Love thy neighbour!

We breathe the same air we live on the same land. Etched in history the tug of war continues.

The concrete that mushroomed is now a concrete wasteland.

Underneath lie hopes and dreams pouring out are blood and tears.

There’s neither flow of water, nor laughter in the air instead the wailing and siren fill the air along with dust and smoke. Images are of pain but not of fear for they have nothing to lose anymore. As children hurt too crave for freedom.

For without children, where is hope? Onlookers are we lost in thought.

With the commotion on sight, in search of light, can peace challenge the might? After all it’s not a mere fight.

Is ‘Love thy neighbour,’ Just words? The neighbours are in distress.

For what harms thee harms me.

May peace be within you and me.

These were words that crossed the mind while watching news and as everyone else the images continued to churn in the head. A lot of times we do not know the impact of what we are watching or listening. But these are real incidents and actuality overpowers thoughts to create emotions.

What happens thousands of kilometres does have an impact as much as polluted air that knows no boundaries. And so this year, 2023, we are not marking Omani Women’s Day like it is normally done because everyone feels the pain that is experienced in Gaza.

The events are cancelled but the achievements continue. There are many more inspirational stories that have been motivating others to follow their path to success.

Talking to career women on Omani Women’s Day has made it clear — continuous learning is the way to evolve and maintain consistency. Do not get sidelined just because the trends have changed. Seasons change so does methodologies.

Self development is the only way forward the ladies point out. It might be a competitive world, let us accept the fact, and upgrade one’s skills.

Treat it like a game and enjoy the victory and learn to lose gracefully but not to remain there. Take time to change the strategy and bounce back with power and the only point to remember is to enjoy the game. Do not hesitate to find mentors.

Find one’s own niche and excel in it, not to impress others or compete but to compete with yourself, with the person you were yesterday.

Find the mountain and scale it. Life is not meant to be a smooth ride, then we might as well enjoy the adventure by learning to be problem solvers and not be part of the problem.

Sentiments and emotions can become strengths as in the case of emotional intelligence. And when in doubt and if there is something that you need to improve on then swallow the ego, roll up the sleeves and learn what is new.

What is important is to be relevant and continue to enjoy the journey.

While enjoying the journey, let’s be good neighbours and help others grow with us. So no one is left behind.

And no one is lonely.

Islamic Scholar and Life Coach, late Shaikh Khalfan al Esry used to always say, “Become extraordinary,” because there are too many ordinary people in the world. I think to become extraordinary one does not have to invest too much of capital, it requires determination and dedication. You might be doing exactly what others are doing, but your knowledge that can come from self learning and practice might just bring about the change that is required to excel and achieve the status of being extraordinary.

While speaking to an ace photographer about his profession, he said, “It is not about having the best camera and lens that make good photography, but having the talent to create the right frame, composition and ideas. It could even be a mobile phone.”

Can everyone become extraordinary?

Why not? Because each tiger on earth has a distinct marking and each of our finger print is unique, then why couldn’t each one of us be extraordinary? We can be extraordinarily contributing to the family, to the nation and to the world.

One might be executing an ordinary job but in an extraordinary way so much so that your absence could be like the best of food without salt.

Be extraordinary, add flavour to the world.