The dilemma of homosexuality

2011/08/14

14th day of Ramadhan 1432 (2011)

The discussion on same-sex marriage issue has been heating up recently. As controversial as it is, it is real and needs serious attention. The first country to pass the permissibility on same-sex marriage is the Netherlands in 2001. And after that, many countries started following.

Homosexuality itself has been present from ancient times. In fact, it is well described in the sacred texts of all monotheistic traditions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), which described the story of the Prophet Luth (Lot), peace be upon him, and his people. The people of Luth were homosexuals, and they eventually got punished after still lingering with their severe homosexual acts after receiving endless reminders from the Prophet.

The act of homosexuality itself is a sin and clearly forbidden in all three traditions. And we believe that it being forbidden is nothing else but as a protection from the evil that it can bring. As that is the purpose of sacred law, to protect human beings from the evil they have in themselves which they don’t fully understand.

Homosexuals on the other hand, are human beings that also have the right for respect and dignity. In fact, many of them realize that their tendency is not natural and are struggling to get rid of it. Many of them tried a normal marriage in order to cure the tendency that they had. Some succeeded and some didn’t.

We have to realize that in most of the cases, homosexuals are products of the diseased society that we live in. The act itself is wrong and completely forbidden in all of the monotheistic faiths, but it doesn’t mean that we should reject the people who are inflicted by it from our societies. Several Muslim scholars say that the society should help them in their struggle to get rid or suppress their unnatural tendency, rather than condemning them and belittling them as human beings.

May God protect us and our family from the serious tribulations of the times that we live in.

Being just in measuring the balance

2011/08/13

13th day of Ramadhan 1432 (2011)

In ancient times, when supermarkets did not exist, weighing was a central / important aspect in business transactions. This is especially true when it came to food. A certain amount of money was given for a certain weight of food.

However, there came times where people would commit injustice and cheat people into paying for lesser than what they should have received. For example, they would say that their merchandise is 10kg, while in truth they only weighed 9.8kg.

The cheating got so severe, that it became one of the main central themes of the messages brought by the Prophets and Messengers (peace be upon them). One of them was Prophet Syu’aib (peace be upon him). As with many prophets, when he delivered the message to his people, out of rebellion, they did not want to put the effort to try to comprehend or think about the message that was given. Eventually, the people were punished and put as an example for future generations.

Nowadays, although not that explicit, there is still injustice in the business deals that we experience. Whether it’s by hidden expenses, covered up truths about what is sold, a price that way exceeds the real price of the unit, etc. This cheating can also take form as bad service, going home early from work (while getting the full amount of pay), etc.

Being unjust in business transactions were one the causes of the decline in ancient communities. Thus we should also be aware of our conducts and do our best to be just in all our affairs.

The slave that we are

2011/08/12

12th day of Ramadhan 1432 (2011)

Either we like it or not, we are enslaved to one thing or another. In many cases, we might not even realize it. Some people are enslaved by their work, their family, with lust, greed, or whatever they obey and strive for.

In truth, we can choose what we want to be enslaved to. We can choose to be enslaved to what was said previously, or we can choose to be enslaved to God, our real Master. When we choose to enslave ourselves to God, we will break free from all the other types of slavery that exists. Or in other words, the moment we surrender to God is when we will become truly free human beings.

As a consequence of being a slave of God, we belong 100% to Him. A slave doesn’t have the privileges that a company worker has. There is no weekend, no sleeping time, etc. His soul and body is fully dedicated to the Master.

But God is indeed a merciful master. He has given us everything that we have, despite of us deserving them or not. What did we pay for getting two perfect eyes? What did we do to deserve our limbs? What did we do to deserve our ability to speak? And the list goes on and on. And on top of that, we don’t even own all of those blessings, as one day they will all be returned to its Owner.

Unfortunately, we human beings are built with ingratitude inside of us. No matter what is given to us, we still find it in ourselves to complain about what we don’t have and overlook what we do. And so we must struggle our hardest to be grateful slaves.  

Being enslaved to the culture

2011/08/11

11th day of Ramadhan 1432 (2011)

The moment we step foot into this world, we are exposed to a way of life that we ourselves did not choose to follow, the particular culture of the region. We grow in that environment and the right and wrong within in it becomes our norm. We follow the norms that our forefathers have taught us and strive to protect them.

Although it’s perfectly fine when we follow what is beneficial, there are times when the things within a culture become burdensome, destructive and contradict common sense.

One of the examples in my culture that immediately popped into my mind is how difficult it is to get married. I am sure that this is also the case in many cultures. The groom and bride need to make a cumbersome amount of preparations if they are to get wed. That range from preparing financial requirements to organizing the ever so large wedding reception.

While the truth is, to want to get married is a pure and noble thing, and should be facilitated for ease, especially in these times where adultery and fornication are prevalent. Why would people want to make difficult a noble effort? The answer is because of the culture. Because everyone else is doing it. Because of the shame of not going along with the culture, even though it’s burdensome, of little benefit, or even harmful.

Whatever culture we follow from those before us should always be looked with a critical mind and heart. Don’t be a slave towards it. Especially if it is not part of Divine guidance sent down by God. Because we will indeed be responsible for all of our actions, and we will be in loss if what we followed is actually useless or even harmful for us in the end.

The first supremacist

2011/08/10

10th day of Ramadhan 1432 H (2011)

Almost all of the wars, genocides and holocausts in human history are caused by supremacism, which is the belief that a particular race, species, ethnic group, religion, gender, sexual orientation, belief system or culture is superior to others, and has the right to dominate, control or rule.

Supremacism has always been there in human history. In fact, it can be traced way back before that, up to the creation of man. The first supremacist was the devil himself. He was ordered to bow down to Adam, but refused out of arrogance. Giving the argument that he was made out of fire, and Adam (peace be upon him) was from clay.

Due to this act, he was banished from heaven. He became an outcast and a true enemy of humanity, which we will have to continue fighting up to the end of time. The devil’s argument, saying that fire is nobler than clay was a mistaken notion, because the true essence of nobility is not measured by physical attributes and affiliations that we have, but rather from what is in the heart.

Thus the devil became the first supremacist. And he has succeeded in deluding some of the worst of humanity to follow his footsteps. Slavery, war, colonialism, etc. are all the product of supremacism, deluding the criminals of humanity that other human beings are low enough to be used or even slaughtered without mercy.

We may not be able to do anything in this life. But God is Just. There will come a day where all the criminals of humanity be brought forth, and they will have to answer for the crimes they did. In this life, they can only receive one death sentence. But in the next, the will become fuel for the hellfire, and there they will squeal and feel the pain of dying over, and over, and over again.

The end of racism

2011/08/09

9th day of Ramadhan 1432 H (2011)

Racism is always a problem on every corner of the globe, in every social setting. I remember that even in football matches, racial incidents still occur. Strange, considering that a football match is a place where people are supposed to have fun. Even in Indonesia we still see Indonesian-Chinese people being discriminated because of their race.

I find it strange to see people being boastful about how they look, what color of their skin is, about what nationality they are, or whatever. For all that I know is that nobody has the authority to choose these things. It’s God’s authority, and only those who are short minded and lack of intellect would boast about their lineage or race.

In the 1960s, a man by the name of Malcolm X opposed the racism towards the black people in the US. At first, he fought racism with another type of racism, regarding white people as devils, while the black as the original people of the world. However, after he went to Mecca for pilgrimage, and saw all colors, white, black, yellow, and red, being as one in worship, he contracted is original statement. There, he experienced the hospitality and brotherhood of people who would be considered as “white people”.

All of us without exception are of the children of Adam (peace be upon him). Thus, we are brothers in humanity no matter what color or flavor we are. If God wanted to, He could have made us all the same, from our looks to how we think. But He didn’t, out of divine wisdom. And if we could truly understand this from the bottom of our hearts, God willing, we will be able to see the differences that we have as something beautiful.

Appreciating the blessing of speaking

2011/08/08

8th day of Ramadhan 1432 Hijriah (2011)

To be able to speak is indeed an amazing blessing. If we would just reflect on how complex the act of speaking is, we would use this blessing for better use. Speaking involves so many organs in its process, even up till now, scientists are still unable to create a unified theory about it. It involves the tongue, the lungs, obviously the nervous system, the mouth, and a whole lot more. Not to mention all the different languages that we have. An amazing act indeed!

The Muslim grammatical scholars agree that the ability to speak is one of the main characteristics which differs man from animal. In fact, many of them call man, the talking beast.

But when we think about how it is used nowadays, we should be ashamed of ourselves. We use it to insult people, for saying shameless words, for gossiping, and other displeasing acts, showing us that we may not deserve to have this amazing blessing.

In the Qur’an, it is said that the norm is, whatever we say, there is nothing good or useful in it. The words that we utter are useless, EXCEPT the words that we use to encourage charity, to encourage acts of righteousness / good deeds, and the words that we use to make conciliation or peace between people.

So in order to truly appreciate the amazing blessing of speaking, we should ponder how we use it. Do we say things that are good, pure, and beneficial? Or is it the contrary? May we be given pure tongues that bring goodness to whoever the listener is.

Noble characters of the dwellers of paradise

2011/08/07

7th day of Ramadhan 1432 Hijriah (2011)

We live in times of insecurity, rage and animosity. People cling on tightly towards their wealth, as they think it’s the source of security. Even when knowing that other people are in dire need of financial help. People are reactive towards everything they feel and see, raging about what they feel unsatisfactory. Maybe even we fit into these descriptions in one way or another.

These are opposite from characteristics owned by the future dwellers of paradise. These people have security with their Lord. They are not afraid to give in charity whether they are in ease (they have plenty of resources) or in tightness (not having plenty of resources themselves).

They are secure with their Lord and their own selves, that they have the heart to not get angry towards whatever injustice is committed upon them. Not only that, they find it in them to be able to forgive and forget about it, leaving no traces of the damage that was done.

Another characteristic that they have is the sensitivity to realize their own faults. They realize their faults quickly and repent as soon as they can. Thus they improve themselves as human beings all the time.

People with noble characters are hard to find nowadays. And no wonder our societies are in chaos. In order to transform our societies, we need to transform ourselves at the individual level. If we can obtain the characteristics of the future dwellers of paradise, that would be a great victory indeed. And as a bonus, our societies will in turn be much better than how they are now.

Being obsessed with our image

2011/08/06

6th day of Ramadhan 1432 Hijriah (2011)

We are living in an age where people are obsessed with their image in front of others. This is especially true regarding how they look. Many people go to all ends to enhance how they look, to look more “beautiful” in front of others. They do it through surgery, extreme diet, by wearing expensive branded clothes, through make up, etc.

All do it for a different reason. Perhaps for their career, for self esteem, for experimentation, etc. But ultimately, the goal is to be happier and to expect recognition from other people.

The truth is, we should know that every human being is beautiful in their own unique way. It is God who created and shaped the human being in the womb in perfect manner. Whether it be male or female, handsome or otherwise, happy or miserable, with perfect measure according to His Divine wisdom.

Unfortunately we are trapped in the stereotype on beauty made by the corporate marketing and branding, that the pinnacle of beauty is within the actors and artists who walk on the red carpet wearing clothes with little decency. The way they look and dress become the dream of o so many.

The bottom line is, we are all beautiful. Whether short or tall, good looking or not, black or white, no matter what physical attributes that we have, God was the one who gave them to us. And if anyone understands beauty, the Creator, Shaper of whatever exists most definitely knows best. We need to break through the perverted perception of beauty created by those who have their own selfish agendas.

The beloved (peace and blessings be upon him) said that God does not look at how you look and your wealth but He looks at your heart and deeds. And we should also judge according those parameters. Thus, let’s do our best to become deep people in the shallowness of the times that we live in.

Showering our souls with charity

2011/08/05

5th day of Ramadhan 1432 Hijriah (2011)

No doubt that water is the most important substance in life. 80% of the human body is made out of it, and without it, life as we know would not exist. Water also triggers seeds to germinate and nurture them to become full grown plants which sustain life. The presence of ice on a new planet is also seen as a good indicator for the possibility of the existence of life.

We can go on and on talking about this amazing molecule. But what I’d like to share here is again a reminder from the Qur’an. Water is made as an analogy of charity for the sake of God. To give in charity is one of the ancient commandments that all the messengers and prophets (peace be upon them) were told to deliver. Thus, it should be an honor for us to be engaged in such an act.

The likeness of charity for the sake of God is like a garden that receives plentiful of rain which doubles the harvest. And if only small amount of rain showers it, it is enough for it. The garden is a person’s soul, while the harvest is a person’s good deeds. Thus, the one who gives in charity for the sake of God’s pleasure will find ease and many opportunities to perform other good deeds. And consequently, these good deeds will make the soul stronger and happier.

The devil threatens us with poverty, thus it becomes so difficult for us to give even a small amount in charity. While it’s so easy for us to spend on luxury that we often don’t need. But the truth is, as the Beloved (peace and blessings be upon him) said, a man will who spends in charity for the sake of God, will ascend a higher degree and status because of it. Furthermore, there is a guarantee from God that whoever gives in charity for His sake will get his or her wealth being multiplied even more.

There are many of our brothers and sisters in humanity who are suffering even now. Our brothers and sisters in Somalia, in northern Japan, and all over the world. It’s always a good opportunity to give in charity, but it is even better in this blessed month. Thus, let’s refrain from spending on what we don’t need, and shower our souls with giving in charity.

A rock hard heart

2011/08/04

4th day of Ramadhan 1432 Hijriah (2011)

Rocks are such amazing objects. They are among the hardest substances that the earth can produce. Metamorphic rocks like marble and quartzite are so hard and durable, that they are used to build buildings that can last for generations.

In the Quran, the hardness of rocks is associated with the hardness of the heart. Yes, hearts can also metamorphose into becoming hard, even harder than rocks. The hard heart is insensitive towards goodness. The hard heart doesn’t show any compassion whatsoever when being presented with the suffering of others. The hard heart despises kindness and mercy. The hard heart doesn’t respond towards words of Truth.

The reason of the hardening is simple: swaying away from the Truth after having belief, conviction and certainty towards it. And this happens because many people enjoy being rebellious and want to live life according how they want to live it. In this particular case, the children of Israel were shown miracle after miracle by Prophet Musa (peace be upon him). But these miracles that they saw didn’t increase them in faith. Rather, they became more rebellious towards what the Prophet commanded them to do.

Since ancient times, the prophets and messengers that came to humanity instructed the same basic commandments. Worship God (alone), be dutiful and good to parents, kindred, orphans and the poor, speak good words to people and perform prayer and give charity. The people of old rejected the commandments out of rebelliousness, arrogance and disbelief. Thus, their hearts were sealed and hardened, which is the worst tragedy that can befall a human being.

No one is safe from this tragedy. Thus we should continuously work hard to maintain every bit of faith that we have, work hard to tread the path of righteousness, and ask God to put us firm on His path. May He bless us with soft hearts that are full of His remembrance.

The harm of a small joke

2011/08/03

3rd day of Ramadhan 1432 Hijriah (2011)

We often take for granted our interaction with other people, whether we mean to or not. Going up to the point where we hurt other people’s feelings with our speech albeit unintentionally. We make jokes and funny insults thinking that they are amusing and can strengthen the bonds of the relationship, while the truth is, it often does otherwise.

This happens most often among good friends, spouses, or family. Thinking that those who are closest would have it easier to forget and forgive. Although it may be the case in this world, it most certainly will not be in the next.

We will be faced by a difficult day where brothers would run away from each other, where a person would run away from their parents, their spouses and even the children that they cherished so much. It is the day when nothing but justice will be brought forth. And those small jokes and insults will also be brought forth, which could become troublesome for those who commit it.

Although right now our friends or family may look as if they don’t mind us cracking jokes and funny insults at them, on “that day” they might be in a deficit of good deeds. And they will not hesitate to take our good deeds due to the injustice and heartache we caused them (through our jokes). Or in other words, a joke can cost us paradise and put us into the fire. Of course, not all jokes are bad, and in fact jokes can be good and pure, as taught by the Prophet SAW. But too often do we take it overboard.

Therefore, in this blessed month, let us introspect our relationship with others, and try our best to avoid foul talk and useless speech. Instead, let us use good words and honor each other, for that is the best way to truly strengthen our bonds of love between us. May God make it easy for all of us to reach for success in this month.

Dangerous blessings

2011/08/02

2nd day of Ramadhan 1432 Hijriah (2011)

Everything in life is a blessing. But for the ancient Arab (as with many people today), the most cherished blessings are having children and abundant wealth. However, without the proper attitude, they can become dangerous and lead the possessor down to the path of wretchedness.

People who have abundant blessings and don’t think deeply about them, can become self secure and arrogant. They begin to think that they have the blessings merely because of their own effort and strength. While the truth is, God gave it to them as a test. Simply said, the ones who are ignorant and don’t have gratitude towards God’s blessings have failed the test.

Being self sufficient and arrogant with what we possess can lead to many diseases (Al Qalam, ayah 10-14). The worst disease of all is to reject the truth and goodness that other people tell us. And unfortunately, we live in times like this. The rich and powerful often fail to see the goodness that other people advise them to. This might also be the case with us.

We were born into this world as weak and lonely creatures. Without any wealth, children, strength, or anything else. But God blessed upon us the ability to grow, get stronger, gain riches, and blessed us with children and companionship. Therefore, let us reflect and show gratitude towards all these blessings, so we can benefit from them and avoid the danger that they can bring us.

Don’t worry, be happy... with everything

1st day of Ramadhan 1432 Hijriah (2011)

Obviously, we as human beings will often find ourselves being disappointed whenever things aren’t going our way. We may have worked tirelessly to achieve a goal, yet we didn’t get what we wanted. We may get hurt and twisted our ankle even though we tried to be as careful as possible, and all kinds of other mishaps. At these times, we might feel restless and disappointed with what happened.

As a medicine for this restlessness, an ayah from the Quran (Surah Hadid, 20-21) mentions about this scenario. The truth is, whatever we get, and whatever we don’t get, is already pre-destined. So everything that happens is supposed to happen, and they happen for a reason. For the believer, we have certainty that whatever God wants is what is best. And our ability to perceive what is good and what is bad is so very limited. Who knows, maybe through a calamity we face, we might learn good and noble characters that outweigh the harm of the calamity.

So if we miss good opportunities, lost our wealth, got injured, or even face death. We should know that it was supposed to happen and we wouldn’t be able to escape it no matter what we do. And we should face whatever calamity we face with patience and forbearance. Likewise, whatever good that happens to us, all of our success was supposed to happen inevitably. So we shouldn’t be arrogant with our achievements and be grateful instead.

Wrapping it up in one sentence, quoting a sentence from Ibn Kathir’s explanation of the Qur’an, "Every one of us feels happiness and grief. However, make your joy with gratitude and endure your grief with patience.''

Learning from our Japanese brothers and sisters

You can’t help but feel the pain and sorrow of what is happening to Japan. Especially to those who are located near the disaster zone. The earthquake and tsunami has claimed tens of thousands of lives, many people are forced to stay in refugee camps, without any heating in cold winter-like temperatures. And while their supplies run thin, there is also the additional ongoing danger of nuclear radiation. However, no matter how bad it is, in every situation, there are lessons that we can learn to make us better human beings.

I have lived here in Japan for quite some time. Almost 6 years to be exact. And during that time, God has taught me a lot through my Japanese brothers and sisters (I don’t hesitate to call them my brothers and sisters because as God has said, we all came from a single human being (the Prophet Adam), which automatically makes us brothers and sisters in humanity transcending nationality and race). Several important lessons have again been taught to me through this bitter tragedy.

Patience

The first lesson that can be learned from the Japanese is the ability to have patience in difficult times. God values the virtue of patience in very high estimation, as it is mentioned time and time again in the Qur’an. And the Japanese are people who have this noble virtue. Even in times of difficulties with scarce food supplies they can stay in line to get them. Whether in the end they get what they need or not, they don’t transgress other people’s rights (to cut the lines or shove other people). Even without traffic lights (due to the blackouts) and no police officers they can maintain order in the roads. Everyone understands their role in this situation. That everyone is in this together and has to put all egos aside.

Being just

The ability to have patience and control one’s self leads to being just with other people. In this chaos, there are no stores being looted, no properties being damaged, and no rights being transgressed. And "The Just" is one of the names of God (Al ‘Adl in Arabic), and God indeed loves those who are just. It takes a high degree of control to be just to other people, and it becomes even more difficult in times of tribulation. I truly admire the Japanese for this trait.

Empathy and compassion for others

Generally, the Japanese are people with good hearts. Despite the toughness that is apparent in many cases, they will try their best to help others. And in this case, during the disaster, we can still see people trying to help others, even though they need to put themselves in harm's way. They can also cry for other people’s pain, which is indication that they have very delicate hearts, and I mean this in a positive way. One of the greatest disasters that a human being could experience, is to have a hard and dead heart.

Neutrality of the mass media

I might be wrong here, but it seems to me that unlike the mass media in many countries, the media here doesn't try to exploit this dire condition to get more money. I feel that the mass media genuinely tries to be a mean to mitigate the situation and provide information for the people’s sake. And most importantly, they encourage everyone to stand together and help hand in hand. Even the commercials being aired are those that highlight the importance of helping others, which conditions the viewers to have empathy towards the victims.

Although there are positive and negative traits in every society, I feel it’s important to learn from Japan regarding the many noble traits that they have. As the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said, that hikmah (wisdom) is the lost treasure of the believer. And we should do our best to strive for finding wisdom in whatever or whoever it may be in. This disaster is an eye opener towards the whole world about the beauty of these lost noble characters.

May God make it easy for us to see the wisdom behind whatever happens to us. May God ease the pain, give goodness, give patience and perseverance to all our brothers and sisters in humanity who are facing difficulties all around the globe. And especially for our Japanese brothers and sisters, may things get better soon and may the scars that have resulted from the recent tragedies be quickly healed.

Living with corrupt leaders

The string of revolts in the Arab world against their respective leaders is one of the hot commodities in the media nowadays. This is indication that there is a serious crisis of leadership in these countries. Most of them are corrupt and succeeded in establishing a dictatorship that oppresses the rights of the people for their private benefits.

No doubt that these corrupt leaders play a big role in creating the social problems in the society, such as the increase of unemployment, hunger, etc. However, we as citizens may also have a part in creating this condition, and should try our best to do what we can to make things better, and have patience for the sake of getting God’s reward. Of course there are without doubt times when the leaders are overwhelmingly unjust, and there are guidelines to deal with such leaders in Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh). However, there are also times when we put the blame too easy on whoever has authority in the land.

As said in the Qur’an, God will not change the condition of a nation until they change what is inside of themselves. It means that the best way to achieve positive change is by collective internal revolution. The results may not come overnight, but by God’s will, it will come. Even the Prophet (Peace be upon him) needed 20 odd years to build the perfect community. So to achieve positive change in a society, the emphasis should be on one’s self before anybody else. By doing so, God willing, divine help will make its way. Just as He put corrupt leaders on top of us, without doubt He can put just ones too.

Furthermore, we should also remember that everything that we experience in life is merely a test from God, including the power that people are granted with. Those corrupt leaders were tested through power, and failed. And we rest their case with God. There is no guarantee that we would do better in the same condition, and we should be grateful that God is protecting us from the tribulation of having power. As the historian, Lord Acton said, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." Of course there are exceptions on this, with the greatest example our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), who albeit had power, always remained humble and just. On the other hand, we too are tested through these corrupt leaders. And we will get reward accordingly with our response.

May God have mercy on all of us and help those who are oppressed in His lands. May He guide our leaders to become just leaders that love the people. May He make all the tribulations that happen to us means to purify us from our sins, for the sake of our true victory, which is to be put in His gardens.

And God knows best

Our role in managing nature

Despite of all the arrogance that human beings have, we are actually generally weak and incapable of doing anything without relying on God's blessings. We boast of being able to manipulate nature, yet even the most casual natural phenomenon is beyond our grasps to understand, let alone control.

One of the examples is the sowing and growing of plant seeds. Human beings sow plant seeds everyday for all kinds of uses. And no matter how casual they may seem, I have always found the sprouting of seeds and the growth of plants to be such an amazing phenomenon. The seemingly lifeless seed, which actually contains an embryo from which new life will emerge from, will stay “dead” until being in the right conditions.

Although we may say that we planted and grew the seed, the truth is, after planting them, besides doing our best to maintain good growth conditions, we are merely passive spectators which can only wait and watch the emergence of new life. We have no control whatsoever in deciding the success of growth, whether the cells of the embryo will divide or not, etc. Simply speaking, the whole sprouting and growing process is a witness to God’s supreme creative ability and authority.

Another example is the rain sent down from the sky, which is a blessing from God, because we all know that water is the source of life. It makes up 80% of the mass of our body, and without it, life will not exist. Although human beings have been trying to control rain, either to (strangely) withhold or induce it, like what they tried to do in 2008’s Beijing Olympics, the chances of success in doing so is very low. Showing that we have no control whatsoever to decide whether it will rain or not.

Thus when we think deep about the natural phenomenon around us, we can see how everything has been made automated, so well balanced and in place. This is also true for the phenomenon inside our own selves. The beat of our hearts, the process of breathing, the blinking of our eyes, the division of our cells, are all automated and beyond our control. We don’t think about doing them, let alone control them. Rather they are all automated, which are signs for people who think deep.

Pondering on these phenomenons puts our perspective in place, reminding us about how weak and helpless we really are as God’s creations. And in turn, hopefully enable us to learn to be humble and have gratitude with all of the blessings we do have.

Protecting growth by providence of good nurturing conditions

There are so many lessons in wisdom that we can extract from the occurrence of things around us. From simple things to the large phenomenon, all can provide parables for understanding the nature of this world.

I have recently been growing some safflower plants for my research, and noticed something which I find very interesting. All of the seeds were sowed and grown in almost the same conditions. Differing only in the intensity of the sunlight they received. Some of them got more sunlight than the others, which turned out to be a key factor in their vitality when being attacked by insects or fungi.

ALL of the plants were attacked by insects early in their growth, which made most of them sick throughout their lives. The sick plants of course didn’t grow well, being stunted or abnormal, and to make matters even worse, some of them even got infected by fungi. However, the plants which received good amount of sunlight remained healthy despite the attacks. Their favorable growing condition somehow made it easier for them to repel the effects of the insect attacks.

Nurturing conditions played an important role for the plants I grew. And I feel that this isn’t only the case for plants, but for all creatures, including human beings. There are many parables that can be seen from the observation. But for me, I immediately thought about my children.

With widespread moral decay in our societies, it’s the parent’s responsibility to ensure that their children are nurtured in favorable conditions. By doing so, the next generation will automatically have stronger self defense from the overwhelming negative influences that our societies have to offer.

We have to ensure that the family can be as nutrient rich soil for the plants. And make sure that adequate amount of prophetic guidance and noble character showers them as the sunlight helped the growth of the healthy safflower plants. Only by doing so, we can nurture healthy individuals who can withstand the negative influences all around us, and in turn transform what is around them for the best.

Meluruskan niat, membangun istana abadi

Semua ciptaanNya di dunia akan hilang, hancur dan luluh. Tidak ada yang abadi.

Langit yang megah itu akan tercabik-cabik hingga akhirnya hancur
Bintang-bintang yang membentang hingga jutaan tahun cahaya itu akan gugur satu demi satu, tidak ada yang tersisa
Matahari yang cemerlang itu akan redup kehilangan cahayanya
Gunung-gunung akan hancur luluh bagai kapas yang berterbangan
Bumi akan memuntahkan semua beban yang selama ini tersimpan di dalamnya
Seluruh harta kekayaan yang dikejar oleh manusia akan kembali bersatu dengan tanah
Semua harapan, impian, serta kerja keras akan menjadi kosong tanpa arti…
Kecuali apa yang ditujukan untuk Dia yang Maha abadi.

Beberapa generasi yang lalu ada mereka yang mengejar tahta
Beberapa generasi yang lalu ada mereka yang mengidamkan kenyamanan
Beberapa generasi yang lalu ada mereka yang mengejar kekasih pujaan hatinya
Beberapa generasi yang lalu ada mereka yang bermimpi memiliki rumah idaman
Beberapa generasi yang lalu ada mereka yang bekerja keras demi kesuksesan bisnisnya

Kini mereka telah tiada
Mengetahui kenyataan sesungguhnya
Apa yang menguntungkan dan apa yang sia-sia
Tidak ada yang menemani mereka selain amal dan perbuatan yang telah atau tidak dilakukan

Sesungguhnya keutamaan amal dilihat dari niatnya
Bagi mereka yang beramal dengan niat tahta, kenyamanan, kekasih, rumah, atau kesuksesan bisnisnya, maka itulah yang akan dia peroleh
Keuntungan semu yang akan diikuti oleh kerugian sejati

Beruntunglah mereka yang mampu meluruskan niat hanya untuk Dia Yang Abadi
Berada di dalam kemegahan istana surga
Dengan ketenangan yang tiada akan berakhir

Free options for ANOVA

Recently I have been in need for software capable of statistical analysis doing one way analysis of variance (ANOVA). I need it to check how significant the differences are between gene-expression levels from each organ that were tested. Following ANOVA, a POST HOC analysis using Tukey HSD is also desirable, as it can provide more detailed data.

In my undergraduate years, I only had a short period of interaction with statistical analysis. The program that I used then was SPSS 9.0. In my home country, where the majority of the programs sold are pirated versions, they can be had for ridiculously cheap prices. With weak law enforcement and the inability to purchase, pirated software is the norm in many developing countries. I have just realized the damage of pirated copies on our morality after I went abroad.

Anyway, back to the topic, as I remembered, SPSS 9.0 was a very useful and easy to use program. If I am not mistaken, one way ANOVA is not really that complicated, and can be done manually, but I don’t have the time and patience to re-learn that subject again. Eventually I downloaded the most current SPSS release, SPSS 19. Fortunately, in 15 days after installation, it can be used in full function as a demo. And I was able to conduct ANOVA along with the POST HOC tests with no problem at all. However, the program will stop working after 15 days and needs to be purchased.

In the long run, I will definitely need a statistical analysis program. However, at around 1.000 USD, I assume that SPSS 19 is overkill for me. So I started to look for free alternatives. The first alternative that I bumped into is PSPP (http://www.gnu.org/software/pspp/), a very capable program, which is a clone of SPSS minus some bells and whistles. It’s easy to use, can perform ANOVA, but unfortunately, doesn’t have the ability to conduct POST HOC analysis.

So I searched for other programs on the internet. The ones that didn’t work out for me was SOFA (http://www.sofastatistics.com/home.php), assistat (http://www.assistat.com/), openstat (http://statpages.org/miller/openstat/), and others. They may be able to do the job, but for me the interface was just too difficult, awkward, and most importantly, I failed achieve what I intended. Of course everyone is entitled to a different opinion, and might find those programs OK for their needs.

I finally stumbled upon brightstat (brightstat.com). It’s an online analysis suite which can perform ANOVA along with POST HOC analysis, exactly what I need for analysis of my data. The interface is user friendly and very intuitive. I performed the same analysis which I performed on SPSS 19 and it gave similar results. It even has the option of creating nice looking graphs as well.

SPSS 19 is no doubt a wonderful program for performing statistical analysis, especially due to the fact that it is widely used with abundance of references and tutorials online. However, if statistical analysis is not your main work and only need it as complimentary data, there are many free programs out there that might suite your needs. For me, brightstat coupled with PSPP is more than what I currently need (ANOVA with POST HOC analysis).

*POST HOC analysis: gives information on how significant the differences are between the mean values of each sample.