Food for Thought

A wise person once said:

You are who you are because of your parents, it's your fault if you stay that way.


There's your food for thought of the day!

Would You Rather...

Would you rather...

1. Have people be nice in front of your face, yet back stab you? or Have people tell you upfront that they don't like you?

2. Go in debt to please people? or Be considered a cheapskate because you won't spend outside your budget?

3. Do the easy thing and be popular? Or Do the right thing and be criticizied by people?

These are questions that have come to mind lately. People need to slow down and not lose themselves in this world without reflecting on their own actions and how it might affect those around them. If need to, as a rule of thumb, self-reflection should take place as little as every six months or even every couple of months.

For example, if you decide to do it at six months: you should think what kinds of things were accomplished the past six months, what you liked, what you didn't like, and then look at six months in advance and decide what you like and will keep, areas that need improvement and areas that need changing.

You would feel surprised at how well you feel.

Reading challenge

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too

Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnat nrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Poverty Awareness Should Be Everyday, not Just Today

I am all for days of promoting special topics, holidays, and interests, however, I do feel certain topics should not just have a special day, it should be everyday especially if it concerns humanity, like poverty does.
In the blogging world, bloggers are posting about poverty in honor of Blog Action Day. Just Google and you will find many posts written about poverty from different perspectives and different view points.

I am going to list a bunch of questions for you to think and reflect about. Some may be painful, some may not be.

• Is your neighbor hungry while you eat?
• Did you buy your child's 20th toy within the couple of months?
• Did you just throw some food away because you didn't feel like dealing with leftovers?
• Did you buy yourself a top of the line sports car while your brother suffers in debt which were not to his doing?
• Did you throw gently used clothing in the garbage?
• Did you throw recyclable items in the trash?
• Did you insult person of lesser wealth today?
• Did you smile at a passing stranger?
• Did you thank your cashier today?
• Did you thank your teacher today?
• How about your mom and dad?
• Did you volunteer? You know give back to your community?

Study your own life. There ways to improve. Poverty can happen to anyone, so it is best to be humble and not arrogant because what comes around can go around.

Remember those who are in need.

Bloggers Launch TrainforHumanity.org Humanitarian Initiative

Over the past five years, 200,000 civilians have died due to violence, malnutrition, and disease in Darfur and an additional 2.2 million people have been displaced. We want to do something about it.

Fed up with watching humanitarian crises on the evening news and not doing anything to help, a group of bloggers (most notably, Leo Babauta of Zen Habits) have created and founded the non-profit Train for Humanity, which is an online humanitarian awareness and fundraising organization.

Over 150,000 new blogs are added to the internet everday. Train for Humanity’s mission is to utilize the web, social media, and blogging, in tandem with athletes in training, to support organizations that help prevent suffering and alleviate the pain of children, orphans, and refugees who have been displaced due to genocide or internal strife and war within their country.

Quite simply, they believe - getting fit + social media + blogging = social good

The three pilot project athlete-bloggers, Mark Hayward, Dan Clements, and Leo Babauta are hoping to raise awareness for the current crisis in Darfur and funds for the organization Darfur Peace and Development. All three are training for endurance events of varying distances ranging from a triathlon to a marathon.

They hope to show people that with a little creativity and innovation, anyone can assist and make a difference in the world. If you would like to learn more, have a look at the Train for Humanity website and please consider sponsoring one of them or spreading the word.

Understanding the Mortgage Crises

I got this link through a Twitter buddy, and I thought I would post the link here because I believe it serves an educational purpose.

Enjoy. I would be interested in knowing what you thought of the presentation.http://docs.google.com/TeamPresent?docid=ddp4zq7n_0cdjsr4fn&skipauth=true&pli=1.

Back to Basic Cable

My spouse and I were discussing about what to do with our television programming when the bill reached $120 per month. We don't watch much television, and we both agreed we don't want our son to watch too much either.

So, my spouse called the cable company and told them he was going to discontinue the cable. They both agreed to basic cable with a discount. We still don't watch that much television anyways. The only channel we now turn to is PBS Kids for my son. That is it.

Since we have done that, which has been about one week so far, it feels better. Not only did we save money, we are not wasting our brains. We are not being influenced by pop culture. My son will not be exposed to sexual or racial innuendos at an early age.

My son has played more creatively with his toys, spent time with us, and is now more into books. He has become more creative and inquisitive. He has even learned to ride his bike without training wheels at the age of four. Our son has even been a bit calmer.

I am not saying television is a total waste, but it can be if you let it be. Besides what is a better way for your child or spouse to spend their time with--you or the television?

Promote Good Mental Health

It’s a Rally!

New campaign promotes good mental health for everyone in Illinois
Please join us Thursday, May 1, at 10 a.m. Crystal Gardens at the
Navy Pier® complex (600 East Grand Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, 60611) as
the IDHS/Division of Mental Health, and the Illinois Children’s Mental Health
Partnership launch a new public engagement campaign, Say it out loud.

Why join us?
Because mental health is a key component of everyone’s health and well-being.
The Say It Out Loud Rally celebrates taking steps to promote good mental health and those who have addressed mental health issues in their own lives and in the lives of people they care about.
The Rally showcases new mental health resources through a variety of speakers and festivities, including:

• Unveiling of exciting new campaign; website, radio ads, billboards, etc.
• Local entertainment
• Say it out loud t-shirts and other give-aways
• Governor’s proclamation of May as Say it out loud Month!
• People saying it out loud!

Join the community on May 1. Increase awareness of mental health as a vital component of health and well-being. Bring along your family, friends and colleagues. Say It Out Loud!

Reflection of the World

You ARE the reflection of the world. When people meet you, you represent the world to them. You will help them decide if the world is a lovely place or a terrible one. You will always be remembered as a happy and good person, or you can be remembered as a negative thinking person.

You are that powerful to influence others. So, when you do meet your family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances, remember how you deal with them will be their view of the world.

As the old cliche goes, "Treat people the way you want to be treated"--with respect.

Spring Camp 2008 at U of I, Champaign, IL

The Muslim Students Association of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign would like to invite you to Spring Camp 2008. Insh'Allah, this year's conference will be held on Friday, April 4th - Sunday, April 6th right here in Champaign-Urbana. There will be many speakers who will address this year's theme: "Writing Our Story in American History: Defining Our Legacy"

Featured Guest Speakers:

Yasir Birjas of Al Maghrib Institute

Usama Canon of Zaytuna Institute

Dawud Wharnsby Ali of SoundVision

Jamal Badawi of St. Mary's University

Mohammed Khalil of the University of Illinois

Imam Johari Abdul Malik of MANA

Entertainment:

The Sound of Reason

Amir Sulaiman

Brothers' Basketball Tournament, Please Contact smbaig2@uiuc.edu

We would greatly appreciate it if you could post this email to your listserve and send this invitation to the members of your MSA.

For more information and to register for Spring Camp, visit our website at www.uiucspringcamp.org.

We look forward to seeing you, Insh'Allah, - MSA UIUC

Don't Stress During the Holidays, You're Not Supposed To

Right now there is Hanakah, Eid al Adha, Christmas and Kawanza, just to name a few during this month.

Each group will be celebrating spiritually and with family. There also may be presents involved as well.

However, what is becoming a common observation is STRESS. Plenty of my friends complain about how much Christmas is costing them and how their tasks of to do things and planning keeps getting longer, where it has now become a burden.

Is that right? I don't think so. I have given ideas to my friends saying skip the presents and celebrate in simplicity (because I believe less is more). Limit gifts, I say. Make handmade gifts. Have loved ones help in making dinners and deserts. I could keep going.

To me, no matter what religion you practice, a holiday is a holiday--not a "helliday". This is the time where you should use this for spiritual or reflective purposes. This is the time to contemplate on your existence and how you can improve your own life--how to be a better human.

Holidays are time to make us humble, and not to forget the less fortunate around us and outside our countries.

So, I offer you a holiday challenge. Instead of worrying about how many gifts and groceries to buy, reflect on the meaning of your life.

Reflect on how you can help the needs of improving humanity.

Just reflect. You will be surprised.

My Fall Semester Begins

It is time for me again--to teach my kids. That is what I call my college students. I am probably only a few years older than some of them, some are even a few years older than me. But I affectionately call my students "my kids." I don't know why, maybe because I enjoy what I do?

I always try to start on a positive note because students are people. People have lives filled with problems, solutions, emotions, you name it. I don't believe my class should be a burden to their lives, but a benefit. That is why I base my class about them. So that they can think about themselves and everyone else. Reflection on one's life is extremely important to grow as a person.

Not all students welcome my theories or opinions because they feel it is not the traditional teaching in a university setting. However, by the end of the semester, those once reluctant students say my course has been one of the best courses they have taken.

Sometimes, people are afraid of something new, until they give it a try! I will keep you posted after Wednesday's night's class.

Thinking on Sunday

I will be making you think today, or perhaps for the week, or even forever!

Questions this week:

1. What would you do, if you knew tomorrow as your last day?
2. Do you think before you speak?
3. Did you try something new today? Something out of your comfort zone?
4. What is a fear that you have? Confront it.
5. Have you told your loved ones how much you appreciate them? If not, do it.

You can make a difference

The other day in class (I am teaching an education course at a local university this summer), a student tells me that she has started volunteering at the local homeless shelter because of my class.

Let me explain a bit, one of the assignments I sign is called "New Event". Students have to try something out of their comfort zone, something totally new--outside of their daily life. After completing that event, they have to write a reflection of that experience and their thoughts.

Many students have told me that this assignment has made them think or become more aware of themselves and their actions. Back to the above student, she told me that has been volunteering since she completed this assignment. I asked her how did she start volunteering. She told me, that she went to the homeless shelter, and spent time with some of the children. They touched her heart. She spoke with the assistant director, and scheduled regular volunteer dates. She has never done this sort of thing before. She said she feels really good about what she is doing, and this has broken stereotypes for her.

I told her that I was very proud of her, and good for her to help make a positive change.

Another student commented that she had been thinking about what we had talked about in a previous class.

I thought hmmm...

Then, I smiled as I began my session for the day.

Thinking on Sunday

Thinking on Sunday...

1. List five things about nature that fascinate you. If you are not sure, study nature. Go outside and observe the details.
2. What would happen if each and every one of us volunteered at least one hour per week?
3. Did you call your parents today? How about a friend you haven't spoken to in years?
4. Are you buying things that you really don't need? Why? Can it be avoided? If so, how?
5. Do you try something new at least once a day? (It may be scary at first, but it is definitely worth it).

Are you a walking-talking television?

I have a question for you. Are you a walking-talking CNN? Or a walking talking NBC? You can just replace CNN or NBC with whatever media you listen to or watch faithfully. Seriously, think about. Do you really repeat everything those news stations report? I know people who do. If CNN or some other news stations says something positive or negative, that is what those people repeat. Gone are the days when critical discussions and debates were exercised? Hope not. That is one way to kill democracy.

How does one become a walking-talking TV? I get surprised and disgusted when I meet people who think that just because it was on the media, it must be accurate. Forget about the other side or the other point of view. Come on, people wake up. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different points of views on issues that you and your neighbor are concerned with. Read or listen to what others are saying. Ask questions. Do research. Reignite your curiosity. This is one way to keep democracy alive and well, is when we are thinking critically and not afraid to discuss or debate civilly.

That is our democratic duty.