This is for all the philosophy lovers. Philosophy as in, the real thing. If your definition of philosophy starts and ends with 'life is like an icecream so enjoy it before it melts', probably you're not the right audience for this.
There are certain words that have a ring of magic to them. To me, Maktub is one such word. It obviously means nothing to the uninitated, but once you knwo the meaning, I'm sure you'll be a bit enchanted too.
The Arab culture has an ancient belief, or rather, an archaic saying. It simply says "It is written". Three simple words that convey the most amazing meaning. You could read a million books on self improvement, or about how to deal with it when bad things happen to good people, and all that, but believing in Maktub is much easier.
It is written. Meaning no matter how horribly things go wrong, or how badly life deviates from the script you had planned, believe that if you want something with all your heart and you believe it is your destiny, then the whole universe conspires in helping you achieve it, because it is written. And if it is written, it happens.
Maybe you wouldn't be too sure about it now, but you'll see. Believe in yourself, and no matter how messed up things may seem at that moment, things will fall into place, because you believed in yourself and your destiny. And when the pieces of your life fall into place, you'll find yourself muttering 'Maktub', because you will realize that miracles do happen, but not to those who call themselves 'lucky', but to those who believe in them.
So, if you are reading this right now, and if you have a dream, go for it. Make it your destiny. Failures along the way are immaterial, because your destiny never changes. And one day when you achieve it, you will have made your peace with the universe and all its mysterious ways, for it has worked for you and your dream.
P.S: As is custom, I have someone to thank for being the inspiration behind this article. This time its Paulo Coelho. His was the book in which I'd read about Maktub in the first place.
7 comments:
You have a delicious writing style. And I knew it was Paulo Coelho before you said it. :)
Keep writing, keep feeling.
Cheers!
hav read the alchemist nd found it to be the best book i ever read....can completely realte to wat u ve said over here...great work..
dude i am a big fan of your writings ( not the poems.... somehow but surely the stories and articles), but i have to say, this one is bull. miracles don't happen no matter how much you believe in them. what transpires is a combination of a sequence of events; how one makes a choice that he is presented with, and then the choice after that and so on.
not that surprising then that "the alchemist" is one of the smallest books i picked up and one of the few that i did not finish.
guess what i am trying to say is that "NOTHING IS WRITTEN"
Nice peace of writing, though I was aware with entire episode..
great article... i loved it... it's very intersting...
@samarth: maybe you're right... but YOU being right, does not make the author wrong...
we can believe in whatever we want to believe in... so if you choose to be thay way... then be it..
@samarth
Maktub. Argue for what you can not have, and sure enough, you can not have it.
That is such a self-defeatist idea. 'It is written'.
If you mean that our destiny is 'written' or predetermined based on how we have acted in our past, one can appreciate that. But to say 'it is written' by an unknown, unseen god who randomly plays dice before dealing us our 'destiny' or 'maktub'- that's bs.
Post a Comment