half past nomad

My elder brother is one of the greatest role models I have in my life. He has taught me much. When he went off to college, I was left helpless in many many ways; he taught me independence and still does. When I was 19, I remember sitting to his right and he turned to me and said “Listen, I love you. But I cannot always be there for you”. He wasn’t abandoning me, he was teaching me. He taught me about Islam, about respect, about forgiveness. He taught me to be gentle with strength, he taught me to protect those weaker then me and to never abuse my position.

It is strange what you end up remembering. See, bro used to have this old wooden study desk, with built-in shelves and a small tubelight for personal study purposes when the entire room would be dark. It was beautiful. On this desk of his, he would have this sticker that said, very simply

Accidents happen in a wink
So take time to think

It was my mantra for many years. At college, I used that as my email signature but like many things in life, you end up taking such wisdom, such hiqmat for granted. You are immortal.

You have to be very careful about what you do today. Be not afraid of death but of your sins. You cannot change your death, but you can change your sins. Actions today can have consequences for a long time to come. Youth acts rashly, brashly and brutally at times.

Be careful then. Man tears, God repairs.

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 16th, 2006 at 7:13 pm and is filed under General Lee.