Ego and the Nature of Knowledge & Ignorance - the sinner is thinkin'... hmm...

Knowledge & Ignorance, Ego and Humility

Man is a creature made up of 

What he knows and 

What he doesn't know,

Man is a sum of 

All his knowledge and

All his ignorance,

But Man's ego can turn the most learned man

Into a tyrant and a despot, changing his pool of knowledge 

Into a hateful black miasma from where his most

Wicked thoughts, words and deeds arise from.

And Man's ego can turn the chasm of ignorance

Into a monstrous mountain blocking his path, 

A dark storm cloud shadowing his horizon,

Darkening his heart and his love,

So you see...

Ego will always spoil his life,

But humility? Humility will save Man

Whether he be foolish or wise.

.....................................

The ego is not a simple creature. It is attuned to the very physical aspect of your existence, and though it is not spiritual in nature, the human ego is more adaptable than the chameleon to suit your changing spiritual make-up. The ego sits with the kings on their gilded thrones, manages the biggest corporations in the boards of directors, it runs on all fours with the beggars of the alleyways, it is in the words of the religious clerics, it sleeps with the most virtuous man and wakes up in the morning with the most despairing sinners of this world. 

Facing up to your vices and bad habits is liable to make you hate yourself.
And it can turn the most mentally balanced man into a schizophrenic.
But you cannot hate yourself, nor have two of you...
After all, you have only one heart.

Unlearning (your bad habits) is a journey of a lifetime. For myself, I have found that knowledge has brought great happiness to me. But some knowledge has also brought great despair, for I have, in my life, learned of things which I should have stayed away from, things which do not benefit my life one bit. And if learning is a journey of a lifetime (as many pundits say), then the unlearning of some knowledge is also a journey of a lifetime. You know... the bad habits and vices sinners like myself have picked up along our raggedy, stumbling path through life. The ego and our nafs (our base desires) work hand in hand to persuade us, "Come on, Taufiq! Everyone does it! You can handle it..."

Yeah. Right.

Far or near... Alive or dead... it matters not
when Love is your Sovereign Lord.

Friends with Benefits. Alone we would be crushed by our ego. That is why, if you are blessed to have kindly friends, patient and understanding parents and relatives, you cannot but be humbled by the humility displayed by such people. So even if you are a damn sinner like myself, you have guides that can help you deal with your ego (and nafs). And of course, if your life is blessed with a saint, a master who loves and attends to you however physically far or near you may be to him, then you really have a lot to be thankful to God for.

Have a good Sunday, sunshine.

wa min Allah at-taufiq

Hate has no place in Islam

Love will show the Way