Finding Your Identity Hurts...All of Us

Bullying is not a recent phenomenon; it has been around for ages--ask Mussolini. Far too often we witness horrible acts due to bullying such as school shootings and suicides, especially among teenagers. Although bullying is coherently the problem, indirectly it’s all our fault. The problem is that we try too hard finding our identity--trying to find a place somewhere and some of us get left out. For instance, in High School, we try very hard to fall into a category [not necessarily intentional] and we end up as jocks, preps, sluts, rednecks, nerds, and etc. Actually, no; it’s much deeper than that. We end up as guys that play football, guys that pretend to be athletic and play lacrosse, nerds that learn C++ and nerds that play Magic in the library, girls that have tattoos, girls that smoke, and girls that have tattoos and smoke. This list is only partial. [The list I compiled here is as partial as the stars in our galaxy compared to all the stars in the universe.] 

Okay, that may be an exaggeration. But, it’s close enough.

Whatever forces that are working in our lives, are compelling us to join “sects” as a way to define ourselves. However, that is also limiting us mentally, emotionally, intellectually, and physically. We refuse anything/anyone that refutes our defining selves which leads to shunning. Let’s say someone at work or school wore a turtleneck everyday with white chinos. Most people would probably avoid that person because of their appearance alone. 

I used to try to find a place in high school like most kids. 

I gave that up when I got to college. [Inadvertently]

I don’t try to adopt an image. I don’t care to appease tendencies based off of factors, whether societal or cultural. I do what I like/want to do because I like/want to do it. In College, I followed the NBA religiously [I could give you the names of every player and where they play] and played Dungeons and Dragons [yes, the role-playing game] and Sopio [If you don’t know what Sopio is, I proved my point]

Want more? I’ll show you. These are a few of my interests:

My Yankee Candles

My Jordans

Some of my Books

Some of my Video games

A map of Skyrim on my wall

A poster of cars on my wall

My WVU football jersey (I went to Pitt)

My Bath and Body Works hand soap

Sadly, our shape is induced by external forces and a lot of today’s problems come from that [i.e.; drunk driving]. But, I'm not saying to be different because that is another category. Rejecting the expected may be a more proper thesis, here.

If you reject what is expected of you, people may begin to think you are strange. 
But, who cares? 

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A Problem with Islam Today

The lovely Erykah Badu

What's wrong with Islam these days?

Erykah Badu’s most recent concert has been canceled in Malaysia over a tattoo she has on her body. Officials in Malaysia [a muslim-majority country] claim that tattoos are forbidden in Islam. Of course, news outlets also claim this theology. 

BBC reported: “Tattoos are forbidden in Islam...”

Yet, searching for any mention of tattoos as a sin in the Quran leads to nowhere.The idea comes from the Hadith which is a supplement book to the Quran and represents some behaviors of the Prophet Muhammed [Peace be upon him]. Before I go on, let me mention the the Quran does not mention that Muslims should mimic Prophet Muhammed’s behavior or foresaw another holy book as the Hadith. If you don’t believe me; ask yourself how many wives did the Prophet have and how many wives are allowed in Islam? [More than one wife could be conditional, but is debatable] 

According to that same Hadith, plucking of the eyebrows is also a sin.

Please! Only an asinine person would take that serious. However, I know for a small proportion of Muslims, the only differences between today and 599 A.D. are guns and oil [maybe the hijab]. 

And this is the problem in Islam. We never had a council of Nicaea. There is no Pope of Islam. There are not dozens of different sects that break up the religion by slightly different beliefs or political factions. Thus, when a group of benighted Muslims decide that tattoos are forbidden, they expect the rest of the Islamic world to follow and most do. The only mention of tattoos comes from a guy who said another guy said that the Prophet forbade it. Let’s come to our senses; if tattoos were an essential part of the culture to the Arabs that doctrine the Hadith as the Burqa, they would not have forbade it---I’m sure a Saudi dignitary would actually have a Fatwa in a similar manner as the Burqa stating: The correct view of Islam is that Tattoos must be present on a person’s body. 

The correct view? No, that’s your view. 

One must ignore other views to know what Islam truly is. Read and study the Quran. Most importantly, understand the history and the context. Philosophize an alternative and refuse any dogmatic views. You can’t view the whole picture by looking at one corner. Reciting the Surahs of the Quran and following the words of your elders will not make you a believer [In Islam, no one is allowed to claim that they represent God’s word].  

I know that there are people that will say that I am an ignorant human being that constantly explores and invents things that I am aware of. But how is that any different than Sharia law, fatwas, and even the Hadith? How is that different from you? 

A PhD in Islam is not excuse.

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Kobe: The Greatest Being Ever

Number 24 of the Los Angeles Lakers:
Kobe "Black Mamba" Bryant

Kobe, Kobe, Kobe...

Let’s be honest; Kobe Bryant is the greatest basketball player ever. Having said that, I expect the floodgates to open and the roars of men and women carrying pitchforks and torches come my way. But, settle down. Before we address MJ, let’s discuss the other culprits. For those who say Lebron “King” James, you deserve to get your face slapped off. For those who say Kevin Durant, I have never seen a toothpick win a championship. Now Michael Jordan [by default] is the greatest which leaves him entirely off of any modern compiled list of greatest basketball players. That would be like considering West Virginia University as the greatest partying school in the country--it’s not fair and eventually you have to be retired. The historians can go ahead and pick Michael Jordan but since I consider relevance I’m picking Kobe. 

Kobe is not normal and he is not good either. It would be unwarranted, unconstitutional, unholy, immoral, and completely erroneous to call him anything short of greatness. Deep down, past your veil of ignorance, you know Kobe is the greatest. If the man wanted to overthrow the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia just so he can make a country-wide pool of oil: we should not question him, we should allow it, and we should aid him. He scored 81 points in a modern era game, he wins no matter season or playoffs, he invariably is awarded every season, he consistently scores 25+ points a game, he’s won championships [he’s won with Shaq and without him, he won when he was young and old, he won in this Mayan age and the last--it doesn’t matter]. His greatness is beyond comprehension.

In the past, you’ve called him adulterous, pretentious. Now, you call him selfish. Go ahead and make your excuses but stop ignoring that he is a superstar, a champion, and worldly on top of that [there are not many people more popular than Kobe around the world with the exception of Barak Obama, Osama Bin Laden, and Lady Gaga]. Case closed! 

Let him speak. Let him shoot. Let him play. And shut up.   

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