I'm More Ignorant Than I Give Myself Credit For

The dilemma swarming my head at the moment: the rising number of young girls deciding to de-hijabify themselves.

Yes, I am more ignorant than I give myself credit for. I am ignorant because I lack understanding the world and people around me. No matter how I try to make sense of it, think it through, try to put myself in other's shoes - I just am not being able to understand the reason for taking off a hijab in America, specifically for women who made the decision to put one on of their own accord.

To be even more specific, I'm talking about here in houston. There are hijabis everywhere, so it's really hard to feel like the odd one out. It's so diverse that everyone fits in.

If there's one racist comment thrown at you, you have an army of open-minded people that stand up for you instantly.

More than anything, a girl who decides to put on a hijab is respected as a woman here. From my experience, people respect you for the decision you make of practicing your religion boldly, and even support you as they can.

So with all those pluses, why take it off?

I am sincerely asking for somebody to explain the reasoning here because I truly dont understand it.

Could it be social or family pressures that are too much to handle?

Is it an inner insecurity?

Or is it just a change of fashion?

God I hope it's not for the sake of vanity.

I had a friend who's older sister took her hijab off a few years ago. When I asked my friend why she did it, she said her sister was feeling constricted and couldnt even remember the reason she put the hijab on in the first place. So she took it off, and according to my friend she was a lot happier. At 14, I didnt know what to make of it. Now at 19, almost 20, I still dont know what to make of it.

She may have forgotten why she put her hijab on, but I remember her telling us - it was God. God...GOD.

How do you forget God?

How do you forget the reason for your pious action, was God?

What humans had the ability to distract your mind so much, that you forgot that the reason for your modesty was God?

I know, I know. I'm running around in circles with these questions. As you can see, i wasnt lying when i said I lack complete understanding for this surge of de-hijabifiying.

It's just very worrying to me to see and hear of a growing number of young, smart girls who are going against their own decision and dropping the veil.

It hurts to see a fellow Muslim drop a step down.

Obviously I dont know what is in their hearts - their reason, their faith. I dont know about any of it. All i know is what I see. And what I see is the decision to do something wrong over the decision to do something right. And i dont understand it.

The other thing that really bothers me is other people's reaction to a de-hijabification.

Why do people congratulate you? What is there t congratulate over?

The woman is no longer a hijabi. How do you even know what to say to that?

I sure as hell dont have words...but i'm 100% certain that 'congratualtions' is not the right word.

Maybe these 'well-wishers' think that these women are breaking out a primitive way of thought, and so they feel congratulations are in order.

Maybe their congratulating the girls for revealing their beauty..becoming more feminine? for becoming more independent?

Again, i'm ignorant here. I dont know. All I know is that, regardless of how happy you feel for someone removing their hijab, i think that its quite disrespectful and arrogant to congratulate them over it. I admit, I think it's offensive. To me that's the equivalent of blatantly saying you think the religion is wrong. You may think it, but that doesnt mean you have to seem so hostile, or smug about it.

Yes, yes, this is my bias speaking, I know...

SIGH.

As you can probably guess by the tone of this post, I feel quite upset. Fellow Muslim sisters are de-hijabifying themselves, and it just hurts to see it. There is a very simple way to explain how I feel: I dont like it. I just plain dont like it.

But...it's not my life is it?

It's not my life, not my decision, not my judgement, and not my relationship with God. It has nothing to do with me.

So here I sit, typing out this blog only to realize I cant really do much. And that just plain old sucks.

I pray that these girls turn to God again, look to him for strength, and find the faith to put their hijabs back on.

I pray that I and other hijabis find the strength and faith to continue wearing our hijabs for the rest of our lives, so that we may set good examples for other Muslims and represent Islam in the best manner we can.

And i pray that other Muslim girls find the reason and guidance they need to put the hijab on as proud Muslim women.

Inshallah.

Approaching a hijabi - Keep it in line.

I have been meaning to post for sooooo long, but what with finals and then computer problems, and then the lethargic state that is a huge symptom of the summer blues, I just haven't gotten to it until now.

While I have a number of things swimming through my head to post about, I'm going to choose the one that has been on my mind the longest. To you I'll state it as a question: How do you expect men to act with hijabis?

What brought this question to mind in the first place: (I always try to keep the story short but it never turns out that way does it? So, no promises this time!)

This semester I usually got to the building of one of my classes 5-10 minutes early. During that time I would hop on the computer in the study room and take care of e-mails, a syllabus scan, and of course a facebook scan (who could resist?). Usually I was alone for those few minutes, and I liked it that way.
However, one of the days one of our essays was due a fellow classmate, we'll call him T, was on one of the computers getting his final paragraphs in.
He started talking to me, and he was friendly enough so no big deal right?
He asked me what I thought about arranged marriages, which is common question for me.
Then he asked about what I ate, which is also a common question for me from those who are familiar with Islamic dietary rules.
T said, we should grab lunch or dinner sometime. Sometime. Considering I live on a college campus, this is also fairly normal. Everyone gets to know each other over food. I thought it was a bit odd that he mentioned some off campus place, but I reasoned 'maybe he doesn't like dining hall food.' So I didn't think much of it and gave the general 'sure.'
When we got out of class he asked if I had a facebook and added me - seemed normal enough to me. And then he sent me a message with his number saying to contact him. All of this seems normal right? Or am I just stupidly naive?

Anyhow, so I texted him back a 'this is Sobia' in equal exchange. From our texting I realized that when he said lunch or dinner sometime, he meant dinner tonight. I didn't feel comfortable meeting right away, and besides it was a weekday! I had procrastinating to do.
So I declined. He asked then when? I told T I was busy until two days after at least. He replied: 'Aww, youre going to keep me starving until Thursday!'
Me:....I'm not stopping you from eating..
And then I told him, besides my roommate isn't free until thursday either, and I dont go anywhere without her. (Cuz friendly dinner or not, there is no way in hell I would ever meet with a guy, whether I know him well or not, alone. Ridiculous!)
Anyhow, he replies: Aight. I was gonna pay for you, but I ain't gonna pay for her. LOL.
Me:...uh, you're not paying for me either.
T: yeah i am.
Me: No youre not. People dont pay for each other on friendly lunches.
T: Naw I got you.
Me: ...We'll see.
T: Yes we will! lol
This is what initially gave me a bit of a weird feeling. But then I thought maybe I'm over reacting, i'm just not used to excessively friendly people. I'm used to people approaching me with caution (and I prefer it that way, if I may add).
Anyhow, I stopped replying after that, but he kept texting! Random things. We weren't having a conversation. He was saying silly things and I mostly replied with 'haha' and 'ok' (i thought those were universal text signs that the conversation is over. Stop texting!) He finally did stop when I told him I'm gonna crash. It was 5pm. But at this point I was sufficiently uneasy. I do not like overly friendly behavior from men, especially when we just started talking. But again, I thought I was just being defensive so I put everything to the back of my mind.

T texted me 'Good Morning..' at 8:25am. If I wasn't creeped out before, I sure was now. I mean, I don't even get good morning texts from my mother!
So around noon I decided to text him and say : I cant make it Thursday, something came up.
T responded with something like you suck, or forget you, or blahhhhh - i forget which. And he said to get back to him whenever I was free. I said 'Alrighty' and didn't text him again.
A week went by with no problem. The next week though I got freaked.

So even after my 10 minute session in the study room, I came into class to find only one other person there (usually there are at least 3 or 4 from the previous class). We'll call this student S. S and I sit one chair apart, and for a minute it was just the two of us in class. Then T walks in with his booming voice "hello, my beautiful classmates!'
I reply 'hey.' S replies: 'Hey, how are you?'
T: 'good. good. If i was doing any better I'd be on top of the moon' (something like that)
After a couple of minutes of silence T: So Sobia...
Me: yes?
but he doesn't reply and S and I exchange awkward glances before we get back to our business.
T: I was really looking forward to Thursday. You left me hanging.
I refused to look up but replied: I couldn't help that.
T: Oh I think you could. I was very disappointed.
Me: Sorry but my schedule isn't up to me.
T gets up and moves to the seat between S and I saying 'I like this chair. I think Imma sit here today.'
I didn't reply. He pulls out his phone and shows me the texts we had exchanged.
T: 'See that? That was a week ago.
Me: Yeah and I'm still not free. I told you, my schedule isn't up to me.
By this time 2 other students have entered the classroom. One of them, J, sits right across from me and we exchanged our usual smiles and hellos.
If we're still waiting for the class to start I usually pull out my notebook and work on a henna design, which I had been doing the entire time this conversation played out.
T: What's that your working on?
Me: It's a henna design.
T: It's on a hand.
Me: mhm.
T: It seems like a floral design.
Me: it usually is.
T: what did you say it was?
Me: a henna design.
T: cool.. cool... aight. imma go.
Me: ok
T as he's getting up: falsifier....storyteller...
And he finally went back to his seat. J and S and I exchanged awkward glances, S and J seemed slightly concerned but I didn't say anything because I was just relieved that T was away from me.
When class ended I made sure he and I didn't leave at the same time, and when I saw that he was busy with someone else I bolted out.
Thankfully after that there has been no communication between us.

I was sufficiently creeped by all of it. As I stated before, I am not used to men approaching me in such a straightforward manner, and I'd prefer to keep it that way.
As a hijabi I like the fact that men in general show a form of restraint and modesty around me. My guy friends tend to not crack dirty jokes around me. Even though I curse like sailor (sometimes...not often....anymore...) I still get apologies from them when they let slip an exceptionally crude word. Of course there's never any touching of any sort. I choose my close guy friends carefully, and around the few I have I feel very safe and protected. Around everyone else, I'm usually on guard and the men around me always have a sort of restraint they maintain - physically, verbally, and mentally and emotionally (I hope).
So I don't appreciate guys being overly friendly with me, even if their intention are completely clean. It's just a matter of manners and appropriateness with me. And I felt like T crossed that invisible line, which made me feel very uneasy.

Now that you've read my little story, you tell me. Am I over thinking this? Or would you also feel kind of creeped if you were in my position?
And how do you think guys should, or should not approach hijabis? (by approach I mean in any terms - in friendly terms, or romantic terms, or whatever other terms you're thinking of that I probably left out).

On a positive note: T and i have not spoken since, and summer is here to give our brains a bit of a break from all those textbooks! =)

Those awkward meetings before you get married - and the craziness when it doesn't go through!

So I've had this blog in my mind since the last weekend but I just haven't gotten around to getting it down on the screen. If you're reading this you should know, we are definitely about to delve into some personal stuff (just a heads up, which is also why it's so damn long!)

Background story - ok so i recently had a proposal on my table and it disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared. Technically speaking, I was rejected. Honestly speaking, the guy and I knew this wasn't going to happen when we started talking. Now that's all fine and dandy - but not what the problem was. The problem was when I came home and was chastised for - quote unquote - "talking to much."

A number of my family members had the opinion (which was relayed to me both directly and indirectly) that i had talked too much, that I had scared the guy off, and that next time I shouldn't be 'allowed' to talk so much. They are of the opinion that next time my mother should not give me so much freedom... The reason for these opinions? Pure Pakistani culture...Culture....Cuuultuure...[Not religion -we 'bout to get into that]

You see in Paki culture, girls are supposed to be all quiet and prim and proper. Pretty little wallflowers that are born to serve. these fictional lovely ladies are trained to let the monster out after they're married. Surprise attack ya'll. but I'm from a Paki family, thus my unwallflower-like and honest ways have gone unappreciated. -sigh--haha, don't i sound self-righteous xD-

Unfortunately, the Paki concept of an arranged marriage is completely warped (ok, dramatically exaggerating a little bit here, but my point stands valid!). It's talk 2 times (and thats pushing it) and then take the plunge! Congratulations if it worked for you but, welcome to the 21st century. Where everybody is exposed to sex, drugs, and alcohol and their momma's still think their child is an uncorrupted angel. Lemme tell you now - what a load of bull. There's a reason we've been given certain rights in Islam (here i think it's to weed out the nuts and kooks). An arranged marriage is a collaboration between parents and children - all parties work together and say yes. They do not set out-of-date, culturally warped limits on each other - [Thank God for my mother. In a world of crazy, I can always depend on her to understand, even if we disagree sometimes].

I feel like my own family members are confusing speaking, with immodesty (oh these overwhelming cultural precedents). Nor is it dating! If you're not meeting alone, you're not touching, and you're not talking inappropriately, I'd say you're in the clear. And just an Fyi, this guy and I exchanged messages on facebook - that's it! No phone talk. No meeting. We didn't add each other as friends, just talked in a private message. If you're doing it right, it doesn't get much safer than that! Honestly speaking, immediate personal meetings scare me, cause then everybody and their mommas is up in your business (lame joke intended).

ANYWAYS! xD

So the lessons i was given were that girls should not talk too much. We shouldn't ask so many questions - otherwise we'll scare the guy away. And, this is not how "we" do it.

My first counter question is - who's "we"? I've noticed in my own family and others, that parents have quite a difficult time separating culture and religion. They do not understand that they are not one in the same thing. Talking urdu, and wearing salwar kamiz does not a Muslim make. Since when were the traditions in Paki so perfect that they could be set in stone? Having visited there I can give a quick first-hand example of what Islam in Pakistan is: Young ladies, you should step out the house with a duppatta on your head. Do not talk to men. Oh! But don't you dare walk out in those loose clothes! Nice and fitting. Don't forget a smudge of lipstick. Now thats what i call a Muslim girl.

I'm asking in all seriousness -- WHAT!?!

Now beyond that, came the chastising lessons that are the cause of this rant. How the hell do you ask too many questions?! I'm pretty sure, I'm willing to bet my right arm, there's no such thing in Islam. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrnjYYuDfXs] <-- I swear to you, this man knows how to say it better than anyone else! Islam gives you the right to ask the questions you need, to get to know the person until you feel comfortable marrying them. Yes, this is an Islamic right. I thought about why my outspokenness may have unnerved some of my family members and I realized, it's because none of them have ever been in my position.

-Getting up close and personal- you see, I have PCO (Poly-cystic Ovarian Syndrome). What does this mean? Well in a nutshell, it means there is a milky film full of little cysts covering my ovaries, resulting in my hormones and menstrual cycles being out of whack. Due to this PCO, the number of children I can have is limited because I don't know how my body will change after marriage. And during pregnancy. (Allhamdullillah, I can have kids but I cant pop out no football team).

No, it's not a bad thing. No, its not in my control. And no, I am not ashamed of this dysfunction because God gave it to me and it's not in my hands. Its a test I have to pass, and a conversation I have to have. Bef0re I get married. In Islam if you have a medical condition, health issues, sex issue, and anything else that will effect you and your other half after marriage, you have to talk about it before you get married. You are obligated to have these conversations before you get married, because a marriage is certainly not to begin with dishonesty and hidden facts.

Allhamdullillah none of my family here has had these issues, before or after they got married.

But that is why they cannot understand how hard this conversation will be for me to have. But I have to have it, both Islamically and personally speaking. And this means whoever I'm talking to, well we'll need to talk a lot, and get fairly comfortable with the idea of marrying each other before I can have a conversation like this with him. (Believe me, typing this out is a lot easier than talking, especially when it's in scientific terms rather than emotional, but the conversation is gonna happen Inshallah).

In Pakistan, even if a girl does have these issues, they're not talked about before marriage for fear of scaring a guy off. First of all that's un-Islamic. Second, why in the world would you want to marry someone of such weak character?

As mentioned before, that was a point of chastisement in my case. To this I have concluded, if I scare him off, he wasn't meant for me. I know what kind of guy I should be walking up the aisle for (so to speak) and it's not someone who's quiet and un-social (cause all of us know at least some characteristic our spouse will need in them to be able to share their live with us and vice-versa.) And it's not someone who cant take me for who I am, flaws and all. Because I'd accept him for who he is, flaws and all. After all, no one is perfect. If I'm "rejected" because i have PCO then he is definitely not worth my time. To me that's as bad as saying no to someone because theyhave type 1 diabetes, or because they're of a different race. No - because of things they cant control. No - because of things God gave them. Talk about ignorance. Not in my spouse, thank you!

A personal motto I run by when it comes to this marriage business: If he can fight with me, he can handle me. [Now that's what I call a match made in heavn!]

I think it's ridiculous to blame someone for getting rejected. Or get mad at them for saying no. Are we supposed to marry the first proposal that comes along, eyes closed?! And I think it's just silly to get mad at a girl for being straight forward instead of beating around the bush. Ridiculous I tell you!

Parents need to realize that yes, they are raising their kids in a Paki manner, and thats great and all. But if they're being raised here, they are whole-heartedly American, and they will grow to realize that religion is right and that culture is always changing thus lacks complete stability and validity. I say to parents in the famous words of Scarf from the Lion King - 'Be Prepared!'

I figure I sound pretty RAWR after all this, I genuinely don't mean to. Certain circumstances and results had me wound up for some time. (I mean, the reason the 'advice' bugged me so much in the first place is because my family means so much to me. Even if I try not to, I cant help but care about what is said.) But now that I have it out of my system, I admit, I am very grateful to have been born in a Paki house. Because it's allowed me to learn so much. And i love all my family fro caring and getting concerned in their own way. I know where they're coming from and really, its a learning process for all of us. I just happen to be the first, so it's a little more challenging to match up view points.

Thats the thing, my brother and I are the oldest, and thus the experimental guinea pigs in our family. -lol, we don't mind though.- Because we branch out first, think out load first, we inevitably face the harshest consequences. But the youngin's are getting older, and learning. They'll be asking "why" for the big questions, and soon realize that 2+2 is not fish. And like my parents, their parents will adjust to that and hopefully come to have a great relationship with their kids, the way my parents do Allhamdullillah.

But Inshallah if my brother and I can manage to break a couple of these hindrances, things will be easier for our younger cousins.

Anyways, it's tough right now. And I expect it t get tougher. But Inshallah it'll all be worth it. Believe me, Islam ain't that hard ya'll. Sometimes, people just make it hard without even realizing it.

Warning: It's Kind of a Rant

I read a status on facebook that's got me thinking. I wont copy-paste the status because I feel like that would be a privacy violation, but the gist of it was that a Muslim brother said he thought wearing tights in public was stupid because it's like being naked while wearing clothes - sure youre covered, but does it matter if the world can still see the shape of your body?

I was very surprised to see that the comments, from other Muslims were bashing the original poster, saying he had no right to judge, etc etc. When the Muslim women replied, it was blatantly obvious that they were offended by this status, and went on to defend themselves.

Here's where I got thinking - why are the Muslim women so offended?

ok, I understand no one has the right to judge another (although the fact of the matter is, we all judge). And i admit, the wording in the status was harsh. But do I disagree with it? No.

One of the women that replied wrote on about how she prays, she fasts, etc. etc. and messages like this are very discouraging to her and all Muslim women alike. She also wrote that women should be approached with gentleness if change is wanted, and that the Muslim brother shouldn't look in the first place if it bothers him.

Being a Muslim woman myself, I have to say I disagree.

(Be warned, here comes the long tangent)

I dont know if youve noticed but if you ever say something religiously critical, whether it is directed at someone or not, the people around you will get defensive. The 'I pray, I fast, I am a Muslim' argument is quite over used. What i dont understand is, why do people think this a defense?

People need to learn to separate personal actions from public actions and realize they are two different things, that dont necessarily stand up for the other.

You praying and fasting has nothing to do with the topic. Why? Because that is strictly between you and Allah. Whether you pray or not, no one will know unless you tell them. Whether you are fasting or not, no one will know unless you tell them (or unless you eat right in front of everyone).

But the what you wear - everyone sees that.

How you act - everyone observes that.

And you know what, everyone, Muslim or not, will judge.

And I feel like saying he shouldnt look has no validity. You have to look where youre going, and you cant help if every other woman that crosses your path is in tights. I actually feel a little better knowing there is a Muslim brother out there who, when he comes across a Muslim woman actually feel angry disappointed and concerned enough to let it bother him. I feel better knowing that he is not one of the many men who will look at a woman who displaying her body and think lustful thoughts, however briefly. Thank you for caring? (Indeed).

I think, if you are old enough that you can choose your religion, you are old enough to realize you need to follow the religion properly.

If you are a hijabi, and youre out with your head covered but with your body and legs still showing because youre dressing inappropriately and your clothes are too tight, well then I have to ask - what are you doing?

If youre a Muslima, and you have made the decision to represent your religion to the world, for the love of Allah do it right!

-Back to the status-

Like I said, I quite agree with the status. I read the replies, and I thought they were overly defensive. That just tells me that you know you need to change, but you dont want to accept it and feel upset that someone is pointing out a blatant wrong in a harsh manner. (Mind you this was a general status, not directed at one particular person).

Sure, there are nicer ways of putting things. But from my experiences, there's a limit to how nicely you can explain things to adults. Children, growing teens, yes they need kindness.

But if youre an adult, learn to take general criticism and turn it into something positive - a tool that you can use to make yourself better. Instead of defending yourself for the wrong reason.

Honestly, how are you going to be a proud Muslim woman and then defend wearing skin tight clothes?

If youre wrong, youre wrong. Dont defend your wrong (what!). Admit it, and try to grow from and out of it.

Now! I cant just preach to the choir and pretend I'm just all-righteous and perfect (Allah knows I'm not by a long shot) And it would be hypocritical of me to reprimand without setting an example, right?

So now I'm going to take my own advice - give a personal confession and take my own personal steps toward a resolution.

Confession: I curse like a sailor! It's a very, very bad habit.

Resolution: I will control my anger, and I will hold my tongue. If I feel a curse word bubbling, I will make an effort to replace it with a Bismillah/Subhanallah.

Inshallah

My my, what I wouldn't give to be Batgirl + Recipe# 2

Yes Batgirl. Not Supergirl. I don't want to be some goddess-like super hero who has decided to 'humble' myself and do good for an indecisive society.

But Batgirl, hell yeah.

Intelligent, fit, mysterious but approachable - Batgirl kicks butt.

I would give anything to be Batgirl-like. Can't you just imagine it - getting all my readings done for all my classes *even the ones I despise*; being able to do good without drawing so much attention; coming up with brilliant stories and articles in the time it takes me to mentally prepare for them now; so, so much more.

Amazing.

If I could be Batgirl, like I said before, I would kick butt.

But alas, here I am, regular Sobia. Dumbfounded that the day has passed on so quickly, and I've done so little in the time that passed. Crazy.

There is definitely something simple I am excited about though, and as silly as it sounds, I'm going to share it here:

I made my own trail mix.

That's right, my own trail mix. And I am very proud and excited.

It sounds like a small accomplishment, and it is. But I feel like we take time out to acknowledge useless things all the time, so now I'm taking time out to acknowledge one of those little things that just makes me plain happy =)

Anyhow, so I read a blog in the summer about people making their own trail mixes and I thought to myself 'Boy, I'd really like to try making a trail mix of my own tonight!'

But I just never got around to it for so many various reasons, as usual.

But today, I looked into our pantry, and the light bulb above my head went 'Bing!'

So I sat down and compiled all this together (Recipe# 2):

A handful of dried papaya chunks

A handful of sweet dates, not too sticky

2 Chips Ahoy chocolate chunk and white chocolate cookies

A bit more than a handful of namak para *brown people snack - it's basically lightly salted dough, thinly rolled out, cut into diamond shapes and fried*

A decent sprinkling of coconut flakes

4 dried figs

I cut up the fruits into smaller pieces, broke the namak para and cookies in to pieces, and the coconut flakes and tossed it all into a bowl.

It's sweet and salty, and slightly chocolaty, and not bad at all!

Of course, even when I resisted I couldn't help but add at least a little of my brownness to the mix with the dates and namak para. But it all makes for an interesting taste.

Try this mix, or make your own trail mix. It's definitely a lot of fun.

Funny, now that I think about it, but if I was Batgirl, I probably wouldn't have had time to make this awesome trail mix.

Good to have little moments that help you appreciate what you have =)

Recipe Discover #1

Ok so this isn't the first recipe we discovered in our kitchen, but it's definitely one of our most successful ones, so I thought I should share it =)

Caramelized Carrots and Onions:

This little recipe came from one of our improv dinners, and it's very versatile because you add everything to the amount of your liking.

Which means, the awesome thing about this recipe is that it's always a little different =)

Ingredients: 3 or more Carrots, 1 Onion, Brown Sugar, Honey, Red Pepper Flakes.

Steps:

1.Warm up small frying pan -medium heat-

2.Chop up the carrots -round or long, it doesnt matter as long as theyre not too thick- and toss in heated frying pan

3.Slice the onion round and thin, toss in frying pan with carrots

4.Squeeze the honey to the amount of your liking -as long as there's a nice coat on most of the onions and carrots-

5.Add brown sugar, amount to your liking -as long as there's a nice coat on most of the onions and carrots-

6.Just 2 shakes of red pepper flakes, unless you like it really spicy!

7.Stir occasionally to avoid sticking, turn heat off when carrots seem soft and wilted

From our experience this dish goes really well with fried rice:

Take the white rice from your rice cooker, toss it in a frying pan, add soy sauce to your liking -careful not to add too much!-

Stir it around, let it smell delicious, and your done!

Enjoy =)

What makes a Law Unjust? *part 2*

You know now that I think about it, I don't know why I linked this blog entry with my previous one - they don't have much in common at all. Truth be told, I wrote this bit in my journal quite some time ago and I only remembered that I wrote something about laws. Now that I've re-read what I wrote I see that I actually wrote about rights and linked laws and rights in my head as a natural order. Anyhow, my bad for the random part 2, enjoy the food for thought!

I have a friend who once wrote a very interesting essay about rights. She felt that there really was no such thing as rights. That it was a man made idea to control and conform. And I feel like I may agree with her to a certain extent.

You see I understand that rights are necessary; without structure there is chaos. And everything has a structure. Plants, animals, weather, and of course, humans (although humans are by far the most rebellious to that structure). Yet our definition of structure is a completely different term than that of the universe's definition of structure.

We may automatically think of school, or government, or even parents and religion as structure - and they are, no doubt. But they are each a different kind of structure. School and government are absolutely man-made - and for good reason (though that can become skewed sometimes...often). And I feel like parents are a biological structure that are questioned and changed as the relationship progresses. I think religion is a structure that is God-made and tampered with by humans.

Sometimes I feel like God may just be sitting in heaven and smirking at us, lolling (that's right, I said it) in his head at how ridiculously we mess up over the simplest things. And then he lets out a sigh of 'when will they ever learn' and sends us something to grab onto before we completely lose our balance and fall into the vast abyss of silly questions.

Anyhow, the topic at hand was about rights. I feel like natural rights are too tampered with, and that's when they become man-made. Take, for instance, our country. I personally believe that state and church (religious structure) are meant to work together. The fact that we have severed them has caused us to sever our natural rights (and it seems it's been way too long, and would be way too opposed, to go back and fix it now - for this nation anyways).

So i suppose what I'm getting at is that there are a set of natural rights and a set of man-made rights. the man-made rights began with good intentions (i hope) but they get more and more liquefied as our generations pass...our moral convictions are melting. and thus, due to this state of matter change, our natural rights are being tampered with, ignored, and questions by no one other than ourselves.

My thoughts on this are still not completely molded, they are molding. But I do know that, so far, this world has avoided complete chaos - so there must be a set of structures that we have been abiding by correctly so far. However, somewhere along the time line we stopped doing most of what we were doing right, to such an extent that we have far passed the line of minimal safety.

Humanity is hanging by a single thread that itself is tearing. We think we are living the life. We think we have every thing we could have possibly ever asked for. I don't think anyone realizes just how close to chaos we really are. Our natural structure of rights have been severed, and we don't have a big enough band-aid to fix so many generations of boo-boos. Thus, Chaos is in her crypt, sneering and snickering, sensing her time come closer, and she's clicking her finger nails against each other.

I can't remember what mood I was in when I wrote this last year, but I assume it wasn't horribly bright...

Thoughts?