VISUALIZING AMAL EXPERIENCE
A flower, if not provided the required nourishment that is, hydration and sunlight, does not bloom but dies. A dead flower is deemed lost, unlikable, and has never been given to someone as a gesture of love and kindness. Whereas, a flower that gets the required hydration and sunlight, blooms beautifully, is a treat for the eyes, and smells nice.
The human mind, which basically is why a human being is, is like that flower. Its nourishment is to learn. If it is not nourished or stops being nourished it resembles the aforementioned dead flower. Whereas, a person who never ceases to learn, keeps nourishing his mind, resembles that beautiful fully bloomed flower. The amazing thing is that unlike flowers, human beings are not bound by seasons to blossom, a learned person is always like that flower who is deemed beautiful and is worth having (connecting, interacting, being mentored by).
The AMAL fellowship is in its last days and we are to reflect on the first two weeks of it. I personally feel that I performed extremely better than I expected myself to and that is because of those first two weeks. The first-ever project work was ‘finding your why’ which, if not done properly, makes every other step you make towards your desired career, much less interesting.
Introspecting into my goals, probing myself is unforgettable. Anyhow, I possibly cannot be more grateful than I am right now for putting the time and effort in asking myself the ‘why’ behind my goals. I believe it was that effort that ultimately led me to win the most-thoughtful project award. Introspecting and probing what you do, have been doing, and are about to do is another way to learn.
I never believed myself to be a team player. I did not like working in teams rather preferred doing gigantic tasks by myself which now I think was not very wise of me. But working in learning groups, putting that energy that is getting out of my comfort zone of solitude, connecting with amazing fellow fellows with inspiring stories and conduct, and most importantly seeing and analyzing the impact of collective effort (principle of 1 aur 1 = 11), I not only became an active proponent of teamwork but got ‘excellent’ in all sections of teamwork evaluation by AMAL alumni. I hope that so far you are able to see the transformation, a person deemed as an average student who won a project award, from being grumpy to becoming an active team player, is what growth is. Just by trying to actualize your thoughts, by doing ‘amal’, you nourish yourself, you start to bloom, at least that is what I felt and still feel.
The purpose of mentioning all this is not to brag about how well I did. It is to emphasize the will to learn. It is absolutely okay and normal to feel insecure, afraid, and undermine yourself initially when you suddenly find yourself working in a group of people who are high achievers (I sure was) but if you remain that way and do not make them a source of inspiration, you become the flower that does not bloom.
I do not claim all the credit. What I did was show a willingness by incorporating what I had been learning from my amazing instructors and fellows. I asked for help and I was helped and it is absolutely safe to say I am a very changed person from what I was before the fellowship began. I hope that this summary of my initial days in the AMAL fellowship helps someone who reads it and is afraid to ask for help. I am incredibly grateful to my instructors, Sir Anas and Madam Naqsh, my circle, and some fellows who were willing to and did help me and made this journey beautiful and are really close to my heart for providing me with the help I needed.
Lastly, the world we are living in today, the apex of the progress we see today, is because of people who were helped and wanted to help. If you are helped, help others, give back. Keep the cycle moving. Become a tree that provides shadow on a hot summer day!
