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
Tag: thoughts
Idolization
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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Perhaps I am
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
Who doesn’t?
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
Past, Present, and Future
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
Time doesn’t go back
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
Thanks so much
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
Sorry Moon
How much would you pay to go to the moon?
Oh, the moon, such a miraculous creation!
It looks so beautiful, so romantic. Who wouldn’t like it? Who couldn’t be inspired by its luminous silver light on a dark night? Isn’t our calendar affected by the change of its amazing round shape throughout the month?
But of course, that’s how we see the moon from our Earth. In fact it’s so distant, so dark, so lifeless. Thanks to the sun, it has its beautiful light. Thanks to the spaceships, astronauts give it some life. They travel all the way to bounce on its surface as if they haven’t been bouncing enough on Earth for thousands of years.
But Adam lived on this Earth, and his offspring scattered all around it with different colours and tongues. That’s God’s plan. God didn’t create us to live on the moon, but to watch it from far, far away. To understand how we are so weak and fragile that we can neither live without nor live on one of the simplest natural satellites, the moon.
Sorry, Moon, I won’t pay to go to you, but I’ll always be so, so happy to see you from far far away.
With all the best wishes,
Nahla
Wouldn’t you?
What are you most proud of in your life?
Isn’t it incredible to have the ability to survive when you undergo many unexpected challenges in life?
Isn’t it great to keep going and to let go when others, relative or not, disappointed you?
Isn’t it brave to be the odd one out not because you want to be but because the majority want you to be?
But isn’t it wonderful to have faith, to repent, and to pray in a world that wants so much to eliminate and challenge the very idea of the Almighty God?
Wouldn’t you be proud if you lived through any of those moments and came out safe and sound?
Wouldn’t you be extra proud if you experienced them all and always made a new beginning?
With all the best wishes,
Nahla
Noah’s Ark
Someone was commenting on the current events around the world saying ” Is it really logical that people nowadays are from the offspring of the righteous people who had embarked on Noah’s Ark. But then, what kind of morals did those who had drowned in the flood have?’
That’s funny but it also makes a good point.
But, perhaps, we should think more about Noah than his people or his offspring. How did he cope with mockery, hatred, and betrayal? How didn’t he give up building his Ark? Never. How strong was his faith? And how he made a new start and lived a better, longer life?
Noah was patient, faithful, and resilient. He had never lost hope, never abandoned his faith. In the end, he was saved while most of his people drowned.
Could we just embark on Noah’s Ark and do our best to live a good, healthy life on this earth?
With all the best wishes,
Nahla
Pure and Simple 