Freedom and Purpose

In middle school you are anxiously awaiting the excitement and independence of high school. Your goal eventually becomes getting into a good college. Once you arrive, you understand the importance of doing well in the classroom, and more importantly, finding your niche outside the classroom. These experiences provide insight on the future -- what do I want to do? Where should I work or attend grad school?

Graduation nears and you find yourself embarking on your new journey. If your new journey is a full-time job, then welcome to adulthood. For once, there is no logical next step. My friend (who pops his collar with Pride) put it well when he said that prior to graduation we are always anticipating what is next. After graduation anticipation is replaced with uncertainty. For this reason, it is essential that we find purpose and set goals. Without goals we start focusing on the things that don't matter; our minds are congested with minuscule paranoias and a consistent feeling of restlessness.

This is partly amusing, and I find that this uncertainty allows me to learn a lot about myself. Having moved this far away, I realize that every option is possible and that every challenge is ready to be conquered. It's just a matter of prioritizing, planning, and kicking ass. It's about finding purpose.

But is every option possible? How much are you willing to compromise? It's interesting that my location within the United States has little to do with freedom. Freedom is an inner ease that allows a person to be confident to explore any and every option. One can feel suffocated in any state or city. With the right frame of mind, one can be as free in Dearborn that they can be in Mountain View, California. The consequences may be different, but the freedom is there -- awaiting for the right amount of confidence to make use of it.

As you can tell, there is a lot behind these statements, but for once, I am not driven to explain. I think it's because I have a lot of figuring out to do myself...

Ode to Rick's

This past weekend I went to the Giant's game with a few friends and then proceeded to go to a bar in downtown San Francisco called Bar None. The second I walked in, it instantly came rushing back. This bar reminded me of a better place....Rick's American Cafe.

Bon Jovi was blasting, the floor was sticky, beer pong tournaments were taking place in the back, and the place smelled of age old beer...Rick's


There I was, at a bar that smelled and felt like our favorite hang out in Ann Arbor, but it wasn't. I realized this when I got a phone call at 11:02pm my time (2:02am ET) from friends that had just walked out of Rick's -- they said that it wasn't the same without me, that they were planning on going back to my apartment at UT to smoke 'hookah', and that I better have it ready.








I never liked Rick's. It was never about Rick's. The ceiling looks like it fucking drips, the people piss me off, and it smells like ass. I went to Rick's because my friends went to Rick's. I grew to like the music because it made me think of the last time it played and the memories that were made. It was a place for post-meetings and post-games, and was often followed by late nights at my apartment where we discussed everything from Hezbollah to the MCRI to how Jake could finish a case of beers in one sitting.


These pictures are just a few of the hundreds taken at the place that became our second home when graduation was approaching (apologies to those not pictured -- so many to choose from). While facebook may house hundreds of more pictures, the memories are endless and the friendships priceless. Although my time was short with my friends in 08, they definitely played a large role in the memories as well. After all, this is the place where they pointed out "this is why I'm hot", this is where I learned that white girls can indeed dance (well, some of them), and where we said our final goodbye on graduation night.



Bottles were spun, sins were committed, and fun was had.





I'll see you at Rick's soon enough. Same time, same place.

Great ol' U.S. of A

This is an issue I have wanted to write about for a long time, but it becomes increasingly more difficult.

There was a point in my life where I was extremely proud to be an American. Times have changed, though. It's difficult to be an Arab in the United States; contrary to popular belief, it has always been difficult -- not just post 9/11. Nonetheless, the current administration has waged war on "terror" -- an intangible ideology that applies to any country and religion at whatever time they deem appropriate. The countries and people that have suffered the most are ones that hit close to home -- sometimes too close, sometimes it hits the apartment next door.

Unjust and unconstitutional legislation has been passed; innocent Arab-Americans are awaiting charges in jail, and Iraqi's are dying by the hundreds everyday. It is difficult to be a proud American. Many of my friends and family members find themselves juggling their identities in this point in history. A sense of guilt hangs over our heads as the United States has just pledged another $30 billion to Israel over the next 10 years. I also find myself lost in thought when staring at "Support the troops" stickers. I am not sure how people define 'support.' I wish for their safe return home, but I do not support the destruction and occupation. Occupation is never justified.

A cloud of ignorance hangs over this country, and there is little understanding of anything outside the scope of an individual's intermediate life. However, the profusion of international news available on the Internet has made it increasingly difficult for the average American to ignore the rest of the world, a trend that threatens Americans' long, proud history of disregarding anything not about them. This is scaring most Americans, as they realize they are acquiring knowledge regarding other countries then their own.

Facetious, I know. Nonetheless, I want to be proud. I yearn for that sense of community here, but it's hard. I want to be thankful for the prosperity and opportunity without reservation -- without feeling guilty about why I am so fortunate to begin with. My parents worked long and hard, and this country gave them the opportunity to not only survive, but thrive. I think there are some great things to be proud of here. I think that Americans are polite, sweet people. I love softball, fireworks, and bbq on a summer day. I love the great American cities, the top notch education, and capitalism. I hope that the United States finds itself content one day; I hope that the imperialistic nature dies; I hope that Americans strive to understand the world as it is, and not how lobbying groups portray it. I am waiting until I can firmly say, I am PROUD to be an American.

World Cup 2010: South Africa

"GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL"

It's one of the very few words that means the same thing to everyone in the world. It invokes the same emotion and produces the same reactions -- a universal word if you will...


The next World Cup will be held in South Africa in 2010. WHO'S COMING WITH ME?!

So, here's the dillio:
There are a total of 3 million tickets available for the games (there are approximately 6.6 billion people in the world). The odds suck, huh? Well, it gets worse.

a) 1 million tickets go to South Africans and the rest of Africa
Possible Solution: Although I am not African, my uncle lives in Egypt and works for the Arab League. Hmm...
b) 1 million tickets go to sponsors
Possible Solution: I don't think Google has any eggs in that basket. It's okay. MAYBE I will become friends with someone that works/worked at Nike, and just MAYBE they will look into some connections for me. I'm just sayin...
c) The remaining 1 million go to...THE REST OF THE WORLD
Possible Solution: um, sucks.

I will worry about tickets later. Until then, I am going to pretend I'm going and will talk about how amazing it's gonna be. South Africa has got to be one of the more interesting places in the world:


-- In 1948, a White government came to power and enforced a separation of races with its policy called apartheid (I am really not going to go there right now). SA's political history was intriguing enough, but even more-so with the apartheid murderers recently convicted.
-- Not to mention, the country has 11 official languages. I really don't think most Americans can name 11 languages.
-- Sadly, SA also has the second highest number of HIV/AIDS patients in the world; 1 in 7 citizens have HIV/AIDS
-- It will be the first African country to hold the World Cup and that makes me happy :) Hopefully, the World Cup will bring millions of dollars to the country (and hopefully, for once, it will go to the right people).

Assuming I go, the main attraction of my visit will be the World Cup. The thought of watching the top football clubs play before my eyes is unreal. The matches will definitely be entertaining, but so will the most loyal fans in the world. Football fans are, for lack of a better word, crazy. Football has halted Civil Wars, revolutionized civil rights, and given countries hope.

I hope to see you there.

A Project here and there...

I was concerned that post-graduation, I would have a hard time finding projects outside of work that are rewarding. Luckily, I have incredibly inspirational friends, and have found some things to work on that really inspire me. I have listed them below. I urge you to either contribute to them or read about them:

The Olevolos Project http://www.theolevolosproject.org:
Help some Michigan Alumni (Class of 2007) build an orphanage in Tanzania. These people were in class with you, some of them proudly wore the Block M on the soccer field, and most importantly, they are my friends :) The website looks great and gives a detailed account of what the Project aims to do. This may be one of the most amazing student run organizations to come out of the U.

MED Surplus of Michigan:
A couple guy friends from Michigan started this organization over the summer. It's a non-profit corporation that approaches various healthcare institutions in Michigan with the hopes of receiving donations of excess medical supplies and equipment. The goal is to redistribute these resources to needy healthcare institutions throughout the world. They have chosen Lebanon as the first shipment location :) If you have questions or know of where they can get their hands on more supplies, please contact either George Ghareeb (gghareeb@umich.edu) or Justin Khoriaty (khoriaty@umich.edu).

Also, I am getting pretty Fired Up about the upcoming football season:
http://blog.mlive.com/wolverines/2007/08/sports_illustrated_cover_boy_m.html

All these people are under the age of 22.

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."

"Palestine? You mean like, Pakistan?"

I remember when I decided to stop having the endless, frustrating, and unfocused debates about the Arab-Israeli conflict. Ironically, it was at an event called 'Solidarity Day' in the Diag, which was hosted by a pro-Palestinian organization. I had a clear shot of a table that had been set up in the center of the Diag next to our beloved 'M'. It was interesting that the 'M' brought them together, but it seemed like that is where their similarities ended. On one side, members of the pro-Palestinian community, on the other side, many members of the pro-Israel community; only this time, they were separated by a table, not the 20ft apartheid wall in Palestine. Anyway, there they were, shouting and screaming at each other. I approached the table and heard someone say, "It's called the IDF! Israeli DEFENSE Forces. That's the only thing they do: defend Israel!" I was perplexed by his statement, and replied, "That's like saying the Patriot Act is the PATRIOT Act. It's about patriotism, not racism and racial profiling." He looked at me and said, "You're stupid and don't make any sense." With that, I walked away from the public and unfacilitated conversations regarding the issue. Apparently, I was far too "stupid" for this debate.



I have tried to avoid the senseless conversations on facebook and have aimed my energy at dialogue with those that want to listen. I have learned a lot from having these conversations, and I hope to continue to have them. I tend to ignore ridiculous statements made on both sides, but today, I couldn't help but comment. I came across someone's blog and their entry was titled, "Don't Give Up the Golan!"; they claimed that Israel shouldn't give up the Golan Heights because it is "integral to the security of the State of Israel." That was the sum of the argument. I was pissed for a couple reasons: 1) I completely disagree with the logic and as you will see below, have my own opinions about this and other Israeli occupied territories, and 2) I believe that the writer of the blog spent 2 paragraphs making an argument that he thought would go uncontested. I think that a lot of people who blindly support the state of Israel don't realize that there is a valid and considerable alternative way of seeing things. I am not sure they have heard it articulated, and I don't think they are used to people saying, "No. I think you are wrong. I see things this way..."

It is for this reason that I sometimes do voice my opinion. I do not think that I will convince the people who already have their minds made up. I do think, however, that I may show them that another valid argument exists. In the United States, the Palestinian or Arab side is often censored and more often than not, dehumanized and villainized. To many people, I am a human and far from a villain. Maybe my opinion will have someone think twice about an issue that seems very black and white. Maybe not. What do I have to lose? (Now that I think about it, maybe a lot, but eh. My last name sealed it for me. My political career was over before it started.) Anyway, I commented on this individual's blog. I encourage you to read it, and let me know if you want to discuss it some more. This is it:

Sirene said...

I am not sure I understand your logic. Because it is in Israel's best interest to occupy the Golan Heights, then it has a right to do so? Clearly, you realize how destructive this ideology is if every state adopted it, don't you?

I don't think it would make much sense for me to sit here and discuss the legality of the occupation. I would rather defer to UN Security Council Resolution 497 (December 17, 1981), which condemned Israel’s decision to “impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights” as “null and void and without international legal effect.” The acquisition of territory by force goes against the very principles of the UN Charter and international law. But hey, it's just the UN, right? It's interesting how pro-Israelis site the UN as one of their reasons to exist, but disregard this resolution as well as 237, 252, 446, 1559, and the other SIXTY-odd ones they are in violation of.

Recently, Defense Minister Amir Peretz has suggested that Israel begin negotiations with Syria. On May 7, National Security Council Chairmen Ilan Mizrahi said that “Syria’s call for dialogue with Israel is authentic.” This statement was met with some reluctance from the Israeli government.

Well, look at the International Crisis Group’s April 10, 2007 report, particularly the sentence that relates directly to lingering security concerns you have with Syria: “Officials in Damascus provided their clearest indication to date both that they would resume negotiations without any precondition and that the country’s regional posture and relationship with Hamas, Hizbullah and Iran inevitably would change following a peace deal."

Hm, I wonder what Iraq, Lebanon, and Gaza and the West Bank would look like had they taken them up on their offer. This leads to the obvious question, if Israel wants peace for itself then why not promote the peace of the territories surrounding it and give up land that they are unjustly occupying?

Let the comments and replies roll in. I can't see myself replying because I know what this is going to be become: "Ya, but Oslo...", "Don't forget that in '67...", "But during the Ottoman Empire they.." And so on and so forth...My entry was trying to shed light on the alternative side. I am not interested in debating the Arab-Israeli conflict here.

--

I know I haven't convinced most people of anything, but at least they know that their arguments can and will be contested.

Also, I know that somehow I pissed off members from both communities with this post. Never fails. What else is new?

'The Michigan Difference'

Last week, someone at work asked me what I did at the University of Michigan. She wanted to know if I joined any 'clubs.'

:)

Where to begin...? In the instant she asked me, I had flashbacks of meetings at the Union, in MSA Chambers, and every square inch of campus. I thought of the Diag, the protests, the campus politics, the Daily (ohhhh, the Daily :), the friction, the experiences, the friendships, the elections, the administration, those that thought they were much more important than they were, those that thought I was much more important than I was, Rick's!, the Bell Tower, the Big House, the ASA office, the Dopp 'Campus Day' -- the memories are endless.

Summarizing my Michigan experience is close to impossible. I have no idea how I will ever explain to anyone the experiences I had, the people I met, the memories I made, the lessons I learned, and most of all, the friendships I made.


At Michigan, you will indeed find 'the leaders and best'. Some find that to be an elitist statement. Eh, tough shit. Michigan is a breeding ground for leadership, excellence, and philanthropy. It provides its' students with the top programs in every facet of college life -- whether it is within the realms of academia or athletics. I know this is a rather bold statement, but I truly believe that Michigan offers the best undergraduate college experience in the country. I know I haven't been to every other college, I know the weather isn't as beautiful as that of UCLA, and I know that some programs may be ranked higher than Michigan's, but the sum of all of Michigan's parts is greater than any one institution. No where in the country will you find an athletic program as thriving as Michigan's, yet still find that every department and college ranks within the top 10. Not to mention, the activism on campus is intriguing. Not always logical, but intriguing.

I stopped daydreaming and realized that she was awkwardly staring at me waiting for me to answer her question. I smiled and said, "I was lucky enough to experience a little bit of everything."

The devil may wear Prada, but he also shops at Wal-Mart

I am proud to say that I have spent a total of $30 at Wal-Mart. Some of you think that's $30 too much, while others are probably wondering why this is an issue to begin with. As a Googler, whose company's motto is "Don't Be Evil", I have qualms with the way Wal-Mart is run. The problems I have with this retail monster stem from it's irresponsibility to the American people and economy. Interestingly, Wal-Mart began as a company of strict American nationalism; it also began as a “Red” corporation to the extreme, whose political contributions in 2000 and 2004 went exclusively to George W. Bush and his party. Now, I am not pointing any fingers due to this -- many of you know why -- but rather due to their hypocrisy. The very company that claims nationalism and patriotism is the same one whose imports from China led to the loss of nearly 200,000 U.S. jobs from 2001-2006. The U.S. trade deficit with China reached a whopping $233 billion last year, and imports for Wal-Mart alone accounted for $27 billion - 11 percent of that total (source here). Make up your mind, Wal-Mart. You sound like the Bush Administration; you are as American as can be...until someone buys you out.

There are entire books and websites on how evil Wal-Mart is so I won't ramble off too many more facts. I wanted to include this paragraph though: According to www.pbs.org, the average take-home pay of an American Wal-Mart employee is under $250 a week; the minimum wage pay scale places employees with families below the poverty line. The company is staunchly anti-union, and Wal-Mart employees make 25% less than their unionized counterparts after two years on the job. 85% of the stores' merchandise is made overseas, often in Third World sweatshops.

As many of you know, I am a supporter of capitalism. I understand that while some of the things that Wal-Mart are not illegal, there is a responsibility that they are not fulfilling. Driving small shops out of business is an effect of capitalism. However, once you drive their owners and employees out of business and force them to sweep your floors, then you better give them full time employment opportunities and benefits. Wal-Mart provides one of the nation's lowest full time opportunity rates in the country, yet employs 1.2 MILLION Americans. That's a lot of Americans who aren't working full time simply because Wal-Mart won't let them.

I am proud to say that I drive a couple blocks past Wal-Mart to shop at Target for my daily essentials. I, personally, don't mind paying a few extra dollars per checkout for a better experience and moral conscience.

Dearborn & Beyond

(Arab-American National Museum in Dearborn)

I moved to Dearborn, Michigan from Lebanon when I was two years old.

Dearborn.

It's a culture I cannot explain. It is not the authentic Arab culture. It's definitely not 'Little Lebanon' as some people call it. It is simply 'Dearborn'. With the highest concentration of Arabs outside of the Middle East, it makes for quite a unique site. The awnings are written in beautiful Arabic calligraphy. Amazing food is served in restaurants that have 'borrowed' the names of their influences from across the Atlantic. Many immigrants found themselves settling in Dearborn during the auto industry's boom. The wave of immigration grew, but as it grew, so did it's racism. Henry Ford and Mayor Hubbard led half-successful campaigns to 'Keep Dearborn Clean', a slogan that has often referred to keeping the Arabs and Blacks out. I still wouldn't recommend Driving While Black in Dearborn, though. Ford and Hubbard have left a legacy. Anyway, a historically racist city is now dominated with Arab residents that contribute to a booming economy. Arabs kept Dearborn on the map when the auto industry begin to fizzle. All these things are true, but there are more truths to Dearborn.



(As reported by the Wall Street Journal, this picture is a glimpse of the 500,000 people that rallied in Dearborn when Israel was viciously bombarding Lebanon with illegal cluster bombs last summer)


I have a hard time deciding whether or not Dearborn is a subculture of American society or a counter-culture. While I am not sure which is true, I know that it is a culture I don't want to be a part of. I know what many of you are thinking: "She thinks she is better than Dearborn." I am not better than Dearborn. It has contributed to my upbringing and has been my home. However, it is a city that frustrates me. I don't feel like the general population in Dearborn aspires for something outside of the very vacuum it operates in. That is not to say that this applies to everyone. Some of the most impressive people I have ever met are from Dearborn. Aspects of Dearborn, however, are disappointing -- partly because I set my standards for Arab-Americans so high, and partly because I feel that a sense of complacency has infected it's residents.

Many of the immigrants that arrived in Dearborn during the 1980's had little English speaking skills and were either uneducated or had degrees that were worthless here in the States without proper language skills. Nonetheless, Arab immigrants hauled ass, opened up shop, and helped create a city with the most gas stations, pizzerias, and sub shops per capita. I mean, that's not a real statistic, but I wouldn't be surprised. Arabs are/were business oriented, and often came here with nothing and became successful. So what is so disappointing about all this? The fact that the children of these immigrants don't aspire to take it to the next level. They have a found a comfort zone, and most aren't willing to pursue education or job opportunity outside of Dearborn. I think the definition of success in Dearborn hasn't changed and that's a problem. When the immigrants came, success meant supporting your family and establishing a home in a foreign country where you knew no one and had nothing. I guess the definition of success has changed in some ways. Now, 'success' for my generation is buying a bigger home (maybe even in Dearborn Heights, oooh), a cooler car, and the newest Nextel. Saying these things is difficult for me because I am very passionate about the Arab-American community. I think cities like Dearborn are harmful for ethnic groups because it doesn't force them to wander outside of their comfort zone and experience new people and things. Undoubtedly, Arabs in Dearborn are doing well for themselves and their entrepreneurship is interesting, but there is so much more that no one is exploring. Many of the people I meet in Dearborn have no interest to visit Royal Oak, let alone Tanzania, Africa (www.theolevolosproject.org). Point being: Life may be good for people in Dearborn, but there is a whole world out there, and I am not sure most of them care.

Diplomacy & Dialogue Are Out

I watched 'Hairspray' with a friend from work tonight. As many of you know, I am not much of a movie-watcher. I find them to be quite disappointing, but this movie was different. I enjoyed it a lot, and it made me think. It reminded me of a friend that has an 'intense' passion for musical theater. One day I am going to watch her perform in New York.

The movie also reminded me of a blog entry I wrote awhile ago. It's very obvious that when I wrote this entry I had a lot of built up anger and frustration regarding race relations in the United States. I am not sure that has changed, but I find myself handling my frustration about racism in a different way. It's one thing to bitch and moan amongst a group of people that share your sentiments about the way things should be. It's another thing to make yourself vulnerable in situations where people may not understand your perspective and background. As a person of color, I used to get angry when people were ignorant of my identity as an Arab-American. I realize, now, that anger only causes more ignorance. If we scare away the very people that don't understand us, then we should expect racism and ignorance to continue. The burden is upon each individual to have the conversations that are difficult with the people that understand them the least. People shouldn't be afraid to ask me or anyone that is 'different' about culture, food, identity, geography, hair texture, hijab, religion, etc.

I was talking to a friend after Don Imus got fired. We had a very interesting conversation regarding the outcome of the entire spectacle. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson claimed 'victory'. I laugh at their definition of victory. When a co-worker does not fear getting fired for asking me about my Arab heritage, when people aren't too scared to ask Black people about their culture, when Americans aren't reluctant to engage in meaningful conversation about sensitive subjects -- once all those things happen, then we can claim 'victory.' Firing one White man for what other people may think does not solve any problems. I am waiting for a intimate and honest conversation regarding why those remarks were offensive to begin with. (Also, I am waiting for someone to ask for Al Sharpton to step down from whatever position he doesn't have. His previous homophobic and racist comments offend me just as much as Imus did: “White folks was in caves while we was building empires ... We taught philosophy and astrology and mathematics before Socrates and them Greek homos ever got around to it.”) Hm, 'homos' and and 'white folks' in 'caves'. It's a wonder why we can't have real dialogue about any of these issues. People are either too pissed to answer questions or too scared to ask them. Clearly the only way to make people understand is to protest, yell, and wreak havoc, right? Diplomacy is over rated, and divisive exclusion and rejection of dialogue is in. My, how helpful this has been for people to understand us.

But shit, what do I know? I am just as racist and elitist as the rest of them.

Why "A Fig Tree"?

I think this would be an appropriate time to discuss the significance of the "fig tree" and why I chose it as my url. My favorite novel is "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath (maybe one day I will explain to you why my blog is called "My Bell Jar"), and one of the motifs in the novel is "the woman that wants everything."

Ok, enough said.

I'm being facetious :) As I said, it is my favorite novel, and the protagonist is quite interesting. It's somewhat biographical of Sylvia Plath and her struggle for perfection in different facets of life. Below is a snippet of the novel that discusses the fig tree and it's metaphorical meaning. It identifies the struggle for a woman to be a scholar, mother, lover, businesswoman, philosopher, and wife all in one -- the woman that wants to be everything. Sylvia Plath wanted it all, and below she describes the struggle:

"...I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree.
One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn't quite make out.
I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet." ~Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar, Chapter 7

Sylvia said, "I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest..." -- I, too, want all of them. I want them, and I want to do them perfectly. I would hope that these identities are not mutually exclusive. I aspire to be the perfect mother, but at the same time, I want to be the boss' boss. I want to coach, but I want to teach, too. I want to be an independent woman, but I want to love and live for my husband and kids. I want my figs, and I want to eat them too.

Capitalism and Religion

Religion has always been apart of my life -- not in the way you may think, though. I attended Catholic School for 9 years (and can probably still do a decent job at Bible Quiz), I attended Arabic/Muslim School for about the same period of time, and have taken a couple classes regarding Judaism. While I used to be a spiritual person that believed in some sort of superior moral being, I was never a religious or denominational person. I was always resentful of religion because I have seen first hand the divisions it causes. I have seen the aftermaths of war, the look in people's eyes when they are threatened by what is different, and the inability to cross those unnecessary divisions.

People argue that if religion were followed the way it was intended to be followed, then it would promote cohesiveness. I don't buy it. I would argue what I think it promotes, but that is a completely different argument. Anyway, let's take this example. It's similar to a company that produces a new product. The intent of the product is to do 'X', but it repeatedly fails; the margin of error is too high. Sometimes it works, but when it fails, it fails big time and causes the user injury and sometimes death. How long would a product like that stay on the market? Not very long. I am sure many of you are shaking your head at my extremely capitalistic example (Back off Commies :), but regardless, I think the logic stands. I understand the argument that religion is supposed to promote peace and give people stability, just like the product is supposed to work a certain way. I understand the argument, but, nonetheless, religion fails. The margin of error is too high. It often causes distress and more often than not, it causes war, hate, judgment, and chaos. That has been the function of religion. Religion is not needed to promote social cohesiveness. A friend once told me that a local Sheik at the Dearborn mosque said, "Those that are moral solely because they are religious are neither moral nor religious." I couldn't agree more. Religious teachings and morality may go hand in hand, but morality can operate completely independent of religion. It's quite logical, but that is another post. I have not done this issue justice, and would have to write pages upon pages to begin to scratch the surface. Take this post for what it is: a blog.

Cousins?

It has come to my attention that if you go to figtree.blogspot.com instead of my url, Afigtree.blogspot.com you arrive at another person's blog that discusses Israel and whether or not it is described as a fig tree in the Old Testament.

hehehe. One letter separates a world of difference in opinion and meaning.

Oh, the irony.

I wonder how many of you are anxiously waiting for me to discuss Israel...waiting...waiting....

...

..."I bet she's going to criticize Israel right now because she is an Arab and that's what they do."

No, I won't discuss the fact that I become LIVID when I see hummus, falafel, and 'hookah' (properly known as arguileh or shisha) described as Israeli culture. I won't discuss the Arab-Israeli conflict here because the only appropriate place for such a sensitive debate is Facebook, of course. That, and my apartment at 5am after a night at Rick's, right guys?

The Golden Gate Bridge

I got some feedback after posting my lost blog. Some of you seem very concerned that I will not be writing with the same edge and honesty. No worries, my friends. I am every bit the sarcastic jerk I have always been. Now that I have a Michigan degree, I am even more arrogant and self-righteous than ever.

:)

This past weekend, I was biking across the Golden Gate Bridge -- hold up. I.was.biking.across.the.Golden.Gate.Bridge. Wow, life is beautiful. Anyway, as I was biking, I saw the most beautiful view I have ever seen in the States. It was breathtaking. The second the fog lifted and my bike made it's way around the edge, I saw the mountains, the ocean, and the San Francisco skyline in one blink. I don't know what came over me, but I said, "Bism Allah al Rahman al Raheem" (translation: In the name of God, the most gracious, the most merciful). To those of you who know me well, this should come as a great surprise. I haven't said that in a year; the last time I said was instinctive as well because I was in a bad situation. As a devout agnostic, I pride myself on relying on everything logical to get myself through situations. I was very weirded out when I said it, and I thought about it then for a few days. The thought escaped me, and a year later, here I am thinking about it again. Why did I say it this weekend? One possibility is that we have been conditioned as children to say it when we are scared, happy, in awe, or in need. It must have been pure impulse. The other possibility is that the vision of beauty reaffirms the fact that a god exists; a view as magnificent as this can only be created by a creator with a plan.

Well, I thought about it all day...for the rest of the bike ride actually, and I know what I think. I am not sure I care enough to let you know. The people that know me well have stopped asking questions because they know what decision I came to.

A New Beginning

I began to start posting to my previous blog when I realized that a completely new blog was needed. The colors of my old blog were dark, the tone was aggressive, and the person writing was very defensive. I told a friend that I was thinking of starting a completely new blog instead of bringing the old one back to life. She said, "Good. Start over."

Interesting.

The very reason why I am writing this blog is because I am starting over. New city, new job, new lifestyle, new attitude....new blog. Things are new and exciting, and I want my blog to represent how I feel. I think it's important to mention that I think the previous blog was pretty damn funny, and the asshole that wrote those things is still very much alive and well. I am just at a very different stage in my life and I think my readers have changed. I am no longer speaking to a campus community consumed with "activism" and judgments. I no longer feel the need to appease or piss off. I am not as angry or resentful. I used to rant about things coming to an end, and more often than not, I polarized many issues. The first two words of this post are, "I began..." -- Indeed, I have begun something new, and I am happy to write without the intent of provoking a reaction.

I have many things to say, and many posts to share them in. I want to discuss religion, politics, god, friendships, people, and emotion. I have so many things to share, and I need to start sharing them. After all, it's just like a fig tree. Imagine that each story or idea is a fig. If I stare at the figs long enough without choosing one, the figs will grow old, die, and fall to my feet. That would be such a waste, wouldn't it?