just minishorts.

A friend, who is Catholic, had a long talk with me yesterday, and we shared our ideas on why so much war and strife has to happen. How so many people who are overzealous in their fervour to prove their love for each's own God, or to uphold the monotheistic/polytheistic value of their religions, have open the doors for opportunists to place their evil plans into actions.

To feign the very religious, I would almost say, this world has truly become Satan's playground. And because of what? Spyder, my dear teacher, told me,

In the name of religion, we maim and we kill. We claim to be 'holy people' and we behave as if we have a monopoly on God. Yet, the truth is we do not own God. He created us and we are but His people; He owns us. Would that we, the peoples of the earth, all be humbled by this realisation and not let our egos deceive us into thinking that that we own Him or even worse, that we can take HIS place and thus play God.

It happens to me every day. I face it from family members, from people I love, from people I learn to care for, and choose to make the objects of my affections. I get it from strangers, from the people who brought me up, who brought me into this world, it has never ended, and the whole crux of the matter, this constant arguing, squabbling, comparing… all for what?

The Entry to Heaven. A graduation gift from the Big Guy up there, a place whom none of us living beings have ever seen. Each one of us are in a huge big school called life… and the terms roll out one after the other, and we pick up different lessons crafted individually according to every person's needs to learn. Every one graduates at his own pace, but because we don't really know where we go to after we breathe our last breaths, we being the imaginative creatures we are, make up, set up, pick and choose laws from the Books to comfort ourselves in the one hope that Death would not be such a terrible thing to look forward to.

But thank God for the Books our predecessors have left behind, the Guidebooks that were supposed to be keys to the Truth, they have been valuable resources and every single piece has had its message and preaching of love and respect for all regardless of races, colours and creed. All divine, in each's very own way. We are different though in our beliefs, because as my friend told me, every person walks a different path in pursuit of God, and the ways we seek him differ because we were made different.

Today, if the ones who have gone before us were here to tell us what they think of the situation, I wonder what they would say?

'Why are you guys so preoccupied with the afterlife? It's not here yet. Why aren't guys focusing on preserving God's first gift to you, the opportunity to exist, breathe and live on this Earth right now?'

OK. Maybe I made that paragraph up.

I'm tired of the assault, tired of the arguments, but it doesn't mean I will stop completely. Maybe I want to take a rest, maybe I just want to sleep, just a night on this, try to ignore the wars, the battles, the fights that someone else is having with another someone else because they cannot agree on which version of Syurga is more accurate. I'm sick, and sad and tired. But I have not given up on Faith yet, because blind as it may be, it is my only key to sustenance, and it reminds me that I have been given a voice to do something, and I will say something in the best way that I can do so. As responsibly as I can manage to be.

But this line from the dedications in The Five People You Meet In Heaven really struck me and I just want to share these with the most fundamental of readers who enjoy my blog. Even if you choose to feel I'm talking nonsense today, and I'm bordering on being a heretic for my liberal opinions, I just want to tell you this. I do not see myself as a liberal thinking person at all. Closest friends know, I'm just as conservative as you are, and that I love God just as much as You do… but I love Him because of what He did for me, not because of what He promises to give me when I die. And because of that, I will be His instrument and let Him take me up in His waves. I will swim where He requires me to swim.

Everyone has an idea of heaven, as do most religions, and they should all be respected.
—Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet In Heaven

I really really wish we would all stop fighting for God. If two men were to maim and kill just so that they could get to date me, I'd turn celibate and choose to turn away from relationships forever, because it pains me to see people resorting to violence just so that they can get what they want.

It seems like I keep bumping into people who just won't understand the meaning of personal space, and they frustrate me to no end. I know I should get used to this, I ought to understand that we're all surrounded by the like, people who in essence, actually do mean good, do have good intentions, and yet get lost in their fervour to force us to abide by their versions of truths.

People who will not welcome 'no' as an answer.

Remember Mr Nice Guy who fell for Miss Girl Next Door? Oh it was a sweet, sweet love, one that started from many many ages ago, something that he had kept inside his heart for a long long time… but never daring or wanting to tell her. But he kept doing good things for her, he kept bearing little gifts, making sure the tiny details were in place, the little things that did not seem to matter but actually mattered a great deal fell into their right positions, so that Miss Girl Next Door would have a great life that was envy-worthy.

But she never knew the Mr Nice Guy who was behind the whole picture, and so they grew up. She grew up. She met Mr Right one day, and it was amazing for her, like a fairy tale come true, but it wasn't like that, of course, for our star Mr Nice Guy. His heart was shattered into a million pieces, and he suddenly realized, 'I've been quiet for far too long, and I will get her back.'

Was his intentions bad? Not really. He wanted the best for Miss Girl Next Door, HIS version of 'the best', the comforts that what he knew he could provide for her… and he spoke up. He pursued. He started a courtship, like a machine with a one-tracked mind, he did what he could, at first. He bought flowers, chocolates, offered to help her with the burst pipe in the toilet. She was appreciative, but she did not fall for him yet. She already had Mr Right, and he was the apple of her eye. There was nothing she wanted change, though, Mr Right was REALLY a Mr Right… nothing wrong with him actually, except for that fact that Mr Nice Guy did not like Mr Right very much.

To the dismay of Mr Nice Guy, now that his Plan A did not work, he wanted to come out in the open, to tell Miss Girl Next Door about the truth. And it will hurt, but I must do it. She deserves nothing less. I only want the best for her.

He became a possessive nut, eager to do anything, just so that he could have Miss Girl Next Door for himself. He didn't really want to marry Miss GND, all he wanted was for her to be separated for her Mr Right, just so long as she was single, he could continue to shower all his attention on her, and he could have a right to her life, to give her what he deemed was the best. Like a man on a mission, he dug up evidence that could point Mr Right as Mr Not-So-Right, but it wasn't so easy, Mr Right was genuinely a good person… but he dug, and he dug, and finally, he found one tiny piece of problem that could potentially bring Miss Girl Next Door to her senses.

He found out, after digging up the archives of Mr Right's life, that Mr Right had a long lost brother who had been a vicious murderer and rapist, that this cousin of Mr Right's was currently serving a life-sentence in jail for the terrible things he did in his life.

'He's a brother of a rapist, Miss GND. He's a cousin of a rapist! You don't want to be connected to the rapist, do you? Your Mr Right has a cousin who killed people and raped women.'

Miss GND was more than annoyed. Suddenly, Mr Nice Guy was no longer so nice anymore. He just wouldn't get off her back, and now he's trying to tear her life apart by implicating her very own Mr Right in something that would not affect either one of their lifes?

'What is wrong with you?'
'I just want the best for you. I don't want you to date and marry a man whose brother is a rapist and murderer.'
'It's his half brother, and they have never met each other in their entire lives. It does not affect me. I'm perfectly happy.'
'His brother will get out of jail and rape you one day.'
'He's serving a life sentence.'
'You think you will be happy, but you do not know. I know you will be happier if Mr Right is out of your life. You should think about your future. You must look beyond temporary happiness.'
'No. I think YOU will be happiest if Mr Right is out of my life. I will be devastated. Now get out.'

Sometimes, I think Mr Nice Guys to stick to being Nice only. Everyone is entitled to personal choices. The freedom to choose is the very root of where happiness begins. If Miss GND wants her Mr Right, I think she deserves him. As much as Mr Nice Guy is entitled to fight for the love of his life, he also should respect her choices, even if her choice isn't him.