was he caught and sentenced to eternal prison in the lantern?

What about others who are wishing for peace, love, friendship, and happy life? Oh, sure the genei wouldn’t mind help with that somehow, but don’t blame him when others’ wishes blast those noble dreams into ashes.

Thank you very much, but I’ve grown out of the genie’s lies.

With all the best wishes,

Nahla