Snail trail...

Assalamualaikum..

Well, this post is a comment on Arif's blog post titled 'Recognition'. I intended to leave a comment but when I tried posting it, it said that my 'HTML is not accepted. It must be at most 4,096 characters long'. I guess mine is more than that and I didn't bother checking. So I'm posting it here, copy and paste kat bawah ni je.

So whoever is interested in knowing what I'm blabbering about kat bawah ni about snails and fire, haha, do read up on Arif's original entry to this topic. Here's the link http://ana-safwan.blogspot.com/2010/08/recognition.html .

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Assalaamualaikum Arif..

Prof. Kopanski's analogy is very interesting to me. And to answer your question in the 2nd last paragraph, I think that the world can be represented by a snail. A snail can not live without a shell, but a shell is just a shell without the living creature inside it. The living creature gives meaning to the shell. It requires both the elements to be a 'snail'.

The shell represents the material things in this world, may it be a need or a want. While the living creature is the society that gives these material things meaning.

The elders that you mentioned (likely 60+ years of age now) that are wise and brighter than the younger 'educated' generation of today, I think they are that way because of hardship. To find a job back in their time wasn't easy and even if there was, it was back-breaking jobs. Putting food on the table was one of the top priorities along with family ties and keeping to tradition. Through hardship, these people learnt how to be human. They still had shells of course (material things) but whatever they had was enough because keeping the living creature alive was more important. This is even more relevant when World War 2 happened. The people focused on being a community and how to be strong as a unit and care for one another. They gave importance more to the slug, the living creature, than the shell. Nevertheless, still a snail.

The generation after this one (around 35+ years old now), fortunately had better life opportunities. Negara dah merdeka, economy is becoming more stable (though still needs improvement) and living necessities are more attainable. Since surviving is not as big of a challenge as it was before, this generation put its focus more on the shell. Nothing wrong with that though, we do need technology and progress to improve our living standards. Yet all these advances were still in their early stages and were prone to mistakes, problems etc. This generation still had their hardship but it came from labouring at their shell. It took a lot of energy to get where they are at and they appreciate what they have because they toiled over it.

The upcoming generation now (in their 20's or below), hm, well, our shell looks pretty okay, thriving well enough with all the readily available goods and top nosh to keep us alive. Then, what should we focus on? I think today's generation is at a crossroad and most of us get confused. Everything is COMPARATIVELY much simpler to do or to get. We start taking things for granted and our fitrah naturally attracts us to the shiny and the beautiful. Most of us focus on our shells, but its not like before any more, because of the geometric progression of growth in technology and its overwhelming speed in advancements, its so easy to get lost in the material world. Some people get hooked, chasing fame, status, goods etc. Others who aren't into shells as much, they socialize. Again, our fitrah as humans, our nafsu too, can mislead us. sometimes its easier to do the bad things rather than the good and most of us fall into this trap. Merempit, drugs, clubbing, over-socializing etc.

Everything is so attainable, accessible and in abundance, we just don't know what to with it sometimes.

I think this is our generations challenge. To put whatever we have, may it be material items, social status or knowledge, we have to put it to good use.

The first generation I mentioned, the elderly, had survival to remind them of this. Whatever they had, they had to put it to good use, kalau tak susah nak survive.

The second generation had their investments to remind them of this. If they didn't put their projects on their 'shell' to good use, then all their effort would be wasted.

As for the latest generation, there is a lack of things that push us or to help to remind us of this. That motivation and will is barely ignited because we take the fuel that lights it for granted. The generations before us worked so hard for their fuel and when they got it, they ignited it, lighting the dark.

Now when we look at our society, we wonder why everything seems superficial, busy without meaning, sad, sombre and dark, and we ask ourselves "where's the fire?".

Anyway back to the snail analogy, yes, we're still a snail. We have a shell and the creature living in it is still alive.

But it's sleeping... =.=

We need to wake up!

Use our 'aql (akal/intelligence) positively and wisely, reignite the moral fibre within us and purify our actions with sincerity. InsyaAllah, Allah will recognise us. Never give up in hope and prayer to attain His Redha. A reminder to myself before others of course.

Sorry my comment pajang sangat >_< anyway, good post! Shukran for making me think. Alhamdulillah I still can =)

Wassalaam..

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blaze the snail trail..

Assalamualaikum..