I Beleive

1:30
I Believe: Afghanistan

I believe that the religion of Afghanistan, Islam, is part of the reasoning why the country is in the situation it’s in today. Religion has always been a huge part of life and history in this world. People need a way to live their lives; some prefer a set of rules to follow for everyday life. Some are brought into their religion by birth and where they live; where others have the luxury of choosing the religion, which they prefer to follow. In any case, religion is a way of life which people tend to become very attached and close to. Some will sacrifice their lives for it, and gain religious pride for their religion against others, creating ignorance of other religions, which can cause wars, like many religious wars which we have seen throughout history. This ignorance can be seen as religious pride where people cannot compromise with other religions because they cannot accept any other religion but their own. Afghanistan is certainly not the first to have religious pride stifling their view of the modern world, and religion is certainly not the only reason for their present situation, however that is the point which I’m focusing on.
I believe that a reason why Afghanistan is in its situation today is partly because of the nature of their religion. When religion is put first priority in a nation, as it is in Afghanistan, sometimes too much power is put in religion’s hands. People must remember that in this modern age, religion does not solve all problems. Reality must be considered as well to ensure success on an international and political level.
Sometimes, religion can bring a nation together; give its people a sense of togetherness and organization. However, sometimes religion can be a country’s weakness, as in Afghanistan’s case. When the people of a country make religion their first priority in daily life as well as in government issues, I believe that religion becomes their way of life, and they become deeply attached to it. The spiritual being and connection people have with their god or gods is one that I think is hard for some non-religious people to fully understand. It is a good thing for the individual because it gives him a way to live and something to believe in day to day, however, it is a bad thing when religious people become close-minded to other religions and therefore ignorance is induced. I believe that people who are deeply religious sometimes think that their religion is the only way, causing them to be unaccepting and ignorant of other countries and their ways of life and/or religions. This means that countries of opposing or simply different religions cannot compromise with each other, which leads to war and violence. This religious pride and the resulting wars in places like the Middle East today can be compared in some ways with nationalism in Europe in the late 1700’s/early 1800’s. The religious struggles in Europe during that time, along with a highly increased sense of nationalism in some countries, caused them to butt-heads with neighboring countries, just as Afghanistan is experiencing today. Religious pride within a country, much like nationalism, can give a nation a sense of pride for their history and culture. It can also bring out conflict and wars such as the wars on terrorism, as well as the struggles between Afghanistan and its neighboring countries (e.g. Israel) today.
Another reason for which I think religion was the cause of Afghanistan’s present situation is the nature of their religion. Its strict religion has made its people submissive in a way to modern ways in a changing world. Religion is all that the people of Afghanistan know, they worship the Koran, with more than 90% of the population being having strong religious values. This makes it easy for groups and leaders (e.g. Taliban, Saddam Hussein, and the U.S. troops) to take control of the society, because of the lacking political view of the country due to historical issues which were never resolved, leaving the Middle East at unrest still today. Their incredible devotion to their religion makes them easily swayed politically. Sometimes, religion can let close-mindedness get in the way of reality and the long-term goals and success of the country as a whole on the international level. Also, religious wars can make the country even weaker than it was before by hurting the economy, the morale, and the daily lives of the people. This has happened to Afghanistan, making the country weaker and less powerful than before. However, as I stated before, religion is a way of life for the people, it is a powerful, spiritual entity, which I believe can be used to Afghanistan’s benefit in repairing the country, if used in the right way. If the Afghanistan people can organize themselves and use their religion to their benefit, I believe they have a chance at repair, revival, and survival in this ever-changing world. They have such a strong relationship with religion and such a high number are religious, that they have opportunity for strong nationalism. If they all band together and take pride in their nation, religion and culture, I believe they have hope at successful future for their country, but the U.S. troops are not helping to resolve any of the old issues, they are simply creating more violence. I believe the people of Afghanistan must take their own leadership on how to run the country in order to reach peace and comprimise. After all, a recent news poll at CNN stated that 78% of Afghanistan people liked their lives before U.S. troops came in the country better than with the U.S. troops there.
I believe that Afghanistan was put in its situation today for several reasons. First, their submissive nature and religion based society suppresses the power of the people to hold back incoming groups or leaders who try to organize and control the people. Second, the Afghanistan people are bred to ONLY follow and fulfill their religious path in life; all other purposes are either prohibited or looked down upon. This makes it hard for them to accept any new ideas and suppresses change which could possible benefit the society. Lastly, strong feelings of religious pride and close-mindedness brought out war among people and countries in the Middle East. I believe that there is hope, however for the Afghanistan people. If they can use their powerful religion to their benefit to organize themselves politically, than they can be successful as a people, as a country, and as an international player in the modern world.

Haiku

Soft blanket of snow
Memories lingering still
caress a cold corpse

Ancient Voices Egypt

Your words, dear man, are as sacred to me
As the invigorating and inspiring trips to holy land,
As the endless truth I taste in your kiss,
As the warmth of the fire pit to one coming home
From the harsh winds of the street.

It is like a fresh fish to the mouths of the hungry,
Like the raw beauty I see in the work of true artisans,
Like a moist fruit which explodes its wonderful juices into my thirsty mouth.

While swift days will come and go
I will turn to you, my secret lover,
To calm my stresses, and to heighten my senses.
And I shall keep running to you, in lust and happiness
But the new moon brings woman’s worst fear:
Choosing between two lords
Having a sort of love for both of them.

My mind rejoices, my heart suffers
As it is stretched and pulled,
Torn and sewn back together,
In my quest to find true love.

The frigid, dark moon quickly turned into a hot, wild sun in a stunning winter sunrise in the ancient Egyptian city of Sechet-Hemat. A close nit family consisting of the mother, who was extremely sick and barely got out of her bed, Amulet, the stunningly beautiful daughter, and Rameses, the father, who was killed in the great storm of Imhotep when Amulet was just a child. Amulet rose with the sun, and began her household duties. Her long trip to the well was exceptionally pleasant this morning; the crisp air whipping against her soft cheek complemented the rising heat nicely.
In their modest, single-room brick home, close to the tomb site of the village, Amulet often cooked and ate on the easily accessible flat rooftop of her home. She prepared breakfast as usual, and loyally served it to her mother in her bed. As they ate, they talked of social, political, and personal issues; easily mistakable for two best friends. They told each other everything; Rameses’ death had brought them closer than they had ever been before.
Akh, Amulet’s faithful companion since childhood, loved her divinely and spent every moment he could with his beautiful girlfriend. Her love for him became overlooked in recent days, as her thoughts drifted more towards her mother and her concentration on him diminished considerably. They still had a bond which was unbreakable, since they grew up in the same town together. Amulet was fearless, though, which often times frightened Akh that her eyes would stray. He thought correctly, for that is exactly the base of this story; Amulet’s decision between her loyal companion of many years, and her addicting affairs with Seti, her secret lover.
No one knew about Amulet and Seti, not a soul. Except for mother, but knowing her condition, Amulet was confident that the information would stop at mother’s lips. Maybe it was Amulet’s ignorant, youthful nature (she was merely 20 years old) which drew her into such a mess as this affair. Nevertheless, she knew love and she definitely knew lust, and her passions for the two are what pushed her eyes to wander from loyal Akh.
Seti was a strong, handsome, tall man with invitingly dark features. The moment Amulet laid her eyes on him, she had to have him. The fact that she consequently questioned her feelings for Akh, though, shook her to the bone. Never had she had questioning feelings about her love for Akh before. However, she knew what she wanted, and she wanted Seti.
Her mother listened intuitively, fully embracing everything her daughter spilled out onto the bed. She empathized with Amulet and provided comfort for her.
“Seeing Akh’s passionate face gets me through the day, but the feel of Seti’s fingers to my skin brings me peace of mind and insurmountable pleasures. The balance I maintain between the two men calms me, but the betrayal wrenches my soul.”
A knock on the door distracted them from their conversation. Amulet opened the door, relieved to see Akh’s smiling face on the other side.
“Let’s take a walk, my love. I have much to tell you about my plans for the summer.”
She happily obliged, cleaned her breakfast plates and then departed for the walk that would change her life. Akh spoke of long travels to foreign lands where gold and riches were more abundant than they were in Egypt. They talked all afternoon, Akh trying to convince Amulet to come with him in his travels, so that they could grow old together in some foreign village far away. She was flattered to say the least, but could not make a decision before consulting her mother, who depended on Amulet for survival.
That night, lying in bed, Amulet’s thoughts were deep in distant travels, cotton robes, and gold galore as she considered Akh’s offer. Just then, she heard a whisper at her window, and to her delight, it was Seti. Happy to break from her busy mind, Amulet went with Seti to the fields and they slept together that night under the stars. Early that morning, in the magical time before morning settles in, yet after the night has already left, Seti confessed his love for her under the disappearing stars. Her heart fluttered, and her mind wanted to explode. So caught up in her feelings was she that she couldn’t choose on her own. She loved both of these men, but in different ways, she explained to her mother the next day. Her mother obviously was aware of her affairs, but did not know of the seriousness of it.
Her mother had one thing to say: “The love of a childhood friend is more potent and pure than the love of a thousand lovers combined.”
Amulet was crushed by her mother’s advice, but knew it was all to true. Her betrayal to honest Akh had gone on too long. Her heart was crushed and exhausted, yet she knew what she had to do.