So this week I was consumed by the book I was reading, this usually happens when I read, any chance I get I pick up my book. Anyways the book I read was called Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, it is the story of Ayaan's life and growing up in Somalia, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Kenya and eventually ending in Holland then America. I am not sure if you remember the Dutch producer Theo van Gogh, he was murdered by a muslim man in Holland in 2004 for producing a film called Submission. The film was about the suffering Muslim women go through, and the film was written by Ayaan. When the movie came out there was a huge up roar in the Islamic community and many people wanted Ayaan dead for the things she said about Islam.
I really enjoyed reading the novel because I identified with Ayaan and her internal struggles with her faith. Through out the whole novel Ayaan is able to follow her heart and know what was right and wrong. She never gave up and accepted her fate, her arranged marriage, her faiths views on certain issues. I like to think that I am able to listen to and follow my heart. You know inside when something is right or wrong, your intuition is able to prevent you from making wrong choices. Sometimes we make wrong choices anyways, but we know inside what is right and wrong. Ayaan in her life went through phases with her faith and they are the same phases that I have been through. I started out as a little twerp (as my dad would say), I just did what I was supposed too and didnt really put much thought into it. I just did what I was told. Eventually I got to the point where I really wanted to follow all the rules and understand my faith. I went to a bible study, conferences, YFC, lead a youth group, it was good times. Eventually there were things that I was unable to accept about the church so I began looking else where.
Since then I have been learning about my Jewish faith that I was born with, I have also been learning about Hindu belief system (which is super complicated) because of yoga. Along with that I have wanted to meditate and visit a Buddhist temple to see what it was like. The more I look at everything, the more I realise that it is all the same. The ideas and principles that are talked about just have different names. In Catholicism the Holy Spirit is that fire inside of you that encourages you to do something, the aspect of God within all of us spurring us forward. In Yogic philosophy or Hindu I am not sure which one, the Spanda is that fire inside of us spurring us on. Whenever you feel excitement for anything, or motivated to write in your blog, that is all Spanda inside of us. If you know more about the topic please post, I am by no means an expert. I just find it all so interesting how similar it is.
Reading this book has really made me reflect on my own journey and made me want to understand and learn more.
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5 comments:
what motivates you to delve into other organized religion? are you looking for potential aged insight? i spent a long time wondering about other religions before i lost interest completely and i'm curious to hear why you're curious about them. what do you think now that you've concluded they're all very similar?
I think that the difference between you and I is, you do not believe in God have developed or experienced a connection with him (correct me if I am wrong). I could not dismiss God because there have been too many instances to help me believe.
Also I find religions fascinating! I used to want to go to UBC and do religious studies, to learn about different belief systems. The more I learn the more I am able to believe that we are all the same and the more I realise that we need to embrace that. The reason that I delve into other religious ideas isnt for the religion itself but for its approach at spirituality and for the opportunity to meet someone who is a great conversationalist and will talk with me about my questions.
Just one comment, you state that the Infidel is a novel. It is not is a an autobiography of Ayaan Hishi Ali's life as a Muslim women first in Somalia and then in the west.
it is infact an autobiography, do you want to borrow it? I have it. I think you would find it interesting.
Actually I have it as well and read it last year. It was a real inspiring read.
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