Monthly Archives: September 2011

I’m 20: My Life So Far

So I’m 20. Hmmm. It seems as if each year, birthdays become less and less important. But having lived for 20 years now, I want to share some thoughts with everyone.

I have noticed an increased maturity about myself over the last year. It may not be noticeably obvious, but mentally and spiritually I have definitely changed. It’s actually quite weird writing this because I keep using the personal pronoun ‘I’ – a despised term in my vocabulary. I don’t know if I will come across slightly psychotic saying this, but I really don’t like using the terms ‘I’ or ‘me’ – it makes me feel a little egotistical. Recently, I have been becoming more and more selfless. I don’t see myself as anyone important in the grand scheme of things. I’m just another one of God’s small creations in this universe. You and I are merely parts of this creation. Nothing more, nothing less.

I didn’t do anything for my birthday – not necessarily because I couldn’t – but because I didn’t want anything. If I was to get a birthday present, I would have liked to have something like ‘world peace’ or ‘an end to poverty’ you know, something along those lines. Alas, I don’t expect any of those any time soon.

But anyway back to my life. When I was seven, I told my mum I wanted to be a journalist. She was shocked and she replied: “Where did you learn that word from.” I replied: “The journalist that speaks to me in my head told me.” She must have either thought ‘damn it, I have given birth to a deluded child’ or ‘aww he has an imaginary friend.’ Neither really answered her question of where I heard the word ‘journalist’ at such a young age, though. Perhaps I am still deluded…

Anyway enough cynicism. One thing I have learnt in life is that to get what you want, not only do you have to believe you can get it, but you have to work for it. Scientists have long known about the great wonders that can occur from ‘thinking positively’. People can cure themselves from ‘incurable diseases.’

The subconscious is undoubtedly something incredible. So too is the human soul.

I often feel a sense of disquiet – discord even, between my mind/body and my soul. A debate often sparks between the two. The soul, which predates the human body, knows the secrets of the universe and yearns to return to return to its Lord. Mine certainly does. I sometimes feel estranged in this world, feeling a sense of unease about my very existence. ‘Is this my real home’? – I often ponder.

My attitude towards religion has also changed. Mostly because of listening to intellectuals and academics and reading their works. I started reading properly about one and a half years ago – before that I thought reading to be something mundane and tedious. How wrong I was. Reading can have the most profound change on an individual. It can literally liberate the mind and get one to think in profound ways.

So back to religion. I had a very simplistic and regressive perception of Islam. I thought it to be something very literal, and not open to interpretation. How wrong I was again. At the heart of the deeply intellectual and nuanced faith of Islam is a plethora of possible understandings. God knows who is right. And God alone knows our intentions. And it is our intentions that, ultimately, we will be judged. It doesn’t matter what you believe or don’t believe -nobody knows what is in the the heart, what somebody has been conditioned to think, and why a human being acts in the way that they act. Nobody human being has the right to judge.

Many people can’t fathom why some live lives of luxury whilst other live in abject poverty. One woman died last year from drinking too much water in a water drinking competition. At the same time, those in Somalia, as we speak, are dying because they have no water. What sort of world is this? A world without a God? It sounds possible. But once we understand our purpose: to know our Lord, to be vicegerents of this world (helping one another) and to do as much good as possible, everything starts to make more sense.

Life is just a short soujourn. It’s transient and ephemeral. We will all soon be gone and be replaced. So this is why we shouldn’t take anything for granted. Especially your health, money but most importantly, your time.

I await the next 20 years of my life.

*By the way I wrote this in under ten minutes, sorry for any mistakes, grammatical or otherwise.*

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Florence Nightingale & The Arab Revolutions

Florence Nightingale once wrote:

“[The] Arab would be the most thriving man in the world under any government but this. He will be beaten almost to death, as they often are, rather than give up.”

Thursday marked six moths since the beginning of the Syrian uprisings. Despite the systematic brutality of the regime – leading to 2,600 civilians deaths, according to the United Nations – protesters refuse to surrender. The regime has, with great ignorance, exacerbated the problem by murdering and torturing their own people.

Indeed, if there is one thing that the world should have learnt from the Arab spring – especially the dictators residing in the East – it is that Arabs, as Nightingale said, will not “give up.” True, many Arabs are protesting because they have been deprived of basic rights for decades, but what’s keeping them going now is the hatred of the regime that has killed their friends and family members. Perhaps in the case of Syria, the torturing and killing of children.

Nightingale travelled to Egypt in the mid-19th century when the country’s political conditions were despotic and corrupt. The rule of Mehmet Ali had just come to an end and one of his grandsons had just succeeded him (a clear example that nepotism is not a recent phenomena in the Arab world). Neither, in fact, is police brutality, as Nightingale remarked upon seeing a young boy being mistreated in Cairo:

“A police officer, who seized a miserable boy, threw him down, and dragged him away. The boy’s white turban came undone, and streamed upon the wind; the bastinado stick appeared: the Secretary (our friend) tried to interfere, but could do nothing. It made one quite sick, as all the details of government do in this horrid country.”

During Nightingale’s sojourn in the Arab world, her profundity helped her perceive certain truths – serving as a reminder of the stark similarities between the Arab world then and now.

While it might seem that not much has changed over the last 150 years – since the beginning of this year, we have seen: Tunisia’s Ben Ali, Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak and Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi all toppled respectively. But what really has been achieved?

Although Tunisia could well be on its way to a healthy democracy, parliamentary elections and the constitution will not be finalized for a year. Hosni Mubarak has been replaced with his crony – Field Marshal Mohammed Tantawi – who seems shy of reform. In Libya, many are dubious over the role the west will play in the country’s affairs. Syria has yet to see a high-profile ranking official defect – neither has there been any sign of discord within the Alawite sect that rules supreme. America has yet to completely denounce the regime in Yemen, as President Abdullah Saleh refuses to loosen his grip on power. And the smaller protests in Bahrain, Iraq, Morocco, Jordan, Oman, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Sudan have not led to drastic changes.

This should not undermine the progress that has taken place, however.

While it is true that the protesters have initiated change in the Arab world, ultimately, it is the callousness of the regimes that have caused their own downfall. As we have seen in Syria and Yemen – where protestors are continually gaining momentum – when human beings are treated inhumanely, protests turn into revolutions.

Nightingale, Florence. Letters From Egypt: A Journey on the Nile: 1849 – 1850. Selected and Introduced by Anthony Sattin.

Omar Shahid

The difference between Arsenal’s (crap) defence & Man United’s & Chelsea’s

Arsene Wenger spoke of a ‘new cycle’ before Arsenal’s loss to Blackburn on Saturday – their third Premier League defeat of the season. Wenger had hoped his side had recovered from their humiliation at Manchester United on August 28.  Alas, he was wrong – as he has been with repetitive regularity for the past seven seasons.

Let us start by stating the obvious. Arsenal’s defense not only displays amateurism but show continuous ineptitude. Arsenal’s collective maelstrom-esque and lethargic-like defensive frailties will be the cause of their inability to finish in the top four if action isn’t taken.

At the root of the problem is Arsenal’s lack of leadership at the back. The average age of Arsenal’s backline against Blackburn (including Wojciech-Szczesny) was 25. Manchester United’s average age against Chelsea was 22 (they went on to win 3-1) – showing that a lack of experience is not the real issue. What does matter, however, are the leadership and organizational skills at the back.

Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans and Phil Jones (who all started on Sunday) may be at the inchoate stages of their career, but they were supported by Patrice Evra, 30, who brings a sense of security and leadership to the backline. Bacary Sagna, 28, who also plays at right-back, doesn’t seem to exude the same sense of aplomb as his United counterpart.

Arsenal fans may complain that their best defender Thomas Vermaelen (who many believe should be captain), is injured and therefore leaves a gaping hole in their defense. That may be true, but Manchester United seem to manage without their two best defenders – Nemanja Vidic (club captain) and Rio Ferdinand (England captain).

Last season Arsenal conceded more goals from set-pieces than any other team (53.5%), according to Opta Stats. Poor organization can only be to blame.

Chelsea, who fielded Petr Cech, Jose Bosingwa, John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic and Ashley Cole against Manchester United on Sunday, have an average age of 29 between them.

Although Chelsea’s defense put on a pretty mediocre display against United; in the first six games of the season, they’ve only conceded three goals.

Manchester United’s and Chelsea’s leadership and organizational abilities clearly demonstrate why they came first and second in the Premier League last season respectively.

Manchester City nudged Arsenal down to fourth place at the back of last season.  However they’ve been found lacking in defense on occasions – but is that really a problem? Mancini’s team have proved this season that goals won’t be a problem – especially with Sergio Aguero’s devastating form. City are also anticipating the return of the solid, former Arsenal centre-back Kolo Toure who will bolster his side’s defense.

But to condemn Arsenal to doom and gloom this season would be a premature assumption. Szczesny has already shown that this could be his season; Laurent Koscielny has proven his expertise when keeping Lionel Messi at bay last season and the Gunners confidence will be raised if Vermaelen returns and remains uninjured.

Blaming Arsenal’s defense alone for their holistic failings is shortsighted. Arsenal have won nothing for seven years so undoubtedly lack confidence. They also lack what Mancini admires about The Red Devils: “a winning mentality.” Moreover, they seem to suffer from a plethora of bad luck – last season they hit the woodwork 22 times – more than any other team.

But as they say ‘dust yourself off and try again’ – this should be the Gunners attitude. The Gunners next three games are at the Emirates Stadium and present another opportunity for the “new cycle” Wenger spoke of the other day. Things can only get better.

Omar Shahid

Why do we go to the cinema?

It doesn’t make sense really. Why do cinemas charge extortionate amounts for film tickets (and popcorn) when illegally downloading movies and buying dodgy DVDs has become so ubiquitous in recent times?

There are a couple of reasons why this may be. It’s either because the company director’s of Showcase, Cineworld, Vue et al have pretty useless financial advisers. Or it might be because cinemas enjoy ripping-off the suckers who want to watch films legitimately.

So anyway, I decided to be one of those suckers the other night. I went to watch Conan the Barbarian, no not by myself, I’m not a loser, I went with my mum…

The film was pretty mediocre, it’s not really not worth watching, unless, of course, you enjoy limbs (and noses) being chopped off, heads being smashed in and nudity – there was quite a bit of that actually. Not recommended for the squeamish, or – may I add – the devoutly religious.

I can’t imagine watching that film in 3D; every single person in the room would have had a heart attack – all four of us.

I remember when there was a real buzz when 3D first came to cinemas – especially when Avatar came out in 2009. But, since then, it has been a bit of an anticlimax; most people’s frustration is not with 3D itself but with the silly glasses you have to wear.

3D has existed in some form since the 1950s – it’s not new technology like some think. What is new, though, is 3D without glasses, also known as a hologram (the technology is expected to launch within two years or so).

Back to the cinema industry. What’s the future? Well, cinemas across Britain saw an increase in box office takings in 2010 but a 2% decrease in the amount of people attending – according to the British Film Institute. The upsurge in takings has been attributed to the higher prices of 3D tickets – with the highest grossing film of 2010 being Toy Story 3. The cinema industry is far from dead.

As long as new technology is produced (i.e 3D or holograms) and box office smashes are vivaciously churned out, cinemas will survive, and, of course, continue to over-charge.

TVs are getting bigger, slimmer and cheaper, with higher resolutions and better sound systems. And they do, in a way, continue to pose a threat to the cinema industry. But people have had home-cinema systems for years. The reason why people go to the cinema is for the overall experience – no matter how hard one tries to emulate it, the home experience doesn’t quite match it.

Next film to watch: Lion King in 3D (October 7). Now that film is priceless.

Tupac Shakur’s Legacy 15 years on

Tupac was a big contradiction. He was a thug but also a moral revolutionist, he was obdurate but also loving, he was a genius but also foolish. Despite the negatives, he is still seen as an inspiration and an icon across the world.

Yesterday, September 13 2011, was the 15th anniversary of Tupac’s death. Born in 1971 in Manhattan, New York, Tupac was raised in humble conditions; he was underprivileged but was on a quest. 25 years later his quest would abruptly end – perhaps too soon.

His short sojourn in this life embodied the struggle of many Americans. He experienced everything from: growing up poor, being shot five times and surviving, going to jail for molesting a woman and becoming a self-made millionaire. The disparity in his life serves as a reminder of how human beings are in search for meaning and love but don’t always know how to get there.

Tupac was unique and he was special. It’s surprising that somebody who died so young could leave such a profound legacy and be described with so many superlatives.

His music – but in particular his voice – was distinctive and instantly recognisable. 50 Cent wrote in the 2009 book How To Rap: “Every rapper who grew up in the nineties owes something to Tupac. He didn’t sound like anyone who came before him.”

Before his death, Tupac released six studio albums – with the 1996 All Eyez on Me release going 9x Platinum. Subsequently, eight albums have been released since his death, leading some conspiracy theorists to deduce that he is still alive.

Although it is pretty useless speculating the heights he could have reached if he were alive today, it seems fair to suggest he would have transcended his delinquency and immaturity and turned into a great ambassador for black America. He had all the ingredients: courage, intellect and eloquence.

But, judging by some of his songs, like Letter to my unborn, it was as if Tupac knew he would die young – he had a date with destiny.

Tupac was far from perfect, in fact, he was often crude, obscene and arrogant. But the very best of his character and personality are worth reflecting upon – despite the ubiquitous mantra: ‘he is dead! Get over it.’

Strangely, nobody seems to say that about Malcolm X. Malcolm faced many of the struggles Tupac did but was fortunate enough to live an extra 14 years, and so mastered many of his flaws. Tupac, however, wasn’t so lucky. But his short life still represents that beacon of hope that more or less everyone can take something from.

9/11 & The Forgotten War on Poverty, Obesity and The Mind

This may have been the ‘9/11 decade’, but it was also a decade in which the most pertinent issues facing humanity were subverted.

Poverty. 9/15 – the date when the bankers crashed the global economy – is a date seldom mentioned (unlike 9/11). According to World Bank studies, 30,000 to 50,000 infants died in sub-Saharan Africa in 2009 as a result of 9/15. Ironically, while the tragedy of 9/11 led to instant action taken by the Bush administration in Afghanistan and Iraq – spending trillions of dollars in the process – the bankers, who squandered tax payers money, have been let off.

Technology. Professor Susan Greenfield, a specialist in the physiology of the brain, argues in her latest article for the Daily Mail: “The human brain… is under threat from the modern world.”

Greenfield further says we need to “wake up to the damage that the gadget-filled, pharmaceutically-enhanced 21st century is doing to our brains.”

A study published by the International Centre for Media & the Public Agenda (ICMPA) and the Salzburg Academy on Media & Global Change found nearly four in five students suffered mental and physical distress when asked to go the full 24 hours without technology. Interestingly, people who have Blackberry Messenger often tell talk about how “addictive” the facility is.

Corporatising drugs. In 2008, antipsychotics became the top-selling therapeutic prescription drugs in the United States – exceeding drugs to treat high cholesterol and acid reflux. Investigative journalist James Ridegeway said in a piece he wrote for Al Jazeera recently that drug companies now encourage the prescription of atypical antipsychotics to patients for off-label use.

A study at Harvard medical school found that by just imagining playing the piano, the structure of the brain can change. “[The brain is] substantially shaped by what we do to it and by the experience of daily life. When I say “shaped”, I’m not talking figuratively or metaphorically; I’m talking literally,” Greenfield says.

If by merely imagining playing the piano the structure of the brain can change, then what happens to the brain when watching violent video games or films or when listening to delirious music by Lady Gaga?

Mental illness. Quite worryingly, the latest findings from the European College of Psychopharmacology reports that 164.8 million Europeans – 38.2% of the population – suffers from a mental disorder. Furthermore depression, according to the World Health Organization, is expected to be the second most burdensome medical condition by 2020. But whether these high numbers are because of the increase in diagnoses or not, the reality is there is a serious pandemic at work.

Obesity. It is not just our minds that we should be worried about. By 2030, almost half of all the adults in this country are expected to be clinically obese. Obesity has ubiquitously been linked to a sedentary lifestyle (which is probably accentuated with the rapid increase in technology).

Conclusion. Terrorists do need to be dealt with. But the real war should be on combating the rogue capitalists, the forces attacking our brains and obesity. We need to “wake up” as Professor Greenfield says – wake up from this somnolent state we are heedlessly in to create a better future.

Why does Robin Van Persie hit the post so much?

There is one thing RVP is very good at. No, not him getting injured all the time. But always managing to hit the woodwork with immense consistency.

Today, RVP hit the post against Swansea (unsurprisingly) while Arsenal scraped a 1-0 win. But why is it that RVP hits the woodwork so much?

The Dutchman is a natural talent; his elegance, creativity and technique is a pleasure to watch. But perhaps he is a bit too precise.

Here are some moments where Arsenal, but especially RVP, hit the woodwork last season.

Twitter vs Journalism

Some say journalism is becoming more lazy. But maybe journalism is just entering a new phase, perhaps it is undergoing a mini revolution. These days, journalists don’t have to go out and get quotes from people, they just have to go on twitter.

Furthermore, journalists are not necessarily the first to get knowledge of events when they first occur. If a high profile person tweets something, it is down to luck – or whoever happens to be on Twitter at the time – who sees what has happened. This only means that journalism will become more competitive in the future as information is now so accessible to literally everyone.

If there is a major world event, the first place we will hear about it is on Twitter. Thinking about it, Twitter is brilliant. Everyone should use it, it’s more fun than Facebook these days. Facebook has had its days. Twitter saw a huge influx in new users last month, while Facebook saw its users leave.

Not the best thing I’ve ever written, but still, worth a piece.

Follow me on Twitter: omar_shahid

 

Sports Stars: What happened to their Je Nais Sais Quoi?

Don’t you miss the rivalry between Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane back in the days when Arsenal were a half-decent team and capable of beating Manchester United? Don’t you miss the days when heavyweight champs like Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson were regarded as the best – and not mediocre fighters like David Haye? Those were good times, right? The thing is, one doesn’t have to go that far back in time to remember all of this; it was all less than 10 years ago. Sport just doesn’t seem to have the same feel.

Undoubtedly, sport is now better in many respects: athletes are bigger and stronger, technology has advanced, sport is being played at an all-time exciting and frenetic pace, and women’s sport is finally being taken seriously (sort of).

And look at the likes of Lionel Messi (Barcelona’s genius football player) and Usain ‘Lightening’ Bolt, who is, beyond doubt, the fastest 100m athlete we have ever seen. These sportsmen are extraordinary human beings – unparalleled to anything in recent history.

My beef isn’t with Messi or Bolt, though. Or even Cesc Fabregas for that matter – he is one football player who cannot stand accused with charges of greed. His tedious and long winded transfer from Arsenal to Barcelona which stretched almost four year had little, if anything to do with money; he even seemed willing to take a salary cut. My beef is with the dramatic commercialisation and greediness of other major sports stars.

Let’s take Samir Nasri, Manchester City’s new ‘prized asset’ (or so they tell him until he finds himself on the bench). His move from Arsenal to Manchester seems to be motivated by money – and although this may be a wild presumption – he wouldn’t be the first to move clubs because of avaricious purposes. Look at Samuel Eto’s move to Anzhi Makhachkala – purportedly the most lucrative footballing contract in history – and how many of us had actually heard of that club until recently? Thierry Henry and Robbie Keane’s moves to the American MLS side, Christiano Ronaldo’s move to Real Madrid (to an extent), Fernando Torres’ move to Liverpool and most certainly Dario Conca’s move to the Chinese Guangzhou Evergrande have all been money-motivated.

The Argentinian and Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez said recently: “I don’t want to play any more. I’m tired of football but also tired of people who work in football. Football is only about money and I don’t like it.” This heartfelt and honest discernment by Tevez is not just a problem in Football, it’s a problem endemic in many sports.

Floyd Mayweather’s reluctance to spar with Manny Pacquiao in the boxing ring only highlights one thing; he has enough (or too much) money. Mayweather knows that the title of the ‘best pound for pound’ boxer could be aggressively snatched away from him and given unequivocally to Pacquiao. The farcical pretext that the fight will not take place till Pacquiao takes a drugs test is a ludicrous excuse for saying ‘I have enough money and I’m too scared to fight’.

It’s obvious that a profound paradigm shift is taking place in sport when England are slaughtering India in a game of Cricket as we’ve all witnessed recently. The once unbeatable Austalian cricket team now fields a host of unknown players. Who else misses the likes of Glen McGrath, Shane Warne and Matty Hayden?

The reason why it might seem like I’m complaining so much is really because of one reason. My two favourite sports are Football and Cricket – and I happen to support Arsenal and Pakistan respectively. Supporting one of these teams is hard enough. But supporting both of them is a continuous catastrophe. On the one hand we have a football team with a miser of a manager who hasn’t won a thing in seven years. And then we have the corrupt-ridden, underperformers who time and time again squander their talent.

Sport is definitely changing and the emphasis on money and commercialisation is copiously increasing.  Although this isn’t the real problem, it could be the root cause. The real problem, it seems, is that the vast majority our biggest sports stars don’t possess that certain je ne sais quoi as those who preceded them.

This article first appeared on my Independent Blog.