They betrayed her fantasies

           It’s said that memory is like a safe in which you can save your valuable things, and it’s true. And like all people, I also have one of my own, a bittersweet one. My family and acquaintances know well that the saddest moment in my life is the passing of my wife. She embodied everything to me. She was my refuge and the spark of every smile drawn on my face. She would put others before herself, an act of indescribable altruism. She always provided her environment with pure love and affection. The memories we created together are engraved on my heart forever.

Having said that, there is something that I want to reveal, something that substantially affected me and even led me to reinterpret a lot of events I have witnessed so far.

 On the morning of the sixth of June, 2010, and in conformity with a habit I have been in since the death of my wife, I decided to saunter along the coast. The weather was fine and the sun was brilliantly shining. The sea was charmingly adopting friendly terms, and the view of variegated flowers was utterly inspiring, letting everyone’s eyes glitter with enthusiasm. It was the perfect incentive to evoke the most enjoyable memories I shared with this place. I also scheduled a visit to the park where I first met Sara, my wife. On my arrival at the park, I was lucky to find out that the very same bench where we hold our first conversation was vacant and handsomely in good trim.

‘Do you like autobiographies?’ were the first words I had ever heard from a lovely girl. She was carrying a book in her left hand and broadly smiling. The expressions on her face exuded vivacity and charm. Her voice was light and hearty, and her eyes were brown and lustrous.

‘Yes, I do,’ I said

‘You must have a special taste. I am reading this novel. I am really interested in fiction,’ she said.

‘It is kind of reality versus imagination,’ I said

‘Reality is a legitimate child of imagination- inventions, the remedies used to cure an illness, the voyages we set out on were all imaginary ideas, and even these books we are reading,’ she said.

‘You must have developed an imaginative mind-set through these artistic choices,’ I told her.

‘And you must be an expert on the ins and outs of the non-fiction world,’ she beamed.

Yes, everything was part of immigration, except one thing, seeing your face and hearing your voice. This moment was a celestial gift that gladdened my heart. We were fated to gather and embark on one exhilarating journey.

While I was attempting to catch my breath, I heard a voice coming from an adjacent place. It was soft, but a sad one. I turned left to see a thin girl in her twenties, who was covering her face with her hands and sobbing. I didn’t know what to do. I tried to weigh what was going on, and then I decided to approach her and see what her problem was.

‘Are you alright, daughter? Is there anything I can do for you?’ I said.

The girl uncovered her face and cast a look in my direction, but she didn’t utter a word. She had a young visage with watery eyes.

‘You must be going through hard times. Your tears and sobs tell everything. I am all ears if you need any help,’ I said.

‘You must have a warm heart, Sir. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart, but I am accustomed to situations like this, and I am all set to handle it on my own. Life has tirelessly been trying to toughen me up,’ said the girl with a soft little voice.

‘Can I sit beside you?’ I asked.

‘It’s a pleasure, Sir,’ she said.

‘This place is special to me and it cherishes the memories of those happy times,’ I said.

‘You must be patronising this place,’ she said.

‘To be honest, this is my first visit in forty years. It’s here where I met the person who added a special flavour to my existence,’ I said.

‘What makes you believe so? I can understand what you feelings, but I am not sure whether you feel the reciprocity or not,’ she said.

‘Reciprocity is an honest art that cannot be manufactured. I think we were born with, and it remains dormant until certain circumstances or souls awaken its giant power,’ I said.

 ‘What if this honesty is always taking a one-way street? You sincerely do your best to make your loved ones keep a shining smile on their faces, you care for them and you even make huge scarifies without expecting to get anything in return, but when you are in need of emotional support, you find no shoulder to cry on,’ as she said these words, a torrent of tears was flowing down her cheeks.

‘Thanks to souls of this ilk we continue to subsist regardless of the hardship we face or sometimes inflicted on us,’ I said.

 ‘I always build up my fantasies about people, I draw the most attractive pictures that could exist on the way we should love and treat each other, but each time I feel that these fantasies are betrayed,’ she said.

‘Good intentions always prevail,’ I said.

‘Even the only man I loved decided to leave me after I had gone through pregnancy loss. I lost the kid who was a gift and my last hope. I wish I could see him back, and enjoy the motherly embrace and touch,’ she said.

‘Loss is not just a mere word, it, indeed, carries weight. I also had my experience, although yours is completely different. It seems like I lost a past and you lost a future. The past holds our memories, and the future is the emblem of the unknown, but the latter is still in the making- that’s why you should never lose hope, and keep your spirit high, however sore what you are experiencing might be,’ I said.

 ‘Are your memories causing any pain?’ she asked.

‘It is a kind of a mixture between what is enjoyable and what is painful,’ I answered.

‘As for me, Sir, I think I have reached the final stage. I need to change the way I see things and treat those around me,’ she said.

“Change is inescapable and is a must. We need to make room for new things to rise; we have to accept the dissolution to undergo a healthy transformation,’ I said.

A quirky silence fell upon the scene.

‘Not very loss is a loss- it actually emerges every so often to either enlighten us on a lesson or offer us a relief. Life is a school that teaches us things that nobody else could. We encounter a lot of people and face many challenges, but we should see everything happening to us as a once-in-a-life opportunity to grow stronger, learn and unlearn, and to be more resilient to the vicissitudes of life. Be always yourself and never ever let your inner beauty decay because of the ugly deeds of others,’ I added.

‘Your words are soothing, Sir. I have been waiting for this talk for ages,’ she said with a faint smile.

‘I’m uplifted to know that my words have secured a place in your heart. But what really matters is to know how to soothe yourself- this is a fundamental skill that you desperately need to acquire,’ I said.

The girl gave me a warm hug and rose to her feet. She kept looking at the sky for a few seconds then said: ‘I really appreciate your words of wisdom, they have cheered me up, and I am really relived to meet someone who could understand me. I will never forget this moment. I hope that we meet someday. Thank you so much.’

She left the park, yet she remained in my mind. I wandered to no topics but hers. I stayed alone thinking about her words which were obviously harbouring deep suffering alongside a sense of wisdom. This made me cling to an eternal belief that the world will be in safe hands by virtue of those who wage morally righteous battles about which we know nothing.

By Ismail KAMAL

Another reason why we should read

Another reason why we should read

                                   

It is no wonder that we all crave for a quality life, in which we see ourselves thriving and reaching our goals. But reaching this stage doesn’t come in a vacuum. In fact, we should take some steps, be equipped with some skills, and have a clear vision of what we want. And among the things we should be careful about is the way we behave, because the results we produce - either the good or the bad ones - are the outcome of our behaviour, and our behaviour is the product of the way we think and perceive things – in other words, our beliefs.

The beliefs we hold are the source of our actions. The way we think, the way we treat people, the way we communicate with others are all under the control of our beliefs. But what we should bear in mind is that a belief can be either empowering or disempowering. An empowering belief will lead us to a more prosperous life that is laden with achievements and long-lasting improvement, whereas a disempowering belief will continuously hold us back from pursuing our goals.

A limiting belief should be removed once for all, because if it is not dealt with hurriedly, it culminates in sabotaging our capacity to shape the life we want, as well as undermining our confidence in our potential for personal growth.

To be able to change a limiting belief we need to ask the following question: where do our beliefs come from?

In truth, there are many factors that influence the way we think and see things. We see the world through the prism of our environment, past events and experiences, and the knowledge we acquire. Once we understand how these factors function, we can realise what beliefs prevent us from making headways towards our ambitions, we must find resourceful alternatives to replace them. However, finding a new alternative isn’t enough at all, because to benefit from a new belief we must fortify it. This process requires what we call “references”.

References are the best teachers to count on to reinforce our thoughts and our new beliefs. The best strategy is to extract references from the experiences of successful people, the way they see life and deal with their daily struggles. Furthermore, when we surround ourselves with impressive references, we plainly start to see life differently, and thus yielding the fruits of change. Reading is the best source of references.

Reading is a reservoir of references:

When we pick a book and start devouring words, sentences, paragraphs and pages, we are consciously or unconsciously feeding our mind with much more sophisticated binoculars to see distant goals more clearly. We start to discover new paths and experiences through the lives of others. When we read up on a successful businessman, a great leader, or a well-known writer, we start to grasp how these people made it through their hard times, how they developed such impressive skills and produced great chefs-d’oeuvre, how they led their nations to victories and prosperity.

Reading is duplicating:

Duplicating is a process through which we can discover and copy what successful people do to produce spectacular results. Reading is the best tool to discover the traits that epitomise successful people and set them apart from others. We can implement their strategies, use their approaches, and adopt their behaviour to reach our own goals. If we use the recipes another person uses to produce a particular result, it is possible to get the same outcome.

The power of interpretation:

I prefer to read the autobiographies of successful people to learn what exactly sets them apart from others. I believe that among the things that make them prominent figures is their ability to interpret events and tragedies in a very special manner. For ordinary people prison is a horrible place that deprives one of freedom. But for Malcom X it was a life-changing experience. It was there where he grew an intellectual and voracious reader. His interpretation of prison was a library. For Soichiro Honda, war and air strikes were a gift. During the second world war, his plant was bombed twice, but instead of blaming and cursing the enemy, he saw the gasoline cans discarded by the Americans as the raw materials he needed for  his manufacturing. Thanks to this interpretation he left his mark on the Japanese and international industry.

It is time to use this potent strategy to see challenges from different angles, and no matter how bad the situation is, start to redefine it in a way that could empower you, lift up your spirits and make you much stronger.

All in all, what we must bear in mind is that we are the creators of our destiny. We can be at the helm of our ship just by a simple shift in the way we think and weigh things. It’s time to experience life and its vicissitudes in a different way. It’s time to resort to reading as a reliable tool and make it work in your favour, and remember well: you are what you read and interpret.

                                                                                                           By Ismail KAMAL 

 

Soichiro Honda 

One of the most important decisions you can make to ensure your long-term happiness is to decide to use whatever life gives you in the moment. The truth of the matter is that there's nothing you can't accomplish if: 1) You clearly decide what it is that you're absolutely committed to achieving, 2) You are willing to take massive action, 3) You notice what's working or not, and 4) You continue to change your approach until you achieve what you want, using whatever life gives you along the way. Anyone who's succeeded on a large scale has taken these four steps and followed the Ultimate Success Formula. One of my favorite "Ultimate Success Stories" is Mr. Soichiro Honda, founder of the corporation that bears his name. Like all companies, no matter how large, Honda Corporation began with a decision and a passionate desire to produce a result.

 

 In 1938, while he was still in school, Mr. Honda took everything he owned and invested it in a little workshop where he began to develop his concept of a piston ring. He wanted to sell his work to Toyota Corporation, so he labored day and night, up to his elbows in grease, sleeping in the machine shop, always believing he could produce the result. He even pawned his wife's jewelry to stay in business. But when he finally completed the piston rings and presented them to Toyota, he was told they didn't meet Toyota's standards. He was sent back to school for two years, where he heard the derisive laughter of his instructors and fellow students as they talked about how absurd his designs were. But rather than focusing on the pain of the experience, he decided to continue to focus on his goal. Finally, after two more years, Toyota gave Mr. Honda the contract he'd dreamed of. His passion and belief paid off because he had known what he wanted, taken action, noticed what was working, and kept changing his approach until he got what he wanted. Then a new problem arose.

 

The Japanese government was gearing up for war, and they refused to give him the concrete that was necessary to build his factory. Did he quit there? No. Did he focus on how unfair this was? Did it mean to him that his dream had died? Absolutely not. Again, he decided to utilize the experience, and developed another strategy. He and his team invented a process for creating their own concrete and then built their factory. During the war, it was bombed twice, destroying major portions of the manufacturing facility. Honda's response? He immediately rallied his team, and they picked up the extra gasoline cans that the U.S. fighters had discarded. He called them "gifts from President Truman" because they provided him with the raw materials he needed for his manufacturing process—materials that were unavailable at the time in Japan. Finally, after surviving all of this, an earthquake leveled his factory. Honda decided to sell his piston operation to Toyota.

Here is a man who clearly made strong decisions to succeed. He had a passion for and belief in what he was doing. He had a great strategy. He took massive action. He kept changing his approach, but still he'd not produced the results that he was committed to. Yet he decided to persevere. After the war, a tremendous gasoline shortage hit Japan, and Mr. Honda couldn't even drive his car to get food for his family. Finally, in desperation, he attached a small motor to his bicycle. The next thing he knew, his neighbors were asking if he could make one of his "motorized bikes" for them. One after another, they jumped on the bandwagon until he ran out of motors. He decided to build a plant that would manufacture motors for his new invention, but unfortunately he didn't have the capital.

 

As before, he made the decision to find a way no matter what! His solution was to appeal to the 18,000 bicycle shop owners in Japan by writing them each a personal letter. He told them how they could play a role in revitalizing Japan through the mobility that his invention could provide, and convinced 5,000 of them to advance the capital he needed. Still, his motorbike sold to only the most hard-core bicycle fans because it was too big and bulky. So he made one final adjustment, and created a much lighter, scaled-down version of his motorbike. He christened it "The Super Cub," and it became an "overnight" success, earning him the Emperor's award. Later, he began to export his motorbikes to the baby boomers of Europe and the United States, following up in the seventies with the cars that have become so popular. Today, the Honda Corporation employs over 100,000 people in both the United States and Japan and is considered one of the biggest car-making empires in Japan, outselling all but Toyota in the United States. It succeeds because one man understood the power of a truly committed decision that is acted upon, no matter what the conditions, on a continuous basis.

Source: Awaken The Giant Within, Anthony Robbins 

You dared call them savages

You dared call them savages

The village was in a remote spot somewhere on the globe. With exaggeration and lack of any scientific evidence, the locals would believe it to be the centre of the universe. It was immensely beautified by its eye-catching landscape, a teeming river, fruitful trees, leafy woods, blossoming flowers, and the very noticeable green spaces that gave it a very special touch. The view of it would let one utterly immersed in full admiration, which would trigger full obliviousness of any adjacent motion. 

The sound of the flying larks and their colourful wings made every moment carnivalesque, bringing assortments of natural bodies all together in an amazing wild gathering. The nocturnal view was of no exception, and once you moved your eyes upwards, in the blink of an eye you got caught by the twinkling starts, a wow factor that would push every soul into experiencing and savouring exceptional moments of euphoria, emancipating it from all kinds of terrestrial links.

The inhabitants were very nice to each other and living in a remarkable harmony that emanated from the simple lifestyle they were leading. Their faces always shined with innocent and honest smiles.  The natural condition kept their bodies in trim, for they were breathing fresh air and eating quality food. Their houses were all alike with no scintilla of special embroidery, which would have been understood as being divided based on social ranks. Everyone had their daily intake, either by the fruit of one’s labour or as a handout once your being physically challenged is proven. You wouldn’t be famished or starved. That had never been included in this unique system nor even been able to cross their minds.

The barefoot man, who frequently strolled in modest clothes, was their leader. A look of an ordinary person who, by definition, knew nothing about the corridors of power. The children always gathered around him, craving for his warm hug, which was provided at once and without being lost in dark paths of conceit and scorn. They were all equal and that had been the prevailing belief since their coming into being; it had not been yet marred by any contaminating spirits, for the geological shapes surrounding the village were forming a shield that made the place apparently unreachable and impenetrable. For centuries, they had met no outsiders.   

The man was hiding behind the trees. With cautiousness he was peering at the villagers to scan their moves and countenances. When the man made a move backwards, he stepped on a sharp stone that cut his sole. He produced a silent cry. It appeared the injury had healed quickly, and the scar had left the skins under the effect of the shining metal. His eyes didn’t believe it at all. He stepped on golden stones that were coating the ground. The man made it back to the ship and whispered the salivary news to his captain, who immediately called his right-hand man to have a consultation on how to deal with the situation. The three agreed on a plan to visit the place the following day, and of course in total secrecy.

At first light, the three woke up and moved to their destination. It was only a matter of minutes before they reached the village. They chose the best spot they could find from which they would observe the place and its inhabitants.

Joe: Captain! This is it. As I told the golden stones are everywhere.

The captain: I am not blind.

Thomas (The captain’s right-hand man): You see captain! They don’t have weapons, and they are defenceless.

The captain: I am not blind.

Thomas: It’s an easy mission and we won’t have to fight to take over the village.

Joe: I couldn’t agree more. Besides, we are the lords, and many armies fear us. We are the unbeatable warriors.

Thomas: Without a doubt, Joe. We made ourselves a name that once uttered, our enemies got goosebumps.

Joe: But now with this fortune we will rule the entire world, and they are all going to be dancing to our tune. 

Thomas: All we need now is the say-so of our honourable captain. Our men are already set up for exterminating these savages.

After remaining silent all this time, while his men exchanging words, the captain turned his eyes towards Thomas, showing an angry face, because what had just heard made his blood boil.

With no hesitation, he slapped his man on the face with all the force he could produce.

The captain: You called them savages, you moron. Now I realise that I have been surrounded all these years long by the most stupid men I’ve ever known. Since you started this petty discussion, I have been studying these people carefully. I’ve noticed things you silly can never see. Your minds, your hearts, and your eyes are really beclouded by years of savagism.

Thomas: Captain! What are you talking about?

The captain: You see, these creatures over there are the purest souls existing on the earth.

Joe: What do you mean, captain?

The captain: The truth is that they completely differ from us in every aspect. You see that man over there, who is walking without bodyguards, he is their leader.

Thomas: What makes you believe so?

The captain: A flow of villagers and their kids has been coming to him, to show respect and admiration, and to exchange smiles. They are not afraid of him. In fact, they all love each other, which makes this place of a very special and unique system. What’s more, they all have the same buildings and wear the same attire. I am astonished at the fact that the man who controls everything accepts to live in a modest cottage. Not like those of ours who, at the expense of the poor, have accumulated an illegitimate wealth and let themselves enjoy the large spaces of their heavenly palaces.

Thomas: You can build yours with the gold under our feet, and for sure we will find out more and more treasures after we do away with them.

The captain: You dared call them savages while you know nothing about these pure souls. You both have to know that we are the real savages. We have killed thousands without even asking ourselves whether there were any victims among them. 

Joe: These are the rules of war and glory.

The captain: Though overseas warriors have terrible nightmares once they hear my name, I won’t commit a hideous crime. I was born a devil to fight the devils. These are the real rules of savagism I have immersed myself in for ages.

Thomas: Are you going to negotiate?

The captain: I won’t subject them to the same faith that my hometown had to face, when unprotected civilians, including my mother and my father, were mercilessly dispatched. Since then I have stuck to my highest principles that my sword won’t ever fight unarmed folks.

Thomas: What’s on your mind, captain?

The captain:  I will to kill both of you. This secret must be buried here and you are such untrustworthy devils.

Before they could run to save their skin, the captain, with an adept movement with his sword, put an end to their lives, and quickly found a place where to bury the two men. He then left the place for good, tucking the secret away deep in his heart.

                                                                                              By Ismail KAMAL

A priceless pearl

A priceless pearl

She woke up early and made it straight away for the mirror. With deep sorrow she started contemplating her complexion till drops of bitter tears started to flow down her cheeks. She remembered the long years of sacrifice, dedication and tirelessness, as she thought, in vain, for she got nothing in return. The husband still in bed snoring and enjoying its warmth, and the three kids, all of whom boys, by the same token share the same moment but each one on his own. Only she had to leave the warmth of bed to prepare what their mouths could devour and grin by their animal-like fangs. She punched the mirror as hard as she could, unfortunately she couldn't break it, but fortunately she didn't hurt herself.

What added insult to injury was the fact that that day was her birthday, yet nobody dared to remember it and made her a surprise to refresh the atmosphere, or made her believe that she still had her touch, and she was still a priceless pearl. None of these thoughts crossed neither her husband's mind, nor her children's. She undoubtedly believed that she was a simple maid or machine whose main role is to serve the others. She can’t feel or imagine. She can't express what’s inside her. All her mission is just to perform her kind of algorithmic tasks, predefined and indisputable.

Enough is enough she believed. She got dressed, packed her bag with clothes and food, and then left home. That was a revolutionary act. She also switched off her phone and made it to nowhere. Two hours later, her husband got up in the hope to find something to feed his empty stomach. To his surprise, the table in their kitchen was different this time because nothing was on it. He started calling the name of his wife but got no answer. He took his phone and started to dial the number, but he was surprised when he found out that the line was out of service.

He woke up the kids and started to enquiry about their mom’s location, but of course they, too, had no idea. ‘What? She didn’t make us breakfast. What are we going to eat?’ said one of her kids. Yes, unfortunately, stomach comes first and anything else doesn’t matter.

After having serving themselves with what was available, they started to look for their mother by contacting their members of family and all their acquaintances, but the attempts yielded nothing. Nobody had any clue as to her whereabouts, even the authorities failed to track her location.

It was now three months that she had gone missing. The house was in a complete shambles. The rooms got dirty and messy. The kids grow untidy and shabby in appearance and their stomachs missed the years they had been lavishly fed like kings in their palaces. The husband was in an unprecedented psychological state. It was a mixture of anger and logging. Anger because he felt being disrespected when his woman left the nest with no warning, and to him that was hurting his pride.  Logging means he desperately felt the need of his other half being by his side to take care of him and his kids. He did shed tears realising how harsh and ungrateful he was to her all these years long.  

On a freezing day and very early in the morning, somebody started to knock on the door. The little son hurried towards it. Once the door swung open, the boy couldn’t believe his eyes when saw his mom accompanied by an elderly man. The boy threw himself into his mom’s arms, hugging her firmly with his eyes going watery. They both kissed each other and apologising for everything they thought they had done wrong. The husband joined with the other kids and all started to cry.

‘Son,’ said the elderly man, ‘you have a precious pearl and you had better keep it safe. I lost my wife and her mother, my daughter, but I still want to see her. She has my blood and she is the only treasure I still have.’

‘Uncle,’ said the husband, ‘I know what I have done and I did grasp the message she intelligently tried to convey. I promise you and myself that I will keep her safe and treat her the same way she has been treating us all these years. The house without her is a complete mess and divided nation. She has been our lifeguard and mainstay. I am sorry Najwa from the bottom of my heart. I am saying this on behalf of our kids.’

‘Darling, I love you and I love the kids, but I had to do this because I, too, need care and someone who can make me believe that I have a great sentimental value for him, and to stand by my side during my ups and downs. You all mean a lot to me and I am sure we all can change everything. We are all going to assume our part of responsibility to make this family great again.’ said the wife.

                                                                                   Ismail KAMAL