Are You Smarter than a College Student?

"I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday." 

- Abraham Lincoln -

Many of my recent posts have been heartfelt and a tad bit abstract. I've learned a lot over the last few years, and I enjoy writing about "the big picture" - the meaning of life (in my opinion) and love and other hard-to-grasp topics. It must be all this time I've spent in a social psych lab that examines existentialism...

But really, I like getting all spiritual and philosophical sometimes. I also like metaphors. And poetic phrases. And quotes. (Deep down, I'm sort of a word nerd). Anyway, I think good ol' Abe Lincoln was really onto something when he referenced the continuous development of wisdom. When we think of wisdom and knowledge, we typically envision older individuals who supposedly have this aura around them, gleaming with advice for the young folks in the world. But I don't believe that an eighty-year-old wakes up one day with an epiphany, now possessing years of wisdom to pass on to younger generations. That's why they're called "years of wisdom": They develop over the years, not overnight.

We have the chance to learn something new every day, and this extends well beyond the so-called big picture. I believe that everything happens for a reason, so, of course, this applies to the most seemingly minute occurrences. Great or small, these lessons add to that storage bin of wisdom - you know, the one that continues to grow and expand over a lifetime. I, for one, would like to be a little bit wiser each day. Here are some very serious and very silly nuggets of knowledge.

 001. President Obama isn't perfect, and neither are you. 

As a matter of fact, nobody's perfect, which means that if John McCaine had been elected, the American Public would still manage to find something with which to be angry or disappointed. And now for an important reminder: The U.S. is not a dictatorship. So when a president comes into office amidst wars, an injured economy, and domestic and foreign crises, he cannot simply wave his magic wand and heal the nation of its ills. These Congress folks - some more sane than others - can be quite an obstacle. I'd like to see you run a country.

002. Riding in the first car of the Millennium Force at dusk is a bad idea.

A really bad idea. I love Cedar Point with all my heart, but I do not love having small gnats in my mouth, on my arms, and down my shirt - at high speeds. I'd usually recommend a front row seat for these awesome rides, but if it's after 8pm in the middle of summer, take a rain check.

003. Memorize as many classic Disney songs as you possibly can.
I can appreciate The Lion King so much more now than I could when I was in elementary school. I used to enjoy crawling on all fours and pretending I was a lion while watching the film; now, I laugh, I cry, and I do a whole lot of singing. Disney soundtrack music is just fabulous.

004. There's a downside to American freedom.
The United States has more liberty than any other country on Earth, as well as more diversity, which includes the diversity of opinion. That's a beautiful thing, but not when its tainted by groups who misuse and abuse their freedom of speech. The Westboro Baptist Church frustrates me, but it also saddens me. There's a difference between viewing people in a negative light/disagreeing with someone's religion or lifestyle... and explicitly harassing others.

005. Being emotionally attached to fictional characters is perfectly acceptable.
Don't act like you've never yelled at the TV screen or felt your eyes get all watery. I admit that I have been very distraught by Nicholas Sparks' books and movies and have memorized lines from many an episode of Boy Meets World. But it's pretty innocuous. I mean, we're human. We watch movies, read books, and listen to songs that touch on human emotions. A character may be an artificial creation, yet go through some very real, natural, and relatable experiences.

006. Sometimes, it's best not to seek out a breathtaking experience.

Okay, this doesn't mean you can't take amazing vacations and go on awesome adventures. I repeat: I am NOT telling you to sit on your bum all day. Go places; do things; meet people. All I'm saying is that some of the most rewarding experiences in life often happen without provocation. Be prepared, but don't try so hard. You just might be able to appreciate them more.

007. Agree to disagree.
Open-mindedness is essential for cooperation and harmony. I truly feel that the world would be a more productive place if people spent less time trying to convince others of the validity of their own opinions. An opinion, by nature, is neither right nor wrong. This doesn't mean that you can't believe in your religious convictions and think that they are truth; what it does mean is that you shouldn't excessively impose these beliefs on others. Dialogue and even some debate is perfectly healthy. Listening and being receptive to someone's views doesn't require you to change or toss aside your own, but it'll probably help you to better understand one another and work together.

008. Chemistry can (unfortunately) be applied to everyday life. 

This is conditional, because I still feel that many of the equations and concepts are useless unless you actually plan to become a chemist; however, as I watched my friend put sugar in her iced tea, my mind wandered to solutions and the fact that the sugar would not dissociate due to its quality as a non-electrolyte. And more and more often, I find myself making cheesy chem-related jokes - usually after a weekend of completing practice exams (doing chem with my friend is quite the "bonding experience"... ).

009. Be able to laugh at yourself.
It makes it much harder to feel embarrassed. Sometimes we take things too seriously, and with all the pressure we place on ourselves, failure and disappointment seem to become our constant companions. Maybe we just need to learn to relax and to make fun of ourselves a bit - and then to move on.

010. Love your natural beauty. 
It makes me sad when girls feel like they have to wear a pound of makeup on a regular basis. There's no harm in wearing some from time to time or in getting excited when you have the chance to dress up and be all girly, but 9 out of 10 times, less is more. A hint of blush and some Burt's Bees works for me, but I can easily go weeks without even that (except my Burt's Bees, of course. I'm an addict). It's refreshing when you're able to be confident in your natural beauty - inside and out. Yep... inside, too. So don't ever feel like you need to adopt some alter ego to be respected. Keep it real.

Embrace.  

The Art of Hoping

"Patience is the art of hoping."

- Marquis de Vauvenargues -

And it's an art form that takes a lifetime to perfect. That's what we have: A lifetime to work on our patience, our perseverance, and our constancy. But there's no way to say just how long this opportunity will last, so we live each day with intention and meaning.

Or at least we try. At times, we find ourselves discouraged by the many circumstances beyond our control, wondering why it seems like we're unable to experience a trace of goodness, or why it is that we must endure these bits and pieces of disappointment and despair. Here I am, standing in the corner of the ring with my fists held high, ready to defeat my opponent once and for all. 

But who am I fighting in the first place?

Islam means to surrender your will to God and to acquire peace in your soul. During preparation for my paper on the emergence of Islamic feminism, I came across a thought-provoking concept presented by scholar Amina Wadud. Rather than using the alternative definition of "submission," she prefers to think of Islam as "engaged surrender." This phrase acknowledges the ultimate authority of God, while highlighting an essential aspect of human nature: the ability to choose and respond to God's Will. 

It's when I stop shaking and grinding my teeth, when I finally drop my hands to my side, that I realize the only thing I should be fighting against is my own attitude. I've chosen to be Muslim; I've chosen to surrender to God in my words. Now it's time to practice what I preach.

I will always try to empathize with you - to look through your lens and see how you view the world around you. My inner psychologist wants to gauge how you feel, what you think, and why you want to distance yourself from faith when that may be just what you need the most. I've never lost a parent to cancer or a friend to a car accident. I've never had the desire to starve myself or sell myself for worth. I've never watched my life fall apart before me. I can't possibly know what that experience is like, and I won't pretend to. But we all go through healing processes. We're all a little bit wounded; we all have our battle scars. Yusuf Islam has said that "Islam is not a state of being, but it is a process of becoming." It's something continuous, and it keeps us moving forward on the Straight Path. It isn't free of difficulty. When we find hardship on our doorstep, it can be tempting to express bitterness or resentment toward God and the people and things in our life. But I've come to realize that, when things get tough, sometimes the best prescription is to turn toward faith - not away from it.


We face obstacles, whether massive or trivial, every single day. What matters most is how we cope with these challenges. It's cliché, but true: Without the bad, how could we recognize, comprehend, and appreciate all the good? I've gone through a handful of significant personal changes since coming to college two years ago. They're personal because of the way in which they have affected me, but that doesn't mean I've always been the one in control. See, God's Plan trumps all others. I can act and react, but at the end of the day, as I think and reflect, I have to remind myself that He knows best. God knows if something isn't healthy for us, and He recognizes the difference between that which is good to us and that which is good for us.

"Never think that God's delays are God's denials."

It's amazing how much can be revealed in just eight words. Out of our anxiety and hopelessness, we erect walls of steel around us. This sentence breaks all barriers, its meaning permeating my soul. No matter how much we crave protection from pain, its experience is inevitable. But there will always be relief. God doesn't place a burden on us which we cannot bear. Sometimes, the timing just isn't right. That doesn't mean that a dream is impossible; it simply means that it isn't possible here and now. Only when we understand that painful moments are more of a test than a punishment, can we start to transcend the distress that debilitates us. To surrender is not to give up or give in, but to accept and to trust that everything will be okay.
 

I love thinking of patience as the art of hoping. Like music or painting, it's a skill to master, and the product of that mastery has the power to stop you in your tracks and take your breath away. But it also requires inspiration and motivation.

If patience brings peace, happiness, and fulfillment...

It's well worth the wait.

Embrace.