Part I: The Beginning

It was thousands of years ago, some where in the Middle East, in the middle of the desserts and the mountains lived a group of people called the Arabs. They were an uncivilized and uneducated clan, barbaric creatures who lived in chaos. These people stole from one another, killed each other, raped their women and died of diseases brought upon them by germs and viruses. It was a crumpling society where there existed no laws and no fear of consequences.
One day an Arab man, a genius, decided that he was going to change the way things were in this place where he lived. His name was Mohammad and he was wiser, brighter, smarter than the rest and whose thinking was above his peers. He saw the way his people were self destructing and envisioned a better life for all of them. His goal was to find a way to help them, this Arab race, to become better, stronger and Civilized.
The first thing that Mohammad needed to do was to instill fear into the people in order for them to follow his guiding to a better life. Mohammad's genius plan started as he dived into the unknown, somewhere where no one had any inkling of idea how things worked, the world and the universe. Mohammad's idea was to create a thing above all, so powerful and strong that one could not even see, touch or feel and that would be why they would fear it. He named it God and told people that this is who created the world and the universe. He stated to the people that since God is the one who created the world, naturally he was the ruler of it and there are certain rules and guideline that he demands from his people to follow. Mohammad's plan was masterful, because he managed to come up with consequences to those who did follow God's rules and those who did not. Again, it had to be something that the people could not see, feel or touch, so his idea of after death consequences worked perfectly. This way people would not know what their fate will be until they die, therefore they have their entire life to try to be good.
Because the people were uneducated and simple, Mohammad had to only provide some simple tricks for them to believe the existence of God. Yet, mostly they fell for it because they were desperate for something to believe in, they needed goodness and they needed faith. Another big contributor to Mohammad's success was that he was a good and decent person, he cared about others and the people could see and feel that.
Through God, Mohammad conveyed to the Arab people that stealing, cheating, lying and killing others are bad acts, calling them sins, and if any one commits any of those sins, they will be punished by God. And no one wanted to be punished by God because that would mean burning in the fires of hell as Mohammad had informed them. Mohammad taught the people about honesty, forgiveness, responsibility and commitment. He also educated them on good deeds such as helping the poor, and lending a had to their neighbors, acts which would help them build a strong case to enter paradise after death. Mohammad presented himself as the messenger from God and would bring to the people the requests and demands of God as the need arises. Now that Mohammad had fear on his side, he could guide the people toward health, order and peace. The Arab society was finally beginning to move toward civilization.
The Arabs were violent and angry people so the first thing that they would benefit from was meditation, therefore Mohammad organized praying to God. Five times a day they would push all thoughts out of their minds, clearing it of negative and disturbing waves. Their focus on quiet and united attention on one thing only, between the hustle and bustle of their day, calmed them. And finally, at the end of each prayer they would focus on a wish or a desire (which we all learned while reading "The Secret" that focusing on your goal brings you closer to it). This invention of Mohammad grounded the people and provided them with peace and tranquility.
The reason for many diseases and early deaths was that the Arabs were dirty people who rarely bathed, so Mohammad brought down a new message from God. The message stated that to maintain respect for God, one must be clean while standing in prayer in front of him. That is when Mohammad introduced them to the act of "Vuzu" where each person must wash themselves in a specific way (which covers most bases of the body) before each prayer. The Arabs were washing their hands, feet, arms and faces five times a day, increasing their chance of living a healthy life.
The next thing to tackle was the excessive raping of women by the men. The only solution Mohammad could come up with at the time was to cover up the women so that the men would not get aroused by seeing their bodies and hair. He introduced the people to a new message from God, stating his demand for women to cover themselves with cloth at all times when they are in the presence of a male who is not their father, brother, uncle or husband. He chose the age of 9 for girls to start covering, maybe because that was when the girls started to arouse the men. By not being able to see the women's sexy arms, luscious ankles and mouth watering hair, more and more men refrained from attacking and raping them.
There were many wars during the time of Mohammad, which left many women widowed who did not have anybody to take care of them. Because of his big heart Mohammad decided that the men should take care of these husbandless women. He conveyed yet another message from God stating that men are allowed to have up to four wives at a time. This way women who had lost their husbands in war had a man to take care of them and their children.
Although Mohammad said that the reason God wishes for his people to fast for one month was in order for them to understand and feel connected to the hungry and to the poor, the untold reason was the cleansing of the people's bodies. The unhealthy eating habits of the Arabs was a contributor to weight gain and physical risk factors. Mohammad was not a doctor, but as a genius he felt that a month of cleansing will benefit the people live a happier and healthier life. He decorated fasting with celebrations to make it more attractive to those who loved food.

Mohammad was a genius and a kind hearted man who saved the Arab nation from crime and disease by telling them white lies. Read on and in the next parts you will find out how his good deeds were turned against the people he tried to save.

GOD

The world as we know it has existed for millions of years and for the majority of those years the people living on earth have believed in a higher power called GOD. They believe that GOD is a male who sees us, hears us and knows what we are thinking, but we do not see "him" or hear "him". Although they claim that we could feel "him" in our hearts, if we truly believe in "his" existence. These people fear GOD as "he" punishes those who commit sins and those who do not do good, by burning them in the flames of hell. They say that "he" is a kind and mighty GOD who loves "his" creation, but no one shall make "him" angry as "his" wrath is unmistakably the harshest.
These people depend on GOD in every aspect of their lives as they believe that they live a life to fulfill "him" and only "him". When they are in fear they call "his" name, when they are in doubt they ask "him" for advice and when they are in despair they ask for "his" help. In good times they give "him" credit and in bad times they give "him" reason. GOD almighty is a force that drives their every move.
Now lets step back a little and look at the big picture with an open mind, what do you see? Smart, educated and bright people who worship a being that has never been proven to exist. Something that is an idea passed on by other people who came before them, something that they fear! These are people who have seen a man walk on the moon, people who use Internet, drive cars and fly on planes. These are people who fly rockets and run countries. They still believe that a being above them is judging their every move and will punish them if they stray.
I do understand the need for people to believe in something, something that makes them feel secure and safe, something that will be looking over them and protecting them. But I do not understand how reason does not get in their way of believing in GOD.
I am not saying that I one hundred percent do not believe in GOD, I am saying that it does not make sense to me and I have not seen or felt any thing to prove "his" existence to me. I doubt because I have many unanswered questions. What has GOD done for human beings in this world? Has "he" built buildings? Has "he" built cars and planes? Has "he" discovered cures for diseases? Has "he" ended slavery? No, humans have done all of that. Humans have started and ended wars, they have discovered science, art and philosophy. What has GOD done? Where is he? Why does "he" not show "himself"? For the mystery? For the fear? For the suspense? Why?! Why is it that the loving and kind GOD does not save starving children? Why does "he" not stop wars? Why does "he" not help us find a cure for cancer? Where is "he" when "his" creation is being beaten or raped by each other? Why is "he" not kind enough to help? I just do not understand! Some one please give me a rational, scientific and sane explanation.
There are only a few of us in this world who ask questions regarding GOD, our number is scarce. Part of the reason is that we are hesitant to show our faces to the rest of the world in fear of retaliation as well as being harshly judged. Another reason is for fear of being completely wrong and at the end actually burning in hell! But I am tired of living my life in the closet, I have stepped out as a doubter.
I do believe in something, and that is Goodness, the goodness of human beings. I believe that if we do good, act good, think good and be good, we will all live a beautiful life in a peaceful world. We must be good to each other because we want to build a high quality life for ourselves, not because we are afraid to burn in HELL by GOD!

Simple things in life

I Love...

Fall's first rain,
The smell of freshly cut grass,
The first sip of coffee in the morning,
The sound of falling snow,
Spending time with friends,
Running like a little child,
Jumping in the pool on a hot day,
Putting my head on my pillow at night,
Talking with family,
Knitting a scarf,
Cooking with a new recipe,
Laughing really really hard,
Feeling the sun on my body.

I Hate...

Cheap toilet paper.

To the readers

Dear Reader,

If you are a returning reader welcome back, I am humbled, honored and flattered to see that you enjoy my pieces and have come back for more. I am very excited to write for you.

If you are a new reader I welcome you to my humble corner and am very happy to be your host. My goal is to entertain you, make you laugh, get you to tear up, to educate you and to open your eyes. My goal is also to write for the joy of writing and to put my beliefs, opinions, stories and discoveries out there in the universe (a.k.a. www.).

I do have a small request that I hope you will honor and respect. I have to ask you to please do not judge me for my opinions and beliefs, they are my personal own and I am absolutely not trying to force them upon any one. Always remember that reading my blog is optional and if you ever feel offended or angered please feel free to close the page.

Please know that comments are always welcomed and encouraged. Now come in, take your shoes off, relax, help yourself to refreshments and get ready to be pleased.

Truely Yours,
Shabnam

The Return

Dear Blog,

I know that it has been a while since I talked to you, I know that you may be mad at me for neglecting you, and I truly am sorry for ignoring you for so long. I want to let you know that even though I did not communicate with you, I did not forget about you. During this time I thought about you numerous times, every time I saw some thing or some one fascinating and every time I had an interesting thought. I continued to make mental notes to tell you things, but some how it never happened. I want to update you now on some things that went on while I was not connecting with you, these are the times that I thought about you.

I finally stood up and voted in the presidential election for the first time in my life. It was a liberating and proud experience and I wanted to share it with you.

This country elected a Black President! I was overwhelmed with emotions and was ecstatic to be a part of something big and spectacular. I knew that this election and this year will go in history books that children will study in years to come. I wished that the people of a hundred years ago could see where their country and where their people are now, they would be proud. I wished that the people who fought so long and so hard for equal rights could see how things look today, they would be proud.

During Christmas our program received hundreds of brand new donated toys from caring citizens to be given to the less fortunate children whom we work with. I thought that this was amazing and very heart warming to see during the time that this country is going through a recession. I wanted to tell you about it.

One day I was killing time walking around and going into stores and I stumbled upon the oddest place. It was a big room filled with chairs facing small screens. There were teenage kids sitting on each chair with headphones on and controls in hand. The room only held the sound of clicking and every one was staring into the screen not talking or communicating in any form with one another. I was going to come home and tell you all about what technology has done to us and our kids and how I can see our machine ruled and no human contact future.

This was a quick overview of what I would have written about more extensively if I was keeping up with you. There were other topics that I wanted to share with you as well such as the bail outs, the economy, having kids and new discoveries I have had about myself, but it did not happen and I have moved on now. I do not know why I neglected you for so long, but I am returning now and ready to pour it all out once again. So get ready because I am back with more passion, more fire and more curse words baby!

Flying time

I went to Toys R Us to buy his birthday gift. As I walked through the sliding glass doors two screaming brats cut me off and almost tripped me to the ground, 3 more brats were screaming and whining in front of the entrance and two grown men were running around chasing their spoiled and screeching brats. I started looking around at the monster cars and the action figures and that was when I realized that I do not know what he likes any more. I have been away from him for so long that I do not know what he is into these days. Instead of guessing I decided to call his mother to get the latest about his likes and dislikes. I was trying to have a quiet and adult conversation on my cell phone but the screaming babies, the pointless yelling, the stupid sirens, the out of tune guitar music and the obnoxious parents prevented me to do so. So I found a quiet corner (I guess board games are not very popular) to talk. His mother directed me to an item that is sold in Best Buy, so happy that I get to get the hell out of that crazy colorful place I sped off towards an adult store. Then it hit me, I was buying his birthday present at Best Buy not Toys R Us, this means that he has grown up! When the hell did this happen?
So I walked around the store not only shocked and depressed but also confused about what this damn DS2 was and where the hell they are. I had never heard of such thing and did not even know what they looked like, so I grabbed the kid who worked at the store and asked for help. He looked at me with a smile and informed me that we were standing in the DS2 section. I smiled back and defended myself by saying that I did not know what the games looked like. At that point I did not look like an idiot any more, but I looked damn old.
By this time I was feeling shocked, depressed, confused and old! But I got myself together and picked out two games (as randomly as possible) and headed to the register. The kid behind the register greeted me and rang me up with out raising his head to look at me until he was handing me the receipt. As soon as he saw me he said: "oh, would you like a gift receipt?", translation: "you look too old to be buying DS2 games for yourself or even know what they are, so this must be a gift".
When the hell did he grow up so fast that Toys R Us is not his store any more, instead he likes things that are sold at Best Buy? When the hell did I grow so old that I do not even know what the hell these new games and gadgets are? This sucks!

Women's revolution

I was sitting in a stretch limo, sipping sparkly Champagne and having a conversation with a young lawyer who I had just met. She was a strong, independent, smart and powerful woman who lived alone and worked as an attorney in Los Angeles. During our conversation I told her about my job and she told me about hers, the ups and downs and our likes and dislikes. I told her about how I am excited and happy each and every morning when I get out of bed to get ready to go to work. She looked at me with envy as she said that she wished that she liked her job as much as I did. As she explained why she disliked her job and that this is not what she would like to do for the rest of her life, I became more and more curious. So finally I asked her a simple question of what is it that she would like to do and what her plans for the future are. The answer that she gave me fascinated and surprised me, but most of all it made me really think about and analyze something that had been on the back of my mind for quite some time. She said: "I am hoping to eventually meet some one (a man), get married, have children and raise a family". When I asked her about her career she said: "Maybe I will work part-time".
Not too long ago women's roles in the society was to get married, bear children and to have a family. They were responsible for making and keeping a comfortable and tidy home for their husband and children and to raise a happy family. A woman's job was to cook, clean, wash, tidy the house and to discipline her children. A woman's job was to be supportive of her husband and children, providing them with wise advise and love. A woman's job was to give to the society by teaching her children about values of life and getting them ready for the world. On top of all of that the women always looked pretty for their man and the rest of the society, making the world a beautiful place. In those times no one was confused about their roles as the man went out to work in order to fulfill his role as the bread winner and the woman stayed home to take care of the children and their home. So naturally the man who brought home the money had the decision making power and the woman of course obeyed her husband. It made sense, people were happy as they knew their destiny and their positions. They were content with the life that they led and the life that was what was expected from them. They lived a life identical to their parents and to their grand parents, with out surprises, with out dilemma and with out confusion.
Then one day women woke up and decided that they wanted more, they were not happy with their lives any longer and wanted a change, they wanted a revolution. They were tired of staying home and dealing with the brat's spits, poop and screeching cries, the ironing and folding of their husband's shirts and draws. They were tired of slaving over a hot stove every day and night, having vacuuming and dusting as part of their day to day routine and not being included in the exciting and fast moving world outside. They were tired of being treated differently than the men whom they lived with, so these women started fighting for choices, freedom, independence, power and equality. They figured that possibly one day they could get excited for much more than a brand new washer and dryer set or a shiny blender. So they fought hard, they struggled and even had some casualties, but they did not stop. Strong women every where pushed for independence and equal treatment using willpower instead of tears and brains instead of seduction. It took many years and a lot of burnt bras, but eventually women accomplished what they were fighting for and achieved a level that they were trying to reach.
Even though there were many setbacks and disappointments, even though inequalities and lack of fairness continue to exist, our society came a long way and adopted change. Today independent women get higher education, have high powered jobs and live alone in homes that they own. Women are no longer expected to be housewives with the duty to take care of their children and to serve their husbands. Those women who started this revolution would be proud and overjoyed if they could see us now.
After gaining this equality and power women are now working alongside men in offices and corporations carrying similar responsibilities and putting in as many hours as their male counterparts. So we wonder about who is at home taking care of the children and the house? Who is cleaning the home with love, cooking food with old family recipes, packing the children's lunches? Well, these same women are trying to do these things along side working and having careers, but it does not seem to work out as well as they imagined that it would. But with out going into how the family life and family values of our society has been hurt through this revolution, lets look at the women themselves.
Day after day more and more women are complaining about their jobs, their busy schedules and the juggling of family life and work life. They are not able to handle what they asked for and are regretting the revolution! This is not saying that women cannot handle the work force, the demands and the jobs that they are performing out there, in fact they are doing an amazing job and performing in quite an admirable manner. What this is saying is that the women continue to still desire what feels natural to them, a husband, children and a nice home for their family, however, with their new found power and equality they are not able to achieve that desire as fully as they would like. So the women are confused, they want the independence and the careers as well as the family and the old way of living. They want to be included in the working world, yet they continue to have a deep desire to do what they were originally put on this earth to do.
We have to really think about this and then we will understand that nature has a reason for every thing, so there was a reason for women to stay home, raise children and to take care of their family while men went out to work. There was something about that system which worked for thousands and thousands of years through out all of the different cultures, communities and societies of the world. Then women decided to have a revolution, burn perfectly fine bras in order to make life harder for every one, men, children and themselves. Please do not get me wrong, I am all about progress, advancement, change, growth and bettering ourselves, believe me I am just as confused myself. That is why I am questioning this evolution that has taken place with our race. Is it right? Did all of those women in the 50's, 60's and 70's go through the revolution and endured all of that hardship to get us where we are now just so that in the future women would go to universities and obtain a fine degree such as law and medicine, land a 6 figure income job and buy a home and at the end all they would want is to quit their job, get married, stay home and have children? Now tell me that that is not crazy!