We are Ants

A small hardworking ant: so minuscule to the human eye, yet so vital in its natural functions. A player on a large team, but an individual in its survival. Most of the time, we too are ants-so carried away with the busy work, the day to day tasks, the collecting of things, so busy that we often can’t see the big picture. Like ants on a beautifully designed carpet, we scurry on not knowing that we are walking on beauty, simply because we cannot see the full design yet. It’s important we take a second and look around: to remember the destination and to remember that where we are is truly beautiful, in the present moment and in the greater picture…if we just took the time to reflect. So don’t just hear what's around you, listen. Don’t just look, see. Be a hard working ant, but remember you have the capability of looking at the big picture.

Today, I got lost.

Eyes on the Destination.

Today, I got lost. It rarely happens these days for us to get lost while driving, but my GPS has been stolen 2 times and my cracked pantech can barely send texts properly. And so, it was just me and the road. When I was first learning to drive I actually used to get lost often...and although I don't get lost as much now I noticed I still do something similarly every time I get lost. I keep driving. I don't pull over and look around. I don't ask anyone for help. I don't stop and think. I just drive. And I get more and more lost. And now that I think about it, I can't help but parallel this to our journey in the dunya. It's easy to keep going on the same path, to ignore the fact that we're lost and continue driving. It's easy to miss those "exits" that are placed so perfectly to help us get back. It takes effort to make that stop: to realize where you are in the world and turn around if you have to. So today I learned that sometimes you have to take your foot of the gas, remember your destination, and just turn around.

“And He found you lost, and guided you” 

[Quran | 93:7] 

Peace: the destination and the means.

Photo taken at Walk for Children of Syria in Chicago.

So often we hear the word peace. The struggle for peace. So often we see the V sign symbolizing peace–raised proudly next to a smiling face or firmly in the face of oppression. Can peace be felt and grasped or is it a lingering intangible that always lies at the end of our quests? Will peace stand the test of time or will time test the peace that remains? Is peace the expression of love and harmony itself, or is it the outcome, the result, of hope and justice. To me, peace is both. Peace is the struggle and peace is the fruitful yield. Peace is the visible smile and the silent invisible joy of a relaxed heart. Peace is the destination, but peace is also the means. For love and truth to prevail, we must have the goal of peace in mind. And as we travel on this road to peace, we must join hands in the struggle, shake hands in the agreement, and raise the peace sign in that moment when we reach it. That moment of peace.