The Ramadan Journey

The 9^th of August marked the end of Ramadan and the beginning of Eid. Across the world Muslims were celebrating Eid with their families and had a much needed feast after the month long fast. The actual end of Ramadan was supposed to be on the 8^th of August but due to unpleasant weather conditions in Cape Town the moon was not fully sighted. I for one was counting the days on my calendar and of course I got it wrong .The fast can end only after the crescent moon is sighted 
the moon was sighted on the 8^th and hence Eid was on the 9th.

During the month of Ramadan it was very hard to keep myself from eating food and drinking beverages (yes, including water) during the day, knowing very well that I had full access to them. When I woke up each morning, I would pray that God would not lead me into temptation. I also asked that those whom I knew would be blessed by what I was going through. Now Ramadan is not only about starving yourself, but also about keeping yourself away from all forms of temptation and impurity. It is a spiritual journey that leads one to getting closer to God and gain a better understanding of His word, better view of the world and yourself. Not only that but a test of faith. During my time of reflection, meditation and prayer there were a few topics that came to my attention.

1. 1.  Forgiveness:

One must not only forgive others but also themselves. I realized that my progress in life was hindered by me not forgiving myself and to some degree holding my faults against myself. I also began to search in my mind and think about all the people whom I have not forgiven and those that I have wronged. After this realization I made contact with those that needed to hear me tell them that they were forgiven.

1. 2.  Tolerance and acceptance

My levels of patience have never been so high than they were during the month. My mind was less concerned with the foolishness of others and less awe of the mistakes they made. I really didn't care about seeking the faults of others but rather vested myself in understanding the person behind the action. Being put out of my comfort zone pushed me into a state of making an effort to understand what the other person was going through.

1. 3.   Selflessness

The fast was definitely not all about me and what I was going through. I remembered a church service that I attended one Sunday morning and the message I received from that particular sermon highlighted that there will always be the poor among us and as people it is up to us not to turn a blind eye. Poverty is not only of wealth or money but also of the mind and social life.  

1. 4.   Humanity and humility

During the final week I attended a talk given by Professor Kramm, the dean of the natural sciences faculty at the University of Stellenbosch, who spoke of the role of Muslim student in the university. He said many profound things which deserve to be compiled in a separate blog post, the one thing I left reminded of was that the bottom line is humanity and humility, treating others as you would yourself. One should practice their religion within reason and not extremity because in that way we will be able to live cohesively no matter what religion we practice.

At the end of Ramadan, Muslim families gather together to celebrate Eid (The end of Ramadan). None of my family members practice Islam and I had no one to celebrate with. I however made a connection with Adli Peck, a Muslim student at the University of Stellenbosch and also the chair-person of the Islamic Society of the University of Stellenbosch who invited me to an Eid Supper on campus. Adli left the Eid celebrations with his family and traveled all the way from Cape Town to Stellenbosch, which is about 55 km away or about 1 hour's drive, just to provide an Eid supper for us. That was selfless and I am grateful for that. Oh and his mom’s cooking is BAWS!

That evening good food was served (finally), Muslim students came together, brethren enjoyed the end of Ramadan and most importantly I was in the company of people who had endured a similar spiritual journey. The days spent fasting brought many blessings and of course many challenges. I thank God for the patience, lessons, blessings, wisdom and courage he gave me. I am grateful to my friends (Mpho, Lesego and Allison) who joined me in the fast, my family who offered me support in the fast (despite Ramadan not being part of our religious or spiritual practices), ISUS, Adli and to you the reader of this blog post for allowing me to share The Ramadan journey with you.  

God bless you.

1st week of Ramadan

Ramadan is the holy month of fasting and prayer in the Islamic faith. Every year Muslims across the world engage in a dry fast and also proceed to do good works and charity. Read for yourself. Since I was a teenager I would hear people speaking about Ramadan and understood only that it was a month of fasting. In my mind it seemed to be a month of not eating a single thing and doing nothing wrong, not even killing an irritating fly. I also came to learn about lent which is a 40 day fast, in some Christian denominations, or  giving up of certain luxuries. This period runs from Ash Wednesday till the eve of Easter. Read for yourself. Still even knowing all of this I had never engaged in any of these fasting periods in my life. I am a Christian and from time to time I do fast but had never prepared myself nor have I made an attempt to fast for longer than a week.

At the beginning of the year I made a decision to engage in Ramadan. I prepared my mind by telling it that this year is the year in which I do it and no matter what I will do it. I told the people close to me that yes I am doing Ramadan this year. I gathered information about it the calendar, the times and the protocol. Since I am not a Muslim I will fast and pray in the way that I know.

The first seven days.

I will be honest the first day of Ramadan was quite unbearable. I would look at the time and had the urge to rush it forward so that I could break the fast and eat something before my stomach’s grumble blows the building. While running a few errands, I walked past many fast food restaurants that all had promotions on their lunch time specials. I met an acquaintance who politely invited me for a chat and some coffee.  It seemed like torture in an open chamber where the captured can roam as he wills but not permitted to eat as he wanted to. As the day progressed I would pray that I should not be tempted to eat the next little piece of bread that came to sight. On the other hand I realised that during the time of fast my mind was already tuned into not-eating and hence it had enough capacity to focus on the daily tasks at hand. I became more productive as the week went by and put more ideas into action than I did in the last month. My acceptance towards people became better and I found it easier to converse with people.

The first seven days of Ramadan were possible not only due to my mind being in a good place and the spirit of God spurring me onward and forward but also due to the support of those close to me and those who accepted that I am fasting. Point of clarity: many people believed (and some still do) that I am a Muslim or am converting to the Islamic faith. Well... I am not. However I am fasting and praying to God who is in heaven. Then the question begs why you are fasting in the month of the Muslims and to Allah. The simple response: I believe there is only one God, though there are many religions, and this time of fast is my journey in the path of spiritual enlightenment and getting closer to Him. I digress. The next 3 weeks will be challenging and also filled with many temptations. I am optimistic that at the end of Ramadan all will be well, Inshallah as the Muslims would say meaning as God wills it.

 

A world with COLOUR

I wonder would it be possible for us South Africans to be able to live without classifying everything racially? when one quarrels about why they do not receive service the race card pops up. When a person gets followed in a store and the attendant politely says ' Sorry, please don't touch that ' the next set of words you can expect to hear is ' Is it because I am ______ ' [I don't want to say it, but you can finish off the sentence for me]. There is also the instance i have personally witnessed.  A lady asks 'Why is it so expensive?, are you trying to charge me extra because I am_____' [Another one...] . Every time the racial card is thrown in unnecessarily I actually feel like leaving or even puking.

I won't be oblivious and say that racism does not exist. In some people it is live and vigilant, some even choose to express it openly. What these and most people are doing is only recreating misery and brewing hatred, which will ultimately lead to insensitivity, oblivion and foolishness. The energies that people spend on brewing  hatred and disgust for a group of people will result in wasted efforts and a derailed focus on the beauty and esscence of life.

 

I came across a video that documented two families. The one family, now living in poverty, was saying that the apartheid era was good for them and life was better then. The other family said that life is better for them at present. The first family were too focused on what the government has done and how they were dissatisfied with its system was not catering for them. Th second family said they were now well off because of some of the decisions they made and the opportunities they grasped with the change of governance. when I saw this video I thought to myself  '...again, why is it about black and white?' Couldn't the focus have been on the real issue 'opportunity lost and opportunity gained', 'rich and poor', 'transforming from the old to the new', or even 'how can the newly rich South Africans help those living in the past'.

Transformation is a process and if we allow it to take place pain and suffering will soon be extinguished. History has a tendency of repeating itself. it is done so by people who have not sought to find a new way of addressing a problem, but rather by reinventing the problem. In the end we are caught in a web and the generations that follow simply follow suit.

I want to live in a South Africa that rates me according to my efforts, and the work I have done. Where people base their opinions on my actions and not on misconceived perceptions of my culture.I want to live in a South African where there is no blame on me just because of the actions of a person who merely speaks the same language as I. This may seem as a far fetched fantasy, yet still I will strive for its reality.

Instead of  magnifying the difference in pigmentation, we should aim to better our already economically challenged society. Our energies should not be devoted to oppress another, rather they should be channeled to build our lives and make our families and this country a better place to live in. I challenge myself and I challenge you to begin living with the intent of creating a better bigger picture

Stay BLAq

TL4-the future

Be BLAq

BLAq is not a colour. It is a concept that most of us know yet have forgotten. As children we were taught to be imaginative and be all that we want to be. We were inspired by what we saw and believed in the possibilities, rather that the unattainability of what we imagined. As we grew older, we let the world conform us and make us what we are not. We submitted to ideals that aimed at making us  followers rather than leaders, achievers and dreamers, return to BLAq!

BLAq is an acronym that stands for Believe Love And conquer

Believe:[Vision]

Believe in God. Though some may debate this, there is a God (or some higher power). Many may think that spirituality is an unimportant thing in one's life, but it is one of the most essential. Your connection with God makes the difference between an ordinary person and a person with a presence, charisma, zeal and uniqueness; its the essence of a person's drive and motivation for life. Though others may say 'you are nothing' believe in yourself. you are a powerful being who can do anything. You can be who you want to be, the first step to being is to believe. believe in your abilities, believe in the great possibilities that your mind contains. 

Hey it is your vision nothing can stop your from visualizing!

Love[Commitment]

There are so many definitions of 'love', mine is : "A deep devotion and care that one has for a person, creature, object or activity". Show passion and commitment to your goals, activities and the things you care about. If one really loves something they take extra precaution in ensuring its condition is preserved. do not be afraid to do the same. Love is a beautiful thing and it has become 'hard to find' because the basic values of love have been forgotten. Love does still exist, it resides in you. Let it show

Conquer[Action]

No matter where you are (besides heaven) you will always encounter problems. Adopt a different paradigm and see 'problems' as Challenges. Since you believe and love  now its time to conquer. Face and conquer your fears, your failures and your challenges. The passion and drive which you posses will often lead you to triumph over any obstacle. Make the committed effort and heart felt effort, you have nothing t lose and a whole lot to gain. Be good at what you do and be yourself for if you are not you, then who are you ?

BLAq is not about race, its about a different paradigm, its not about slang its about being the you that you can be. Hope this post did not lecture you but rather challenged you to inspire yourself. to be a better you.


Stay BLAq



TL4-the future


Add me on  Facebook , Twitter and Myspace I appreciate your input

This is my view

This is my first blog (and certainly  not my last) it might contain 'speling erorz' but who cares, as long as you will try to understand me. When reading my posts I would appreciate a little patience, I am trying to channel my mushed up thoughts in a format that can be understood by every mortal.

I will give frequent updates of the problems encounter, challenges I meet, beautiful sights, sounds and basically anything and everything that makes my life what it is. I promise I will add an appropriate picture and give a bit more information about who I am.

NOW: Lets get started-what is TL4 ?

I was born with the name Tlhalefo (from the Sotho language spoken in Southern Africa) Nhlakanipho (from the Zulu language spoken in Southern Africa) which means knowledge in English. Later I was named after my father Sibusiso (Blessing). Everyone called me Tlhalefo, my relatives school mates and friends. The pronunciation of this name is quite intricate if you don't naturally speak the Sotho language. I have heard so many different versions of the name and people involuntarily abuse this name so I decided to abbreviate it. hence my name is TL4 simple to pronounce not complicated.

I hope everyone will give me a response and opinions about my blogs. add me on facebook http://www.facebook.com/tl4thefuture

stay blaq [I'll explain this in my next blog]

TL4-the future