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What the Pencil Teaches Us

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Quote of the Month

 


This year in Ramadan, by the Grace of Allah (SWT), I got a chance to sit for Aitekaaf for the first time in my life. It was an enlightening experience, spiritually and otherwise, opening my eyes to some of the grim realities of life that we adamantly refuse to see, preferring to live in a façade that we create for ourselves. One of these grim realities is that we are very shallow people. Let me clarify here that I am not trying to debase anyone—it is just an honest observation. It is difficult to ascertain where things went wrong, but over the years we have become a lazy nation that just wants to get done with our tasks as if they were burdens. Therefore, the actual lessons that these tasks could otherwise have taught us are lost. Giving wings to this observation, some weeks back I came across a quote by Ken S. Keyes Jr., where he says, “Everyone and everything around you is your teacher”. The feeling that I had begun to have since my Aitekaaf now became stronger than ever.

 

There could be countless reasons for this and hence I cannot give one sweeping statement to explain this observation. However, one reason could be that we are engaging our mental capabilities in frivolities that do not suit our mind. In other words, we are cramping our minds with too many to-dos. As a consequence, the elements of reflection and evaluation are lost. This is one of the very important reasons why we, at Timelenders, stress the importance of keeping a GK book (a pocket notebook where you can note down all your to-dos, reminders, promises etc).

 

A few days back in a multiple-choice test, a friend of mine lost a mark due to overwriting. Despite having an option to do the test in pencil, he used a pen, and when he realized that he had made a mistake, overwriting was the only option he had. Even though this small incident was not something that could have impacted anyone significantly, it just reasserted my view about the shallow nature of our nation that I had been having since quite some time. And, as ridiculous as it may sound, I started thinking over what something as insignificant as a pencil teaches us. I just thought I would share my analysis this month.

 

Firstly, a pencil is usually cheaper than a pen, and hence, more affordable. Apparently, this is no big deal. But if one delves deeper into it, and tries to figure this out in the context of life in general, there is a lot more to it. The angle from which I viewed it, these are the very roots of our egoistic and arrogant behavior as a nation. So many times it happens that our ego, our vanity and our disdain for others inhibits people from meeting us and from interacting with us. Soon we find that we have reached a state where we are lonely, if not altogether despised, because of our attitudes. A better alternative seems to lie in the fact that we keep our ego humble, just like a pencil maintains its low price. This way, we can have more people around us who like us, sparing us the pain that loneliness can inflict. Care, however, must be taken that our ego does not become so humble that it starts interfering with our self-respect.

 

The second property of a pencil is its ability to be sharpened. Exposing anything to a sharp blade conjures a pretty grotesque image in the mind, yet we do it with a pencil every now and then. By the time I reach the next paragraph, I will need the sharpener myself and will be using it mercilessly on the pencil. But then, after exposing my pencil to the blade, I will have a sharper pencil, which will be better suited to my task. If you apply this analogy to your life you will have a really nice anecdote for yourself that will give you motivation whenever adversities are forcing you to consider quitting the pursuit of your vision.

 

Consider this; just like the pain the pencil endures while it is being sharpened helps it to become a better performer, the adversities you come across in life are actually opportunities for you to become a more effective person and to polish your skills. These are moments in which nature is nurturing you into a more hardy being, more suited and better adapted for pursuing your vision. When you start viewing adversities this way, you will start to see them as opportunities that mentor you.

 

The last ability of the pencil, and probably the most important one, is the fact that its marks can be erased. This third quality of the pencil is important for three reasons. Firstly, it utilizes the principles of reverse psychology to act as a reminder that life does not have an undo option. You can erase the marks of a pencil, but you cannot erase the effects your acts have had on society, nor can you take back the words that you have spoken. Secondly, it reminds you to be flexible. The marks of a pencil are not rigid—you can always erase them and make new ones. You can rub out what you have written to create space and fit in other words in between. This is the type of behavior required of us during negotiations—we should avoid positional bargaining. We should not be rigid on our stance during the negotiation process and should be willing to accommodate the point-of-view of the other party as well. Finally, this ability of the pencil is a reminder that we can get over our past. No matter how many blemishes our past life has, with the power of our actions and determination, we can always erase them out. We can always get over the grievances of the past and start all over again with renewed vigor and refreshed zeal and zest—just like we can do with the marks of a pencil.

 

Just like a pencil, everything around us has valuable lessons to impart. It is up to us to find the initiative to discover them.

 

 


Areeb Nafay Uddin Siddiqui is a Timelenders family member and is currently an A level student at Generation’s School, Karachi. He has attended the Strategic Visions, Strategic Time Management and Visions Retreat (Malaysia) workshops. He is simultaneously a poet, satirical writer, and also addresses serious issues like organizational and personal skills. He writes in both, English and Urdu. He has also conducted the Strategic Time Management training in his school for the domestic staff. Currently, he is doing an extensive internship with Timelenders.


 

 

 

 

 

The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia by Peter Hopkirk (1930-2014) is a monumental work on history, to say the least. Hopkirk, a British journalist and writer, is considered a master of his own game having published six books on the serpentine nature of relationship between Britain, Russia and Central Asia in the 18th and 19th century. The amply suited title of the book, coined by Sir Arthur Conolly, was the great game between the imperial powers to win the ultimate prize, the control over Central Asia. 

 

The real fascination of the Great Game is that though it may seem like history, it is anything but. It is a menacing prophecy of the world as we see it now. The confrontation between religions and nations, and the unrelenting quest for world supremacy with all means fair or unfair reveal themselves to be old age tactics of the supremacists. In the book, Hopkirk traces this ruthless pattern from the times of the Mongols in the 12th century to where the British and Russian free-for-all over Central Asia finally came to a halt in the early 20th century. 

 

For the ones who are not history buffs, the 500 page long book might seem like an insurmountable task. However, the pace is amazingly fluid, with strikingly graphic, multihued characters that become alive with a vivid imagery woven with their own quotes and observations as recorded through letters, memoirs, books, military archives and political records. The multidimensional work refuses to present the real life narrative from the point of view of just one country or ruler alone. 

 

As the tale progresses, the intricate web of real facts that Hopkirk weaves ensnares us in such a manner that our sympathies align themselves automatically with whomever deserves them most. Whether it was the doomed garrison of 16,000 British soldiers, civilians and families who were all slaughtered at the hands of the fierce Afghans in the first Anglo Afghan war or the Russians traders who were sold into slavery to the Muslim khanates by the Turcomans of Central Asia. 

 

Hopkirk starts by giving us the backdrop for Russia’s fear of being ever dominated, resulting from the barbaric Mongol rule that descended upon it from Central Asia and stayed, pitifully and painfully, for over two centuries. This fear, coupled with the death wish of Peter the Great to conquer the entire world, she vowed never to be subdued again. Diligently keeping this promise, she gradually becoming a near invincible adversary, as witnessed by Napoleon in 1812 when he marched on Russia with 400,000 troops and facing a devastating defeat, returned home, beaten and broken, with only 9,000 men. The question this raises is, how could the nations abhorring domination themselves consider it justified in conquering, raiding, pillaging and annexing by force the weaker countries of the world?

 

This was the start of Russia ruthless bid to start annexing, stealthily and clandestinely, by truth or lie, the lands lying southward all the way to British India. This was also the start of the great game. As it progressed, it pulled in players not only from Britain and Russia but also from the Muslim Khanates that they were squabbling over. From the Indian side there was Peter the Great, the first Tsar to start eyeing India, Prince Bekovich, a Muslim Caucasian prince who had converted to Christianity, Count Vitkevich who was ‘prepared to offer the Afghans the moon in order to displace the British in Kabul’, count Nesselrode, and Ignatiev to name a few. 

 

The most notable players from the British side included Captain Christie, Luitenant Pottinger, Burnes, Moorcroft, and Captain Younghusband, Caption Abbott, after whom Abbottabad is named, and the ill fated General Elphinstone and Sir Macnaghten who perished in the first Anglo Afghan War. Not only do we meet the great game players from the Russian and the British sides but the thoroughly captivating Muslim players too. These include the legendary defender of the Caucasus, Imam Shamyl, the Shah of Persia, the ruthless and violent Emir of Khiva, Shah Shujah and Dost Mohammad of Afghanistan, among many others. 

 

The Russian pretext for the wars, conquests and annexations she raged across Central Asia were numerous; to free the Tsar’s subjects held in slavery there, to bring the ‘light of civilization’ to these dark corners of the world, to improve trade with central Asia and find markets for its goods, and/or simply to get there first before the British did. The British pretext was, put straightforwardly and bluntly, to protect the interests of British India from the rapidly advancing Russians and to make sure there were ‘buffer’ states around India that could keep this from happening. These included, predominantly, Afghanistan and Persia. 

 

Ironically, the India that the British was attempting to defend so doggedly from the Russians was in fact not its own to defend. Britain was, in reality, the invader and pillager of the very country that she was contriving to defend from the invading Russians. This is not the only irony in the book. Another is that though the Russians were annexing numerous Muslim Khanates under the pretext of abolishing slavery, the only slaves they in fact freed were the Russian ones. The others, those from Persia and other areas, were left to fend for themselves. 

 

These motives alone seemed not to have changed as the world continues to vie for supremacy over each other. There is always a pretext to expansionism and imperialism. Even in the time period in which The Great Game is placed, there was no contentment with borders as they were but always the insatiable hankering to extend them beyond the demarcated lines. Allegiances were bought and sold, wars were raged, and spies disguised themselves as Muslim religious men and traders to infiltrate armies and the local populations. An endless line of agents strived to map and measure the often impossibly difficult terrains of Central Asia, Afghanistan and Northern India, the majority of which is now Pakistan. 

 

At the end of each chapter, Hopkirk makes sure to place just enough of a bait to keep the reader eagerly looking forward to what happens next. Even as the story keeps one hooked, it is never a drudgery to keep moving forward. The sentences flow seamlessly and the paragraphs, rich with detail and actual quotes from many of the key players themselves, maintain a smooth and steady flow from one to the next.  

 

The Great Game is sheer entertainment not only because it injects life into the history of Central Asia but also because it automatically forces the mind to place the narrative into context with current world affairs. It is hard not to the find the similarities between the global powers of today bidding to annex the Muslim territories on greatly superfluous grounds. The spy and agent networks in the Great Game start to relive themselves in the likes of Raymond Davis and the people who finally fished out Osama bin Laden from Abbottabad. The treachery of the supremacists is all too familiar as they continue to attempt to ‘buy’ and ‘sell’ allegiances on their own terms. The atrocities of the Muslim khanates of Central Asia of two centuries ago find themselves reborn eerily in the barbarism and bestiality of the ISIS or IS. 

 

The Great Game is not just the past, it is also the present; an ominous epilogue to the world as we know it now. You find yourself thinking, is this also the future? The book is especially imperative for the Muslim readership. What was a great game 200 years ago has now evolved into a game of survival, perseverance, dexterity and wit. The only way anyone can hope to win this new game is by understanding the players and their mindsets; not only who they are but also where they are coming from. 

 

It is true that we learn from history that we learn nothing from history. For if we had, the events of today would hardly bear such startling similarity to those Hopkirk brings to light in the Great Game. 

 

 


Irum Sarfaraz is a freelance writer/editor settled in the San Francisco Bay Area, USA. Her published credits as writer and web content developer include well over 2,000 articles in both American and Pakistani publications. Her notable work is the translation of Harun Yahya's epic Atlas of Creation-Vol 1 and Evolution Deceit from English to Urdu. Sister Irum has a master's degree in English Literature and will be writing the Book Review for Envision every month. 


 

 


Dear brothers and sisters,

 

Assalam-o-Alaikum,

 

Last month, I asked people in three different gatherings the simple question that if they were to look back at their lives at the time of their death, would they be able to say that they had led a meaningful life. I gave them three possible answers: yes, no and I don't care. Although I did not specifically enquire if anyone had answered ‘no’, the facial expressions were self-evident enough that the majority was not living a meaningful life in the true sense of the word. I could also see that I had posed a question that had really got the participants thinking seriously. The fact of the matter is that no one wants to die with the regret of not having led a meaningful life. 

 

Regardless of color, class, creed, social status, nationality or belief system, no human being wants to end his or her life on a bed of regrets. Commensurate with their capability and their resources, everyone wishes to lead a constructive and rich life that has held meaning and significance for both themselves and for the others around them. Keeping in mind the simple idea that merging individuals and organizations can create worthy, dynamic visions, Timelenders conducted numerous trainings in the month of October. The reaction from the participants was truly welcoming and testimony enough to the success of these trainings.  

 

After waiting for months, the residents of UAE finally got the opportunity to attend the Sleep Management workshop in Dubai where participants made serious intentions of staying awake after Fajr and starting their day early. Getting an early start is the first step towards fixing  sleeping schedules as it helps to create and maintain the routine of sleeping early, well and adequately.

 

Over the past few months, I have noticed that the turnout in our public workshops has increased significantly. Although we try to keep the cap of 25 in our workshops, the past two public workshops has had double the number of participants, which has been beyond our expectations. Not to say that success is only about numbers, what was highly encouraging about these numbers was that it included young students, fresh graduates and sisters from diverse backgrounds who were keen on developing a meaningful existence. 

 

It was additionally heartening to note that most of these people had come on their own initiative and had not been nominated by our corporate clients. I have also been interacting with entrepreneurs who are seriously thinking about and working hard to convert their businesses into vision-led movements. This is a highly promising sign as we can hope that as these movements gain momentum, they may grow exponentially enough to become the tipping points towards greater changes in society in terms of productivity, effectiveness and purpose in organizations as well as in the lives of the individuals who are associated with them. 

 

In addition to the routine workshops, our upcoming Vision Retreat is scheduled in Karachi from December 26-28, 2014. This retreat gives participants an opportunity to prepare a concrete road map or blue print of their coming decades, years, months, weeks and days to pursue something worthy in their lives, both personally and collectively. 

 

As you may already know that the pre-requisite for attending Vision Retreat is to first attend the Strategic Visions and the Strategic Time Management workshops. I would recommend you to register yourself for these upcoming workshops in November and December so that you are all set for the Vision Retreat from 26-28 December, 2014. We are also in the process of finalizing the venue and date for our next international Vision Retreat. It could either be in Malaysia, as usual, or it could be in Turkey this time, the ancient seat of the Byzantine, Roman and Ottoman Empires and home of some of the world’s most amazing archeological finds and historical architecture. 

 

It won’t be wrong to say that Turkey will indeed be a Vision Retreat venue that will not only help to create a blue print of the future, it will also be an exciting opportunity to retrace the footprints of Islamic history. 

 

Stay strong and have a blessed beginning of new Hijri year 1436.

 

Wassalam,

 

Yameenuddin Ahmed

The Editor

 


 

 

Effective Leadership through Character

IBA Main Campus, Karachi

11 – 12 October, 2014

 

Strategic Time Management

IBA Main Campus, Karachi

16 – 19 October, 2014

 

Sleep Management

Al Jawhara Gardens Hotel, Dubai

16 October, 2014

 

Effective Leadership Through Character

Al Jawhara Gardens Hotel, Dubai

17 - 18 October, 2014

 

Strategic Time Management

United Energy Pakistan, Karachi

20 – 22 October, 2014

 

Strategic Time Management

The Searle Company Limited, Karachi

24 – 26 October, 2014

 

Strategic Visions

Best Western Hotel, Islamabad

24 – 26 October, 2014

 

Strategic Time Management

Pak Suzuki Motor Co. Ltd., Karachi

28 – 31 October, 2014

 

 


 


 

 

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