November 7, 2006
Entry #1 - Defining Moments - Making the Right Choices For my first journal entry - during this time of Thanksgiving - I was having these thought on those moments in our lives that define us and our path.
I believe God or “the Universe” continues to give us defining moments. Sometimes these events are joyous, and sometimes they are tragedies. What is important at these defining moments is that we make the right choices. When we do that we are literally able to manifest a miracle or produce transformation in ourselves and others.
So how do we make the right choice? Through my own experiences I have learned that I cannot make the right choice relying on the mind because it is biased. I cannot make the right choice using just the heart because it is emotional. So neither the mind nor the heart by themselves are reliable faculties. I believe the right choice can only be made through the clarity, wisdom and omnipresence of the soul. So how do we determine a thought originates from the mind, an emotion or the soul?
I’ve pondered this. Here is my suggestion – when you are confronted with a defining moment and need to make a choice, first check in with your mind and see if the choice makes sense – is it logical? Then move your awareness to your heart and see if it feels good – like the feeling of love. And then move into an awareness of something bigger – your soul – and see if the choice you wish to make is inspirational – will it inspire others to do the something great? If the choice checks on all three, it is the right choice.
It is my strong conviction that if people use the above process, they will transform their lives and the lives of others. I know this because the choice I made in dealing with Tariq’s death has transformed me to become a better person.
Thank you Tariq – I love you dearly. Happy Thanksgiving.
December 5, 2006
Entry #2 - What Will it Matter - Choosing a Life that Matters
I so enjoyed this piece of writing, written by Michael Josephson. What Will Matter...
Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no days, no hours or minutes.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear.
So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans, and your to-do lists will all expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won't matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived.
It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant, your gender, skin color, ethnicity will be
irrelevant.
So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you brought, but what you built; Not what you got, but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage, and sacrifice that enriched or
empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew,
But how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.
What will matter is not of your memories, but the memories of those who loved you.
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.
Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.
It's not a matter of circumstance, but of choice.
Choose a life that matters...
January 9, 2007
Entry #3 - "The Heavenly Call" Poem
Here is an entry from Jim Ellis; he was inspired by the work we do promoting peace and forgiveness through TKF. THE HEAVENLY CALL By James Anthony Ellis And we will stand strong, in your memory, The memory of a loving brother And we will walk the pathway of peace, Together, with each other And we will recall the longing cry of the young, The longing cry of the wild And we will remember how every adult Carries the innocence of the child And we will do these things in the battle hymn - A song that echoes your name And we will hold within our hearts, the deepest truth - We are all the same
Yes, we'll do it for you Tariq You took a bullet for us all So that we could rekindle and remember So that we could heed the heavenly call Yes we'll do it for you, for every soul, For every fallen friend So that we may soothe the broken hearts So that we can heal What there is to mend
And we will reveal to children your character, your plight, Your empowering life story And we will remind them of their choices, to bring about An exalted divine glory And we will go to schools, and speak before audiences - The young and the old And we will tell a tragic tale, one that, Sadly, must be told Yet we will include the happy ending - A transformation from lost to found And we will point towards forgiveness, towards that Illumined higher ground And we will pray for you, your sojourn, the journey Of every living thing And we will once again - with all of humanity - Dance, rejoice and sing
Yes we'll do it for you, for every soul, For every fallen friend So that we may soothe the broken hearts So that we can heal What there is to mend We'll do it for you Tariq Your spirit has touched us all May we rekindle, reminisce and always remember May we forever heed the heavenly call May we forever heed the heavenly call January 10, 2007 Entry #4 - A Peace Formula from Azim Sustained good will creates friendship. Sustained friendship creates trust.
Sustained trust creates compassion.
Sustained compassion creates peace.
March 6, 2007
Entry #5 - My Philosophy of Life by Tariq Khamisa
I have many aphorisms that I base my life on. Out of them I have picked six which I feel highlight my morals and self-worth best.
My first aphorism that I live by is “Hang in there when the odds are against you.” I feel that this quote has helped me a lot in all the things I do, especially in school and in sports. In wrestling this quote has helped me out a lot. Especially when you’re matched up against that really good wrestler who’s pinned everyone. This quote lets you know to tough it out even though the odds aren’t in your favor, and a lot of the times when you do this you do end up coming out ahead when you were sure you weren’t going to succeed.
My second aphorism is “Treat people the way you would want to be treated.” This is very important to me. I feel you should treat everyone with respect, and in return you will be treated with it. I feel that you should be kind to people and in general treat them the way you know you would want to be treated.
My third aphorism that I live by is “Give life your best effort.” I feel this is so important to me because if you always give life your best effort, in your mind you’ll never be a failure. If you always give your 110% you know you’re trying your hardest and that gives you a good feeling of satisfaction even if you don’t always come out ahead.
My fourth aphorism is “Use your time wisely.” I feel time not spent doing useful things, is time wasted. I live by this aphorism because I feel time is the most precious commodity known to man, because once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. Time is one thing you can never get back once its gone, so you should always spend your time wisely.
My fifth aphorism that I feel is a big part of my life is “It is all right to be disappointed but a winner can never allow himself to be discouraged.” This aphorism allows you to face the trials and tribulations of life, and still be able to walk with your head up. Failure is unavoidable, but you have to be able to move on and getting discouraged won’t help you at all!
The sixth and last aphorism that I feel is important to me is “Living by giving.” I feel it is much better to give then to receive. It makes you feel so good to be able to give things to people, not only material things but special things. Perhaps a warm smile to that person who’s having a bad day or some good advice to a person with a problem. Giving is a wonderful thing and I urge all of you to try it. It doesn’t take much and it will give you a wonderful feeling of satisfaction.
These are six of the aphorisms that I base my life on. It means a lot to me to follow these aphorisms, and I try my utmost to. I hope you enjoyed my essay, but more, I hope you learned something valuable from it. I hope maybe now you look upon life in a different light then you did in the past.
Love You Dad,
Tariq
July 5, 2007
Entry #6 - Inspiring Quotes, Compiled by Azim Khamisa
Marianne Williamson -'Fear'"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn't serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that
other people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest
the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously
give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others. Marianne Williamson, 'A Return to Love' p.190 RalphWaldoEmerson-'LifeSuccess' "To laugh often and love much;
To earn the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To find the best in others;
To give of oneself;
To leave the world a bit better,
whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch,
or a redeemed social condition;
To have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived-
this is to have succeeded." Ralph Waldo Emerson
W. H. Murray-'Commitment'"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness.
Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of
which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself,
then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never have otherwise
occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of
unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamt would
have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets: 'Whatever you can
do or dream, you can begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.'' W. H. Murray- Mount Everest climber
GeorgeB.Shaw-'A MightyPurpose'
"This is the true joy of life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one:
the being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances
complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.I am of the opinion that my
life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for
its own sake. Life is no 'brief candle' to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for
the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." George Bernard Shaw
'The Final Analysis' People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered.
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish or ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you.
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone may destroy overnight.
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may just not be enough.
Give the world the best you have anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it's all between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway! Mother Theresa The 12 Symptoms of Inner Peace 1. A tendency to think and act deliberately, rather than from fears based on past experiences. 2. An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment. 3. A loss of interest in judging others. 4. A loss of interest in judging self. 5. A loss of interest in conflict. 6. A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others. 7. A loss of ability to worry. 8. Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation. 9. Contented feelings of connectedness with others and nature. 10. Frequent attacks of smiling through the heart. 11. Increased susceptibility to kindness offered, and the uncontrollable urge to reciprocate. 12. An increasing tendency to allow things to unfold , rather than resisting and manipulating. Peace Pilgrim
October 5, 2007
Entry #7 - Student at a VIF Post TKF Assembly
Sorrow
Pain
Disbelief
Pools of water or
Hot tears of happiness they are both the same.
To cry is to forgive and let go of anger,
But ‘tis never to forget
Cry, cry, cry
Memories and feelings of pain.
To feel what it could be to truly forgive.
Evaporate the tears ’till all is gone,
But the seed of life to plant and watch grow
The sprouts grow faster with love and care.
Heaven they call
“Come to let us greet you”
And reach toward the
angels and pray for forgiveness.
Everyday after preach what you learn from embracing the story that is the life of a loved one.
Bouncing back two marbles collide over water to skid back and sink
A bit closer each year from help with the tide and fish.
Till once again together rise up on each other.
Become a ladder to get away from emptiness and pain.
Always a scar on your heart.
Gradually repair.
Turn the bolt to the right, away from wrong.
Until the car is brand new and ready to use to drive away to the sunset and past.
Cross the ocean away to the happy place.
Hug your home
Love mankind or be sent away.
Make a mistake; it’s ok; everyone can forgive. Forgive me please, these
words on the paper mean everything when said, but nothing without
emotion.
No meaning at all to someone with a heart that can’t forgive.
The arrow pierces the center, sucking out all poison in the world.
Happy and free, these words they must
be to retire from the world’s cool, soft lips.
Mother Nature take over, heal the world from sorrow and pain.
Show us forgiveness, you are our teacher, our friend, and our home.
Save us from ourselves, from drowning in violence, from drowning from anger and pain.
But if we must go, let everyone know we are sorry for the pain, so forgive
while you can and know you can change to feel the way you want. To feel
pure, holy, and clean never give up; your family loves you. Your family
is the world and all the people on it.
December 25, 2007
A Quote from Peace Pilgrim "You are now in control of your life. You see, the ego is never in control.
The ego is controlled by wishes for comfort and convenience on the part of the body,
by demands of the mind, and by outbursts of the emotions. But the higher nature controls
the body and the mind and the emotions. I can say to my body, "Lie down there on that
cement floor and go to sleep," and it obeys. I can say to my mind,
"Shut out everything else and concentrate on this job before you," and it's obedient.
can say to my emotions, "Be still, even in the face of this terrible situation," and they are still.
It's a different way of living. The philosopher Thoreau wrote:
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps he hears a different drummer.
And now you are following a different drummer--the higher nature instead of the lower."
- Peace Pilgrim
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