Blogging is Cheaper Than Therapy

          I'm thankful and appreciative to anybody who is taking time out of their day to read my blog. This post is for those who are at a cross-roads, be it physically or spiritually. I have been thinking a lot about individuals who have given up or don't take their religious beliefs into consideration when doing things. There is a significant amount of people who are indulging in activities explicitly forbidden in Islam. Now, we are also at a time where people are highly practicing and on a fantastic path so this entry may not pertain to them.           People are judged now more than ever. The pious tend to be so proud of themselves for following what they follow and they feel that it gives them the right to tell others where their faults lie; I will admit that I have done this to others on more than one occasion. I am not anywhere near where I should be with my own level of practice and following of Islam but there have certainly been times where I felt like I was above

It's been quite some time since I've posted in this so hopefully this post will be the first of my return to this mental outlet. This post has much to do with the fact that I had much more caffeine today than usual and my mind is moving at a mile a minute. I have had the pleasure and privilege of growing up in a culture far different than many of those I have met. I am of Pakistani descent (by way of India and Afghanistan). I grew up in a very privileged culture of predominantly upper-middle class Caucasian Americans. To me, that's what I consider the norm and probably the group I identify most as "my people". I am a devout Muslim who also feels at home when I am among my Muslim brothers and sisters. Overall, if I had to choose who I felt more comfortable with, I would say my non-Muslim friends. There are a few reasons for this: 1) Most of them have seen my changes through my life from a blonde-haired prep to a wannabe Indie Rocker to what many like to label me a

Please be advised, the following is from my own analysis, personal experiences and insight. Everything I am saying could be completely wrong. It’s funny to me how much the word "love" is thrown around. It’s such a powerful expression that I dislike using casually. I’ve been told by a good amount of people that they “love” me but what does that really mean? I don’t think any affinity they may have for me is not at the level of love. I don’t think there is one way to define love but there are certainly action that correspond with the feeling. Obviously in life, certain people will love you for the sake of having to but it is very rare to meet somebody outside of familial or obligatory relationships that feels such a way. “It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all”, this is bogus. Love is unbreakable, Love is not a finite thing. I do not believe that you can  fall out of love … If there was somebody in your life that you truly love(d), you would

I feel bad that it has taken this long for me to write in my blog here. The last few weeks have been so hazy and have been a long blur, it's surreal. I cannot believe it has been nearly three weeks since my father passed away. I remember three weeks ago this day I selfishly decided to stay out late because coming home was so hard; it was so hard to see my father in the state he was in. I came home at 12:45 that night and sat next to my dad and talked to him until I was consumed by my sleepiness. He was in his medicine-induced incoherent state and was seeing things that were not really there. I talked to him as best as I could in a way where he could easily understand what I was saying to him. With tears in my eyes, I told him how proud I was of him. Alhamdulillah, I got to tell him all of the things I felt about him and didn't want to lose him without him knowing how much I loved him. Abu, my dad.. my best friend, my protector, my confidante, my coach, my teacher, the person

My thoughts on doctors is probably very inconsistent with that with the rest of society. Now, please keep in mind that my current viewpoints are stemming from that which I have been surrounded with and that is a large group of people from an Indian and Pakistani background; those are two countries where being a doctor is revered as something on par with being with a saint. I get such a kick out of people introducing them self as "Dr. so and so", as if that title is supposed to carry some weight with it. Every time I meet a young man (I don't know too many female medical students) who tell me that they are in med school, in residency or are practicing doctors, I will always ask them "What made you decide to practice Medicine?" I choose the words I speak very carefully, I ask them why they decided to "practice medicine" rather than asking them why they want to be a doctor. Doctors practice medicine, it's not a be-all-end-all title. People usually

Let me start this off by saying that I am not a masochist. I do not enjoy pain nor do I encourage the administering of pain on to others. How can a person feel pain? There is obviously physical pain. Discomfort can strengthen our threshold but physical injury rarely has positive effects. Everybody feels this pain at some point in their life, as it is an almost inevitable occurrence  This is not the beautiful sort of pain that I am speaking about. Pain inflicted within the mind, past the flesh of the brain deep into our souls, this is the beautiful kind of pain. Psychological/emotional torture hurts, I mean, it really hurts. I once had a discussion with my friend about how painful certain situations can be, "I would much rather have a bone broken or be in a car accident, I would much rather feel an extreme amount of physical pain than feel what I'm feeling right now.", I said. "That is because physical pain eventually heals.", he retorted. I knew he could real