-------- "This is the time for action not only words, use your God given gifts to develop this country, dont be afraid to speak up, and feel PROUD THAT U R EGYPTIAN." -------- Mohaly, Feb 2011

Saturday, May 4, 2013

850) FREEDOM ... A Gift and A Choice !

I have always thought highly of freedom, and I have always had it on the top of my personal values. 

Seriously, I do realize now that Freedom is the most precious gift God has given us, and we have to use it wisely in order to keep & preserve. Excessive use of freedom can make us risk loosing it, while not using it turns us into half-humans imprisoned within our own soles.

I have just witnessed -and still witnessing- such terrible experience of loosing freedom for someone very close to me, and the thought of loosing it is really scaring me to death. I can't even think clearly to write about it properly. I am sorry.

M.O.H.@.L.Y

57 comments:

Anonymous said...

Looks like we share the same 'fobia :-)
First you need to distance yourself to see clearer, analyze the situation, find the error and either hel that person out or just learn from their mistakes.
Me too, i can't risk my rreedom as a human being and my related rights out of a terrible fear that has turned into a fobia.
We need to figure it out.however, you have it easier bc of being a man living in a patriotic society.

Sohad said...


People might lose their freedom for higher value they believe in, like Mandela for instance he was a political prisoner on an isolated island for 29 years of his life, I think in such case personal freedom is a sacrifice for a higher degree of freedom. Yes freedom is precious, but our fears & interpretation to the situation will depend on our perception , values ,and personal/ society definition for freedom.
احنا مثلاً بالدوشة بتاعتنا في مصر كشعب نتحاكم محاكمات عسكرية في أوروبا:)))

Anonymous said...

Fully agree ya sohad. I hate the noise here and enjoy the quiet level there. The hotel in london almost throw us out last summer me and my nephew :-)
But what i think Dr. Mohamed is discussing here is loosing ur freedom bc of social or personal committments or obligationns, lightly said.
Your example of mandela, he wouldn't call it sacrefice, dear, as this was a case he believed in and therfore adopted regardless of the price.

Sohad said...

Yes ya Maryam , but losing freedom for a commitment or social obligation is a choice, and will depend on personal perception, therefore you have such fobia or scary feelings. If you remember that you have a choice maybe then you won't be scared. I was trying to discuss the subject from a different perspective because with freedom comes responsibility towards others, and the involuntary loss of freedom as in the case of social / political activist.

Sohad said...

We lose our freedom for fears , eat your monsters as we will all pass through difficult situations during our life journey only to bring the best out of us. Free your soul and fear nothing, always do your best & then let go.

Your joy is your sorrow unmasked, and the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was often times filled with your tears. Khalil Gibran

Mohaly said...

It is beyond imagination .. what i have faced in the past few days is ...

Sorry I am not ready to talk .. I need to reflect.

Anonymous said...

whenever you are, we will be there :-)

Anonymous said...

Sohad, the quote you put for Gibran is one i can never resist not reading over and over again when i find it written somewhere.
it is very true, painfully ture.

i don't know which starts first ya Sohad, the fear of loosing freedom, or the experience of loosing freedom, then when regain there starts the fear of loosing it again.
one thing i know, i am not risking my freedom for anything no matters how precious.

Sohad said...

We always have a choice ya Maryam .
Mohaly you don't need to talk about anything, what's important is to segregate yourself from the situation. Focus on the meta view to gain insight. عين القلب البصيرة. Is my favorite Sufi quote..

Mohaly said...

Ahhh ...

Mohaly said...

لقد خلقنا الإنسان في كبد ..
أيحسب أن لن يقدر عليه أحد

Anonymous said...

that sounds terrible.

Names said...

Yes it is a precious gift from Allah and as long as you value your freedom you will never risk to lose or misuse it ....what I konw it is on the top of your personal VALUES and this is something most of people underestimate in life. so don't let this fear affect you.

Risking our freedom is the absolute most dangerous thing that anyone can do. what i mean here is risking freedom on purpose " intentionally and for fun or money"

So, we shall have some limits & laws that control and protect individual freedom and protect and save the rights and the freedom of another person as well. although i don't like any constrains to control my life but sometimes it is needed in order to live with each other in a secured society "law ma3amalnash keda hateb2a 3'aba"

what i wanna say is everyone can do whatever she/he wants, as long as she/he does not harm the rights and freedom of another person. and if she/he did something against the law she/he should bear the result. and i agree with you ya Sohad it is a choice.

what I fear the most ba2a are the LAWS!!.." what are the laws and who put it??!! :(

Anonymous said...

La2 ya Asmaa, please don't mention laws here. this is a nightmare i am scared to think of, considering the legislative authorities nowadays.
rabena yostor, especially with the article in Dostor stating the "social" control on personal freedom :-(

Names said...

el mo3adla sa3ba i know ya mariam :(

Names said...

ameen to your prayer..we Rabena yer7amna.

Sohad said...

سيدنا يوسف سجن وهو نبي الله لحكمة لم تظهر له في وقتها!! الحياة مع الخوف هي سجن إختياري أكبر! عسي أن تكرهوا شيء وهو خير لكم وعسي أن تحبوا شيء وهو شر لكم والله يعلم وأنتم لا تعلمون.
الدنيا تجربة ورحلة لصقل النفس والروح لحياة أكبر وأكيد أي موقف ربنا بيحطنا فيه هو خير حتي لو كنا مش شايفينه.. الفكرة دي بتخليني أتقبل أي حاجة ممكن تحصلي حتي لو فقدت حريتي.. Always do your best & don't get attached to the results. Free yourself from your own fears and worries..

Mohaly said...

I need to live with a monk in the tibet for a while.

Sohad said...

I have a friend in India who can help you to stay in a monastery there in the mountains if u want

lubna said...

Sohad I was just watchin Eat,Pray, Love again :)

Sohad said...

Spectacular ya Lubna.. Was planning to live it :))
Mohaly I am not kidding.. I had the same idea and was talking to a friend in India because I don't have connections in Tibet , and wouldn't travel that far to knock a monastery door without pre-arrangement . Bas wallahee could be fun to do so, maybe we can check with Omar el samra if he knows someone over there ;)) If not momken to check wadi el natroon monastery I heard it's very nice & will provide a quite sanctuary.

Lubna said...

All ideas seems great n exciting ya Sohad. We need that sense of serenity n peace. However, part of me is looking n seeking to reach such status within....without that need to travel n be some where....

It is like the epiphany Liz had towards the end of her journey that "God exists within me as me". Im seeking these days to find that quite, serene n balanced place within me no matter what Im going through or whoever im dealing with.

sohad said...

True ya Lubna and Ibn el qayem said once " أنا جنتي في صدري", but in continuous quest for balance , inner peace & serenity we need sometimes to go through different experiences to dig deeper for the treasure within. No contradiction , being in new places, just have the magic of revealing new undiscovered areas of oneself. I read once that we are like Russian nesting dolls in every stage we evolve and discover a more beautiful doll inside what we thought the last one!

Lubna said...

So true. We are on the same page dear :)

I believe if we cud achieve that sense of serenity within so exploring new places is just a complementary thing that would enhance the status n enrich our senses.
It is more powerful n liberating to reach such status within cause you won't need to go anywhere to be "distress- free".

I have to admit , it is very challenging...yet rewarding !

The journey to india or even Tibet is a way to detach from any burdens, hush all voices n truly embrace life n one's self.

We need to liberate our minds n reach serenity from within. Only then we can handle any external events.
It is a continuous process n endeavour as long as we are alive :)

Anonymous said...

Lubna and Sohad i have been trying to reach this status through any available resources and somehow managed to do so in just "switching off'" the world when i need to be alone. I have been to healing sessions, reading much, listening to my favourite lectures or music.all within my small world. I would love to go somewhere quit of course.but working in mohandessin gives me no possible escape other than to seek it within.
I dont know if i reached this phase bc of the sessions oe bc i stopped caring about many many things.

Sohad said...

It happens when you manage to listen to the silence of your heart ya Mariam, and be able to contemplate.. Sa3at. We need to change places to do so & sa3alt la2 there are no rules :)).

Anonymous said...

I drive the desert road when i need that. U knpw what kaman, i look up at the sky for long time at night.
I wish we had mountains to climb or a beach

Anonymous said...

Ya doctor tibet would be very nice experience if you get the chance.
Did you try meditation?

Mohaly said...

I am sorry I cant write today,... I tried but I couldn't. My mind is not well organized to write, and the feeling of weakness is magnified with my late father's birthday today.

It has been 4 successive non-stop weekly writing so it is ok to skip a week, specially, I am not done with this topic yet.

Sohad said...

It's more than OK to skip as many weeks as you want. Flow out naturally and embrace what there is as a catalyst which will help you dig within yourself for a treasure or heal an old wound.. Kolo 7'air and happens lee kol el Bashar ..Shaklak keda et7asadt :))

Anonymous said...

it is ok. take the time you need, although i think your status is the best one to write what's upsetting you to this regard. sharing might help soving whatever you are facing :-)

Mohaly said...

it is ok to stop a week after 4 months... I really cant express myself, and I really still feel that I have a lot to say about the freedom topic.


“Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free.”
― Jim Morrison

Anonymous said...

you are free :-)

Sohad said...

My fears have no end, kol youm I discover new ones..few of them I can approach with courage and few I can't approach or dare to do so.

Anonymous said...

we all face the same ya Sohad. and with every new day arises new fears with new experiences, dear. don't worry about that. you will knwo which ones you can deal with and wich ones need to be "digested" first and then dealt with.
also the kind of fears we have leanred to face change with every new chllange we face in life.
you can say it is part of your development to be flexible in dealing with fears.
just as some fears disappear with our growing old, some come along as well.
the technique of mastering your fears reamain the same: face it :-)

Sohad said...

Heya kolaha safareya 3al timeline towards my death moment & la7zet el 7esab wee hab2a folla ISA :p
My greatest fear enne Akon Fakra enne 3amla kwayes fel donia wee atla3 daya3t 7ayatee feema la tanfa3

Anonymous said...

No dear.we all have a very efficient scale inside us to judge.and we have a whispering voice that tells us what to do.if we keep them healthy at least we can avoide falling down.
And there is always isteghafr, just in case.
And many ways we all know to do.
What could scare me is that i dont do any good.thats when i know that Allah doesnt want my doings.

Sohad said...

Do you think ya Maryam that Allah won't really accept our good deeds...إنما الأعمال بالنياتً ولكل إمريء ما نوي
I am discussing the topic for the sake of discussion but Iam not attached with negative feelings..I always do my best wee bagahed nafsee fel deen wel donia..it's always my 120% which varies from one day to another yet it's always my best..dee el 7aga Elle bet7'aleenee merta7a..:)))

Lubna said...

I had this amazing experience of sufi Healing two days ago......

it reminded me of this video so here Im sharing with you until we can talk more about it :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNRB6kqVJ4A

Anonymous said...

i meant ya Sohad, that i would be a very bad person, so that Allah won't accept any doings from me.

i have your very same target, dear. :-)
May Allah bless you.

Anonymous said...

my friend was telling me yesterday that his waggon and all his belongings were stolen in Poland, where he was on family visit. the police there is corrupt, so there is noway to get any of it back.
he was telling me that he experienced a fear, that he never faced before, that left him unbalanced, and that he feels insecure in terrible ways.

this is what i was telling you about ya Sohad earlier. a new type of fear that came with a new expereince and that has left him shaken and uncertain.

Sohad said...

I can imagine ya Maryam..security is the first and basic need ( physical & emotional security.). For me I am in a new phase of self exploration, I guess with new perceptions I have different feelings..dunno a bit hard to describe & have no clue where i will land but I am enjoying the journey.

Ya Lubna.. Happy for you and I heard about Sufi healing but didn't experience it yet!

Mohaly said...

How can we be so vulnerable ... the easiest thing is to take away the freedom .. we did our best and failed to set him free today ...

Please excuse me for a while, I am questioning everything ..

Sohad said...

This is a sad story, I will check if there is something I can do about it.

Lubna said...

Many people are fighting daily to secure their livelihood, trying to save their loved ones in Gov. Hospitals, keeping their children @ schools.
When external environment gets hostile like this, One has two options: to give in n lose hope, or get stronger and stronger from within.
What happened with ur friend is another symptom for the absence of Justice.

I don't lessen how harsh this reality seem but we are truly beaten if we lose our faith n freedom from within.

This is the core of what we believe and why revolution happened. Things might seem depressing right now but as long as ppl like you Mohaly work on empowering others n making a positive impact especially on younger generations , tomorrow is another day n it will bring good things inshalla"
"ان الله لا يغير ما بقوم حتى يغيروا ما بأنفسهم" وشاء ربنا انك وناس زيك تكونوا جزء من التغيير ده. ما تفقدش الامل ارجوك

Anonymous said...

Mahmoud
Hello Dr Mohamad
Im sorry to see what you are going through, hope will be over soon and you will be able to write about it.

Anonymous said...

Mahmoud,
Sohad you have really approach the subject in a very profound ways
You are to be credited today I've learned quite a bit from you. however
I tend to think monasteries and similar institutions are an escape from facing reality under the pretense of doing something holy. (hope Im not offending any body
with my take on this one)
but it give me great pleasure when i read Dr mohamad blog and be with such company such as yourself, Maryam and the rest of you guys,

Sohad said...

Mahmoud thank you, your feedback is much appreciated and I am glad that you can have insights from our discussions:). As for monasteries and similar institutions it's a bit different for us I think because they are not holy in our religion but they represent a symbol of resenting materialism and for me personally I was interested to observe other cutlets and how they meditate, deal with Their own God etc.. I learned not to judge or classify any actions or concepts as right or wrong I am only trying to understand others perceptions and how they approach life, and death! Buddhism monasteries will represent new live philosophy for me akeeeed :)))
This blog is a my sanctuary to talk, discuss, vent , and share life, it has a special energy and it's own charisma:))

Sohad said...

Guys I had a new experience yesterday during which I was afraid I won't be able to see with my right eye anymore.. Thank God I only had an Ulcer in that eye which means I will be normal in few days!!
Hi about losing freedom for a disability men 2ay no3 ? And I mean the freedom to move or talk, hear or leave the house! How about the amazing feeling of humiliation in front of god and not another human, do we really lose out freedom or the free spirit can't be contained and will always remain free!
it's all about rules, regulations, perceptions, culture and our interpretation constraints, the capabilities of the human body is a constraint !! Lol wee momken tab2a dee mar7et el hazayan;))

mahmoud said...

Mahmoud
Alf salama leeky ya Sohad.

Anonymous said...

merci ya Mahmoud Allah yesalemak

Anonymous said...

Sohad, salamtek ya banouta. Alf salama 3aleky.elhamdollah you are fine.
Fully agree with you.physical disability even for temporary reason is a great burden or fear that only Allah can prevent.
All prayers go to Him to keep us healthy and when writing such a fate for someone, He is the only hope and help.

Anonymous said...

Doctor Mohamed, from what you wrote i guess someone you know has been arrested and you can't help much.sorry for that.this is a terrible experience, especially if the person should be terrified.

Anonymous said...

Wa7ashteneeeee ya Maryam, mayenfa3sh yefoot youm men 3'eerek :))) dr. Mohamed sha7'seyan e7'tafa fee zorof 3'amdaa !!:( and the rest of the aliens are hanging out fel meeting point till further notice..
We have been discussing the importance of freedom, but we didn't tackle freedom definition to each one of us..any value will have it's own unique individual definition.
Freedom for me is independence, being my true self ( no social requirements), ability to explore life with No constraints, express my opinion, no judgment, living in the placeless place :)) what about you guys?

Anonymous said...

For me it is being independent.simply relieng on Allah only and whatever strength He gives me to face any challanges. I might sound extreme to you but it scares me to need someone on any level.my sense of freedom and security starts here.filtering people and add them to different circles of freedom/security.
Freedom is being able to be on my own n choosing who to let come closer. Freedom is accepting others and being accepted as well. Live and let others live. I am no God, neither are others.
Do i make any sense?

i hope dr.mohamed is doing ok.

Thank you dear for the kind words

Anonymous said...

Yes I know exactly how that feels, however and with time you might accept the concept that we are all connected, live to support each others and sometimes God send us support disguised in human format to keep going:)) your words makes perfect sense for me , perhaps from similar experience in life resulted in deep wounds .
I just came cross a new post so let's explore what he has :))

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