First of all your writing is amazing and I have a lot to say about this piece so I hope it does not sound like I am writing a whole essay under yours. That first story at the dinner table with people talking loudly and confidently about politics even though they had no real idea what they were saying was so easy to picture. I have seen that so many times and I relate to sitting there knowing they are wrong but not finding the moment to speak and then replaying everything in my head later. But sometimes it is not even about being shy or unsure. Sometimes your mind stays quiet because it already knows the conversation is a dead end and does not deserve your time or your effort. Then the part about your colleague showed how kind and observant you are because you saw him and understood him in a way no one else did. And the way his team dismissed his ideas just because they came from him then accepted them when they came from you says everything. You were right when you said he was “intellectually lonely” because sometimes we are not quiet because we cannot speak but because we are simply in the wrong room with the wrong people. What surprised me the most was how you connected all of this to the Quranic stories and how you explained استحياء not as weakness but as dignity and a way of moving with grace. And honestly you are right because today it feels like many people have lost not only shyness but even basic shame and everyone is loud without thinking.
First off, thank you; it means a lot to receive such feedback, and especially from someone I enjoy their pieces as well. I want to start from your last bit, which, as you said, was surprising for me to begin with. I probably came across this Aya more than I can probably count, but to actually see it differently, it was a moment I knew would reshape a few perspectives I previously had. I noticed I was gaining a lot of those reshuffled perspectives by reading different "Tafseer". It was a good habit to pick up. I know exactly what you mean when we reserve our interactions when we feel the conversation is heading into a dead end, either way. I know what that is, and I know we consciously choose to skip that battle, given that the only winner will be further frustration 😀. I fear sometimes we miss out on the opportunities to realise that we are wrong, or missed a point of view, but also we battle that sixth sense of "dead nd ahead". The part on losing even the basic shame, I can't agree more. Thank you once again.
First of all your writing is amazing and I have a lot to say about this piece so I hope it does not sound like I am writing a whole essay under yours. That first story at the dinner table with people talking loudly and confidently about politics even though they had no real idea what they were saying was so easy to picture. I have seen that so many times and I relate to sitting there knowing they are wrong but not finding the moment to speak and then replaying everything in my head later. But sometimes it is not even about being shy or unsure. Sometimes your mind stays quiet because it already knows the conversation is a dead end and does not deserve your time or your effort. Then the part about your colleague showed how kind and observant you are because you saw him and understood him in a way no one else did. And the way his team dismissed his ideas just because they came from him then accepted them when they came from you says everything. You were right when you said he was “intellectually lonely” because sometimes we are not quiet because we cannot speak but because we are simply in the wrong room with the wrong people. What surprised me the most was how you connected all of this to the Quranic stories and how you explained استحياء not as weakness but as dignity and a way of moving with grace. And honestly you are right because today it feels like many people have lost not only shyness but even basic shame and everyone is loud without thinking.
First off, thank you; it means a lot to receive such feedback, and especially from someone I enjoy their pieces as well. I want to start from your last bit, which, as you said, was surprising for me to begin with. I probably came across this Aya more than I can probably count, but to actually see it differently, it was a moment I knew would reshape a few perspectives I previously had. I noticed I was gaining a lot of those reshuffled perspectives by reading different "Tafseer". It was a good habit to pick up. I know exactly what you mean when we reserve our interactions when we feel the conversation is heading into a dead end, either way. I know what that is, and I know we consciously choose to skip that battle, given that the only winner will be further frustration 😀. I fear sometimes we miss out on the opportunities to realise that we are wrong, or missed a point of view, but also we battle that sixth sense of "dead nd ahead". The part on losing even the basic shame, I can't agree more. Thank you once again.