Distant Drums Sound Good (Aawaaz-e-Duhul Az Door Khush Mee Numayad)

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 21 November 2022 " When Your Small Cottage Provides All Comforts, Opting For A Palace Is Unwise. " -A Turkish maxim " A Bird In The Hand Is Worth Two In The Bush." -An English proverb " I Prefer My Simple Village Home To Valhalla's Magnificent Dome. " -W H Auden Two fish were in a pond and they were quite safe and secure there. There was a nearby river. One day, one fish said that life in a small pond was not exciting. So both must move on to the river. But the other fish said that life in a river was risky as there were bigger fish, which could kill them. The other fish wasn't happy. One day it left the pond and its old friend and went to the river. Immediately, a bigger fish killed the fish from the pond. Moral of the story is: While it's good to explore new and bigger horizons, it's stupidity to risk one's life in exploring new avenues. We all must know our capacities and limitations. Self-preservation is the most wise thing in life because Jaan Hai Toh Jahan Hai. A new place, new job, new responsibility and a new girlfriend/boyfriend may appear to be very exciting from a distance but the reality becomes obvious only when we jump into the new sphere without prior thinking and doing proper homework. Self-preservation invariably entails discretion. It's not sluggish complacency. In the military parlance, retreat is an act of discretion. Don't we often say, discretion is the better part of valour? It (discretion) is the preservation of life and conservation of force and energy. It's an insightful approach to life and its varied issues. If you're alive today, you can look forward to having a tomorrow, a better and greater one at that. Looking to enjoy a distant and seemingly exciting and ever-elusive tomorrow has its pitfalls. Remember the Persian adage, Aawaaz-E-Duhul Az Door Khush Mee Numayad (Door Ke Dhol Suhane Lagte Hain; Eng. equivalent: blue are the hills that are far from us). It's, therefore, a must to be aware of the ground realities and facts about the new place we're going to venture into. Sahir, an eternal single like yours truly, once advised a fellow Muslim friend, " Ek Biwi Zindagi Ko Dozakh Mein Badalne Ke Liye Kaafi Hai. Kisliye Chaar-Chaar Chahiye? " (One wife is enough to turn your life into a hell. Why on earth should you long to have four?). So very wise! Safety of a smaller place is much more desirable than the insecurity of a bigger place. It's better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven. We all must strive to make the 'small' place as good as it gets rather than rush and go somewhere endangering our life and existence. A state of certitude is always desirable however small or humdrum it may seem to others. ----- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/distant-drums-sound-good/d/128443 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism