Growing old gracefully
As we grow older, those who learn from experience, tend to maintain self-control with greater dignity as we have less to get excited about. We learn that the world will continue with or without us and that we are not as important to as we think we are. This is part of the art of aging gracefully.
Others, who have not learnt from experience, continue to fight and argue believing that every opportunity is a site of conflict and that it is their responsibility to ensure that they are heard.
I have seen this in governance and in the religious sector and witnessed the abundant foolishness.
In Council, those who did not complete High School argue with those who have Masters Degrees from established universities. The uneducated do not even realize how foolish they argue as they rarely listen to their own argument but really enjoy listening to their own voices. It’s not the same.
Then there are those desperate to say something and look for arguments where none exists.
Others in Council create cogent arguments against whatever but then offer no solutions.
Moving to the religious sector.
About 30 years ago, a few religious leaders agreed on a joint Eid with Mecca. At the time it was a good idea but the few religious leaders did not consult the majority of other religious leaders.
The majority of religious leaders for whatever reason decided against the idea of Eid with Mecca and since then all the original leaders who agreed, has died. Ironically, the fight they generated is alive.
Every year, for one week only before the Eid, a handful of “religious” individuals get themselves all excited about a fight that was generated by dead people. They come with serious scholarly arguments and read texts from scriptures that few consult as the matter, in truth, is irrelevant.
To the vast majority of ordinary Muslims, Eid is an opportunity to meet/greet family and relax and have a shared meal with others. The vast majority of Muslims have limited interest in the technical and legal arguments of either the minority or the majority. Yet the fight is deliberately kept alive.
It seems, that some people are irrelevant, they know they are irrelevant and to become relevant they create conflict either in governance or the religious sphere as this creates the most excitement.
In conclusion, we must all know our limits and growing old gracefully is really okay. Sometimes we need some-one to tell those who engage in “much ado about nothing”, that it is okay to be quiet.
Cllr Yagyah Adams
Cape Muslim Congress