This blog is no longer being updated. Last post was “Farewell”.
Yes. I am alive.
Not that I am having some near-death experiences, but it’s only that I am busy. And how exactly do you define busy? My dictionary says that when one works with ‘concentrated attention’, one is busy. I completely fail to meet this definition. Attention, specially concentrated attention, is one of those things which, when come near to me, face an immediate repulsive force, which pushes them as far as about 100 meters away. (I never measured though. It’s a rough estimate). And the funny thing is that I don’t even have to concentrate to repel things like concentrated attention. (OK, it’s a dumb thing I said). It’s like a natural phenomenon, a reflex action, which operates itself when it finds itself appropriate to come into action. Needless to say that it almost always finds itself appropriate to come into action.
So how do I justify that I am busy?
First, I have to define what I mean by ‘being busy’. For me, being busy means being busy. It hasn’t got any definition. It hasn’t got any meaning. It’s one of those abstract concepts which when named, make themselves clear in your mind, and still if somebody asks you to give a concrete explanation about them, you are unable to do so. Just like love. Not that it means that, for me, being busy means being in love. Both being busy and being in love would hate me for it.
So now, may be you have got a slight idea of what I mean by being busy. And if you haven’t, don’t worry. Chances are that I am with you. Because sometimes when you are trying to explain something, you yourself don’t know much about it, and still you go on and on, filling pages and speaking words about that certain something. Just like what I am doing right now: typing like I have got no other thing to do other than preaching my abstract concepts, and still saying that I am busy. It’s all about that charm, you know. That charm of being busy. When you see the world around you engaged so deeply in its activities, you try to do the same. You try to be the part of the world. You forget who you are, and you want yourself to get engaged in some sort of activity too. You try to taste that charm. You try to be busy. And you try it so hard that you put behind yourself that cause, which, other than that charm, was responsible to make you come up and walk beside the world. You walk with the world and you leave your goals behind. You don’t look back, and when/if you ever do, those goals of yours are nowhere to be seen. Vanished from the face of the earth. The funny part is, you don’t even realize you have lost something. What you do realize and care about, is that charm. That charm which keeps on telling you that you are busy, and you can’t afford to waste a single second.
Pretty ‘charming’ concepts I have got, huh? Maybe you disagree with them. You have full right to do so. As for me, I don’t know if I agree or disagree, because I am too busy to give these concepts a second thought. I have to go and walk with the world, you know.
16 comments
Moiz
Jun 24, 2004 at 12:20 pm
yay!i’m first!!!
wow! i so agree wid u!reading ur posts almost makes it worth d wait!lol!but i still wish u’d update more often…until then…may Allah keep us all busy…
VL
Jun 25, 2004 at 7:05 am
Wonderfully written. You’ve presented a wonderful point. Most people are always very inclined to do what the crowd is doing. They lack that .. er … ‘innovative sense’. And oh, I’m that .. “I’ll let the crowd follow me!” type, hehe. Plus do you plan to publish your dictionary?
Laura
Jun 25, 2004 at 9:57 am
When you see the world around you engaged so deeply in its activities, you try to do the same. You try to be the part of the world. You forget who you are, and you want yourself to get engaged in some sort of activity too.
My teenager daughter would say you were a ‘poser.’ (Do you say that there?)
All in fun, though.
Saadat
Jun 25, 2004 at 10:53 pm
Moiz: Now should I say Ameen here?
VL: Isn’t it the same … you following the world, or the world following you, in either case, you and the world are doing the same thing *goes out in search of a publisher*
Laura: Haha, who knows, may be I was posing there!
VL
Jun 26, 2004 at 2:14 pm
But Saadat, there is some difference in you following the world and the world following you .. I mean, c’mon ..!! You leading a team of monkeys ..!! LOL
Saadat
Jun 26, 2004 at 3:49 pm
Hahaha, or letting a monkey lead you!
VLady
Jun 27, 2004 at 8:36 am
*sigh* … oh Saadat!
AWK
Jun 27, 2004 at 4:27 pm
look busy doing nothing?
sadiya
Jun 28, 2004 at 4:43 am
i get busy doing nothing sometimes. takes a great deal of concentrated attention to accomplish nothing sometimes.
may Allah help us use our time wisely. ameen.
Saadat
Jun 28, 2004 at 3:40 pm
VL: What? I was just reciprocating your statement!
AWK: Exactly!
Sadiya: Ameen. And could you kindly teach me how to accomplish nothing … I am struggling with it nowadays!
Jaded
Jun 30, 2004 at 3:25 am
Aww yay I like the title
I’m still alive too but just about…thats why imma gonna come backs and read this post 
jogia
Jun 30, 2004 at 6:58 pm
hmmm so your busy huh… kam chor!! busy ppl
Saadat
Jul 2, 2004 at 3:01 pm
Jaded:
Jogia: Kam chor, absolutely!
Sara
Jul 3, 2004 at 8:03 am
Ummm….right!
Saad
Jul 8, 2004 at 11:26 am
Nice
, ” You don’t look back, and when/if you ever do, those goals of yours are nowhere to be seen. Vanished from the face of the earth.” definitely agree to that something I would say “socha na tha aesa bhee hoga” VL : translate it 
angraizi mein
Aysh
Jul 9, 2004 at 5:26 pm
Man, you ARE busy! I know what you mean and i totally agree with you 100%. These days i am so busy that i dont know whats keeping me busy. I know i am doing something very important. the only problem is, i dont know what it is! I am even too busy to complete anything. Oh how I wish time could just come to a stand still for just 5 whole minutes (not more than that) and then I would actually get time to know exactly what it is that is really keeping me busy. But i dont think that would work…
BTW, well written and it’s nice that you updated. We need to stop being busy once in a while…