Thursday, December 30, 2004
Japan and religion
I must say that not going to the ski trip was one of the smartest decisions I've made in a while. Not only did my mom's condition get worse but also the furnace stopped working. If it was not for the fireplace, we'd be living in sub zero temperatures. But alhumdillah, the furnace is fixed now (after four hours of waiting) and mom's condition is getting better. But the house is taking its own sweet time to heat up and it is still chilly enough to not put my bare foot on the floor.
Japan represents quite the paradox. It has caught up on the technological race in a couple of generations (since its destruction in second world war) but as my friend's father, who worked in Japan for a short time time, described it as a "soulless society where people work for twenty hours and sleep in small tubes."
I had studied the Japanese language for a couple of years (and Japan in general). Looking back on it, I do feel an absence of spirituality that one normally finds in eastern cultures. My outlook did not improve as I read some more articles. I had always been aware of the high suicide rate prevalent in their society, especially of students. But I came across an article that listed how 'suicide rings' were being formed on the net in Japan where people die in groups. Now this is probably a small fraction of japanese population but the mere existence of it signals a deep problem.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/4071805.stm
Not too long after, I came across another distrubing trend which was disguised under the mask of a 'business opurtunity.'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4092345.stm
It seemed to me that being at the apex of human advancement had still not bought them the simple comforts of life. Around this time, I came across an article of two Japanese women converting to Islam because of the spiritual peace that it provided. At the same time, it did not try and hinder their progress in this world. The women spoke about a growing discontent in Japan awakened by the realization that the material world itself cannot provide all the peace in life.
http://www.islamonline.net/english/journey/jour52.shtml
On a different note, some verses that I like:
"He it is Who sends down water from the cloud for you; it gives drink, and by it (grow) the trees upon which you pasture.
He causes to grow for you thereby herbage, and the olives, and the palm trees, and the grapes, and of all the fruits; most surely there is a sign in this for a people who reflect.
And He has made subservient for you the night and the day and the sun and the moon, and the stars are made subservient by His commandment; most surely there are signs in this for a people who ponder" (an-nahl verses 10-12)
Japan represents quite the paradox. It has caught up on the technological race in a couple of generations (since its destruction in second world war) but as my friend's father, who worked in Japan for a short time time, described it as a "soulless society where people work for twenty hours and sleep in small tubes."
I had studied the Japanese language for a couple of years (and Japan in general). Looking back on it, I do feel an absence of spirituality that one normally finds in eastern cultures. My outlook did not improve as I read some more articles. I had always been aware of the high suicide rate prevalent in their society, especially of students. But I came across an article that listed how 'suicide rings' were being formed on the net in Japan where people die in groups. Now this is probably a small fraction of japanese population but the mere existence of it signals a deep problem.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/4071805.stm
Not too long after, I came across another distrubing trend which was disguised under the mask of a 'business opurtunity.'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4092345.stm
It seemed to me that being at the apex of human advancement had still not bought them the simple comforts of life. Around this time, I came across an article of two Japanese women converting to Islam because of the spiritual peace that it provided. At the same time, it did not try and hinder their progress in this world. The women spoke about a growing discontent in Japan awakened by the realization that the material world itself cannot provide all the peace in life.
http://www.islamonline.net/english/journey/jour52.shtml
On a different note, some verses that I like:
"He it is Who sends down water from the cloud for you; it gives drink, and by it (grow) the trees upon which you pasture.
He causes to grow for you thereby herbage, and the olives, and the palm trees, and the grapes, and of all the fruits; most surely there is a sign in this for a people who reflect.
And He has made subservient for you the night and the day and the sun and the moon, and the stars are made subservient by His commandment; most surely there are signs in this for a people who ponder" (an-nahl verses 10-12)
Faraz Ahmed 5:17 p.m.