The Fasting Movement - Personal Statement Example

Memorable story There is usually a feeling of anxiety when you have done something significant in life. That first day inhigh school, when you are just about to be handed your final term results, finished participating in the school’s environmental club’s elections and you are anxious that you are the chairman for club or just your first time in anything all associated anxious feelings. In the same way, throughout my life, I have had numerous memorable events. These memorable events that I have experienced in my life range from the best to the worst. It is human to experience happy and sad moments. One of the most memorable events in my life is when I learnt to swim. Learning how to swim made me to have an intense feeling which I will never forget. This event opened up numerous opportunities for me on how I would be spending my free time apart from watching movies. My mother often told me that I was born to swim. However, the truth is that I did not know how to swim pending to my last year in primary school. My mother sounded so funny to me when she said that I could swim in the basin when I was three months of age. I was astonished with my mother’s allegations. If my mom’s allegations were actually true, then why was I afraid of water? Every summer I went for swimming and I did not make any progress. To make matters worse, the drowning of my friend while on a hiking trip made me to fear the waters even more. When I asked my fellow non-swimmers about their swimming experiences, almost all of them admitted to having the phobia of water. One friend of mine, James, likened his fear of water to the unknowns of chemotherapy. During my swimming times, I often hung awkwardly on the shallow end with other first timers despite having gone to the pool severally. I blamed myself and I was worried all the time I went for swimming. My friends swam freely and I was envious of them. I was trying very hard in all my endeavours so that I one day also be the one the fastest swimmers and even one today compete with the fish in water. To some people it sounded ridiculous but I was determined. My father stood by me during the whole process, not to mention my brother, my mother, and my little sister who always encouraged me to work harder so that I even join the school’s swimming team. I really appreciated their emotional support. With people jumping into swimming pool and disappearing into the underwater only to resurface after a while and continue to paddle themselves in the water using their hands and legs did make sense to me until one dramatic afternoon. My father and I went to the swimming pool to swim on one hot summer afternoon. This was the interesting bit, while my father was changing his clothes I was wandering along the pool banks. All of a sudden, I heard somebody shouting, “Look out!” Then came a loud clamour together with beautiful splashes. Someone had plunged into the water near to where I was standing. As a glaring in the water while admiring the swimmer’s skills, I actually slipped and fell into the pool. I was extremely terrifies and I shouted very loudly. However, the water kept coming covering me drinking a lot of water every time I opened my mouth. I was really struggling to stay afloat and keep my head above the water. A minute in the water appeared like years to me. I was trying to move upside down in order to reach the bank. To my utter surprise, I was able to keep the style. At that particular moment, my father, saw me and was very shocked. Then I heard him saying, “Just calm down, and wave your legs and arms like this. Do you get it!” I did just like my father said and there I was floating and moving in water. When I reached on the other end of the pool, I gripped the side for support. My father told me that if the worst happens and I lose my footing, he would. I was pathetically reassured when I heard this. I immediately got out of the water and shouted, “I can swim!” My father encouraged me to go back into the pool and repeat what I had done. Finally, I was able to float and propel my body with my arms and legs. A kiss and a thumbs up from my father just made the day I learnt to swim a memorable one. Through the support of my family, I was now equipped with life skills that most persons have mastered by the time they reach adulthood. I was now able to drive, ride a bicycle, horse, and most importantly swim. It will just be a matter of time before I become a competitive swimmer. At this point, I said to myself, “I will be gliding in water like an eel.” My father told me that we need to take into consideration our interests as well as those of the people you love, act over promises, know what you want by having a dream and a vision, and building others up by encouraging, supporting and complimenting them. From this experience, it came to my knowledge that the power of someone is unlimited. In some instances, one’s power can actually be demonstrated in an emergency. As a result, one can discover the power which lies in them and attain their goals. Family Ritual Considering that I come from a family which upholds Islamic teachings, most of the rituals we performed at home adhered to the Islamic code of practice. Therefore, the rituals that are performed need to conform to the teachings of the Quran and values in Islam. The major rituals that are performed based on the Islamic religion are outlined as follows: Fasting: Is a time honoured ritual. It is a sacred time where Muslims abstain from food as well as other pleasures so to be near God. One needs to willingly abstain or reduce particular types of drinks or both during this time. The time period usually varies from a single day, to several days up to 30 days during the Holy Month of Ramadhan, which is the ninth of month of the Islamic calendar. This is a period when the Quran was revealed to humanity (William, 34). Pigrimage to Mecca (hajj): At least once in a person’s lifetime, every Muslim is required to undertake a pilgrimage to Mecca. However, hajj is only done by those with adequate financial resources. Animal sacrifice: Muslims are of the belief that it is God who gave humans the right to kill animals as well as consume them. Consequently, every Muslim is obliged to mention God at that time the animal is killed. It is also recommended that part of the meat from the animal is donated to the poor. Ritual prayer (salat): Before sleeping or after sleep prayers are recommended so as to nourish our bodies spiritually and also be near Allah. In addition, before departing to the Mosque a brief prayer is often performed in order to seek guidance from the Creator. During the times of prayer, the activity is often characterized by physical movements as well as verbal inanity. Salat is the most well-known practice and it conducted five times a day including at dawn (al-fajr), midday (al-zuhr), afternoon (al-asr), and sunset (al-maghrib), as well as evening (al-isha). Alms tax: Giving of alms is a central activity in Islam. In the Quran it a requirement (9:60). This ritual is often placed alongside prayer. “Perform the prayer and give alms,” 2:43, 110, 277).When someone does something wrong and is remorseful about, it is recommended that confesses the sin to the Lord so as to remove the guilt. Confessions are Going to the Mosque: Friday is the dedicated day to visit the Mosque. This day is dedicated solely for rest and worship by attending prayer services at the Masjid. Charity: Each Muslim needs to give charity to the poor. Muslims are supposed to give 2.5% of their money they have actually saved. This aimed at distributing wealth amongst Muslims. Dialectical Tension examples Dialectical tension is defined by Knapp and Daly (16) as the relational tensions that crop up when two incompatible or opposing forces exist as the same time. As a result, restrictions are developed putting strain on the relationship due to two different opinions. There have significant effects on social improvement. An example of such tension is exclusive selection. This describes the selection of either having a deep connection with your and actually acting as one on one side or being dependent and acting in your own terms. Therefore, when this notion is misapprehended, the relational tensions are thrown into disarray and the relationship has higher chances of disintegrating on a personal level, whether seen or not. Couples are less stable when they cannot agree on the level of closeness in the relationship and more stable when they both agree. Film analysis Rigoletto (1993) is a well done movie with beautiful original music as well as exceptional singing. The movie was produced with an organization that is dedicated to the entire family viewing devoid worrying about sexual content, profanity, or graphic violence. The movie is based on Victor Hugo’s play of 1832. A wealthy man who origins are unknown moves into an old mansion on the hill. People discriminated him due to his appearance but when the thirteen-year-old Bonnie (Ivey Llyod) goes to work to the mansion and he discovers that Ari Ribaldi (Joseph Paur) is actually a gifted songwriter, singer, in addition to being a teacher of vocal music. From an employee, they become friends and finally teaches him how to play music. ‘Rigoletto’ The movie also contains numerous Christian elements including love, friendship, acceptance, trust, honesty, respect, and virtue. Church is also mentioned of no fear and inspiration. The movie is applicable in real life since it denounces having judgemental minds. The movie reminds me that we should judge things or people based on their outside appearance. To that end, the movie can be summarised with the idiom, ‘Never judge a book by its cover.’ Metaphor statement “Life is a journey, achievements are landmarks” It is a figure of speech that identifies one thing by comparing it to another to show the likeness between them. They pass messages in a manner that is concealed thus requiring deeper analysis so as to find the true meaning. I have come across of the following statements: The ambitions of Bruce are a house of cards. Fear knocked on the door With his new haircut, Mark was a sheepdog. Her long hair was a flowing golden river. The computers at school are old dinosaurs. Laughter is the music of the soul. Mercy is a chicken. The falling snowflakes are dancers. Books are keys to your imagination. The peaceful lake was a mirror. Mitchell was blue when her goldfish died. The ballerina was a swan, gliding across the stage. Her angry words were bullets to him. Your brain is a computer. Christopher was a pig at dinner. The pupils were monkeys on the jungle gym. The car was a furnace in the sun. Thank you very much. You are an angel. Ian’s temper was a volcano, ready to explode. The sun is a golden ball. Look over there, that lawn is a green carpet. The clouds are balls of cotton. Jerry’s room is a zoo with gerbil, fish, and a parakeet. The park was a lake after the rain. The lightning was fireworks in the sky. Summary statement Being a determined person works best for you according to your abilities, weaknesses, and strengths, as well as desires. Consequently, these make you to contribute equally in whatever duties you are engaged in. It also enables you to live in confidence and unhindered by whatever people think of you. Being a confident person is based on our abilities and strengths. Besides that, our confidence also comes from God. It is through these qualities that one can succeed in life. Family communication enables the family members to express their desires, love, affection, and advice. This can improve the overall well being of the family. However, the recent advancements in technology as well social setting pose a great challenge to the maintenance of the traditional values. This is as a result of diversification. However, my Muslim family has been able to overcome these challenges by encouraging the family members to express love, affection, trust, and confidence to each other. Whenever somebody does something, he or she is corrected irrespective of their age. To sum up, the documents highlights the importance of family members in the development of the children. It proceeds further to discuss the rituals carried out by Islamic families, which form the basis of a good family; God fearing. Works Cited Foss, K., and Littlejohn, S. Theories of human communication, Belmont: Kogan Page, 2008. Print. Knapp, M.L., and Daly, J.A. Handbook of interpersonal communication. USA: Sage Publications, 2009. William, Johnson. The Fasting Movement, New York: Bethesda Books, 2003. Print. Read More