Interactions: May 2004 Archives

I've been thinking about this for a long time: God created Adam, and according to Darwin's evolutionary theory and natural selection, Adam could have been a monkey (Darwin's theory has come under attack lately, but for different reasons besides religious).

Islam, of course, forbids us to think of Adam (or Eve) as a primate, for various reasons, but mostly because animals and humans are different in the sense that humans have been granted free will. If Adam was a monkey (or the descendent of monkeys -- which is also impossible according to Quran since he was created a "man" before he was kicked out of heaven), then it would be difficult to reconcile the issue of free will.

“O mankind, be careful of your duty to your Lord, Who created you from a single soul, and from it created its mate, and from the two of them has spread forth a multitude of men and women.� (Al-Quran, Chapter 4, Verse 1)

“All of you are Children of Adam, and Adam was created from dust.� (Prophet Muhammad, pbuh)

And yet, fossilized findings tends to show a gradual evolution of early man -- the cro-magnons, the neandertals, etc. There must be a reconciliation between what scientiests have found and what the Quran tells us, but i'm unsure what it is.

Some websites i've found have been vague in their answers. Others have tried reconciling evolution and creationism, but have ended up sounding particularly dubious.

Looks like the thought i've given the subject is still incomplete. More research required.

How would you feel if, upon receiving a very nice gift from you, he tells you, "You're so insensitive. I gave you so many hints about the gift i wanted; why didn't you buy me that?"

I've always thought that the art of gifts lies more in the receiving, rather than the giving. Looks like not everyone shares my opinion.

Its always easier to say something, anything when no one knows who you are. Hiding behind the veil of cyberspace has always been one of the reasons why it became so popular in the first place, i reckon.

But when you really have something to say, i'll bet it lends a whole load of credibility to say it with your face showing. Stick your neck right out there, and make your point. If its crap, you're toast, reputation ruined, humiliated and humbled publicly. If its good, applause and back-slapping bravado is certain to follow.

Writing anonymously or not, is not necessarily better one over the other. They just serve different purposes. Looking carefully at the Malaysian blogosphere in particular, the demarcation of purposes seems quite stark: the more personal your message or your writing is, the less a blogger reveals about himself (or, in this case, she writes in riddles so only she and her closest confidantes fully understand her meaning). If the message is a public announcement, meant to educate or to inspire a call to action, then the blogger tends to hide less.

And, there lastly, is the final conundrum: the more public a blogger is, the less we actually know about him; we know what he wants to say, but we often have little or no insight into his personality or his life. The more anonymous the blogger is, the more we are able to relate and understand to her -- its almost as though we're able to get closer to those whom have no face.

Some of the best blogs on the 'net are written with the promise of sincere honesty; what makes a good read is the truth -- and sometimes, the plainest truths, told in the most straightforward manner are the best. They suck you in and keep you there.

Jez's Wanton Diaries tends to do that. Highly recommended.

This post refers to the earlier one, "Incredible".

Adam listened to Eve because he trusted her. Love is about trust.

Romeo killed himself because he sincerely believed that the reason why he was alive was dead. Love is about sacrifice, and the ability to make tough choices when it counts.

"He" drives her home everyday because he loves "her". A few precious moments together, in the comfort of their car, trapped behind hundreds of other cars in gridlock, is a small price to pay for (1) her company and (2) the peace of mind that she's being well looked after.

Men do "increbibly absurd" things because to them its just the right thing to do, regardless of what we think of it.

Having given it much more thought, it doesn't sound so silly afterall.

Sometimes, love requires sacrifice. And when it happens, no one in love really thinks of it as a sacrifice anymore.

Men do some incredibly absurd things for women.

Adam disobeyed GOD because Eve told him to.

Romeo killed himself because he thought Juliet was dead first.

He sends her back home to Kajang everyday eventhough he lives on the direct opposite end of town. Why? Because she's tired. What if he's tired too?

What if Adam had told Eve to f*** off?

What if Romeo had said, "Screw it, there's lots of other fish in the sea."?

Why do men do what they do?