Controlled Burn: "The West Wing Effect"
Asalaam Alaikum (Peace be with you),
I have always been fascinated by the concept of the controlled burn. Foresters, farmers and rangers actually set small fires in specific areas and regions in order to minimize the likelihood of more serious and devastating major brush fires in the future. If you think about, we all have the opportunity to use controlled burns in our lives by making minor decisions in the immediate future that could potentially have huge consequences for us in the future. I'm not talking about an accidental meeting that nets a profit in the future, but a conscientious decision on the part of an individual to do something, to make a call, to write a letter to set up a plan or a move in the future. The "burn" might go with the flow or it might be something very risky, but the potential outcome is the same - it will help you in the future.
For the last three months, I have been steadily watching the entire seven seasons of "The West Wing." I never owned a TV when it was on the air - I still don't, but thank God for Netflix - and I was too busy having too much fun and partying too hard at Purdue to ever watch it. But, I am so happy I finally decided to check it out now. The show has inspired me on so many levels that I can only imagine the world of good it has done to an entire generation, my generation, the way Woodward and Bernstein's "All the President's Men" did in the 1970s.
I write all this because today is my fourth anniversary of taking the shahadah (declaration of faith) and becoming a Muslim. As I think about who I have become as a person in the last few years, I am grateful to Allah SWT for answering my du'a (prayers) and helping me find a great job, which has not only made me realize my love for teaching, but has opened up so many new doors for me. When I left GSU in May 2007 with my Ph.D. unfinished, I was left with a lot of doubt about my future. But, I made some serious decisions in 2007 - 2008 that allowed me to return to Georgia, return to a college environment, return to political science and return to teaching. Alhamdulillah, I cannot ask for anything more from Allah SWT with regards to all that He has provided for me in the last few years.
But, as I watch "The West Wing" - I'm on season 6, episode 9 - I have also started to think about where I see myself four to five years from now and what I need to do to get to that place. I am fully aware that Allah SWT can put many challenges in front of us, most that are unexpected, but I also know from reading the Qur'an that He does not test us more than we can bear and also that for every challenge, comes a reward. So, I accept my path as a Muslim and I believe that Allah SWT will reward good with good in this life and the next.
I say this because I have a vision of my future and I believe that if I put certain things into place now - controlled burns - insha'Allah I will be guided towards what is good and where I can help the most number of people and do something great for myself. I think of a particular WW episode in this regard, "365," where Former Chief of Staff Leo McGarry (John Spencer) writes "365" on a board and asks for suggestions on how to fill the remaining year of President Bartlett's (Martin Sheen) term in office with substantive policy initiatives.
Since independence, the Government of India has implemented "Five-Year Plans" that cover a broad range of issues from improving the economy and industry to alleviating poverty. I've been thinking about this a lot lately because of some fairly tumultuous events in my personal life (for another time) and I do want to start work on my own "Five-Year Plan." It may seem hard to realize the future - or to "write the future" as those Nike World Cup ads suggest, but isn't that the whole premise behind dreaming? About intellectual capacity? About individualism and liberty?
There are a lot of things I want to accomplish before 2015. This list is fluid and will change depending on circumstances within and outside my control. But, I truly believe that I have a responsibility to build on the work I have started - in academia, social work, Islam, etc. - and help as many people as I can. The end of my life might come at any time, but while I am on this planet, may Allah SWT help me realize my greatness and put steps into place to do good deeds to help as many people as possible.
Shyam's Five-Year Plan (July 21st 2010 to July 20th 2015):
1. Complete my Ph.D. in Criminal Justice (or at the very least, complete all my coursework and comprehensive exams and be in the process of writing my dissertation - or "dissertating" as my grad school friends say :).
2. Intern for two summers at the Office on Violence Against Women in the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.
3. Save enough money to make #2 possible.
4. Learn Arabic in order to read and understand the Qur'ran.
5. Learn to converse in Arabic.
6. Resume my Russian studies and be able to speak, read and write with some fluency aka maintain a conversation with my grandmother, Janiki Krishnan, a Russian teacher.
7. Run a 10K without stopping once.
8. Take part in the Seattle Marathon Walk (i.e. be in enough good physical condition to be able to walk 26 miles).
9. Publish at least one op-ed or essay in the New York Times or New Yorker.
10. Pay off all my college debt and go on Hajj.
11. Finally become fluent in Tamil and be able to read Kalki in the original as well as write letters to my grandparents in Tamil.
12. Continue to build my credentials as an educator by earning the respect of my students and colleagues; keep myself open to new ideas and techniques in pedagogy; and always keep reading and learning to expand my knowledge base.
13. Get an internship or PT job with the Georgia Commission on Family Violence or a similar DV advocacy group at the state level.
14. Continue to learn about the Muslim response to domestic violence and keep speaking publicly about it.
15. Create a website and downloadable materials for Muslim Men Against Domestic Violence.
16. Get a FT job in the Office on Violence Against Women and start a life devoted to creating national policy on domestic and intimate partner violence, sexual assault and educational initiatives for intervention and prevention.
17. Find my naseeb (life partner).
Asalaam Alaikum (Peace be with you),
I have always been fascinated by the concept of the controlled burn. Foresters, farmers and rangers actually set small fires in specific areas and regions in order to minimize the likelihood of more serious and devastating major brush fires in the future. If you think about, we all have the opportunity to use controlled burns in our lives by making minor decisions in the immediate future that could potentially have huge consequences for us in the future. I'm not talking about an accidental meeting that nets a profit in the future, but a conscientious decision on the part of an individual to do something, to make a call, to write a letter to set up a plan or a move in the future. The "burn" might go with the flow or it might be something very risky, but the potential outcome is the same - it will help you in the future.
For the last three months, I have been steadily watching the entire seven seasons of "The West Wing." I never owned a TV when it was on the air - I still don't, but thank God for Netflix - and I was too busy having too much fun and partying too hard at Purdue to ever watch it. But, I am so happy I finally decided to check it out now. The show has inspired me on so many levels that I can only imagine the world of good it has done to an entire generation, my generation, the way Woodward and Bernstein's "All the President's Men" did in the 1970s.
I write all this because today is my fourth anniversary of taking the shahadah (declaration of faith) and becoming a Muslim. As I think about who I have become as a person in the last few years, I am grateful to Allah SWT for answering my du'a (prayers) and helping me find a great job, which has not only made me realize my love for teaching, but has opened up so many new doors for me. When I left GSU in May 2007 with my Ph.D. unfinished, I was left with a lot of doubt about my future. But, I made some serious decisions in 2007 - 2008 that allowed me to return to Georgia, return to a college environment, return to political science and return to teaching. Alhamdulillah, I cannot ask for anything more from Allah SWT with regards to all that He has provided for me in the last few years.
But, as I watch "The West Wing" - I'm on season 6, episode 9 - I have also started to think about where I see myself four to five years from now and what I need to do to get to that place. I am fully aware that Allah SWT can put many challenges in front of us, most that are unexpected, but I also know from reading the Qur'an that He does not test us more than we can bear and also that for every challenge, comes a reward. So, I accept my path as a Muslim and I believe that Allah SWT will reward good with good in this life and the next.
I say this because I have a vision of my future and I believe that if I put certain things into place now - controlled burns - insha'Allah I will be guided towards what is good and where I can help the most number of people and do something great for myself. I think of a particular WW episode in this regard, "365," where Former Chief of Staff Leo McGarry (John Spencer) writes "365" on a board and asks for suggestions on how to fill the remaining year of President Bartlett's (Martin Sheen) term in office with substantive policy initiatives.
Since independence, the Government of India has implemented "Five-Year Plans" that cover a broad range of issues from improving the economy and industry to alleviating poverty. I've been thinking about this a lot lately because of some fairly tumultuous events in my personal life (for another time) and I do want to start work on my own "Five-Year Plan." It may seem hard to realize the future - or to "write the future" as those Nike World Cup ads suggest, but isn't that the whole premise behind dreaming? About intellectual capacity? About individualism and liberty?
There are a lot of things I want to accomplish before 2015. This list is fluid and will change depending on circumstances within and outside my control. But, I truly believe that I have a responsibility to build on the work I have started - in academia, social work, Islam, etc. - and help as many people as I can. The end of my life might come at any time, but while I am on this planet, may Allah SWT help me realize my greatness and put steps into place to do good deeds to help as many people as possible.
Shyam's Five-Year Plan (July 21st 2010 to July 20th 2015):
1. Complete my Ph.D. in Criminal Justice (or at the very least, complete all my coursework and comprehensive exams and be in the process of writing my dissertation - or "dissertating" as my grad school friends say :).
2. Intern for two summers at the Office on Violence Against Women in the Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.
3. Save enough money to make #2 possible.
4. Learn Arabic in order to read and understand the Qur'ran.
5. Learn to converse in Arabic.
6. Resume my Russian studies and be able to speak, read and write with some fluency aka maintain a conversation with my grandmother, Janiki Krishnan, a Russian teacher.
7. Run a 10K without stopping once.
8. Take part in the Seattle Marathon Walk (i.e. be in enough good physical condition to be able to walk 26 miles).
9. Publish at least one op-ed or essay in the New York Times or New Yorker.
10. Pay off all my college debt and go on Hajj.
11. Finally become fluent in Tamil and be able to read Kalki in the original as well as write letters to my grandparents in Tamil.
12. Continue to build my credentials as an educator by earning the respect of my students and colleagues; keep myself open to new ideas and techniques in pedagogy; and always keep reading and learning to expand my knowledge base.
13. Get an internship or PT job with the Georgia Commission on Family Violence or a similar DV advocacy group at the state level.
14. Continue to learn about the Muslim response to domestic violence and keep speaking publicly about it.
15. Create a website and downloadable materials for Muslim Men Against Domestic Violence.
16. Get a FT job in the Office on Violence Against Women and start a life devoted to creating national policy on domestic and intimate partner violence, sexual assault and educational initiatives for intervention and prevention.
17. Find my naseeb (life partner).
All admirable goals. Insha'Allah you will achieve them :)
ReplyDeleteIf anyone can do this, the author of this blog can. May God facilitate for him all success!
ReplyDeleteMasha'allah. This is making me less rageful these days.
ReplyDelete