Letters to My Daughter

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - November 25, 2009 Statement by the President on Hajj and Eid-ul-Adha "Michelle and I would like to send our best wishes to all those performing Hajj this year, and to Muslims in America and around the world who are celebrating Eid-ul-Adha. The rituals of Hajj and Eid-ul-Adha both serve as reminders of the shared Abrahamic roots of three of the world's major religions. During Hajj, the world's largest and most diverse gathering, three million Muslims from all walks of life - including thousands of American Muslims - will stand in prayer on Mount Arafat. The following day, Muslims around the world will celebrate Eid-ul-Adha and distribute food to the less fortunate to commemorate Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son out of obedience to God. This year, I am pleased that the Department of Health and Human Services has partnered with the Saudi Health Ministry to prevent and limit the spread of H1N1 during Hajj. Cooperating on combating H1N1 ...

In todays NYT article , the story of Sarah Gellert is proof of the importance of remaining positive in difficult times. Gellert, who lived through multiple wars, economic downturns, epidemics, deaths, divorce, and the rest of it, now describes everything as "wonderful." She probably described everything as wonderful in her youth as well. She was born in 1910, and has witnessed the problem of evil multiple times in her life. Yet she chooses to remain resolute. I find her extraordinary. I would like to share this story with my grandpa, who is quintessentially a pessimist, and may even personify the Problem of Evil himself. He loves to accuse everyone of wrong, refuses to apologize, and has no appreciation for anyone or anything. He is difficult to be with, especially when he badmouths people you love with no thought to consequence. I think I am going to create a list of articles for my Nani to read. I want to give her the gift of the internet, and write her a letter describing...

My room, my mind, and the rest of my world is slightly upside down. I have lost, regained, and then lost again my perspective. I am not sure what the source of the conflict is, but I have some ideas about how to solve the problem, even if I don't know what the source is, I believe I can treat the symptoms. Today I found a banana in my bed. I am not sure how many days the banana was there. I had a banana in my purse, and the purse on my bed, and the contents of my purse somehow between my sheets. Also on the bed were folded clothes that have not made it into their proper chest of drawers. I have papers to be filed. Notebooks and papers are piled up on every available surface, including my desk. A banana in my bed means something about my state of mind, physical and otherwise. I am going away this weekend, so everything must be perfect before I leave. Food cooked, house vacuumed, clothes washed, bathroom decent. And of course there is packing to do; studying to finish; overdue librar...

As a famous artist once said, "Mo Money, Mo Problems." Indeed, it appears that having more money, coming from a colonial mindset that makes you seek money as the primary value of your work and more importantly your worth, money does indeed create problems. When someone comes from an upbringing in which money is inherited, a life in which there is an absence of want or need because the parents provided adequately and comfortably for children, money is merely a tool, NOT a an end in and of itself. Yet people who come from families in which there is or was no money, they will always judge you by how much you make. They judge you based on your profession, your income. They might be too cheap to buy expensive things because these things are considered wasteful, but ultimately, these people are and will always be cheap. People who are cheap are naturally attracted to partners who are not cheap, strangely enough. However, people who judge others by their profession are truly bankrup...

As a twenty-something year old, I have an uncanny affection for kite-flying. The love began in high school, when I was introduced to kite flying through my friend M. We followed the directions and built the kite with our own hands. We took our handiwork to the park. My first time kite flying, my approach basically involved running around until the kite picked up the wind. My technique, apparently, was not the orthodox way to fly a kite. Nevertheless, we relished the beauty of that day. Since 2006, I've asked others to fly kites with me. I've asked other members of my family. Today, I didn't ask anyone. I brought the kites-which my mother carefully brought from Bangladesh in her overstuffed luggage, a least a thousand miles away--and I tied the appropriate knots. My cousins who had many opportunities to fly kites in their youth, showed me the proper way to release and control the kite. We successfully got the kite to go as high as our house but the kite's time in the air...

16:111 "On the day that every soul shall come arguing on its own behalf; and every soul shall be paid in full for what it did, and they shall not be wronged." What has my soul done during this month of Ramadan? What has it done? What do I have to report? I have been fleeing from the reality of the world, hiding somewhere I don't recognize. I live in my office, my green striped prayer rug complimenting my dying cactus. (How and why is my cactus dying?) I live in my room. I eat, and sometimes nap in the adjacent room. I find little or no reason to leave this seat. I sit, and I sit. I sit until my legs ache. I sit and I watch. I watch until my eyes hurt. I read, write, and talk to my computer screen. I have no contact with people outside of my family. I think how different it was! How different was my last Ramadan! How focused, how keen I was on what I needed to do. This Ramadan has not been the same. Most of the day, I am trying problems, writing emails that no one respond...

TEMERITY: from the Latin, temere, meaning "rashly" The line that divides boldness from foolishness or stupidity is often a fine one. Someone who rushes hastily into a situation without thinking about the consequences might be accused of rashness, while temerity implies exposing oneself needlessly to danger while failing to estimate one's chances of success (: she had the temerity to criticize her teacher in front of the class). Audacity describes a different kind of boldness, one that disregards moral standards or social conventions (: he had the audacity to ask her if she would mind paying for the trip). Someone who behaves with foolhardiness is reckless or downright foolish (: climbing the mountain after dark was foolhardiness and everyone knew it), while impetuosity describes an eager impulsiveness or behavior that is sudden, rash, and sometimes violent ( | his impetuosity had landed him in trouble before). Gall and effrontery are always derogatory terms. Effrontery ...