Talking Heads

• As of late and as ever, everyone has something to say about every single issue that arises.

• This is a commoner practice which is good in essence if done in the right way.

• Now I am not saying that I know the right way,rather its a point of observation amongst peers, and what we could see manifesting around us everyday.

• I believe in freedom of speech of course when practised in its fine right way. But it is a virulent practice that everyone is indeed threading on a very fine line.

• If you go overboard you might find yourself akin to the evillest of perceptions and if you're not going to say anything you'd be a passive passenger on God's earth.

• A fatal mistake that many of us seemingly commit every single day without fail is that we love to lash out criticism without any substance. It's the infamously named cheap-shots that we sometime use to get back on certain issues that doesn't bode well with our train of thoughts.

"Speaking little and listening much are virtues and signs of maturity. The desire to make oneself heard at all times is a sign of spiritual imbalance and shamelessness, even if some explain it away as a form of insanity"-Fethullah Gulen

• We often let emotions cloud our judgement. It's the very microcosm to the ever perishable healthy discourse between two parties engaging in a beautiful collision of ideas. Not akin to demonize each other, but rather trying to find a common ground and if a disagreement arises, respect each others personal views.

• The very art of a healthy discussion is to never allow, at any point, your emotions get in your way.

• Yes, principals are key, but as Professor Tariq Ramadan once mentioned "Without discipline, my ego is the first jail of myself".

• This is the thin line we're threading. Often we fall prey to our own egos, getting entrapped in our own prison of our mindset, wanting to champion a debate, the negative desire to see our counterpart fall and eat their own views up.

• We claim to be wanting to correct or to amend the situation, but in essence our "words of wisdom" just made things worse. Unfortunately, intentions never justify the end of our means.

• Existence of a check and balance principality is pivotal in order to ensure we do not skew off the thin line drawn over the years by our community's psychosocial aspects.

• Nothing that I have put together in the paragraphs above have not already been playing in our very minds, it is the implementation that becomes the problem. We all know the words, the wisdom, the mechanics but what we do not know is to reach out.

• It starts with us, change our perceived thoughts, be more flexible in taking our stand and never go astray with the principals and guidance that is drawn from the Quran and authentic Hadith.

• Never allow ourselves to be caught in a maze of zealotry or even fanaticism, but instead always have an open mind with regards to issues happening in and around us.

• Finally, The populous masquerade their cerebration in such a way they each think that the world envelopes around their train of thought processes. Sadly,it does not work that way. Voice your opinions with nuance and if you find it necessary to criticize, do it, constructively with compassion lingering in your very souls and minds

• Spread peace, diffuse any form of tension that arises and educate ourselves by reading more. =) 

Antibiotics and communication skills

In the light of any controversial issue, (lets say BERSIH, PTPTN or even Mansoura socio-politics) it actually begins with a spark of an idea or a vision, from an individual or from a group of people. Behind it, lies the shadow of misinterpretation and prejudice from both supporting groups behind the issue. It seems that the value of 'Husnu zhon' (good faith) was out of the picture from the beginning. Neither groups will agree to sit down and discuss the matter rationally and objectively to find the solution, and if they even try to do so, it will be an emotional auction of hatred and may lead to an open royal rumble in the centre stage. 

Prove me wrong, and I'll treat you a full lunch set at Bakso Maha.

The main culprit for this disease, is an organism called miscommunication. It is a tiny problem but could cast a disastrous outcome, just like how streptococcus could lead to post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis in children. Leave them without antibiotics, and you'll lose the kidney. Put aside the importance of communication skills, and you'll have a chaotic society. 

Miscommunication mainly occurs when an individual or a group of people tried to deliver their idea or vision, which actually hold the potential to create a reform on the specific issue, but was poorly delivered mainly from the lack of communication skills, which at the end of the day creates a black hole of misinterpretation from the observing or opposing community.

This is where communication skill stands up as one of the most important thing in whatever you want to do in life. This includes talking to your mother in law, convincing your patient to start a new regiment of treatment, and even if we want to be a great penda'wah! which is what all of us should be as the khalifah of the world.

Therefore, I give you the first important thing that you have to know in order to master the art of communication skills - Believe in yourself! That simple. Once you have that trust, you can face anything that comes infront of you. You could even handle an impromptu speech infront of thousands of people and managed to convince them with your idea and touch their hearts with your vision. You can do it!

Footnote:

InsyaAllah, events and activities will come soon. I promise you. 

Searching for any interested writers to have their own column here!