Khaled Almaeena
I had just read a WhatsApp message on the tragic death of the brother of a former colleague of ours who was killed in a car accident in the Eastern Province a few hours earlier.
Going to the mosque for the Tahajjud prayers I got a call from an associate about the death of his father-in-law, who was killed in a hit and run accident in Wadi Al Dawasir as he was on his way for the night prayers.
The reality in life is that death visits every family and our mortality gives us pause to reflect on this world and the next, and it boosts our resolve with God’s promise of life hereafter.
The twin news, in quick succession, really shook me up. Two lives snuffed out unnecessarily. Yes, we all believe in destiny, in God’s will but we do also need to look into our own world and take action to decrease such unnecessary loss of lives.
My mind wandered about my own and other people’s lives. It was a spiritual journey where I questioned the purpose of our existence.
Why were we in this world and what were we supposed to do between the two points of darkness from our birth to our death?
Are we to meander through life eating and drinking. Jostling for comfort, procreating and in the process willfully destroying the environment.
Do we adopt a noblesse oblige attitude? Do we become martyrs for causes we know not? Are we satisfied to roll on in the pursuit of happiness oblivious to our surroundings? Do we just carry on with our lives without any concern for the lesser privileged?
Life is more than that. We owe it to ourselves to become better human beings. We are all part of the human race and as such our purpose in life should be to leave this world a better place when we go.
And this cannot be done by mere words. Hard work and ceaseless effort to promote goodwill, harmony, tolerance and acceptance of others should be our philosophy.
Whether we are ordinary citizens or placed in positions of power our goal should be that. Let us not just get caught up in material life and take it to be the only aspect of its existence. There is another dimension to it and we should explore to enhance our soul.
And let us take a moment to grieve for all those who traveled the road of life before us and check on the milestones.
Perhaps some day others will pause to stop by at ours…
— Reprinted with permission of the Saudi Gazette and Khaled Almaeena. The writer is Editor-at-Large. He can be reached at kalmaeena@saudigazette.com.sa and followed on Twitter: @KhaledAlmaeena