Welcome to the Time Capsule — a weekly newsletter that serves as both my public journal and personal scrapbook. I write about the things on my mind and close to my heart in hopes that those who read it find value and enjoyment in it, and perhaps some solace too.
💭 Quote(s) of the Week
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9
✏️ On Work-Life Balance
There are not enough hours in the day. That is what I think to myself after coming home from work where, despite my satisfactory efficiency, I have made only a small dent in my weekly planner. I am blessed to have the opportunity to be challenged in new ways every day. Even the smallest things, like a doctor’s appointment, are no easy feat. It is valuable experience — but there are not enough hours in the day.
The last month has me rethinking my philosophy on work-life balance. To be career-oriented is positive. Except for a select few (I hesitate to say a lucky few), we all must work to earn our daily bread. To do so in a way that cultivates your intellect, challenges you personally and professionally, and supports your being is a blessing not afforded to everyone. Many do not have the luxury or desire to do so. But I think there is a fine line between a healthy commitment to one’s career and an over-investment in it that comes at the expense of other elements of one’s life. Time is your most valuable currency, and as I become older and become busier, I have a growing appreciation for my time and the time of others. Having an intellectually and temporally demanding job, a partner, a social life, and a physical existence that requires cultivation (or at least maintenance) leaves little for anything else. I can see how once one starts a family and his time is no longer his own, the days become longer but the years fly by.
Being present is the only way to escape this — embracing and relishing in the monotony of life. Regardless of whatever route you take, total immersion into the now is the solution. Whether your day is packed with meetings or leisure time, appreciation for life and for the moment allows you to stay in touch with the full human experience, to find the beauty in the mundane and repetitive (much of adult life is saturated with repetitive tasks), and to appreciate the gift of living. A health scare or loss of a loved one can remind us of the fleeting nature of this human experience. We needn’t wait for that — the past is fiction and the future is hypothetical. The present is where life is lived: seek it continually. There are enough hours in the day for those who savour each one.
📸 Photo(s) of the Week
📖 Book of the Week — Lettres à un jeune poète par Rainer Maria Rilke
Déjà vu — mais en Francais!
💡 Food for Thought
Enjoy the beauty of each day you’re given. You never know which one will be your last.
🔭 Sunday Best
The Conscience in Islam — a sermon by Sheikh Ahmad Kuftaro in NYC (December 1992)
[…] it can be said that the true human being is one in whom true and unshakable belief has settled and in whom abides, in the depths of his heart, the very matrix of conscience. It is this very person who will respect the law and care for society, its stability and structure, and the harmony of its people. A society without a conscience knows no rest, and there is no conscience without faith.
We Create Who We Are — an interview with Nicole Krauss
Growing up in a family, that had fled Europe during the Second World War, Krauss did not have a feeling of a rooted home, fleeing into the world of reading at an early age later, that led her towards writing. On a blank page, we can be anything, she says. Also Krauss reflects upon the concept of heritage and loss, that recur in all of her novels. We all suffer loss, Krauss states, but the interesting thing is how we deal and live on with it. Finally, Krauss argues, that every novel is championing the individual over the masses, thereby having a political aspect to it. The world of literature reminds the reader of the fact, that each life is singular and thus of infinite value.
Sacred Monotony: Consistent Prophetic Practices to Hone and Perfect — by Zaytuna College
In this episode, Dr. Asad Tarsin will examine how we can take daily activities and mindfully bring them into the realm of devotion.
Cordialement,
AT