Nov 22, 2008
Posted by arif in General | 2 comments
We’ve discussed quite a bit on this blog on the Purpose of life, the Concentration of Prayer, A totally Unique way of looking at God. However all these topics were spoken about with one major assumption, that was yet to be challenged (on this blog atleast). ie. Does God exist? What evidence do we have that there is indeed an All Powerful, All Merciful and All Just creator? Maybe the universe was not created but has always been existing. Or more likely the world came about by chance. Because no Creator, would permit be so much agony and suffering that the world is undergoing today, (the greatest hardship of all was enduring George W Bush as the US President for 8 years).
All the above questions have been beautifully addressed in this historic landmark debate between Malim Hassanain Rajabali and Dan Barker.
Here are the YouTube links:
Does God Not Exist (Part 1)
Does God Not Exist (Part 2)
Does God Not Exist (Part 3)
If you’re in a rush, the debate starts 30 minutes once the event begins, so you may comfortably forward 30 minutes into the presentation and begin watching the rest of the program from there. Looking forward to your comments below after hearing the debate.
Nov 22, 2008
Posted by arif in General | 1 comment
ALL PUNS INTENDED
(Another blog post from Nahida’s forwards).
1. Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn’t much, but the reception was excellent.
2. A jumper cable walks into a bar. The bartender says, ‘I’ll serve you, but don’t start anything.’
3. Two peanuts walk into a bar, and one was a salted.
4. A dyslexic man walks into a bra.
5. A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm, and says:’A beer please, and one for the road.’
6. Two cannibals are eating a clown. One says to the other: ‘Does this taste fnny to you?’
7. ‘Doc, I can’t stop singing ‘The Green, Green Grass of Home.’ ‘That sounds like Tom Jones Syndrome.’ ‘Is it common?’ Well, ‘It’s Not Unusual.’
8. Two cows are standing next to each other in a field. Daisy says to Dolly, ‘I was artificially inseminated this morning.’ ‘I don’t believe you,’ says Dolly. ‘It’s true; no bull!’ exclaims Daisy.
9. An invisible man marries an invisible woman. The kids were nothing to look at either.
10. Deja Moo: The feeling that you’ve heard this bull before.
11. I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day, but I couldn’t find any.
12. A man woke up in a hospital after a serious accident. He shouted, ‘Doctor, doctor, I can’t feel my legs!’ The doctor replied, ‘I know you can’t – I’ve cut off your arms!’
13. I went to a seafood disco last week…and pulled a mussel.
14. What do you call a fish with no eyes? A fsh.
15. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. The one turns to the other and says, ‘Dam!’
16. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can’t have your kayak and heat it too.
17. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel, and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office, and asked them to disperse. ‘But why,’ they asked, as they moved off. ‘Because,’ he said, ‘I can’t stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer.’
18. A woman has twins, and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt , and is named ‘Ahmal.’ The other goes to a family in Spain ; they name him ‘Juan.’ Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband responds, ‘They’re twins! If you’ve seen Juan, you’ve seen Ahmal.’
19. Mahatma Gandhi, as you kno, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him. (Oh, man, this is so bad, it’s good) ….. A super-calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.
20. And finally, there was the person who sent twenty different puns to his friends, with the hope that at least ten of the puns would make them laugh.
No pun in ten did..
Enjoyed ? Then Check out these great punny ads I came across.
A cool No Smoking sign
Another cool No smoking sign
Sign of a Travel Company
Nov 16, 2008
Posted by admin in Spirituality | 9 comments
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I know I’ve blogged about this before, but as it’s affected me so deeply, I really have to discuss it again. What’s the purpose of life? Why are we here? Why don’t we get eternal satisfaction from material pleasures? For those who’ve got everything, you can almost hear them screaming, “Dammit, I’m always travelling first class, I’ve got men & women fawning about me all the time, I’ve can buy anything that I ever want, but so what? What’s the point of it all? It’s so meaningless.” Â
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Between 1990 and 2000 the Chinese saw an incredible boom in their economy such that millions were pulled up out of poverty to earn a decent living wage. However, in 1990 28% of Chinese people described themselves as very happy, but by 2000 this figure had dropped to 12%. (Source). We don’t have to go to China for examples, a look at our own lives is sufficient. India is having a boom of it’s own. Many have experienced new found wealth which they didn’t have before. Especially those who have lived the 1970’s and 80’s in India, many are now exceptionally well off. Rate yourself (or your parents) on a scale of 1 to 10 your level of happiness then and your level of happiness now. Is it much different? Were you severely depressed then and deliriously happy now?Â
So if health & wealth is not the source of ALL happiness then what use are they? Well these are not the source of happiness, but the tools to help us achieve eternal bliss. To quote Imam Ghazzali’s Analogy, our life in this world is like that of a person (let’s call him Abdul) going for pilgrimage on a camel. Without his camel, Abdul certainly wouldn’t be able to complete his obligatory journey. However, what would be his plight, if he cares for his camel (feeds it, clothes it, gives it adequate rest & relaxation) but has forgotten the purpose of setting off on his ride in the first place. He just wanders along the desert, trying his best to keep his camel in as good humor as a camel can be. Soon Abdul’s steed grows his old, his faithful camel cannot support his master’s burden anymore. And drops off and dies. Leaving his master alone and stranded in the desert. Miles away from his home, and even further away from his destination. Â
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The story of those of us who are searching for Eternal Bliss or Meaining of Life in wealth, fame, material objects is not much different from Abdul’s story. Just like Abdul we have forgotten the purpose of our journey and are fully focussed on our wealth, health, status, which are mere tools/vehicles which are there to help us complete our voyage. They are not the purpose of it. So what’s the purpose of our journey/voyage? Abdul’s was to complete his spiritual pilgrimage. Ours is the same.
