Yesterday, a very dear and well meaning friend warned me to ”not get to wrapped up in Islam”. I understand her point but it is also indicative the many comments and questions we have received about our decision to take this opportunity. Arent you afraid? What about Laurie and how she will have to dress and act? Be careful those people are crazy. So I thought I would spend some time trying to express my thoughts and feelings as to why I am taking this step into the darkness from my well lit and “safe” little corner of the world.
On the practical side, I cannot discount the financial element of the opportunity (to me this is not a job, my work in education has never been a job), which is an incredibly large salary, lots of benefits, and no taxes. With restraint and planning Laurie and I can walk away with a very nice nest egg for our future. By the following definition (as all good teachers, I have “adopted” something that works) I have had a very successful career to date.
“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children...to leave the world a better place...to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” Ralph Waldo Emerson.
But there is more to it. I understand the power of traveling. I used it as therapy then as an element for growth. Life is too short not to travel, but travel is a poor substitute for immersion. Language, culture and new ways of thinking are the essence of what make people click. The only way to truly learn is to experience and create the relationships of new friendships. So from a learning and growth standpoint this is a practical choice.
Learning and understanding the tenets and practices that direct and influence the very day to day ways of living in the area of where we are moving (studying Islam) is also practical in that it will give me a foundation upon which to build relationships (which is all life is anyway, right).
But from the spiritual side there is a deep underlying drive to take this opportunity. I am not going to change the world or convert the masses but I do believe there is a purpose in this opportunity. A chance to grow and a chance to share with others.
I recently read a book (surprising to those that know me, lol) called "The Barbarian Way: Unleash the Untamed Faith Within" by Erwin Raphael McManus: and it struck a cord inside me. One of the quotes that I found most interesting;
"I wonder how many of us have lost our barbarian way and have become embittered with God, confused in our faith because God doesn't come through the way we think He should." (p.48).
It was no secret that that many things in my life were not going according to the plan I has designed. I was heading towards that bottomless pit of self pity and bitterness then this opportunity came along. I knew that doors closed so I would see the invitation to the door that had been opened.
Yes I have some fears, the region as a whole is notorious for danger, (but am I any safer driving in parts of LA or Phoenix for that matter). The distance from my daughter and grandchildren also sits heavy on my mind, but I also understand that “What we fear defines our master”. I choose to fear only God to not settle being comfortable and secure.
"When you join the barbarian tribe, you begin to live your life with your eyes and your heart wide open. When the Spirit of God envelops your soul, your spirit comes alive, and everything changes for you. You are no longer the same. And, to those who cannot see the invisible, to those who refuse to believe it exists, the path you choose, the life you live, may lead them to conclude that you are not simply different but insane. People who are fully alive look out-of-their-minds to those who simply exist." (p. 69)
I plan to enjoy a life of significance, I also now know that life is not a race, that not everyone will like you, you have to be open to setbacks and The world will try to tell you what you should be, how to do it, and what to become. No one knows everything and no one ever will. Its okay to ask for help. A life of significance is lived with passion, is about what we do for others, celebrating the small victories in life and keep moving forward, being open for unknown roads and new experiences. An addition to my borrowed definition of success “Judge your success by the path you take to get there – unknown”.
An Arab Poet, Elya Abu Madhi (a born-Christian), not long ago expressed his uncertainty about the purpose of life in his Arabic poem Al-Talasim, meaning “puzzles,” translated into English. He says in his poem:
Al-Talasim
I came not knowing from where, but I came.
And I saw a pathway in front of me, so I walked.
And I will remain walking, whether I want this or not.
How did I come? How did I see my pathway?
I do not know!
Am I new or am I old in this existence?
Am I free and unrestrained, or do I walk in chains?
Do I lead myself in my life, or am I being led?
I wish I know, but…
I do not know!
And my path, oh what is my path? Is it long or is it short?
Am I ascending in it, or am I going down and sinking?
Am I the one who is walking on the road,
or is it the road that is moving?
Or are we both standing, but it is the time that is running?
I do not know!
Before I became a full human, do you see
if I were nothing, impossible? Or do you see that I was something?
Is there an answer to this puzzle, or will it remain eternal?
I do not know ... and why do I not know??
I do not know!
I am unwritten, can't read my mind, I'm undefined
I'm just beginning, the pen's in my hand, ending unplanned
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you can not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
I break tradition, sometimes my tries, are outside the lines
We've been conditioned to not make mistakes, but I can't live that way
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you can not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you can not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
The rest is still unwritten
The rest is still unwritten
Dave
