Do you Believe In Balance?

Ying and Yang. Karma. Nature's Balance. Whatever it is, it's there.
I know of 5 things that will come before it's equal. These can be considered rules of living:
1. Life Before Death.
2. Young Before Old.
3. Rich Before Poor.
4. Healthy Before Sick.
5. Leisure Before Busy.
These things apply to life on Earth as we know it and has been the rules since time began. Of course, none of these rules apply in the Life After Death.

Each and every one of these rules are certain truth. Number 1 is of course really obvious. So, you know what you have to do: make sure to do the right things as long as you are alive because none of us are going to live forever.

As a Muslim, the main reason I do good things is because I love Allah and I fear punishment from Allah: a punishment that's unimaginably horrifying. Jahanam (Hell): the worst case scenario possible. Nabi Muhammad (salalah hu a'lahi wasalam) paved the way to pleasing Allah, all we have to do is walk it. And it's really easy to do so too. The only hard part is becoming completely oblivious to the distractions and temptations of the Devil. You'll fail sometimes, but what you have to do is to make it up simply by apologizing sincerely for failing or giving out charity to pay for your sins. Allah is the most Forgiving. But you have to be completely sincere, with all your heart.

Even if I was looking at it from a non-religious point of view, you have a lot of reasons to do good things in Life. One of the biggest reasons I can think of is: Legacy. Everybody wants to be remembered. Even if it's just a person who you gave your seat to in a bus he will remember you as a good person, someone they'll tell about nicely. Isn't that a good enough reward for doing something good?

An even faster reward is the knowledge that you made someone's life easier for them even if it's
just for a few minutes. Don't you think you'll sleep better knowing that no one had to suffer because of you own selfishness? Hmm... this one applies really closely to my own life. I guess I need to work on being selfless.

The second rule is a bit more complicated. Old people will look at their younger days and say: man, I wish we could go back to that time. Young people, however, may not be respected and as such, they feel that they need to grow up quicker, and they think once they are older, they'd be able to do anything they like. Truth is, young people have a lot more advantages. Young people are just that: Young. They have a bigger capacity to learn, more time to spend doing things - even if it doesn't look like it - and certainly they have more Health. The first man in the world, Adam, was prostrated to by the Angels not because they were worshiping him but because it was a sign of respect: he was newly created and he already knew of the names of everything. That was the first gift: the ability to Learn. Use it well, young people. Don't say you can't learn something like Physics or Geography. Say something more honest like: I don't want to learn Physics or Geography. (this is just an example. No offense meant to Geography and Physics) Because you CAN learn it! That is if you have the Health to do so.

Which brings us to the 4th rule (Yes, 4th, not 3rd and yes I can count). Healthy Before Sick. Everyone gets sick. No exceptions. Some people may get sick less often than others, but they still get sick. It's horrible being sick. You can't do everything you want to do. Your body is in disarray, your mind isn't at 100% working speed, and worst off: you have to sit there and make other people worry. I really hate that part. Plus, you are restricted to only a number of things you can eat! That's a major downer. Do everything you can to not become sick, but do not become paranoid either: that's just a waste of time. You will get sick somehow or rather, even if you spray everything with sanitizer. Honestly, I think people who use sanitizers are more prone to becoming sick. Their immune system will not be able to adapt to diseases, which makes it really weak and unable to fight a common flu as effectively as someone who's more open to the environments.

And we'll go back to the 3rd rule now: Rich Before Poor. Yes, Bill Gates is counted in this. Scientifically speaking, products like Microsoft has a life cycle and it will end eventually. It is possible to prolong it's life but it wont last forever. Money is fluctuating really, really quickly. Some people get bankrupt all of a sudden, most probably because they used up their money on something completely useless in one swoop. Other people lose money slowly. Maybe their expenses just crept up with time, I don't know, but I do know it happens.

This is not to say that you can't get rich when you are poor. The rule simply states that wealth is not forever. So be careful.

And lastly, Leisure before Busy. Holidays always end. But the important thing is what did you do whilst you had the leisure? Maybe you wasted time going on the computer, playing games while you could have gone out and played with your friends. Even better, go out there and do something good for the community! Everyone has either had the time to do it, or they still do. If you waste your precious free time, you won't ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever get it back.

And that's final. The clock ain't ticking backwards (unless you count Mr. Gutteridge's old one). For people who are in school, don't call it a waste of time. The only way your time can be wasted is if you are ignorant enough to waste it yourself. Use every bit of education they throw at you. I know this sounds absurdly crazy but why don't you try listening to the teacher? If you already do, then well done! None of your time in class has been useless. If you wait patiently, then you'll eventually see how those petty little bits of information you learned in class will be so helpful for you.

For those who are working, I know I am not in any position to give you advice but well, I just want to say: I really believe that if you diligently work really hard at whatever you do, you will be rewarded. I mean, if you do something really well even if you hate doing it, you are bound to be noticed.

And as usual, I'll end with a useless note: I don't really know why I posted this... I just had those five rules stuck in my head for such a long time. Hope they get stuck in yours too!
Longest post in a long time huh? Getting the mood back.