Sugar Rush

An article from the new York Times really caught my eye. Normally, I wouldn’t read stuff about Baghdad anymore because I feel sick and tired of the war. But this is a new angle. It wasn’t about the American soldiers anymore or about the hundred’s of Iraqis dying. This one is about the death of the Mutanabi Street market which was the source of joy of Baghdad’s intelligentsia.

Mr. Ismail turned and faced the street. “Books, books: five books
for 1,000 dinars, one for 250,” he shouted, his voice thick as a
tenor’s, from his years of studying acting. “Come on, come on, those
who are hungry for literature!"

Exactly 15 men looked on.

    I cannot imagine how life for these men had been for the past year when a daytime curfew was imposed for almost a year. Mutanabi is the capital’s 1,000-year-old intellectual core and that day, which was a Friday, people celebrated the market’s potential revival.
    A bombing on March 5 sealed this beautiful business and it hasn’t been opened until now.
    Despite people dying because of the war, the booksellers are slowly testing their freedom by opening their beloved bookshops for business.
Here is the paragraph that really tugged at my heart strings:

Books, on the other hand, brought reliable joy. Mr. Ismail picked up a
black hardcover history of the Kurds, with an attractive photo on the
front. Tapping it twice with his right hand, sending dust flying, he
kissed the cover and said, “We are happy to be here again with these
beautiful books.”

Imagine the solace and comfort these books are giving to people like Mr. Ismail who have been haunted by the horrors war have brought to Iraq.

Here is a poem written by Ibn Al-Utri:

Baghdad in the ninth century, after rampaging armies destroyed the city in a dispute involving caliphate succession.

“Who invaded you, Baghdad?” Mr. Shatry said, his voice rising for the performance.

Weren’t you once as dear to me as my eye?

Wasn’t there a time when people lived within you, when being neighbors was a blessing?

Then the crow came and divided them. How much grief can you endure?

I swear by God, there are people lost who, whenever I remember them, my eyes start flowing with tears.

I am glad that the comfort I have always found in reading books have reached even war-torn Iraq. That despite the terrors war have brought upon them, they haven’t forgotten the beauty and warmth of books. =)

Conformity is meeting the standards of society or what people would call “normal” or “acceptable”. Conforming to such “standards” doesn’t come from society as a whole. This can be watered down to family, friends, and what-not.

Then there is the basic human need to belong. And to belong to a certain group usually means that you have to meet their standards and be a bit like them. You have to do what they expect you to do. If you won’t, prepare for conflicts and feeling left out.

The questions here are: do we really have to conform to their standards? Do we have to do whatever it is that they want us to do in order to be accepted? Are they usually correct?

When we talk about conformity in this century, I believe that there is no such thing. We are diverse and every individual is unique and different which is what makes this world interesting and it’s the fuel that keeps this world going.

What irks me about this whole conforming thing or what is also known as “let’s-go-with-the-flow-in-order-to-avoid-conflict” thing, is that you have to be molded in a different “dough shaper”, something that is not meant for you, just to belong with the other “cookies”. When in fact, there’s another dough shaper that is so perfect for you and if you go for who you really are, you can be the best that you can be. That means, no more mediocre cookies (I’m referring to people) in this world!

Bottomline is, just be yourself. Don’t care about what other people think. If they are real people (or real friends), they’ll understand you and support you. If they’re not, then this is a challenge. Face it head on. It will improve you in the long run. And the blabbermouths? Well, they’ll wear out. Besides, you’re not doing this for them. You’re working hard and it’s all for God, right?

P.S. You know who you are. =)