Skip to main content

The friend within

Alone but not lonely as this beauty knows
People generally say unkind things about single females and males. "Something must be wrong with him/her," is one example. My favourite is: "You're too choosy." My friend Rabiaa Dani says the first thing they utter is "I am sorry" when she tells nosey parkers that she is single. Her standard reply: "Don't be. I am not!"

Singles are considered an anomaly, women and men deserving of pity and help. People who think that have yet to realise that "the most profound relationship" that they will ever have is the one with themselves (Shirley MacLaine). Marriage is not for everyone but even those who have found marital bliss will discover that sometimes "they have to stand alone to prove that they can still stand" (source unknown).

There are times when singles feel very lonely but those who are truly evolved go to sleep secure in the knowledge that they are their own best friends as Aristotle eloquently puts it: "He is his own best friend, and takes delight in privacy whereas the man of no virtue or ability is his own worst enemy and is afraid of solitude."

Kiplinger celebrates the joys of being single by putting together its list of best cities for those who live by themselves. Click here to read.

Comments

Popular Posts

Rumi's gift

You've no idea how hard I've looked for a gift to bring You. Nothing seemed right. What's the point of bringing gold to the gold mine, or water to the Ocean. Everything I came up with was like taking spices to the Orient. It's no good giving my heart and my soul because you already have these. So- I've brought you a mirror. Look at yourself and remember me. Jalaluddin Rumi said it all.   That's her in the mirror. The face is the mirror of the soul.  She sees joy, despair, hope, doubt. This is the end of another year in her life. A time to reflect and express her emotions. Love, forgiveness, healing and trust dominate all kinds of thoughts. She did many things right but she wavered too. Listen to your inner voice. Pressure? Deal with it! Quiet successes inspire her with confidence. Failures provide just the spur she needs. As she looks back on the past year, she is grateful that she got through it. Rumi, thank you for your gift!

My year at The Rakyat Post

  Dec 31, 2014, the last day of the year and the end of my one year stint at The Rakyat Post , an online news portal. Educational is the best way to sum up my year at The Rakyat Post. Leaving your comfort zone is intimidating at first; it has a steep learning curve. But now I wish I had done it sooner and the whole exercise reaffirms my motto: “learn, learn, learn”. Einstein was spot on when he said, “Learning is not a product of schooling but the lifelong attempt to acquire it”. When I left the New Straits Times to join The Rakyat Post on Jan 3, 2014, I didn’t know what to expect. Nelson Fernandez, also known as Mohd Ridzwan Abdullah, had invited me to join him at the website this time last year. Nelson Fernandez at his office at The Rakyat Post He was charged with assembling a team to provide content for the portal. And I am glad I said yes. Switching from traditional journalism to online journalism is challenging, as anyone who had made

Keramat tahfiz tragedy: Call to listen to reason

The tragic deaths of more than 20 pupils and teachers at a religious school in Datuk Keramat, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia have evoked anger in many Malaysians. They lost their lives in a fire which had gutted the top floor of Pusat Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah on Jalan Keramat Ujung in the early hours of September 14, 2017. As is the case with other disasters, social media was quick to share videos and photos which many said had infringed on the privacy and dignity of victims and their families. Urgent pleas to exercise restraint seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. Sadly, many do not reason entirely from facts and this is part of the way the world works now. The question is, what is the best way to deal with this situation? That is why I am grateful for this  article .