Category: Personal Thoughts…

WikiLeaks… or is it?

Afif Tabsh6 Comments

WikiLeaks: A not-for-profit media organization founded in December 2006. Our goal is to bring important news and information to the public. We provide an innovative, secure and anonymous way for sources to leak information to our journalists (our electronic drop box). One of our most important activities is to publish original source material alongside our news stories so readers and historians alike can see evidence of the truth.

Atleast that is what they state on their website. This NPO, has been founded by Julian Assange, an Australian publisher and internet activist born in 1971.

So far they have been publishing “confidential” leaked documents from all walks of life and most notably the documents from the US Army about the war in Iraq, war in  Afghanistan, Congressional reports, Intelligence reports, Diplomatic letters between foreign ministries, embassies and so on and so forth…

Those “leaked” documents are not few…they are in the thousands…and hundreds of thousands..

Yet what I don’t understand is that with all this kind information “leaked” and published about the “most powerful nation in the world” along with its communication with its allies, its secrets, its embassies, armies…etc. How come the website, organization and founder is still there?

How come such a person with all those are working with him haven’t been silenced? How come all those documents are being leaked? Are the US governmental offices, army, congress, pentagon, corporations…so easy to hack? Or to get those thousands of documents leaked from? Is it like all saved on a single hard drive where someone can just pass by the data center of a Ministry/Congress/Pentagon and copy the files on his “flash disk” and simple go upload them online for the world to see?

How come so many confidential letters, documents, and reports can find their way out to the public…whether “anonymously” or not…it is just illogical. We’d be too naïve to accept things as they are…as is.

It gets me worried about what kind of world are we living in…though this NPO/Website is of great journalistic importance…of great value to freedom of speech and transparency…yet it gets me thinking about the meaning of “confidential” of “freedom of speech”  of “activism” …and the list goes on.

I salute Julian Assange for all his effort, time and guts to make it happen…yet I doubt he did this single-handed. Even if he has a troop of lawyers and volunteers to assist, if this was not “allowed” to happen I doubt it would’ve still been in existence…

Don’t get me wrong, I find the information extremely useful, important and eye-opening in a world full of deception and hidden agendas…But still things can’t be this easy…something feels cheesy (that rhymes hehe)

These are my two cents …but don’t take my word for it…tell me what you think! 😀

A Conundrum: Optimism & Reality

Afif Tabsh17 Comments

I feel that nagging, blaming others and feeling helpless about life is something we’re really good at…especially Lebanese.

No matter how educated or how illiterate, how young or old, female or male, with a high paying job or jobless…we got to nag about something…we got to find problems in everything from the daily issues, to political arena, to economics, to how the whole world is working…whatever issue it is..we can find something to nag about in it and we’re always the victims….but we just don’t do anything about it!

Somewhere in my mid-teens I realized that I tend to fly outside the flock…in numerous ways. This kind of used to make me feel not on the same mental/personal/social page with others my age…whether at school or neighbors or family or…etc. One of those “odd” things I have in me is being optimistic …or what some like to label me “Utopian”… I tend to look at the bright side..even in those stressful moments or when bad things are happening to me or around me…

It is like that quote that says “If life gave you lemons, make lemonade!” …some…or let me say many around me..don’t get it. They don’t see the option of “lemonade” they just see “oh crap, I gotta eat those?!” (metaphorically ofcourse).

So life and people I meet along the way tend to leave an impact in me, and infact many tried to explain to me, one way or another, that being a “pessimist” or  what they like to call them self “realistic” is well…wiser…more profound..more mature. But hey..talk to me here…how come being a pessimist is more profound? ..how come that if you are negative and nag about what you got or didn’t get in life, make you any more mature?

I have to say I’m happy with that “Utopian” title…and I live by it everyday…living that optimism…that positive thinking(I don’t mean that I don’t get sad, I don’t frown and I don’t have mood swings…its just that I tend to be positive most of the time)…I try being that kind of person that if I look back 50 years from now …I’d say I’m completely content, happy and proud of every decision I’ve made…and infact proud of that positive attitude that got me through those 50 years!

So here’s the conundrum for you…my fellow reader… does reality have to be negative, harsh, demanding and unfair (atleast it is according to what I hear people say about it) or can it really be more shiny, happier, safer, more heavenly than we think it is…???

I guess it is all in our heads, whatever we decide it is …it will be…but the trick here is not just to THINK of it this or that…its about ACTING on our thoughts and decisions.

So what is your choice???

Other Interesting Posts:

 

Reclaiming Semitism

Afif Tabsh10 Comments

Semitic: Of or pertaining to a subdivision of Middle Eastern and North African languages: Amharic, Arabic, Aramaic, Syriac, Akkadian, Hebrew, Maltese, Tigrigna, Phoenician etc. Semitic comes from modern Latin Semita, via late Latin from Greek Sēm ‘Shem’, son of Noah in the Bible, from whom those people traditionally descended from. (as per historical facts)

Anti-Semitism: Hostility to or prejudice against Jews. (as per Oxford’s dictionary)

But wait a minute, with all respect to the Jews the “Semitic” title contains much more than just Jews..how about the Aramaic? Syriac? Maltese? And Arabs?…

Yes… those people too have been treated with a lot of prejudice and “hostility”…especially Arabs who have been discriminated against and persecuted by the so-called “Democracies of the world” including but not limited to the United States of America, United Kingdom, France and the so-called  Jewish state of Israel. How come no one is calling them Anti-Semitic? How come no law is protecting those Semites as well?

In fact, Western Jewish prejudice against Arabic Jews in that illegitimate state of Israel have been exacerbating over the years. This is showing the true colors of prejudice and hatred against Arabs in the “Western World” due to the simple fact that this Anti-Semitism is being fueled by Western academic institutions, media, PR, and by the power of guns.

Moving away from the Middle East and to the global arena were most individuals with an Arabic name(whether Muslim, Christian or Jewish) are ill-treated and seen as a threat to the state whether at airports, police stations or daily life.
Arabs, no matter how educated, cultured and well-groomed are still treated as second class citizens in many countries of the world. With prejudice and hostility fueled by the world’s media and governments for political reasons and financial revenues…this has become truly a weight on the Declaration of Human Rights and the principles and values that the UN and most world democracies uphold.

In this context, I ask everyone, especially Semites,  to ponder about “Anti-Semitism” and reclaim it one way or another. Demand that your governments, policy makers, media, businessmen and civil society in all its branches stand up to the challenge of putting things straight.

Let there be no more prejudice or hostility against anyone in this world. May we all treat each other with humanity…our differences matter but our humanity matters more!

Ideas to Actions

Afif Tabsh22 Comments

We, as human beings, have a zillion ideas flying around in that mind of ours. Yet as Charles Landry once said “the single biggest problem in the world is not finding great ideas but getting great ideas to move, to flow” and this will be the focus of my post. I aim at showing how to move from ideas to actions. From dreams to reality.

Drowning in our ideas and getting stuck on what to do is in itself a thinking problem, a self-inflicted problem in most cases. What we need is to rethink our way of thinking about ideas to create the right movement in the right direction, the rest will follow.

Here are few steps to consider:


Rethink complexity.We create complexities, mind barriers and problems by simply over-analyzing our situation, given and capabilities. Often outsiders see things more objectively and clearly, so do share your ideas and “worries” with some trusted people to get feedback and their perspective before you jumpy into over-analyzing.


Rethink systems.If you’re in a “system”… be it a work environment, friends, community or physical location that is being resistant to change, to comply to new ideas…rethink the system. If you have the power to change the system before you tackle new ideas, do so…if not, then start searching for a newer system that better encourages the very behavior and ideas you seek.


Rethink ego.Our ego can sometimes hinder us from exploring new ideas, from realizing our failures, our limitations and our resources. We keep on rearranging the deck chairs on a sinking ship by keeping busy and deceiving ourselves that we’re making progress.


Rethink boundaries.No idea is too big or too far-fetched, growth and progress often needs exploring new territory, so do take that leap of faith to go into undiscovered forests.


Rethink habits.We are what we do often, so do reflect on your habits and see whether those are pushing you forward towards achieving your dreams and implementing those ideas or are they pulling you back? Failing to realize the impact your habits have on you might mean that you’ll stay stuck where you are.


Rethink failure and success.Two faces of one coin, one cannot come without the other. If you’re afraid of being wrong, embarrassed by failure or paralyzed by insecurity, you will never find the solutions that lead to meaningful growth.. On the other hand, you need to know what success looks like. Muddy expectations lead to exhaustion and defeat before you even get started. Praise short-term accomplishments to appeal to your heart and not just your head. It will keep your ideas moving along.


Rethink the possible.In most cases it just needs that extra push, that bit of motivation, that one voice to tell you “Everything is feasible!”. Many of the things that seem possible and even trivial today were once impossible, so don’t let anything hold you back and go for it!

Seven simple steps with a great impact. Everything is feasible and all ideas can materialize, dreams can become reality…and it’s all in your head!

HARD Goals Vs SMART Goals

Afif Tabsh54 Comments

We’ll I’ve been hearing/reading about SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound) goals for ever now. Inspite of the fact that they keep on drilling them in our minds and making sure we’re all abiding by those 5 words to draw our plans, projects and visions…I still don’t really feel completely convinced.

When talking about what I want to achieve, when talking about what I’m planning to work on in my organizations..I don’t think I always have “SMART” goals in mind…infact rarely do I start with those “SMART” goals to rally people and inspire them …rarely do I recruit volunteers to assist by telling them “we’re going to improve X by 30% and remove 11% of the hurdles in the coming 4 months” …that really doesn’t excite me…doesn’t push me to explore new grounds…they’re good on paper…good for diagrams and figures…but they rarely inspire me…or others.

Most of the time they actually limit us…they are a repetition of what we’ve done earlier…we tend to take the safe road …putting down numbers and deadlines that we feel comfortable about…that we know match our current resources…our current skills…

After reading a book called “Hundred Percenters” by Mark Murphy I’d like to suggest a new kind of Goals… HARD Goals…and by HARD I mean Heartfelt, Animated, Required and Difficult…here’s why…

Heartfelt: Whenever I have something that touches me…that instills some feelings in me…its then that I start thinking of starting something new…its then that I feel a bigger purpose driving me… whether its empowering youth, helping children, guarding the environment, or starting a new business initiative…its that noble cause..that idea that clings to my heart that makes me start dreaming.

Animated: How many times do we get goals that practically mean nothing to us…that we can’t really imagine or envision …imagine if Martin Luther King, Jr. had stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and said:

Our goal should be that within the next 30 years, the incidents of hate crimes will be reduced by 63% and

that the percentage of minorities living below the poverty line will be no higher than the percentage for any other racial group.

How’s that for an inspirational speech? exciting? does it rally anyone? I don’t think so…infact I’m glad he said:

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

Now that’s something both inspiring and imaginable …I can really look forward to ….no numbers…no deadlines…nothing “SMART” bout it…yet it really left an impact…

Required: How about all those “SMART” goals that if achieved, or not achieved, they might not really matter…life will not end at their door-steps. I don’t want my goals to just be a vision of a nicer future…I want them to be necessary…I want to show people that they are required and must be done…that those goals cover certain current or future needs and that by achieving them, life will really be better…tomorrow will be brighter.

Difficult: Yes you read it right..I want them to be difficult…I want them to be challenging. I don’t want those “achievable and realistic” goals…Some say that very difficult goals are demotivating…I say everything is feasible and every problem has a solution. Anyway, how difficult is difficult? well not much…come to think about it …what resources will you need? what new skills will you have to learn? …Personally if I’m not learning new things all the time and if I’m not pushing myself and others to be better…do things they never thought they can do before…achieve the dreams that once were impossible…then my goals are not difficult enough!

In the end, when talking about those HARD goals to whoever my audience/ team/ stakeholders/ beneficiaries are … I want them to drool over them…I want their hearts to throb for them…I want to see their eyes widen up…and to get their minds hard at work to figure out how and where to start….

So from now on…I will be using HARD goals..I hope you do to! 🙂

 

Other Interesting Posts:

 


Knowing the Past to Understand the Present and Plan for the Future

Afif Tabsh23 Comments

Sometimes we miss out on that simple thing we call the “Past”, in fact I’ve realised many don’t even give it any attention neither feel like its important to know about it…we’re all so obsessed with whats going on now and what next?

What we don’t realize is that it holds so much information, so much wisdom and so much experiences that we can not ever accumulate in our life time. Yet, knowing all that, many don’t dig enough into it…and I’m not talking here in terms of one’s own past, but rather the past of a whole country, nation, and civilization in general.

Go back to the history books and you will realize that human civilisation is a “de-ja vu” happening over and over again. Different times, different places, different people…same story with a small twist. It gets me wondering sometimes, if those people actually read, understood and analysed what happened in the past, would they change or would they still have done what they previously planned to do?

Wouldn’t it be much more useful if when I’m facing any issue in my life (whether career or personal or political or national or …) I do know what happened in the past in such cases and decided accordingly? Rather than just contemplating in the way I feel and like and what people around me say and all those unknowns?

Infact aside from this simple example, think of where we stand today…in the present…and you’ll realise it is simply the accumulation of events, plans and decisions done in the past…and so to really understand where we are in life…it is crucial to actually know what our predecessors did and why.

Taking it a step further(hypothetically), now that we thought and reflected on the past and got a better understanding of the present (hopefully that is) it is much easier to see the big picture and many of the underlying details of the previously foggy future. At least now we understand better were we stand in this world, how are others related to us and how do we relate to the overall progress of civilisation and where might it all probably lead next.

I can sit here, contemplate and right for hours…but I do not want to bore you but rather instigate you to ponder and give me your feedback…

In the end I’ll leave you with this quote/drawing….

Other Interesting Posts:

Appreciating the Value of Friends and Loved Ones…

Afif Tabsh15 Comments

Throughout yesterday and the past few days I realized how essential it is to have a small group of close people you call family, friends and loved ones.

On days when you feel you’re on top of the world and others when you’re hitting rock bottom…without those handful of people who give you their care, attention, and love…it wont really be worth. Even though the numerous people you call friends, coworkers, colleagues …support you and stay posted with you…sometimes this is not enough.

During my birthday yesterday I realized how attached I am to those handful, how grateful I am to have them and how sad I feel when we don’t stay in touch as often as we wish…

I truly appreciate all my friends, coworkers, colleagues, loved ones and all those I meet day in and day out…without those life wont be the same. It’s true what they say that humans are social creatures, and as the old Arabic proverb says “A heaven with no people is not worth being in” … and in this context it doesn’t mean no people at all, but rather no people to spend your time with, care about and that care about you in return.

On a final note, as the days go by I am getting to appreciate all the good people I know, all the support I’m getting and all the support I’m being able to give….

With much love and appreciation.

Other Interesting Posts:

Redefining Social Relations

Afif Tabsh16 Comments

On a daily basis we see ourselves competing with one another, we see ourselves fighting for the biggest piece of the pie, we see ourselves not building on each others’ efforts but rather starting from scratch here and there. This is due to many factors, some of which are in the human nature others are in the system itself.

But human nature is bigger than just competition, greed, jealousy, and fear of failing… It’s more about compassion, sympathy, love, ethics, morality, motivation, pleasure and happiness.

We have the ability to change the way we interact, the way we view each other, the way we go through our day…but not everyone is yet willing to change. But what many don’t realize is that together we’ll grow bigger, better and faster. They don’t realize that if we cooperate rather than compete, if we work together rather than against one another we’d both become happier. They don’t realize that money, power and resources are not what it’s all about…but rather are tools to get what we ultimately want…happiness.

Yes we can simplify it to that extent…happiness…one word that sums it all. But what a lot of people miss out on is that every day they compete, everyday they wage war, every day the make a fight with someone, every day that they hold a grudge, they are pulling us all back.

Consider your surrounding from coworkers, friends, family, loved one…etc. and think for minute about how the happiness of those around you affects you. Think of a time when one of those was depressed, stressed out, afraid, exhausted…and think how did that reflect on you? Think for a minute how could you have felt if that person was in fact happy, relaxed, feeling safe, and refreshed? Well…you can do that…you can be that change in others’ lives… you can be that inspiration, that savior, that cushion that softens the fall.

I ask you to consider all your competitors and enemies, and think for a minute on how you could redefine your relation with them. Think of how you can promote more partnerships, more allies, more supporters rather than growing competitors and enemies. Think of win-win situations that you and others can all benefit from.

The world’s resources, if managed properly, are more than enough to satisfy everyone’s needs. In fact with the technology, tools and knowledge we have, we can actually create enough resources to last us for centuries ahead, while at the same time securing that the environment can sustain us without draining it, corrupting it, or exploiting any of its resources.

Think of it on the micro and macro levels…think of it for a minute and start redefining the relations you have with others…it all starts in the mind…but mustn’t end there but rather should perpetuate to reach out not only to you and your community but rather the world at large.

So start redefining your relation with others…

Other Interesting Posts:

1…2…3…Let’s Go!

Afif Tabsh8 Comments

So why is everyone so afraid of change?…

Come to think about it …life is changing from around us every minute of every day…and we’re still so stiff and worried.

Here’s a thing to think about… we get born, get to school, graduate, get to uni, graduate, go to work, get engaged, make a family, get children…and the cycle reruns….

So what’s soo surprizing? why are we all so confused? why the worrying? we know the big picture, we know the time frame….we know most of it…the rest are details…

I personally have graduated from uni few weeks ago, was very worried about what job i’ll take, now I’m working and suddenly I’m starting to worry what future shall i have…how am I gonna buy that car and the right house and will i meet the right person and perhaps willl i stay in my job and for how long and and and….

But hey…wait a minute…enough worrying! for God’s sake let us just enjoy it for a while! take it easy and chill…

Plan your life…do your best at everything…be sincere and honest with the people around you…be trust worth, caring and hard working….treat others fairly and be just…don’t take whats not yours and do give to others something from what you have…always give something back to the world…its a gift to know that you can give…especially when others need.

So take a deep breath…sit down…relax…look around you…list all the good things that are in your life at the moment …put a special list of the things you are proud of achieving in the past…and dwell on it for a while..

Enjoy your life…and when you are happy and content…you’ll be more than ready for the journey ahead…count till 3 and let’s go! 🙂

Other Interesting Posts:

Succeeding First…

Afif Tabsh6 Comments

I felt like sharing some thoughts about success and one’s journey in life…so here it goes…

Many of the people around me, especially from the civil society entourage, have that savior complex, or the martyr complex for the sake of human kind, world peace, environment, human rights, justice…etc but I believe they are forgetting one basic thing before getting to all that….and its succeeding first.

I mean succeeding in one’s life, whether academic, career-wise, family, social life..etc before being able to save the world or save anyone or anything for that matter. If one cant stand on his own feet, he wont be of much help to anyone…because he’ll probably be unstable and dependent on others and thus will in turn need someone to support and “save” them beforehand.

Yes I feel I have that moral obligation towards my community and my environment to assist it, to serve, to change things in a positive way….but I don’t put that before my own self…

Perhaps some people share that moral obligation, others simply work for the community or environment to enrich their resume, others for the financial income they might get…but never the less…its counter productive for anyone to start dreaming of saving anything in this world before having his/her feet strongly rooted in the ground or else the sheer weight of the responsibility will throw him/her off balance….crumbling under the endless initiatives/program/project/campaigns needed to achieve any tangible change…any sustainable endeavors.

So take this simple advice from a simple person…succeed first and then do your best to save the world….

A tree to grow successfully needs strong earthed roots…

 

Other Interesting Posts: