Two Ways to Grow In the Information Age #1Book1Week July 2021

 
One of the fascinating books that I read is by Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens. In the book, Harari explores briefly the history of human civilizations from the Nomadic Age to the Agricultural Age to the Industrial Age and now, to the Information Age (which he covered in detail in the sequel, Homo Deus). Many wonderful things happened and I praise God for humanity's progress as we enter the Information Age, also known as the Digital Age. But of course, there are flip sides too. As you probably know, the danger of the Information Age is that we spend too much of our time gathering useless, pointless, or even harmful information rather than information that can help us grow and to live life to the fullest.

In computer science there is an expression “garbage in, garbage out” that also can apply to us humans as we attempt to sort through the info-glut and identify the information that can be useful to us. It means incorrect or poor-quality input to the computer system will produce faulty output. Similarly (but not exactly), the same goes for human mind programming. If we watch cringy TikTok videos and Instagram live for hours, listening to mean-spirited conversations on Facebook and YouTube daily, and read the latest gossip about our favorite celebrities online constantly, then, we are filling our hearts and minds with “garbage.” How, by following the latest news on Ebit Lew vs. Caprice can improve our way of living? Or, admiring Charli D’Amelio's or Bella Poarch's videos on TikTok can make us closer to God? Or, playing Fortnite online can make us men of valor and women of virtue in real life? In short, we can’t! We are what we watch, what we listen to, and what we read.

If you want to grow mentally, maturely, and spiritually, you have to start screening out the info-garbage and feeding yourself with positive, uplifting, stimulating, and meaningful messages. The first step is AWARENESS. We need to be alert to the problem of data smog and make a conscious effort to screen the bad information from the good. We have to be vigilant and avoid falling for the gossip, the grunge, and the garbage in the Information Age. You don’t have to cancel your Netflix or YouTube TV subscription, you just need to learn to discipline yourself to watch programs that build up rather than causes you to fall into sins. You don’t have to quit social media (although I encourage you to do that IF you have nothing good to do on these platforms) but consider limiting yourself to no more than a certain number of hours daily. Maybe 1-2 hours. In the same way, use Facebook and Instagram wisely. As for TikTok, I have nothing good to say except quit and repent.

Then, secondly, make positive, SMALL CHANGES in your daily habits. One way is to read good books. Abigail Van Buren said it best: “If I could give young people one piece of advice, it would be read, read, read! In reading, you will open up new worlds, real and imagined. Read for information, read for pleasure. Our libraries are filled with knowledge and joy, and it’s all there - free for the taking." Women are not always right, but on this point, AMEN sister! ��������� #ServeToLead #GrowingLeaders #LeadersAreReaders #TheInformationAge #GrowMentallyMaturelySpiritually #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

To read my #1Book1Week, CLICK HERE

1) Strength for the Storm (first published, 1988) translated by Arthur Reynolds, CLICK HERE

2) The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything (2009) by Ken Robinson, Ph.D. (with Lou Aronica), CLICK HERE

3) Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources (2006) by Martin Lings, CLICK HERE

4) Cults & Isms (1948, 1962) by J. Oswald Sanders, CLICK HERE


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THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources (2006) by Martin Lings, Audiobook Review

With all due respect, I believe that Muhammad of Islam is a false prophet, the Quran is man-made and many of the earliest sources are questionable. These statements are my opinions based on my studies and not for the purpose of hatred criticism because, in the same way, my Muslim friends would say that Jesus Christ is not the divine Son of God, the Bible has been changed and it was the Apostle Paul who invented Christianity. They would passionately disagree with me and I would strongly disagree with them. But in the end, we would still be going to have dinner together. Religious tolerance is not about accepting everyone’s beliefs but the willingness to tolerant one another amidst our differences. Our real enemies are not those who disagree with us (I hope so) but our real enemies are those who pretend to agree with us while stabbed us behind our back. We called them pretenders and traitors. These people are not fit to be our friends. Goodbye!

Having shared my opinions, I would like to say with the same boldness that I somewhat enjoy listening to this audiobook. I once saw the physical book in the state library (Malay translation) and I’m interested in the subject but having no desire to read it. Discovering this book in the form of audio in English, however, bring gladness to me because I don’t need to borrow or own it to read it (P.s: I’m currently reading a powerful book by the late Sir Ken Robinson. Can’t wait to write the review!). There are three (3) main reasons why I would recommend this book as an introduction to anyone - Muslims and non-Muslims alike - who are interested to know more not just about the life of Muhammad but the important events in the history of Islam: 1) Martin Lings, a Muslim convert, although he was a scholar and a philosopher, writes with simplicity and easy to understand format. There are 85 short chapters in all and it is written chronologically. So it feels like reading or listening to a novel; 2) The narration begins from the story of Abraham to Ishmael to the Arabs, the religious background before the official coming of Muhammad as the prophet and after that, and how people react negatively and respond positively to his message. These accounts are important in order to understand the birth* of Islam; and 3) Although I’ve noticed that some of the controversial stories about Muhammad in the earliest sources are omitted, much to Martin Lings’ credits, he did include the child marriage, the non-peaceful execution of the enemies and the ownership of slaves. And to be honest, minus the bogus claim to be “the seal of the prophets,” Muhammad is a skilled military leader and very systematic religious founder. One thing that I admire about Islam is the brotherhood of the believers. This book unintentionally making the case.

On the other hand, true to its title, this book doesn’t discuss the theology and teachings of Islam per se but mostly focuses on the life of its founder. And because the author is a practice Muslim and believes faithfully in the narratives of the early sources, so there is no serious argument with the authenticity and validity of its. To be fair, yes Martin Lings was a scholar, but he is not writing a scholarly book. The book is popular exactly because it is accessible to all. Other things crossed my mind while listening to the audiobook while I'm cycling but I couldn’t remember them now (those dates, names, and places. Huh!). By the way, Sean Barrett, the narrator of this audiobook, has done a very good job! He makes 6 hours and 3 minutes bearable - and somewhat enjoyable. Thank you sir! ������☕

#ServeToLead #LeadersAreReaders #GrowingLeaders #TheLifeOfMuhammad #LearnOtherReligion #ReligionOfIslam #LetsMakeReadingCoolAgain

 To read my other reviews of #1Book1Week CLICK HERE

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THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Simple Book Review: "The Leadership of Muhammad" (2010)

The Leadership of Muhammad (2010) by John Adair

I found this book very impressive, and concise. John Adair, one of the world’s leading authorities on leadership and leadership development, did a really good job in collating some of the most important points about leadership and using the Islamic prophet as a fine example. It was really interesting reading the stories of Muhammad and highlighting all the positive leadership aspects, even more so was the fact that things that applied thousands of years ago still apply today.

A lot of the points made in the book are things that all of us know and should be acting upon, however it's always good to remind yourself of these things so take it as a refresher, if anything. This book is divided into 8 chapters: #1 In the Black Tents of Bani Sa’d; #2 The Shepherd; #3 Caravan Leader; #4 Dwellers of the Desert; #5 Muhammad ‘the Trustworthy One’; #6 Sharing in Hardship; #7 Humility; and #8 From Past to Presence.

My favourite is chapter #7 on Humility. Here are 6 quotes that I would like to share:

1)    Humility at its simplest is knowing that you are not God

2)    Being humble as a leader is essentially about not being arrogant

3)    Humility is just as much the opposite of self-abasement as it is of self-exaltation

4)    Do not pursue a matter of which you are ignorant

5)    Let nothing prevent you from changing you previous decision if after consideration you feel that the previous decision was incorrect

6)    The crown of a good disposition is humility

[Note: I respect Muhammad but I don’t recognize him as prophet. I think he was a barbaric leader. Nevertheless, since John Adair only taking the positive sides of Muhammad – of course there were some negative sides about him that I refused to tolerate – this book as a whole is beneficial]

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.