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Who thinks today about future generations? Who is concerned about what people will eat, drink, breathe in one hundred years, where they will get energy when there are twice as many people living on this planet as today? Only an idealist, a dreamer, a genuinely spiritual person who, they say, is not modern enough.
These dreamers, who are often at the margin of society, will find their way to the place they belong, among the politicians, only if the very spirit of politics changes towards deeper responsibility for the world. "
V?clav Havel, 1997
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Hello everyone, I'm conducting a research project for my dissertation. The topic is perceptions of hijab and I would love to hear from you. If you are a South Asian Muslim woman living in the US or the UAE, please take few minutes to complete this survey. Thanks! Here is the link
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has added a new journalNaomi Wolf talks about ?The Porn Myth? ? pornography isn?t turning men into psychotic rapists, but rather turning them off to normal sexuality. An excerpt:
The onslaught of porn is responsible for deadening male libido in relation to real women, and leading men to see fewer and fewer women as ?porn-worthy.? Far from having to fend off porn-crazed young men, young women are worrying that as mere flesh and blood, they can scarcely get, let alone hold, their attention?.
Does all this sexual imagery in the air mean that sex has been liberated?or is it the case that the relationship between the multi-billion-dollar porn industry, compulsiveness, and sexual appetite has become like the relationship between agribusiness, processed foods, supersize portions, and obesity??.
The reason to turn off the porn might become, to thoughtful people, not a moral one but, in a way, a physical- and emotional-health one; you might want to rethink your constant access to porn in the same way that, if you want to be an athlete, you rethink your smoking. The evidence is in: Greater supply of the stimulant equals diminished capacity?.
If you associate orgasm with your wife, a kiss, a scent, a body, that is what, over time, will turn you on; if you open your focus to an endless stream of ever-more-transgressive images of cybersex slaves, that is what it will take to turn you on. The ubiquity of sexual images does not free eros but dilutes it.
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has added a new journalHave you noticed it? The iPod earplugs sticking out of everyone?s ears as they walk down the street, ride in their cars, shop at the mall, sit at their house. The best term I can think of for this is iPodaciousness (from the latin acious meaning ?full of?), but feel free to email me your better word. I am no master of linguistic lore.
This iPodaciousness is beginning to bother me for a variety of reasons. One reason is that it is simply rude. Someone walks by and you call their name. No answer. Oh, they must be listening to music. You beep at someone, they don?t hear you. Oh, they must be listening to music. Someone walks right in front of you. No big deal, they must be listening to music.
But really all that is secondary. The real problem lies in that people are completely filling every idle moment with music?and not just background music. Music that takes over all other sounds and thoughts. When do these people think? Well, you usually think when you are alone and either 1) don?t have anything else to do or 2) make time for it. For many throughout history this thinking time has been morning time, through reading, praying, and walking. But not many of us make time for any of those anymore. We read book summaries or listen to abridged audio books instead of reading. We almost never think to pray. And of course, when we do walk, we must listen to music. It would be a waste of time simply to just walk and think. So we habitually slip on the headphones and walk, hoping we don?t step right in front of a semi.
However, there is, as I can see it, one advantage to all of this. Silence. In my neighborhood, the locals spend (literally) much delight in their loud bass car systems. However, yesterday I saw one of those locals have a car that was completely quiet. I stared in shock. Then I realized why it was silent?he had iPod earbuds in! So he can now blow out his own eardrums and not mine. Yes, that is quite an advantage?at least for me.
My point in all this is to exhort myself?and you?to think about when we give ourselves time to think and meditate. Do you do it in the morning, when everyone else is sleeping? Do you do it in the evening? Lunch break? Weekends? Or is all your time spent filling yourself up with music, entertainment, frivolity? Do you read good and thoughtful books? Do you give yourself time to think about spiritual things? Do you talk about important topics (other than current news events) with others? Have you considered that the reason you don?t know what to think about an issue is truly because you never have really thought about it? It is my hope and prayer that we will consider these types of questions and strive to be a thoughtful people.
diffuser
Points well-taken. Although, the IPod mania has crossed my mind on a few occasions and as you noted there are obvious negative consequences-the main one I would say, being the formation of yet another barrier to human interraction- it is possible to derive some meaning from an IPod. All being possible on simply what we import on to that little device. Whether it be speeches or conscious oriented lyrical artists, there can be an instigation of thought through listening to your IPod. However, I think it all comes down to HOW much time do we assign to entertainment and how much time do we assign to self-development. i.A we can all attempt to better ourselves. Good post though. We need to get this village re-started. From now on. I'm on these posts.
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has added a new journalPeace
parts 2 & 3 also there on the page
does he miss out one seed out of seven in part 2?
if so does anyone know the missing seed?
www.youtube.com
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has added a new journalThis article provides great insight into the muslim sexual dillema and the urgent need for discourse within our communities.
www.jstor.org
bashanyc
Some random issues I have with society related to the topic above:The tolerance from elders, and often admiration from fellow friends, of sexually active males while the female counterparts get called sluts for the same actions.
The american television shows and american movies which we all love so much and how they obscure our perception of islamic modernity. Also, the medium of television on whole is to blame not just the content.