Our newsletter’s aim is seek and inform the truth and to pave the way for justice to prevail with such truth. As the Qur’an states, “Let there be among God’s creation a group who guides to the truth and establish justice with such truth” (7:181). MyLLife views this as a collective responsibility for humanity. Shared faith and human goodness rest on us. MyLLife embraces this duty, hoping to demonstrate humankind’s faith and virtue to God. This newsletter in part, aims at fulfilling this collective responsibility.
It is currently Ramadan - a month of reflection, restraint, and compassion. Two billion Muslims worldwide, or one-quarter of humanity, observe this month. Abstaining from food and drink during the daytime serves as an exercise in self-restraint, providing an opportunity to develop resilience, practice patience, delayed gratification, and to develop empathy for those who are less fortunate. On a moral and spiritual level, individuals intentionally disconnect from bad habits and practices. People are also encouraged to show gratitude and generosity to others during Ramadan.
This month-long practice of abstention aims to establish a lasting habit and discipline for the rest of the year, which would be renewed at the next Ramadan. The ritual of fasting has been present in all major faith groups from antiquity to today. Even those without religious affiliation recognize the health and mental benefits of fasting.
Against this backdrop, the United States is implementing policies characterized by disorder, misinformation, and perceived injustice on an unprecedented scale. In the past 40 days, there have been random layoffs of federal employees, imposition of unilateral tariffs with trading partners, and cessation of critical aid to vulnerable populations without clear justification. These actions are likely to have significant impacts on vulnerable individuals both domestically and globally.
Freedom of Speech, a right guaranteed under the First Amendment, and there is concern that traditional media outlets have largely acquiesced, regardless of the veracity of information. The worry is that the prevalence of erroneous premises, faulty assumptions, hasty judgments, and a lack of empathy are viewed as significant enough to draw parallels with authoritarian regimes and colonial periods. It is disconcerting that such dynamics exist today under democratic governance led by elected officials.
Political discord in the United States has reached unprecedented levels, and the hope for reasonable accommodation by all political parties is waning. The US, being a Republic where citizens hold sovereignty and elected representatives serve them, appears to be experiencing a shift. Representatives in the Senate and Congress have deferred their responsibilities to the Executive Branch. Additionally, individuals of considerable wealth seem to exert undue influence, making it seem that the President’s favor is for sale to the highest bidder.
Each one of us, as citizens, must be more active in our own sphere of influence to bring reason, truth, empathy, justice and accountability into our social, political, economic and spiritual conducts.
Let us know what you think and how you are shaping your own response to the perils of our time.
