The movie "2012" would have us believe that with the passing of the 21st of December, 2011 (incidentally, the shortest day in a year according to science), we have just 365 days left to live. Whether or not this is going to happen, I still feel that we must all enjoy each and every day of our existence on this planet to the fullest possible extent; remember God, pray for the underprivileged, do some act of kindness ... and in the remaining day left to us, enjoy whatever we are doing, and do whatever we enjoy doing, in that order.
Within my family and friends, I see several people who live their lives doing more of one thing than the other: some live only remembering God; some keep doing their work without enjoying it; some indulge in acts that are far removed from kindness; some have the fountain of envy and jealousy in their hearts, rather than that of the milk of human kindness. These people are doomed, for they have not (yet) understood the meaning of existence as desired by God. They are not even striving to try to understand these things, and therein lies the tragedy. Their intellect knows that they are doing something wrong, and yet, they will not turn in another direction to improve themselves. I pity these people, and I pray to God to show them the Light of Knowledge and to lead them to the Path of Righteousness.
The last two days of my presence in Saudi have been unimpressive. There were several kids in the OPD, of course, and I had fun seeing all of them. I get stymied by the questions thrown at me in Arabic, though, and sometimes, am unable to understand their concerns despite the presence of an Arabic speaking nurse or doctor who will unravel the queries for me and allow me to pass on my replies through their translational services. At times, this gets to a point where I figuratively throw in the towel and ask to call my colleague Dr. Yasser to take over the management of the case. I feel "impotent", yes, but there is no choice.
On Tuesday, I managed to 'skype' my family, and on Wednesday, I spoke to Nishrin for a while using VOIP. Nothing else of significance happened over both the days. I am now staring at the looming weekend that is upon me. I am off-call, and aware that I have to pass my next two days doing nothing of substance. Perhaps I will see one more movie on Thursday. (So far, I have seen more than 15 movies in the 35 days I have been in Saudi Arabia, and not only because I love watching movies, but also to kill time.)
Signing off for now ...
Within my family and friends, I see several people who live their lives doing more of one thing than the other: some live only remembering God; some keep doing their work without enjoying it; some indulge in acts that are far removed from kindness; some have the fountain of envy and jealousy in their hearts, rather than that of the milk of human kindness. These people are doomed, for they have not (yet) understood the meaning of existence as desired by God. They are not even striving to try to understand these things, and therein lies the tragedy. Their intellect knows that they are doing something wrong, and yet, they will not turn in another direction to improve themselves. I pity these people, and I pray to God to show them the Light of Knowledge and to lead them to the Path of Righteousness.
The last two days of my presence in Saudi have been unimpressive. There were several kids in the OPD, of course, and I had fun seeing all of them. I get stymied by the questions thrown at me in Arabic, though, and sometimes, am unable to understand their concerns despite the presence of an Arabic speaking nurse or doctor who will unravel the queries for me and allow me to pass on my replies through their translational services. At times, this gets to a point where I figuratively throw in the towel and ask to call my colleague Dr. Yasser to take over the management of the case. I feel "impotent", yes, but there is no choice.
On Tuesday, I managed to 'skype' my family, and on Wednesday, I spoke to Nishrin for a while using VOIP. Nothing else of significance happened over both the days. I am now staring at the looming weekend that is upon me. I am off-call, and aware that I have to pass my next two days doing nothing of substance. Perhaps I will see one more movie on Thursday. (So far, I have seen more than 15 movies in the 35 days I have been in Saudi Arabia, and not only because I love watching movies, but also to kill time.)
Signing off for now ...
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