asma's blog

I woke up inspired and refreshed.

Today I write about the stupidity of being nonchalant; caring, and living.

The past couple of days, I’ve been rereading and pondering on The Prophet by Khalil Gibran, and I leave each chapter with a heightened sense of self-belief. I implore everyone to read this book, but some of my favourite chapters are On Marriage, On Children, On Work and On Clothes. Honestly, each chapter leaves me with so much to think about, and every time I read it, I find something new.

In today’s culture, it’s a trend to not care. It’s a trend to be the most disinterested and the most disengaged. It’s a trend to be dead. The less emotional investment you place into something, the “cooler” you are. It’s almost like having emotion is framed as being in a position of less power. And it’s all connected. It’s connected to the patriarchy and how, for centuries, women have been recognized as the weaker sex because they are “more emotionally attuned” and “sensitive”, and apparently having basic emotional intelligence is a sign of weakness. As a woman, if I had a penny for every time a man had the audacity, let’s just say I wouldn’t be a millionaire, but I could rent a 1+den in Toronto for the rest of my life. To anyone who thinks “it’s over” and there’s equilibrium now, you are sorely mistaken.

“Make me a sandwich”, “Women are worse drivers”, “Women can’t lead because their emotions always get in the way”, and when you retort…

“It’s just a joke, relax”

Explain the funny part then.

I’ve heard statements like these in social settings, religious environments, and professional environments too, and they’ve been said directly to me, and when I retract and think, I feel bewildered and terrified. To my astonishment, and much later than I needed, I finally realized a few things.

1. I don’t have to be in those environments anymore, so I left.

2. This isn’t just a woman versus man problem. This is a collective epidemic.

The current nonchalant culture that we’ve cultivated is so deeply intertwined with this. We live in a world where most people hate their jobs, their social communities, their day -to-day operations, and, just overall, aren’t happy. The collective self-worth of the world is in a state of disarray. Riddled with insecurities and self-doubt, people aren’t living anymore; they’re just undead, and naturally this is pulling many individuals into the same state. Everything is suddenly embarrassing or an ick. If Reddit doesn’t validate you, your idea isn’t worth anything. Learning is embarrassing, having an idea is embarrassing, trying something new is embarrassing. We’re living in the biggest scam right now that’s keeping us complacent, and we need to wake up.

Due to social media, pop culture and our phones, it’s so easy to get information. We’re bombarded with knowledge of everything, so as a result we know nothing. And one of the saddest flaws is that we’ve just stopped caring. We don’t care that we don’t know. We don’t care that we aren’t living, because as long as were perofming whoop dee doo, everything is seemingly okay.

But there is a light at the end of this tunnel, and the light is this. You’re allowed to be happy. You’re allowed to work a job that you absolutely love. You’re allowed to follow your passions and all your wildest dreams. You’re allowed to surround yourself with people that empower you and you, them. You’re allowed to do things you enjoy and feel good about yourself. There is an element of moderation here that I want to imply, but I think in general the idea is you’re allowed to care, because caring comes from being passionate about something, which comes from the inverse of apathy, which all comes from love. And caring is not just like a fun add-on; it’s what makes us alive. And when you start caring, you begin to realize that this is much bigger than being just about you as an individual.

This is about the world.

If you want to change the world, start by changing yourself. Start by knowing yourself. Start by changing your frameworks and working on your own emotional responses. Because when you start living a life that is truly aligned with Allah’s purpose for you, you will then pass that energy on to others, and it’s like a chain reaction. When you smile at a stranger, they may pay that forward in ways you may never know. When you start treating yourself with kindness, love and compassion, you will do the same for others. Truly, and genuinely, not just because you feel like you have to, to survive. When you love what you do, you will inspire others to do the same. And slowly, but surely, the world will change. As a collective subconscious, we will start to wake up and start living again.

So, care for yourself, care for others, care for our beautiful world.

Care for today, because you care for a better tomorrow.

Your friend,

asma.